Mora Knives

Sorry I can't help with a brick & mortar place to buy one, but I do have a question.

Why do you want one?

I'm not trying to be a smarta**, I'm just interested why a lightweight backpacker wants one.

In the last couple of years, I have seen these knifes pop up all over the place, and for the life of me, unless you are a gourmet cook on a budget and hunt and fish a lot, I just don't get it.

The only other thing I can think of is maybe people keep loosing their knifes and want a cheap knife so it doesn't hurt so much when it gets lost :)

Good luck with your search.

Lots of knife stores carry them.

The advantages that Mora has over other knives is that they are almost as light as you can get for a strong fixed blade.

They are also cheap and common.

If you cook on wood fires, a small light pocket knife won't work as well, won't hold up as well and may not be as safe.

Many popular pocket knifes are almost as heavy if not heavier.

Why the "sudden" popularity?

I'm guessing the popularity of "survival" shows on cable television. (Cody Lundin and Ray Mears for example)

They are the knife of choice for a lot of the survivalists/bushcraft enthusiasts. I have used them for years because they are a cheap, durable, fairly lightweight knife with an excellent high carbon steel blade. (they have stainless too)

And, while they may be too heavy for hardcore ultralighters, they are a good, lightweight, functional knife.

Amazon carries many Mora knives, including popular discontinued versions.

I've bought two or three Mora Knives from Ben's Backwoods with excellent success:

http://www.bensbackwoods.com/

I actually find Mora knives not very durable. The blade is 'soft' which affects durability. However, this is what makes them inexpensive and what makes them so easy to sharpen in the field. You can sharpen them on rocks. The handles are also horrid and I much prefer a full tang blade.

But again, they are inexpensive.

I have them and can get the special models as well but unfortunately I’m in SoCal and not SF :(

http://www.antigoutdoors.com

You can find them for about $12-13 on the internet or ebay.

I like the 840 clipper carbon steel.
It weighs 3.6 oz and it holds a decent edge.

A good UL sharpener is a DMT flip fine (red) sharpener. If you remove it from the flip case it weighs .6 oz.

As-is it weighs about 1 oz.

Moras? They are light, cheap, and they work. I buy them at commercial fishing supply stores. I have one I bought 25 years ago that is still going strong.

Why a fixed blade knife? I like having a good tool when hiking solo. A good knife doesn't need to be a big heavy chopper, but I should be able to use it for food prep, basic repairs and improvising in an emergency.

I might carry a 3.5" folder instead, but you won't find me wandering the woods with just a single edge razor blade or a Victorinox Classic.

got one … you can do anything with it shave wood, baton wood, cut vines, kill bears … etc …

cheap, reliable, effective

of course if yr looking for cheap knives … nothing beats dealextreme … id bet that those are some of the same knives that sell for many times the price in shops

http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.813

The stainless steel and other alloy models hold their edge better and don't rust as much as the carbon steel models.
But they take much longer to sharpen.

i feared that this might have gone off a bit on what seems to be a usual course any blade thread can.

brett, i appreciate your challenge to my reason for carrying a full blade. Others have already chimed in with many of my reasons. I'm working on being lightweight, but am not quite worried about being UL. I still like some of my more traditional gear. I think the few ounces for the mora i now use are a far improvement over my old blade and leather sheath(11oz!) and leatherman(8oz!) that i used to carry never used. (thank you BPL!!!)

Additionally, I am happy that the survivalist thing is kind of a fad now. I think it helps me get my friend to join me in the woods and see it as a fun adventurous thing to do(as opposed to some oddball hippie thing to do).

The reason for a brick and mortar shop is that I'm hoping to give a few as Christmas gifts and am a last minute kind of guy hoping to avoid the delay of having them shipped. I already have a mora that I love, but hey…might grab another while i'm at it.

Thanks again guys…I'm still looking for a shop though. Any minnesotans know of one? I'm there through the holidays.

the 3" blade moras weigh less than two ounces with a sheath. you can order just a blade from ragnar (which are full length tang) and make your own handle for even lower weight. The blade weighs .8 oz.

+1 on ordering from Ben's Backwoods. really reasonable fast shipping, got my Mora there.

James,

Thanks for the reply. I never question someones reasons for choosing their own gear. What works for you, works for you. I do like to know why they made their choices if for no other reason than to help me pick new gear.

I have used Mora knifes for years as a tool in my tool box. For what they are they work well. The carbon steel ones do take a lot of care, you need to keep them dry and oiled. The handles are just so-so. They are a great value in a knife.

I still can't figure out what the attraction is for the wilderness survival crowd. They are only OK knifes, and if I were to pick a knife as a survival tool, it would not be my first choice. Having said that, They do work well as a day to day tool.

Good luck in your search.

Brett:

I'm no bushcraft expert, but here's some things I'm aware of:
1. The grind of the blade, a "Scandi" grind, is easily field sharpenable.
2. They're inexpensive, so you're not tempted to baby them.
3. Since they're carbon steel, they work well with a ferrocerrium rod to make sparks.
4. They're light.
5. The relative thinness of the blade makes them good for general slicing as well as splitting fire wood. Thick knives, while stronger, tend to hang up in the wood when splitting.

HJ

And don't forget they are inexpensive. My knives are easily lost or damaged. I abuse them when I spit wood or pry things.

I don't like abusing or loosing designer knives.

If I left my Mora 15 miles back at my previous camp, I'm not going to feel compelled to hike back to get it:-)

Jim,

All true. The thing with me is they have been around for years, and they don't work any better or worse than they did 15 years ago.

It all seams pretty faddish to me. 30 years ago it was K-Bars, 20 years ago everyone had to have a Buck 110. 5 years ago it was the "in thing" to have uber expensive semi custom knifes, now it's the Mora knifes.

Like I said what works for someone is what works for them and that's all that matters.

I remember when I couldn't afford a lightweight tent and I camped under a tarp. People I ran into told me I was nuts to sleep under a tarp and a good tent was well worth the extra weight, now I sleep in a tent and people call me nuts for lugging it around when a tarp works just as well :)

Maybe I'm just too out of sync.

Steven, See my first post in this topic :)

I don't see it as a fad. They have always been common as far as I remember? No more, or no less popular.

Someone else mentioned the Opinel knives were a fad on a recent thread. I know a lot of people who used them for backpacking for the same reason I use a Mora.

They may be knew for some, but the old timers have always used them.

I consider the designer knives as more of a fad.

I will admit that there was a period in the 70's or 80's when tarps started to loose respect, but that didn't last so long with many.

Oh, and Brett I know you agree with most of this:-)

For gift purposes, I'd steer toward the Clipper / Craftline (same knife, 2009 vs 2010 version) over the #1 or #2 since it's handle & sheath aren't cheap feeling. The Craftsman knife has a larger handle for bigger hands, but doesn't look nearly as high quality – and it's sheath is as pitiful as the #1 or #2.

ps: The Mora Clipper's work great for deep cuts (like sharpening a stick into a tent peg), shallow cuts (feather sticks / tinder for fire starting), are plenty sturdy for batoning wet 2" sticks into dry pencil sized kindling, and don't get gunk in the handle/blade junction during food prep.

I prefer to carry an Opinel though due to it's portability and lower weight. It cuts a little deeper than the Mora, but doesn't make feather sticks as easily (it wants to cut deep) – and you have to be careful not to stress the pivot when batoning. It cuts deep so easily, though that I just make big shavings to carve off wet outer wood instead of batoning. The #8 is best for pocket carry and food prep, the #9 is better for heavy duty use due to the larger / comfier handle.

A carbon Mora Clipper, and Opinel #8 would make an ideal combination – and cost $20-25 for the pair at my local knife shop.

I have Mora knives but haven't used them backpacking until now. The reason … wood burning stoves! Mora is one of the lightest knives that will also handle the wood. If I take an alky stove, the Mora stays home.

As for Opinels, I think the "thin blade" Opinels are wonderful fish filet knives. I sometimes fly fish on backpacking trips, so then my Opinel comes along.

Otherwise, I just take my Leatherman Micra.

I have been using Opinels and Moras for most of my adult life. At home and on the trail.
Both are inexpensive and good quality.
Like John and Michael, which one I bring depends on if I plan on cutting a lot of wood or not.

I wouldn't use an Opinel or any lightweight folding knife for batoning thick wood, but have had no problems doing so with a Mora.

+2 on bensbackwood. And if you want to get ridiculous with the weight you can buy a mora knife blank and use the stick tang for the handle. haha.

> I have them and can get the special models as well but unfortunately I'm in SoCal and not SF :(

http://www.antigoutdoors.com

Jeff, I don't see it on your site, but do you have or can you get an 840 Clipper?

HJ