Tin Knife V's Mora !

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
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There has been some talk about tin knives recently, for those who have been living on Mars these are tiny knives that fit in an Altoid tin PSK.
Anyway those without one might wonder just how usefull such a knife could be !
An important use for me is the ability to shave wood fine enough to take a spark from a ferro rod. So today I decided to pit my Tin Knife against the mighty Mora !

As you can see here the tin knife slightly out edged the Mora in the fine fuzzy test, yeah some will say " well I can make finer fuzzies than that with my Mora !" and I agree that if I'd spent more time and effort I would have as well but that being said with more time and effort my tin knife fuzzies would have been proportionally finer to !

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When it came to the spark test the Tin Knife fuzzy took 3 strikes:

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And the Mora took............yeah 3 strikes as well !:grumpy: But for crying out loud this is supposed to be an icon amongst the bushcraft folk !

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In a future post I'll test the tin knife at some notching etc but I think that the tin knives are definitely worth having in ya PSK especially given the great prices that Mark Wohlwend, Stomper and Bryan Breeden charge !

Here is my Stomper ( JK ) tin knife:

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And here is one of Stompers new ones :

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Nuke_Spook said:
Pitdog,

Great post! I really appreciate the practical tests. You sound like someone with experience so I have a question. I have always thought a small folder like the A. G. Russell Titanium Lockback, with a 1 7/8" VG-10 blade, would work great as a tin knife. How do you think it would compare?


http://www.agrussell.com/ag-russell-25-titanium-lockback-folder/p/RUShhhP6CQ/

Thanks,
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Hey buddy, let me first say that I'm Mr Anti-Folder !:D

Realistically I think provided that the grind is decent then a small folder would serve you just as well, I am often amazed just how much I can do with a Vic Classic !
 
great stuff Pit...:thumbup: i have been thinking about a tin/PSK knife thread lately..:)
i have one of those MW tin knives on the way, i am looking forward to checking it out.. also have a JK tin knife too...:D
 
Awesome post, thanks pit. Gotta get me a tin knife one of these days, i get the feeling those little folding razor blades just wouldn't be all that great in a situation that you needed to rely on your psk blade.
 
Finer fuzzies with the tin knife than the Mora. That is pretty cool, right there.
 
Just for curiosities sake, would you be willing to try the first test with a different firesteel (or even a few different firesteels)? It's difficult, or at least for me, to see that it couldn't simply be the firesteel and not the knives.

Also, which one do you use more frequently?

Thank you for the pictures and the write up. You and mistwalker always post up cool stuff. Others do as well of course, but you two seem to be the most frequent culprits.
 
Duzzy said:
Just for curiosities sake, would you be willing to try the first test with a different firesteel (or even a few different firesteels)? It's difficult, or at least for me, to see that it couldn't simply be the firesteel and not the knives.

Also, which one do you use more frequently?

Thank you for the pictures and the write up. You and mistwalker always post up cool stuff. Others do as well of course, but you two seem to be the most frequent culprits.
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I'm afraid I only have a LMF type one's, I have never tried the GoingGear molten blob type ones.:(
 
The biggest advantage the Tin Knife has over the Mora is the fact that I always have my Tin Knife. If I'm dressed I have a tin knife in my pocket. I love my Mora but it generally isn't with me so it is useless.
 
protourist said:
The biggest advantage the Tin Knife has over the Mora is the fact that I always have my Tin Knife. If I'm dressed I have a tin knife in my pocket. I love my Mora but it generally isn't with me so it is useless.
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Great point buddy ! I'd never advocate someone carrying a Tin Knife over a Mora as their main blade and only used that in my title as a joke due to my Mora bashing posts in the past !:D

The Mora is obviously a far more versatile tool but the Tin Knives have their niche and are a valuable addition to anyones kit !:thumbup:
 
Nuke_Spook said:
Pitdog,

Great post! I really appreciate the practical tests. You sound like someone with experience so I have a question. I have always thought a small folder like the A. G. Russell Titanium Lockback, with a 1 7/8" VG-10 blade, would work great as a tin knife. How do you think it would compare?


http://www.agrussell.com/ag-russell-25-titanium-lockback-folder/p/RUShhhP6CQ/

Thanks,
Click to expand...


how thick is the blade on that folder?

i'd think that a fixed blade with one part and no moving parts would have an advantage in durability in a survival situation where you're depending on the tool.

can a folder like that do the job? sure... i guess so. but which would you be more confident in?
 
pitdog said:
I'm afraid I only have a LMF type one's, I have never tried the GoingGear molten blob type ones.:(
Click to expand...

The reason I asked is because the wording of the review made it sound like the Tin Knife was the overall better implement (at least to me). Which you have already clarified wasn't your intent. So I thought I'd ask.
 
pitdog said:
Great point buddy ! I'd never advocate someone carrying a Tin Knife over a Mora as their main blade and only used that in my title as a joke due to my Mora bashing posts in the past !:D

The Mora is obviously a far more versatile tool but the Tin Knives have their niche and are a valuable addition to anyones kit !:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Whenever I see the "What knife would you bet your life on" threads, in my mind I think "the one I'm carrying".
I don't know how far most people travel from their homes on a daily basis but emergencies can happen at any time and generally happen when they aren't expected.
This is directed at all, not just you Pitdog.
When it does happen, will you have the perfect tools with you? Do you edc tools that you would bet your life on, or do you only carry them when you are hiking?
I always carry tools I would trust. They may not be the perfect tool but they are always with me and I trust them to work.
 
Not to take this thread off topic, but what makers in the forum do tin knives besides Stomper? I'd love to see different variations and definitely need to get one soon.
 
soccergod04 said:
Not to take this thread off topic, but what makers in the forum do tin knives besides Stomper? I'd love to see different variations and definitely need to get one soon.
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Mark Wohlwend, Turley Knives, and Bryan Breeden all make them.
 
Everybody knows its not a real test if batoning isn't involved :D :D :D

Okay, lets see some notching next!
 
I've got a couple of tin knives myself. Made by me of course. I just find it really convenient to keep a tin in my car and my wife's car. Then generally when I hit the woods it is right there.
 
mrnewberry said:
I've got a couple of tin knives myself. Made by me of course. I just find it really convenient to keep a tin in my car and my wife's car. Then generally when I hit the woods it is right there.
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Hey sorry buddy, I feel bad for not mentioning yours now, you do a great looking tin knife.:o
Can ya add a pic for us !:thumbup:
 
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