Benchmade vs. Mora

Thanks Dennis for asking.
I would like to know if Mora knives are available in Australia.
Franco

I have never used a Mora knife, but I have owned over 20 benchmades. They are top quality, very well finished, sharpen easily and hold an edge. I have put some of my knives through ridiculous conditions and they always come out the other end fine. I also own knives from emerson, cold steel, microtech and gerber and to me the benchmades are better than all of these.

Unless I am mistaken, Mora does not make folding knives, so are you asking who makes a better general utility fixed blade?
It seems to me that is akin to asking what the best backpack or softshell would be- something that can only be answered when you have a certain use in mind.

Moras are great- easy to sharpen (carbon versions), easy to modify, pretty good at everything and with a bevel that is great for woodworking. Many primitive skills/bushcraft people like them.
Moras aint pretty, do not hold an edge as long as many of the high-end steels used by benchmade, and are less "handy" (not as easily carried).

-if you want a knife for the truck or toolbox, get a few Frosts/Moras.
-if you want a personal knife to carry every day, get a Benchmade that you really like.
-if you want a knife for backpacking, get the smallest and lightest thing possible. The only thing I ever have to cut on trips is cord/webbing and packaged food containers. This is why my 30 or so knives are sitting in a closet collecting dust.

I have several of both. Here's some thoughts:

The Mora's Scandi grind makes it easier to hold a consistant angle while sharpening. Maybe 25% easier than standard grinds for experienced sharpeners. Much, much easier for inexperienced sharpeners. However, much more steel much be removed so plan on a diamond stone or longer sharpening times.

The lack of a micro bevel makes the Scandi grind chip a little easier on knots, expecially in dry hardwood, but slightly sharper. Even so, my tri-laminate Mora seems like it stays sharp about twice as long as my 154CM Benchmades and 1.5 times as long as my S30V Benchmades, and about the same amount of time as my M2 Benchmades. (ps: Adding a micro bevel deletes the consistant angle advantage above.)

I find the Mora's Scandi grind to be a little trickier to cut thin shavings for fire starting. The corner of the grind acts like a pivot (like a chisel's heel) much more noticeably than standard grinds. Some people like the built in "depth control guide" though.

The Mora's blade is less tall (edge to spine) than many "tactical looking" Benchmades. This makes it much easier to use for paring cuts – like cutting the seeds out of apple wedges, or whittling, or making thin shavings for fire starting.

A fixed blade Mora is noticeably less convenient to carry around than a folding Benchmade. The handle on the fixed blade Mora is noticeably less fatiguing to use for long periods or shorter periods of heavy cutting.

The pivot on the Benchmade Griptillian or 520 or 420 is about the same strenth as the rat-tail tang on the Mora for heavy duty tasks like splitting wrist size sticks lengthwise, notching branches by hammering the spine with a baton, so they'll break, etc. Note that batoning the spine will destroy both if you do it wrong, or long enough. Full tang "bushcraft" versions of the Mora are popular for people who want to cut firewood or shelter poles to length. (I prefer the saw on the 3.25" "camper" Swiss Army Knife).

ps: Like the Mora; the Opinel is another inexpensive knife that significantly outperforms it's price range. And it folds !

I agree with Michael.
Moras are great for when you want a knife to do real work, like splitting wood and making shavings.
Moras are good steel and have a flat bevel that is designed to shave wood and is easy to hand sharpen.
You can beat on it (within reason) and work with a mora all day and not wince since its cheap and hardy. I can get a chip in the blade and take a file to it and keep working.
Most people would not use a Benchmade in that way. They are expensive and are used more for general purposes -lighter duty. Especially the folders, no matter how sturdy a folder is built its unwise to use it for splitting wood and hard work in my opinion -because a folder always has a weak point in the joint that can break or twist. Moras are hard to explain to people and the authorities Benchmades are not as hard :) Bottom line:
Mora: inexpensive reliable tool for hard work
Benchmade more expensive general/light tool

What is the significance when Mora writes 860 stainless steal vs. 760 stainless steel?

I like moras a lot. They are light, dirt cheap and they cut things– just what they are supposed to do. Get a nice stainless mora and a small Swiss Army Knife and you can go anywhere.

Benchmade products are excellent too. You pay for the privilege, but they use top notch steels, world class designers, and have great features.

Comparing apples and apples, the Benchmade will be ten times more expensive, heavier, and harder to sharpen. A fixed blade Benchmade will have a full tang, which none of the moras have, meaning that the blade extends all the way to the end of the handle, making it harder to break. It will hold an edge longer due the nature of the steel. You will cuss harder and longer if you break or lose the Benchmade.

Bottom line is that both will work. The mora is a much more utilitarian item, where the Benchmade is more of a lifetime investment.

Be careful– moras are like potato chips— you can't own just one :)

As to Benchmade models, the Griptilian line (fixed blade or folder) is excellent. The Snody Activator is a good trail knife too.

Let me turn the tables and recommend another knife if you want a quality fixed blade: the Fallkniven F1. I had a custom Kydex sheath made for mine with a firesteel holder built in. Made in Sweden and used by the Swedish Air Force for a survival knife. It is not a big Rambo rig, just a 4" blade, very thick and made to take a beating.

Other knives to consider:

KaBar Becker Necker — a great UL fixed blade
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=KABK11

AG Russell WoodsWalker
http://www.agrussell.com/product.asp?pn=AGPRS&bhcd2=1233460970

Victorinox paring knife– 3/4oz and about $5!
Here is the paring knife with a couple moras– the Sport and a Clipper below.

Victorinox Trekker (AKA Trailmaster). The newer one hand opening version is great.

Victorinox Fieldmaster

Victorinox Hiker

And of course, the Victorinox Classic

Here's my collection of Swiss Army knives with customized Stayglow scales that glow in the dark:

I have a knives of alaska elk hunter I think. Its made with a nice tool steel that sharpens quick. Its prone to rust but as long as you care for it, it should meet any demands.

I just got a couple Mora's, the 4" bushcraft model for myself and the slightly smaller 3.75" for my son.
I had the chance to play with them on a trip this weekend- making feather sticks, splitting wood, etc.
Great knives at a great price- the 4" was $11, the 3.75" was $10.50. Who can beat that price for a quality "beater" knife?

I have a Benchmade folder- it's my everyday knife, but usually doesn't go trekking with me (I prefer a fixed if I'm doing bushcraft and don't really carry anything big when thru-hiking).

Franco,

I know the mines in Mt Isa were handing out Moras as a work knife, but I'm not sure if they were buying them here or bringing them in themselves.

Rod

> Let me turn the tables and recommend another knife if you want a quality fixed blade: the Fallkniven F1

Those look very nice.
I priced them around on the 'net, and man, they're proud of 'em, huh?

Franco, Rod,

Looks like they are just rolling out:

Check out http://www.dahlgrentrading.com/main.html

info@dahlgrentrading.com

The Fallkniven F1 is comparable to a Benchmade of the same class. There are certainly Benchmades that cost lest. The Rant model is a great buy.

I brought up the Fallkniven as an alternative to the Benchmade models. From high to low, there is only about a $50 range in good trail models and most are more like a $25 range.

A Benchmade or Fallkniven knife will be stronger. How much stronger is the question. It comes down to performance and the rest is just fashion, IMHO. The stronger knives are more capable of splitting wood with a baton and other more abusive tasks. Most are heavy enough to raise eyebrows here.

With any kind of proper care, a mora will last for years. I've had one for over 20 years. It has been relegated to my toolbox and is ugly, but it still does the job.

If you are going to be cutting line, preparing food, and making an occasional marshmallow roasting stick, a mora will work well. For that matter, a Swiss Army knife would work well and deliver more features like a saw or scissors. The moras are certainly some of the lightest fixed-blade knives suited for trail use.

I go to eBay for knives. Prices are typically 30% less and when I'm lucky, 50% or more.

If were going to bring up Falkin knife's, then Ill bring up my personal favorite company for bushcraft Bark River Knife and Tool. My favorite is the the NorthStar, is pretty light and wicked sharp with its full height convex blade. Although this type of blade takes some skill to sharpen (a whole other topic covered by others that can explain it better, google sharping a convex blade if intrested). It's strong and lacks the tactial look that many dont care for, YMMV.

Thanks Dale.

The Dahlgrens I know are a plumbing company, but I'll check these guys out.

Rod

I've never ponied up the cash for a Benchmade before but I love my Frosts/Mora. Cheap, sharp, and bright orange so I don't lose it.

Depending on the trip I bring one of the following:

The picture Dale put up of the victorinox and the two Moras looks like what I used to carry when I was a deckhand on a fishing boat: Orange handled one inside my raingear bibs, victornox on my suspender strap, and the other mora duct taped to the top of my boot.

Never have too many knives on a boat deck. No bushcraft experience, but these were great deck knives.

I know the #1 and #2 are full tang – I thought the mostly all were

Thanks Rod.
I have a mate that is into knives, I wiil ask, but possibly the Mora are too cheap for him
( he buys the type made by Vestal Virgins on a full Moon night using Unobtanium Cryogenically frozen, or something like that)

BTW, I found the cheap aluminium pot I was after at Mitchells for $4 , 900 ml about 120g ( hidden well away from the other pots)
One day I will make the MiniCone.
Just spotted

Dale thanks for that. Never heard of them ….

Franco

I like your knife collection, Dale!

Even said, "I like your knife collection, Dale!"

Tip of the iceberg :)

Actually, I've cut down a bit (no pun). The Swiss Army knives are relatively inexpensive and there are so many variations and lore that they are fun to collect.

And then there are multi-tools…. helllllpppp meeeeee!

The real essence of it comes down to something that Ray Jardine pointed out– we pack on gear because we fear nature. There are all kinds of emotional hooks in knives— the pioneering thang, Rambo-itus, the Little Boy wanting his toys, Tool Love, the Boy Scout who *must* Be Prepared, etc, etc.

I like a good simple strong knife, so a mora certainly fits that bill. Swiss Army knives are the folding equivalent. You just need a… little…. restraint…..

Joshua wrote: "The picture Dale put up of the victorinox and the two Moras looks like what I used to carry when I was a deckhand on a fishing boat: Orange handled one inside my raingear bibs, victornox on my suspender strap, and the other mora duct taped to the top of my boot.

Never have too many knives on a boat deck. No bushcraft experience, but these were great deck knives."

They all came from Seattle Marine Supply, across the street from Fisherman's Terminal and home of the "Deadliest Catch" guys. http://www.seattlemarine.net/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=1144, Funny that REI and the other hiking and hunting shops never caught on.

Dale,

I use one of the serrated Vitorinoxs too, but mine is the tomato knife

I find that the curved end is better for getting the PB or Vegemite out of the jar, and the back of the knife gives you a smooth spread.

Franco,

I saw those there about three weeks ago, and meant to drop you a line. Glad you got one.

Rod

Those tomato knives are the greatest knives in the world, even if they weren't cheap.