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Spyderco Moran Vs Fallkniven F1

Ken Lau

Ken Lau

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
152
I'm looking to get a fixed blade for hunting / skinning chores and I have selected the Moran and the F1. Does anyone have experience with both who could give me the low down. Both blades are VG10 and I'm happy with that. However, I havent handled either and I am going to buy over the internet. So any opinions and views and most welcome.
Cheers

Ken
 
Hi Ken...

I have both are they are Great knives,,all depends what you want to do with them..

The Spydie has a much thinner blade,, which would probably be better for skinning and food prep...

The FI is a much more solid knife ,quite a bit thicker and much more of an all around camp knife.

I would feel comfortable putting it to much harder use than I would the Moran.

For delicate work the Moran.
For hard use and an all around field knife,, the FI hands down...

My personal favorite in the field..

Hope this helps..

ttyle Eric...

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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing
 
Considering the Moran with the full convex grind and upswept point and the F1 with a v-ground edge (these are what I have used, there are various models) :

The Moran is slightly harder and thus assuming that you don't overstress the edge it will wear and roll slower than the F1 and thus cut better for longer. However as you do harder work the Moran will chip at a lower stress than the F1 and fracture worse at equal stresses.

The Moran has a more acute an overall lower drag profile because of the full convex grind and thus it in general will slightly outcut the F1. Note the new F1's have a full convex grind as well.

The Moran is weaker. This is from memory but after snapping both the blades I remember the F1 as needing more force. However the difference is not great and neither will take a large amount of force so prying is not a sensible option. It is not likely that this is going to be a common requirement for hunting / light cutting work.

The handle on the Moran is very shape specific and may fit your hand well or may not. I liked it. The F1 is a more general shape and should not present you with a problem unless your hand is very large. The F1 is also aggressively checkered so it will be more secure in wet/bloody conditions.

The F1 has an extended tang which you can pound on to drive the point into something - or use as a makeshift hammer. The pointed end of the Moran would not be good at either.

Neither sheath was that great, retention was decent as was access. They could both be greatly improved with decent Kydex fittings. In fact I think both were.

-Cliff
 
One of the problems with an upswept blade like the Moran is that it's easy to poke a hole in the hide, in my experience. Some skinning blades have a blunted tip for that reason. I prefer a drop-point for skinning, as long as there is a reasonable sweep, i.e., CS MAster Hunter. I plan to try the F1 this month (with luck) on moose, elk, not to mention, bacon. Cliif, you're right, Kydex (or Concealex) sheaths are better.
 
Thanks for all your posts. My main concern with the Moran, without handling the knives, is the ergos of the handle. Not sure if it would be suitable for me.

It is interesting to hear that the new F1s have the convex grind! It makes it a lot more attractive.

I dont think that I will need the knife to take too harsh a hammering. Mainly skinning, cutting and some jointing or dejointing! Not sure of the terminology there!!
 
Small addition to Cliff's conclusions: new SPYDERCO Bill Moran Featherweight comes with full flat grind and conventional edge.
In my opinion Moran's upswept point can easily cut guts when opening the game. I would prefer Fällkniven F1 for skinning and gutting.
Or wait for SPYDERCO Moran Featherweight with drop point blade, it probably will be available soon.
 
Sergiusz,
Thanks for the links to your reviews. They were very informative. Nice pics too.
I think that in conclusion, I will get myself an F1 with a funky kydex sheath.
Cheers
Ken
 
One may wish to keep in mind that if you are primarily slicing, skinning, etc. the Spyderco Moran is thinner and will cut easier. If pounding, prying, etc. you may want the stouter F1 blade.

I had a Fallkniven S1, and it was bull stout for sure...but it was a little bulky for its size. Don't know about the F1.

One could always just get a couple of Frost of Sweden's Swedish Army knives...
 
Contact Normark a.k.a Eric Noeldechen on these pages... he makes a great Concealex sheath for the Fallkniven line and others. You can order one with the knife from James Mattis at www.chaicutlery.com.
 
Originally posted by Ken Lau:
My main concern with the Moran, without handling the knives, is the ergos of the handle. Not sure if it would be suitable for me.
Click to expand...
This is a concern for all knives, but I think you're right in doubting the Moran will suit you, as to me it seems like it's shape is optimized for a small range of hand sizes, so some will probably love it whereas some (like me) find it "not quite right" when handling, although it looks like it should be.

I think one of the things Fällkniven are good at is ergonomics and making knives fitting a wide range of hand sizes, without making them feel like compromises. If you're in the position you can't handle before you buy, I think the risk is lower with a Fällkniven.

If it's primarily hunting you'll use the knife for, I think you should at least consider the Fällkniven H1 too.
Comparision photo in <a href="http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002059.html">this</a> thread, information at Fällkniven's <a href="http://www.fallkniven.com/h1.htm">own site</a>.

Note: I'm not a hunter, so I can't recommend anything from experience -- just wanted to point out the H1 exists.

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Urban Fredriksson
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
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"I've always been fascinated by Scandinavian knives [...] they're simple, in an advanced way".
- Bob Loveless
 
Ditto what Griffon said about the Fällkniven H1. It looks to be one fantastic design for an all around hunting/skinning knife. That would be my first choice right now if I were looking for such a knife.

AJ
 
I have a Roselli erapuukko (hunting knife) with almost an identical blade profile to the Fallkniven F1 (see James Mattis comparison at www.chaicutlery.com). It is an excellent skinner, but you have to be careful with the upswept tip to avoid gouging the meat or (worse) puncturing the gut sack when opening big game. On the other hand, the narrow tip makes it a good all-round utility blade, something inherent in the puukko design, IMHO.
 
H1 is pretty close to Roselli but it has smallish drop in the tip - to avoid the problems Alberta Ed mentioned ??
If I was a hunter that (H1) would be my choice.
 
Thanks for all ya input! I would prefer the F1 over both the Moran and H1 cos I think that it will allow a bit more flexibility in use.
Cheers

Ken
 
The Roselli does have a rather subtle 'drop' or flattened section at the tip about half an inch long; Heimo Roselli obviously put a lot of thought into the design. Still, it is a bit more difficult to use in some tasks like opening game than a drop point. A CS Master Hunter just opens 'em up like a zipper. With clips or upswept tips, one trick is to make the opening nick, then guide the blade between the forefinger and middle finger of your off hand (hand and blade pointing in the same direction, naturally). Does anyone have any experience using an ulu to dress game?

[This message has been edited by Alberta Ed (edited 09-08-2000).]
 
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