BushcraftAndSurvival
21-02-2012, 05:09 PM
The Morakniv® Bushcraft Survival Knife
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/P1030266-1024x576.jpg
Mora of Sweden have been a big name in Bushcraft knives for a very long time, widely regarded as the best entry level knife maker and their knives are issued on Bushcraft Courses all over the UK and beyond.
The quality and cost are also two things that make Mora unique in this modern world, They produce excellent quality tool's for a very affordable price. With 120 years behind them they have revamped their range and had a go at improving on the classic Clipper range of knives.
While i own a few old Mora Clippers, I don't use them on a day to day basis any more, some years ago i settled on an old Ray Mears designed Wilkinson as my all purpose knife. I love that knife and consider it among the best knives that you can get.
So with that in mind, that is where my comparisons will be coming from during this review.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MoraKnife-1024x576.jpg
First impressions - This feels heavier than a normal Mora Knife, in a good way. The Rubberised handle feels comfortable and is of good quality, The handle is smooth and feels solid with a pale green Rear Bolster to aid you in finding it if you drop it. The Grip itself is black. The blade is Stainless Steel. The whole thing look's quite slick.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MoraKnife.Unsheathed-1024x576.jpg
The Sheath is an eye catcher as most people who are familiar with Mora Knives will know that the biggest draw back with their knives is actually the sheath, usually a moulded plastic tub which the knife clicks into which while sufficient comes with a large draw back of no belt loop. Mora have consistently opted for a clip instead of a belt loop in their clipper designs and this has been the cause of many a lost knife - which can be a real problem.
It is important to note that in order for Mora to produce a better sheath, their prices must go up so all in all it is fair to say that they do the best that they can while remaining in the price rages that people expect from them. Well, This the Bugatti Veyron of Mora Knives, It is a more expensive knife at £60 and you do get a lot more for you money.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Mora.Bushcraft.InLog_-1024x576.jpg
For example a 2.5mm thick Swedish Stainless blade with an interesting angle on the bevel, a Fire Steel which slot's into an innovative gripping system, a Diamond sharpening stone moulded to the outside of the sheath and to address the concerns about the traditional belt clip, they have included an option to fit either a belt loop or a belt clip.....and in doing so have created a weakness between the belt clip / loop and the rest of the sheath. *Why they cant just go with a belt loop and be done with it i don't know but there you have it.
I field tested the knife today, in order to be fair i did not take my usual knife and went to the woods with just the MoraKniven Bushcraft Survival Knife with the aim of starting and maintaining a fire for the day and carving a spoon.
The fire was started with some birch bark and the included Fire Starter, easy enough, i did find that it was hard to slot the Fire Starter back into the sheath with one hand but i guess with experience that will become easier. The knife shaved up the Birch Bark quite well, as can be expected, Morakniv® shipped the knife with a razors edge so no surprises there.
The Fire Starter is like all Fire Starters - Pretty good although when *new it requires considerable force to produce hot enough sparks. There is a lanyard hole ready for you to attach some paracord if need be. Importantly, Morakniv® have ground the back of the knife specifically to produce the best angle for striking sparks. They got it right this time.
Before this i had collected some firewood and even though the Morakniv® Bushcraft Survival Knife is lighter than my usual knife, the belly of the blade gives you the option of some light chopping for limbing smaller branches. It made light work of pretty much everything i put it in front of to be honest and i was pleasantly surprised by how efficient it was at cutting compared to my very good Ray Mears Wilkinson knife.
By now i was slightly excited at the prospect that i had found something better than my well loved day to day Ray Mears Wilkinson knife.
I began to split some fist sized diameter Scot's Pine using a baton, the log just fell apart with no problems. Top marks there.
As a workhorse knife, The Morakniv® Bushcraft Survival Knife ticks all the boxes and excels in every area.
What about carving?
I like carving as much a the next man, however, i do find the task of hewing out a shape and removing lots and lots of wood quite boring and frustrating at times so with a lump of dead Birch, here goes nothing...
The MoraKniven Bushcraft Survival Knife made short work of that lump of Birch, I actually had to adjust my carving technique as the blade was just cutting like a hot knife through butter. This is a serious cutting edge and bevel angle, perfect for removing lot's of wood in a precise manner as long as your expecting it, caught unaware and you'll go straight through the work piece!
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/P1030287-1024x576.jpg
I'm very impressed with this knife and recommend it to both beginners and experienced people alike.
For balance, although the sheath is a large improvement from the Clipper / Companion range (and for the the cost of this knife you would expect a good sheath), it is still lacking in security. The inclusion of interchangeable belt loop and belt clips was a step in the right direction and a nicely engineered clipping mechanism does make this an easy thing to change. What it also does is add a point of weakness which could very well leave you with just a piece of plastic on your belt one day instead of the whole thing. During the testing this did not happen and perhaps i am jumping the gun a bit, but if you see the state of my toughened leather sheath for my other everyday knife you may understand my concern that after prolonged use, the wear and tear on a seemingly unnecessary weak point may well lead to loosing the knife.
This can be easily solved by replacing the sheath with a leather one.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MoraKnivenBeltLoop2-1024x576.jpg
An excellent knife but the sheath does not quite do it justice although the diamond sharpening stone is a welcome addition.
Price - About £60
Recommended for - Beginners to Advanced users alike
Recommended uses - Everything - Carving, Day to day use, Splitting etc..
Some technical information
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MoraKniven.BuschraftSurvial.jp g
3/4 Length Tang
Stainless steel (S)
Knife blades are made of hardened stainless steel- Sandvik 12C27 (hardened to HRC 57-58), producing knives with extreme strength, long life as well as having high resistance to moisture without rusting.
Boot Notes
* Mora have informed me that the reason that they opt for the belt clip over the belt loop is because in Scandinavia there is a higher demand for a clip which attaches to a button, presumably on clothing or equipment. Fair enough.
Update: 19th Feb 2012
I have been using this knife as my primary knife now for nearly two months. I have only had to sharpen it twice which was a fantastic surprise. My old knife was Carbon Steel which meant frequent sharpening, this one however is still razor sharp despite heavy use.
I'm more satisfied with this knife than ever before. I still don't like the sheath but the bade is second to none.
I highly recommend this knife.
*The fire starter has some oxidised stuff on the outside, the black stuff, once you scrape that off it produces nice hot sparks with ease due to the specially ground angle on the back of the blade.
* Here is a video explaining how to use the new belt loop system -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdblaXXCEVM&feature=player_embedded
Matt @ http://BushcraftandSurvival.com
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/P1030266-1024x576.jpg
Mora of Sweden have been a big name in Bushcraft knives for a very long time, widely regarded as the best entry level knife maker and their knives are issued on Bushcraft Courses all over the UK and beyond.
The quality and cost are also two things that make Mora unique in this modern world, They produce excellent quality tool's for a very affordable price. With 120 years behind them they have revamped their range and had a go at improving on the classic Clipper range of knives.
While i own a few old Mora Clippers, I don't use them on a day to day basis any more, some years ago i settled on an old Ray Mears designed Wilkinson as my all purpose knife. I love that knife and consider it among the best knives that you can get.
So with that in mind, that is where my comparisons will be coming from during this review.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MoraKnife-1024x576.jpg
First impressions - This feels heavier than a normal Mora Knife, in a good way. The Rubberised handle feels comfortable and is of good quality, The handle is smooth and feels solid with a pale green Rear Bolster to aid you in finding it if you drop it. The Grip itself is black. The blade is Stainless Steel. The whole thing look's quite slick.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MoraKnife.Unsheathed-1024x576.jpg
The Sheath is an eye catcher as most people who are familiar with Mora Knives will know that the biggest draw back with their knives is actually the sheath, usually a moulded plastic tub which the knife clicks into which while sufficient comes with a large draw back of no belt loop. Mora have consistently opted for a clip instead of a belt loop in their clipper designs and this has been the cause of many a lost knife - which can be a real problem.
It is important to note that in order for Mora to produce a better sheath, their prices must go up so all in all it is fair to say that they do the best that they can while remaining in the price rages that people expect from them. Well, This the Bugatti Veyron of Mora Knives, It is a more expensive knife at £60 and you do get a lot more for you money.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Mora.Bushcraft.InLog_-1024x576.jpg
For example a 2.5mm thick Swedish Stainless blade with an interesting angle on the bevel, a Fire Steel which slot's into an innovative gripping system, a Diamond sharpening stone moulded to the outside of the sheath and to address the concerns about the traditional belt clip, they have included an option to fit either a belt loop or a belt clip.....and in doing so have created a weakness between the belt clip / loop and the rest of the sheath. *Why they cant just go with a belt loop and be done with it i don't know but there you have it.
I field tested the knife today, in order to be fair i did not take my usual knife and went to the woods with just the MoraKniven Bushcraft Survival Knife with the aim of starting and maintaining a fire for the day and carving a spoon.
The fire was started with some birch bark and the included Fire Starter, easy enough, i did find that it was hard to slot the Fire Starter back into the sheath with one hand but i guess with experience that will become easier. The knife shaved up the Birch Bark quite well, as can be expected, Morakniv® shipped the knife with a razors edge so no surprises there.
The Fire Starter is like all Fire Starters - Pretty good although when *new it requires considerable force to produce hot enough sparks. There is a lanyard hole ready for you to attach some paracord if need be. Importantly, Morakniv® have ground the back of the knife specifically to produce the best angle for striking sparks. They got it right this time.
Before this i had collected some firewood and even though the Morakniv® Bushcraft Survival Knife is lighter than my usual knife, the belly of the blade gives you the option of some light chopping for limbing smaller branches. It made light work of pretty much everything i put it in front of to be honest and i was pleasantly surprised by how efficient it was at cutting compared to my very good Ray Mears Wilkinson knife.
By now i was slightly excited at the prospect that i had found something better than my well loved day to day Ray Mears Wilkinson knife.
I began to split some fist sized diameter Scot's Pine using a baton, the log just fell apart with no problems. Top marks there.
As a workhorse knife, The Morakniv® Bushcraft Survival Knife ticks all the boxes and excels in every area.
What about carving?
I like carving as much a the next man, however, i do find the task of hewing out a shape and removing lots and lots of wood quite boring and frustrating at times so with a lump of dead Birch, here goes nothing...
The MoraKniven Bushcraft Survival Knife made short work of that lump of Birch, I actually had to adjust my carving technique as the blade was just cutting like a hot knife through butter. This is a serious cutting edge and bevel angle, perfect for removing lot's of wood in a precise manner as long as your expecting it, caught unaware and you'll go straight through the work piece!
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/P1030287-1024x576.jpg
I'm very impressed with this knife and recommend it to both beginners and experienced people alike.
For balance, although the sheath is a large improvement from the Clipper / Companion range (and for the the cost of this knife you would expect a good sheath), it is still lacking in security. The inclusion of interchangeable belt loop and belt clips was a step in the right direction and a nicely engineered clipping mechanism does make this an easy thing to change. What it also does is add a point of weakness which could very well leave you with just a piece of plastic on your belt one day instead of the whole thing. During the testing this did not happen and perhaps i am jumping the gun a bit, but if you see the state of my toughened leather sheath for my other everyday knife you may understand my concern that after prolonged use, the wear and tear on a seemingly unnecessary weak point may well lead to loosing the knife.
This can be easily solved by replacing the sheath with a leather one.
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MoraKnivenBeltLoop2-1024x576.jpg
An excellent knife but the sheath does not quite do it justice although the diamond sharpening stone is a welcome addition.
Price - About £60
Recommended for - Beginners to Advanced users alike
Recommended uses - Everything - Carving, Day to day use, Splitting etc..
Some technical information
http://bushcraftandsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MoraKniven.BuschraftSurvial.jp g
3/4 Length Tang
Stainless steel (S)
Knife blades are made of hardened stainless steel- Sandvik 12C27 (hardened to HRC 57-58), producing knives with extreme strength, long life as well as having high resistance to moisture without rusting.
Boot Notes
* Mora have informed me that the reason that they opt for the belt clip over the belt loop is because in Scandinavia there is a higher demand for a clip which attaches to a button, presumably on clothing or equipment. Fair enough.
Update: 19th Feb 2012
I have been using this knife as my primary knife now for nearly two months. I have only had to sharpen it twice which was a fantastic surprise. My old knife was Carbon Steel which meant frequent sharpening, this one however is still razor sharp despite heavy use.
I'm more satisfied with this knife than ever before. I still don't like the sheath but the bade is second to none.
I highly recommend this knife.
*The fire starter has some oxidised stuff on the outside, the black stuff, once you scrape that off it produces nice hot sparks with ease due to the specially ground angle on the back of the blade.
* Here is a video explaining how to use the new belt loop system -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdblaXXCEVM&feature=player_embedded
Matt @ http://BushcraftandSurvival.com