Bushcrafting - morakniv black

[chiffonodd]

Anyone on here big into camping/backpacking/bushcrafting? I've been doing a bunch of research on a good "entry level" bushcrafting kit and settled on the mora black as a first fixed blade knife for notching, batoning, etc. $49 gets you the knife, and a crappy but functional plastic sheath with built in diamond sharpener (600 grit? obviously not something you want to use for regular maintenance . . . probably just for emergencies in the field), and a slot for a ferro rod, which is also included.

Biggest complaint about this knife is that it is 3/4 tang rat tail. But it seems well respected in the community regardless. Basically, I bought this so I can stop myself from drooling over the benchmade bushcrafter 162.

Spine ground at 90-deg for use with the ferro rod. Knife itself is full scandi. Profile is clip point. There is a coating on the blade because it is "high carbon" but I think I will polish that off of the main bevel when I sharpen it. I'm not worried about the carbon steel in the field.

This thing is so ugly it's kinda endearing. Have a look:

Time to hit the woods my friends.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

i am a HUGE fan of the Mora knives.

i dialed it back to their entry level blades. i have two. a Carbon companion and a Carbon Companion HD. my regular Companion has seen many miles with me backpacking. it has butchered most of my recent hunt kills. i even cut the belt loop of the sheath to save an ounce or two. i never wear that plastic sheath anyway.

the Sheath. i LOVE it. i butchered a hog. i just put the greasy bloody knife into the sheath. no issues. at home i cleaned it out with soap, a paper towel and a chopstick. try doing that with a leather sheath.

i have a $300+ bushcraft knife. it was my stupidest purchase. ever. it is stunning. i tried to butcher that same hog with it. but the hog was covered with thick mud. it was not possible to plunge my High$ knife into that filth. hahhah..i gave up and dug out my ever ready Mora.

 

[chiffonodd]

i am a HUGE fan of the Mora knives.

i dialed it back to their entry level blades. i have two. a Carbon companion and a Carbon Companion HD. my regular Companion has seen many miles with me backpacking. it has butchered most of my recent hunt kills. i even cut the belt loop of the sheath to save an ounce or two. i never wear that plastic sheath anyway.

the Sheath. i LOVE it. i butchered a hog. i just put the greasy bloody knife into the sheath. no issues. at home i cleaned it out with soap, a paper towel and a chopstick. try doing that with a leather sheath.

i have a $300+ bushcraft knife. it was my stupidest purchase. ever. it is stunning. i tried to butcher that same hog with it. but the hog was covered with thick mud. it was not possible to plunge my High$ knife into that filth. hahhah..i gave up and dug out my ever ready Mora.

That's great to hear. Fits with what I've been reading about moras in general.

Looks like the companions are pretty similar to the bushcraft? I found what appears to be a pretty comprehensive comparison article here:

http://www.ramblinjim.com/articles/mora-knife-models-explained-and-compared/

 

[chiffonodd]

i have a $300+ bushcraft knife. it was my stupidest purchase. ever. it is stunning. i tried to butcher that same hog with it. but the hog was covered with thick mud. it was not possible to plunge my High$ knife into that filth. hahhah..i gave up and dug out my ever ready Mora.

Also . . . pics of the of the $300 bushcraft knife pls!! :knife::knife::knife:

 

[boomchakabowwow]

Also . . . pics of the of the $300 bushcraft knife pls!! :knife::knife::knife:

photobucket ruined any grandiose ideas of posting pics here on KKF.

 

[chiffonodd]

photobucket ruined any grandiose ideas of posting pics here on KKF.

I use tinypic. Free uploads and auto-generates the html that you just copy/paste into the forum post. Then your picture just "magically" appears.

 

[chinacats]

I too have a Mora in my backpack and think it's a great knife for the $.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

I use tinypic. Free uploads and auto-generates the html that you just copy/paste into the forum post. Then your picture just "magically" appears.

here goes:

 

[chiffonodd]

here goes:

Wow is that an 01 adventure sworn with burl/g10 liners?

 

[boomchakabowwow]

Wow is that an 01 adventure sworn with burl/g10 liners?

yup. i bought it back when there was an insane feeding frenzy with these knives.

burl is slippery when bloody. somewhat.

i was in a hotel in Phoenix going deer hunting in Tuscon. i stopped cuz i was tired..looked saw it available and hit the buy button. i didnt have a second to think about it. just BOOM!

my wife was less than excited for me. i think some roughened micarta, like white linen micarta would have been better..but it was a from the hip move.

 

[chiffonodd]

yup. i bought it back when there was an insane feeding frenzy with these knives.

burl is slippery when bloody. somewhat.

i was in a hotel in Phoenix going deer hunting in Tuscon. i stopped cuz i was tired..looked saw it available and hit the buy button. i didnt have a second to think about it. just BOOM!

my wife was less than excited for me. i think some roughened micarta, like white linen micarta would have been better..but it was a from the hip move.

Yeah well i wouldn't regret it too much - that thing is gorgeous. Maybe good for non-hunting trips?

Agree on micarta as good for these. The rubberized/polymer handle on the mora is super grippy too.

Have g10 scales on my benchmade mini-grip 556-1. A good backup folder for outdoor applications. Wouldn't try batoning with a folder though :shocked3:

 

[boomchakabowwow]

this thread inspired me to dig out my old dirty Mora Companions and sharpen them. i used them to clean some animals, then simply wiped them with a "wet-nap" and put them away.

no rust. some good patiina forming. but i got them sharper than they came from Sweden. i love just laying them down flat on a waterstone and going to town..i did put a microbevel on picking up the spine the standard 20 deg, and then stropping on a leather belt hanging from my garage wall (coated w green compound)

 

[chiffonodd]

this thread inspired me to dig out my old dirty Mora Companions and sharpen them. i used them to clean some animals, then simply wiped them with a "wet-nap" and put them away.

no rust. some good patiina forming. but i got them sharper than they came from Sweden. i love just laying them down flat on a waterstone and going to town..i did put a microbevel on picking up the spine the standard 20 deg, and then stropping on a leather belt hanging from my garage wall (coated w green compound)

What's your preferred final grit for your moras? I took one up to 10K the other day and it sucked for woodwork - kept slipping off. Need something toothier but not sure where to call it a day. Maybe something in the 1K - 3K range max?

 

[boomchakabowwow]

What's your preferred final grit for your moras? I took one up to 10K the other day and it sucked for woodwork - kept slipping off. Need something toothier but not sure where to call it a day. Maybe something in the 1K - 3K range max?

damn..i cant remember.

maybe after coffee

 

[tgfencer]

This site sells knives from several respected Scandinavian knife companies. Last time I used them, a while back, they had very competitive prices and you could even get some unhandled blades that were a steal.

https://www.ragweedforge.com/

 

[chiffonodd]

This site sells knives from several respected Scandinavian knife companies. Last time I used them, a while back, they had very competitive prices and you could even get some unhandled blades that were a steal.

https://www.ragweedforge.com/

Wow that site is an awesome resource, thanks for passing it along.

 

[tgfencer]

Wow that site is an awesome resource, thanks for passing it along.

You're quite welcome. If you are into more custom or upscale western bushcrafting knives, BladeForums is a good place to check out, particularly Fiddleback Forge and AA Forge vendor forums. Prices are a bit much for my tastes, but they do quality work. Or, if you like pukkos this guy is one of my favorites: https://www.instagram.com/malanikapuukko/

 

[boomchakabowwow]

boom!! i remember 1000 grit.

i had a travel vaccine that knocked me into a fog. wow.

now that i have had time to play with steel...i think i want a knife that is thinner than the typical (some thicker!) 1/8th. i think 3/32 or even 1/16 would suit me better. if i could, i would get a SARGENT knife in 3/32, sell everything else and move on with my life.

 

[tgfencer]

3/32 is my favorite thickness of scandi-ground bushcraft blades. Light, thin, strong, really the best of all in one package. So long as the heat-treat is done right, anyway.

 

[chiffonodd]

Speaking of moras, this is a crazy good deal (~$60) on the full tang garberg w/ molle-compatible sheath. Just takes 30 to sign up (20 so far, with 4 days to go).

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/morakn...&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=impactradius

 

[boomchakabowwow]

i self-parental blocked myself from buying anything used to cut anything else.

axe, knife, chainsaws, etc.