The new Mora Garberg

I have watched Mora's gradual progression in the last few years to theoretically higher end knives. I just haven't seen any offerings to justify paying 6-8 times what the basic line costs. And they are still developing the basic line.
 
The write-up I read said it was in stainless. I'd be interested if they made it in just plain carbon steel and the price was under $60 or so.
 
upnorth said:
I have watched Mora's gradual progression in the last few years to theoretically higher end knives. I just haven't seen any offerings to justify paying 6-8 times what the basic line costs. And they are still developing the basic line.
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I still just have and use my carbon clipper, the red handled one with the older thin stock. Never seen a need to upgrade. Probably the best $7 I've ever spent knife wise.

And yeah, the 'premium' line of knives, I just can't wrap my head around spending that much on a Mora.
 
I'll look for one on the used market, as I do with the vast majority of my knives.

That being said, when Emerson and the like come out with a cheaper version of their expensive knives we jump all over it, but when Mora comes out with more expensive knives we bicker about the cost vs value.
 
Looks like about $100 MSRP for the base model with plastic sheath, slightly more fore one with leather sheath.
 
ENZO make superb full tang zero grind scandis in a choice of steels, lengths, and handle material
Cannot see what Mora at the same price can give
 
ursamajor said:
Can't see myself buying one of these, when I can get a Condor Bushlore w/ micarta scales for half the price.
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.

I had a bushlore. There is a huge difference in the quality of steel between condor and mora
The condor bushlore steel is so soft it is not useful for my needs. I always ended up with major edge deformation
The steel condor uses us a poor choice for a scandi knife
 
I can see maybe a $30 Mora w/Sheath but I will never buy one over $40 ~~ so I guess I will never own a 'high' $$ Mora Knife and will have to settle for the $7 to $12 Mora's.** As far as I am concerned it is going to be to much to pay for the Knife you get in return.!** Enough said.^^
 
I balked at the price initially. Then I realized that the steel was upgraded and the sheath was nicer. Even more so I realized that Mora is trying to break the stereotype and offer a product that addresses the main criticisms people have of their knives. I plan on checking them out, and if I like how it feels in-hand, I'll get one.
 
I have 3 Mora Companions if they had a $30 price tag when I bought them I wouldn't have batted an eye. I think the Companion is easily worth $30. I've paid way more for other knives but continually find the Mora back in my hand because I like the way they preform. I really dig the new modular sheath system offered and the full tang I've dreamed of with the addition of better blade steel. I'll definitely get one.

Many people claim you get more knife in a Mora than you pay for. So if this is true what is a run of the mill Mora worth? If you believe they are worth more but balk at a $60-$70 ish price tag you must not really believe they are worth more even when you figure in better steel, full tang and better sheath options.

I'm not going to compare the FT Mora to other similar knife prices to decide its worth. I will look at the individual knife and decide if it's worth it to me. There are hundreds of videos all over comparing Moras to much more expensive knives. In nearly all of the ones I've see the person making the comparison touts the Mora as just as good or out performing the much more expensive blade. So why is an upgraded Mora getting bashed for price when Mora listened to the forums and videos with people wishing for a full tang Mora and better sheath.

Sounds like more give me what I want but don't aske me to pay for it. :confused:
 
Halfneck said:
I balked at the price initially. Then I realized that the steel was upgraded and the sheath was nicer. Even more so I realized that Mora is trying to break the stereotype and offer a product that addresses the main criticisms people have of their knives. I plan on checking them out, and if I like how it feels in-hand, I'll get one.
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What steel is it ?
 
bj264 said:
Many people claim you get more knife in a Mora than you pay for. So if this is true what is a run of the mill Mora worth? If you believe they are worth more but balk at a $60-$70 ish price tag you must not really believe they are worth more even when you figure in better steel, full tang and better sheath options.
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Exactly. The problem is the hype surrounding Moras. In their enthusiasm for the brand, there are countless people out there who say that Moras are the pinnacle of knife design, and that for < $20 you can get a knife that does anything you'd need it to do. How many times have we heard that Moras work just as well, better even, as knives costing much more?

Of course there are those of us who recognize the Mora for what it is -- a good, inexpensive knife that provides an incredible value. Hardly the best, but unbeatable in bang-for-the-buck factor. Too often though it seems that those who point out that there are better knives than the Mora are decried for being knife snobs.

This post that I read on another forum puts it very well. It certainly explains the grumbling behind the Garberg.

So I guess all the Mora naysayers are right. The only appeal of Mora knives is price after all.
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kamagong said:
Exactly. The problem is the hype surrounding Moras. In their enthusiasm for the brand, there are countless people out there who say that Moras are the pinnacle of knife design, and that for < $20 you can get a knife that does anything you'd need it to do. How many times have we heard that Moras work just as well, better even, as knives costing much more?
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Here's an interesting head to head comparison of a (convexed) Mora Companion HD against a $300 Bark River.
[video=youtube_share;sLlxWbce4iE]http://youtu.be/sLlxWbce4iE[/video]

IME on the forums, there's just as much if not more over-hype of expensive knives from the "you get what you pay for" crowd.

I think there's a couple of things going on.

One is the issue of steel. IMO, woodsy, bushcrafty type applications are a place where fine carbide steels really excel. And the thing about fine carbide steels is that they can be mass produced for peanuts. If we were talking about cleaning deer where more expensive to produce carbide rich steels easily out perform fine carbide steels, then the Mora wouldn't even be in consideration. Obviously, there will be fans of powdered steels who will argue that expensive powdered steels will always outperform fine carbide steels and that's a debate that just has no end.

Second, knives like Moras (and Opinels) reveal the fallacy of fit and finish for some products. Fit and finish generally doesn't lead to better performance for some product types. For some products, performance hange more on design. Moras deliver great erognomics combined with a proven blade design and a functional sheath that does what a working sheath should do. For this style of knife, you can pay for better fit and finish and artistic styling, but it's very hard to argue that you can find a better performing knife for it's intended use. [FWIW, I worked for years as a bike mechanic and you see the same exact debate around custom bikes. Most people who bike custom frames don't need custom fitting and it's a tough pill to swallow that a less expensive production frame will perform just as well a spiffy custom. Performance is dictated by material application and geometry... A situation similar to knives.]

The last issue here, IMO, is brand expectation. I don't see how full exposed tang construction adds that much to production costs. So what you have with the Garberg is a marginally valuable upgraded steel and a fancier sheath. The question in my mind is what the price tag would have been if Mora had done a full exposed tang in 12C27 (or 1095) and combined that with their standard plastic sheath. IMO, that's a $30 knife or less. This new knife isn't about a big difference in performance. IMO it's Mora trying to change it's market niche by competing with higher priced brands. I don't get it.
 
Larcivs Lepidvs said:
I like everything about this knife so far, except the price.
~$70 is too much maybe, but I expect great quality.
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From what I understand USA MSRP will be closer to $100. No way am I paying that. I'll stick with other Moras as they do exactly what they were designed to do quite well and inexpensively.

kamagong said:
This post that I read on another forum puts it very well. It certainly explains the grumbling behind the Garberg.
So I guess all the Mora naysayers are right. The only appeal of Mora knives is price after all.
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With Moras it's about value (true value) and bang for your buck, and with much of Mora's current product line you get a lot of both. And, yes, price (and quality) are a large part of that.

That said, the Garberg seems to be a solution in search of as problem.
 
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