Thinking about the F1 but looking for some opinions first

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bladept

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Aug 18, 2015
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Hello friends!!
So the thing is...no Christmas presents from myself to me thos year lol. I've been wanting to upgrade my mora companion for some time now, and at about 150$ I was looking at the F1 in vg10...the thing is, I've been reading ALLOT and some peoples reviews say that the knife is awesome, others talk about chiping on the blade and not very good edge holding!I want the knife for: use during my bushcraft weeks and weekends where the tasks needed will be some carving for fun, processing some firewood (with the help of a saw) making some feathers to start fires, general woods use for anything that I might need a knife for, I wont be chooping brushed or batoning huge logs) , other use that it might be used for is to skin a hog from time to time :)
I would like to hear some of your opinions about this knife for what I will be using for, and what can I expect from it compared to a mora, because I'm all about performance, I've beet the crap out of my mora and it is still fine (so the full tang thing is not my dilema), I just would like to know if the edge holding and performance I'll get is worth mora 130$ than a mora?!
Thank you very much for the help! Hope to hear some great opinions :)
And happy holidays !
 
The f1 is probably next on my list of fixed blade purchases. Mostly, because I want a decent smaller fixed blade in stainless for hiking.
Another great option is an enzo trapper for a fair bit less than the fallkniven. It comes in a variety of steel options and grinds and handle materials. I have one in O1 with a scandi blade. It's a great knife for general out door tasks. It works wood very well and feathers like a dream. I won't be using to chop though.
If stainless isn't a necessity, some LT Wright or Battle Horse knives might be a good general use outdoor option.
I havent handled the LTW or BHK, I'm only recommending based on their reputation.
 
I've got 3 or 4 F1's. I keep one in all my bags as a backup to the expensive ones I carry. They are easy to sharpen, are durable (haven't had any chipping- but I don't baton with mine) and come with a compact sheath. Plus I like they are convex grind. I think they are worth it over a Mora if you like nicer things. If a knife is just a thing that cuts for you, sure a Mora will do what you need.
 
No. You will not get $130 more performance. You will get an iconic knife with excellent steel and terrific grind. That is worth it to me. VG 10 gets small chips or micro chipping when encountering sand, bone, and other hard stuff. I wouldn't let that prevent the purchase..Go for it and enjoy. Merry Christmas.
 
The F1 is a great knife for the uses you describe.

Mine did have micro chipping when new. That stopped after a few sharpenings. Now the only chipping that happens is pure user error ( I beat mine like a rented mule).

In my opinion it is far above a Mora. Though I admit, after owning and using a few, I despise Moras. So I am extremely biased. You'll have to pick up an F1 and decide for yourself.

My F1 after a decade of use as my only outdoors fixed blade.

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Mora's don't do it for me. F1's are a really good general purpose woods blade. I never baton with mine or if I do it is very gently on small diameter wood for kindling. I carry a saw camping usually and as a result, my batonning needs are very few. There are LOTS of good choices in this size of fixed blade as been mentioned. I have no doubt that the edge holding ability of VG-10 is not as good as some of the super steels. You just have to decide. I have always been pretty comfortable with Bark Rivers A-2 for general purpose woods blades.
 
I like my f1 quite a bit. I haven't experienced any edge chipping with mine, though I haven't done much in the way of "hard use" tasks with it. Made some feather sticks, done a bit of carving/whittling, field dressed a deer, things like that. I usually choose something bigger for bigger jobs.

Before I got too concerned about reports of edge retention and chipping, I'd look at long term reviews. Edge holding problems do seem to be reported more on factory edges of production knives, even some very expensive ones. The generally accepted wisdom seems to be that sometimes the steel on the very edge gets overheated during powered sharpening at the factory and that ruins the heat treatment. Once it's been sharpened a few times, you get down to fresh steel that hasn't been overheated and displays the true properties of the steel/heat treatment. Not certain if that's the case specifically with the f1, but it would be worth doing more research on if you're concerned.

On alternatives, I don't have a lot in this size range. I have an old carbon v cold steel master hunter that I like, but I have no experience with the quality of the newer versions. Everything I've heard about the Enzo trappers has neen good and I've been eyeballing them for a while now. I like the look of them and the different steel/grind options, but I haven't taken the plunge on one yet.

Hope this helped.
 
I have a couple of Mora Companions and an F1 Pro. I haven't had an issue with chipping on either one (the F1 Pro doesn't use VG-10, though).
 
I use both Mora and Fällkniven at work .
VG-10 is more wear-resistant than 12c27 or carbon steel.

I agree with what others already said and I doubt that You will wear-out the F1 in any normal use.
It takes and holds an edge for a long time.
Vg-10 is also easy to resharpen.


Regards
Mikael
 
Thanks allot for the comments guys!! I might be the only one around here in the phase where letting go 150$ for a knife is HARD!! I've been doing my job and searching allot! Keep opinions comming please :)
 
bladept said:
Thanks allot for the comments guys!! I might be the only one around here in the phase where letting go 150$ for a knife is HARD!! I've been doing my job and searching allot! Keep opinions comming please :)
Click to expand...

The F1 has a thicker spine and edge, than the regular Moras.
This means it benefits from thinning the blade behind the edge a little bit, in order to bite better into wood.



Regards
Mikael
 
Check some of the forum vendors. I've seen new ones for $120. You might also haunt the exchange. They appear on there fairly frequently, although people buy them pretty quickly.
 
Its better if like lower angles and push cutting edges and you can sharpen and maintain your edges with stones and strops with more polished finishes, otherwise its merits are wasted.

If your rough on your knives and like to dig, pry and are unconcerned with your edges and sharpening then its a pass on this knife
Thicker, softer steel knives at half the cost will be better at that.
 
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