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bae
4-21-12, 1:00pm
The other day, I decided to finally check out some knives from Mora, a Swedish company. I ordered up a representative set from Ragweedforge.com, which had been recommended to me as having great service and pricing. The order arrived 2 days after I placed it, and each knife was in the ~$10 price range. One, the All Around, was very expensive at ~$14!

Left to right: Mora 1/0, 2/0, Classic #1, TopQ All Around, 711 (and a Spyderco Delica for scale purposes).

All are carbon steel except the TopQ model.

The wood-handled classic-style ones are very very light, even with the sheath (The 1/0 comes in at ~2 ounces), and have a thin, very sharp blade. They remind me of the classic Opinel folders in feel and utility, except they are fixed-blade, and a bit more robust in the blade. They are quite handy for detail work, and I've been using the Classic #1 as a neck knife all week and have been pleased with it, especially at the price point. Fit-and-finish of the blade is a bit lacking, but it is adequate, and again, we're talking about a $10 knife, including sheath.

The sheaths are not *really* designed for American-style belt wear. They'd only take a very narrow belt, and they are a bit flimsy in the attachment. The sheath is designed instead to slip over a button on a shirt or jacket, and that works surprisingly better than I'd anticipated. It is also very easy to run a cord through the sheath to use them as neck knives.

The two larger knives are comfortable in my large hands, and have a stouter blade than the Classic models. The grips are non-slip, and the sheath is of higher quality and more general utility than the Classic models.

These would make great knives to throw in cars/backpacks/picnic baskets/boats/workshops.

They all come very sharp from the factory, and cut very well.

Overall, these are a great bargain, and I see why they have such a cult following.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AkLII_SxI_M/T5Lg5PpvfwI/AAAAAAAAFDM/l3cx7rZmPgQ/s640/IMG_0667.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PbbWGlsWYIA/T5LhA_XxPpI/AAAAAAAAFC8/ayqneUbA9b4/s640/IMG_0666.JPG

razz
4-21-12, 9:27pm
It is hard to get decent knives these days that hold an edge. What is the one with a hole in the blade that is on the right of the photo - name and use?

bae
4-21-12, 10:10pm
The one on the right is a Spyderco Delica, a common pocketknife. The hole in it allows opening it one-handed using the thumb. They run about $60 discounted, which is more than all those Moras put together. The Spyderco is an excellent knife as well.

lizii
4-22-12, 2:33am
What is a neck knife?

bae
4-22-12, 2:39am
What is a neck knife?

A small knife that you suspend around your neck, like a medallion on a necklace. (See the cord I have attached to two of those in the picture). Tucked either in your shirt, or outside. It keeps a small useful knife handy when kayaking or engaged in woods-like activities, not requiring you to dig around in pockets or fool with belt sheaths (especially if you have a pack on, or a a jacket or spray skirt or ...).

Like so:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/260464_230843350261209_124508247561387_1052044_384 5267_n.jpg

CeciliaW
4-22-12, 4:38am
Ok, that is NOT how I pictured you Bae.

Interesting how our minds invent things, eh?

CathyA
4-22-12, 9:20am
I don't think that's him........just a pic of someone with that knife. ??

Alan
4-22-12, 9:33am
That's the barefoot Dual Survival (http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/dual-survival/)guy.

bae
4-22-12, 5:46pm
That's the barefoot Dual Survival (http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/dual-survival/)guy.

Yup. I myself wear shoes, a kilt, and have a beard, no ponytails.

I just remembered Cody was a minimalist outdoorsman who carries his everyday knife in just this fashion, usually with a fire steel and a bit of tinder attached to the sheath. Very sensible.

Here's the wee knife I've been carrying on a cord like that for a while now, compared to one of the Moras. The little knife was made by a friend of mine, and is the sort of knife I'm working up to being able to make in my blacksmithing project. It's hand-made Damascus steel, fossil mammoth grips. It cuts great, is nice and thing and relatively light.

However, the Mora is more useful because of its blade shape for light day-to-day things like cutting up food, or making useful items out of wood in the forest, and so on. It also is easily and cheaply replaceable if you lose it :-)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L0xxjgccvd8/T5R3ieK9OoI/AAAAAAAAFDs/OxtHlnQTfHo/s640/IMG_0673.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KBdoJWNfqao/T5R3xIjWb6I/AAAAAAAAFEI/OOq885Ymj8U/s640/IMG_0671.JPG

ToomuchStuff
12-2-14, 7:23pm
Sorry for bringing up a thread from the dead, hoping BAE will see this. *saw a guest reading this thread and the brand name is something I am looking at*
Is that Damascus knife cracked?
Also, do you have any of the light my Fire Mora knives? (been looking locally at Harry Epstein, possible Xmas gift)

Thanks

bae
12-3-14, 2:22pm
The Damascus knife isn't cracked, that's a differential tempering line visible in that particular lighting.

I don't have any of the Mora combination knife/firestarters. I prefer to carry a separate firestarting kit not attached to the knife. It is more cost effective as the Mora pairs are usually marked up, and I can get just the firestarter I want, and carry it well-protected.

http://firesteel.com/ is a great source of the firestarter rods.