Mora knives on eBay

[daved]

Spotted these this morning, going for £5:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Swedish-Mora-...oryZ1403QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anybody know if they are any good?

 

[scruff]

it will be the best five pounds u'll ever spend!

there a great knife for the price

u can get em razor sharp too

 

[JimH]

Spotted these this morning, going for £5:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Swedish-Mora-...oryZ1403QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anybody know if they are any good?

They are excellent.

Postage a tad steep(another 3 quid, and I now *know* even Recorded deliv on these for UK is under £1.50;-)), but still work out about the same as the group purchase I ran a few weeks back...

Go for it. They are superb for the price.

Jim.

 

[ESpy]

My only minor criticism would be that the sheaths are *not* Kydex. They're either polythene or polyprope.

 

[daved]

Is there anything to choose between these and the other cheap mora knives (clipper, swedish army etc). I remember seeing a thread recently for the black pastic ones going for £5 somewhere (bushwear?)

The answer to everyone's "first knife" question always seems to be :"buy a mora" but there seem to be different versions/makers. Are they all ok or can anyone make a strong case for a particular one?

(Yes, I am looking my first fixed blade knife but don't want to take out a mortgage to buy one)

Thanks
Dave

 

[Doc]

The red birch-handled ones like this are the 'classic' model, with carbon steel blade, made by both KJ Eriksen and Frosts. As carbon steel it will rust, but it will cast sparks with a firesteel. This is the type favoured by Mors Kochanski.

The plastic ones are half tang but still very robust. I don't like the look of them but they are functional. The clipper I think has a chequered handle so grippier for fish filleting etc but more likely to give blisters when woodworking.

You can also get Moras with a purplish red handle and laminated blade. (I see a used one is going on ebay for £21 including post and still afew hours to go. You can buy them new for a tenner!)

My choice - get a classic Mora, remove handle, sand off the paint, treat with linseed or danish oil and reassemble. Looks nicer and gives a better grip.

 

[fa11en ange1]

I see a used one is going on ebay for £21 including post and still afew hours to go. You can buy them new for a tenner!

That would be mine it had a starting price of just a £1 and now it's up to £16 (+£5 P&P) and there are 15 people watching it!!!

I guess the abuse of Mr Mears' name has probably helped. Figured it had to be worth a try, seeing as the knife was surplus to requirements.

It is truly amazing just how much some people will pay through ebay though.

 

[JimH]

My only minor criticism would be that the sheaths are *not* Kydex. They're either polythene or polyprope.

Well said. Forgot that bit.

They were never gonna be anything else if the whole thing's a fiver, so I forgot about it immediately...

Jim.

 

[JimH]

Is there anything to choose between these and the other cheap mora knives (clipper, swedish army etc). I remember seeing a thread recently for the black pastic ones going for £5 somewhere (bushwear?)

The answer to everyone's "first knife" question always seems to be :"buy a mora" but there seem to be different versions/makers. Are they all ok or can anyone make a strong case for a particular one?

(Yes, I am looking my first fixed blade knife but don't want to take out a mortgage to buy one)

Dave,

For what it's worth, I prefer the wooden ones ( I have a clipper and a SAK, too, so I've tried all sorts.)

The blades on the plastic ones are a trifle slimmer and more flexible, and the sheaths are absolute bobbins (in my opinion)

The maker seems more or less irrelevant - minor variations in blade shape/handle size. If it's a Mora #1 it'll be pretty much standard (wooden handle). The plastics show more variety, but quality always seems up to scratch.

Most of the plastics have a shaped grip that'll help you steer clear of the blade if you are new to this sort of tool, the wooden ones don't (as standard)

Get one of each, and save the mortgage for knife # 3

HTH,

Jim.

 

[ESpy]

They were never gonna be anything else if the whole thing's a fiver, so I forgot about it immediately...

Oh, granted - I just don't like to see things being mis-sold

(especially when I've got quite so much Kydex on hand!)

 

[JimH]

Oh, granted - I just don't like to see things being mis-sold

...And you spend time on Ebay

Jim. not Ray Mears, Mors Kochanski, Lofty wiseman, Horace Kephardt

 

[Isshogai]

daved, as a first fixed blade they really cannot be beaten.

I've got several custom knives from various makers, one costing 30 times the price of the Mora. Do they cut any better than the Mora? No way! Are they easier to sharpen than a Mora? Nope! I've a plain carbon steel blade and one from Jim's group buy which I believe is stainless. Both have the traditional wood handle.

Buy one and learn from it. Then you can choose which (if any) custom knife you would like.

 

[Beakytzw]

They are excellent.

Postage a tad steep(another 3 quid, and I now *know* even Recorded deliv on these for UK is under £1.50;-)), but still work out about the same as the group purchase I ran a few weeks back...

Go for it. They are superb for the price.

Jim.

Unless your me then the postage is really steep cos you for get too tell jim your correct postal address

 

[Andy]

I really don't like the wooden handle mora knives. I had one but it really hurt may hand to use. I find the plastic handle knife from woodlore to be one of the best I've used(I've noticed woodlore are now selling the clipper instead). I gave the classic mora to toddy who found it worked very well for ladies hands.

 

[OldJimbo]

I seem to do fine with all of the handles - but I have a great preference for the larger ones with wood. A big factor can be the paint which makes the handle far too slippery and leads to discomfort and even blisters. I got into removing the paint before even trying to use the knives.

 

[JimH]

Unless your me then the postage is really steep cos you for get too tell jim your correct postal address

It's repacked and I'll try and send it to your address as supplied recently (by recorded) on Monday AM.

Third time lucky....

Jim.

 

[JimH]

one from Jim's group buy which I believe is stainless.

Less sure of that now, to be honest. Mine discoloured a bit cutting fruit, so I think I may have been wrong.

(I wouldn't leave one somewhere damp/unwatched in any case...)

Jim.

 

[Isshogai]

JimH

It's a bit academic now anyway. My Dad came round yesterday and decided he liked it.....

Andy

 

[eraaij]

I got this KJ Eriksson classic Mora knife while on a trip in Norway/Sweden. I paid 56 kroner for it, about 7 euro:

Overall, I found it an excellent user knife, but there are a couple of things about it that I don't really like:

- The tang goes full into the handle, but there is noticable space at the enrty point. If you use the knife a lot in wet conditions, you get rust where you cannot remove it. Solution: seal it with a bit of heated epoxy.

- You need to be careful that you do not cut yourself at the beginning of the edge. since it sticks over the ricasso. Same for the spine. You could do a cold grind/file job on it to make it a bit more safe (edge) and comfortable (spine).

- As Jimbo said, the sloppy red paint should be sanded off and the handle should be sealed with a turpentine/lineseed mix or something like that.

- The blade on my version was pretty off center. I actually selected the best of the bunch. Quality will vary on thse mass produced knives. Same goes for temper - there is a soft spot of 1 cm on my blade - the edge keeps rolling there.

Handle shape is personal preference off course. I would like to get a couple of flat mora blades and fit leather/antler handles on them, like I did with this Kankaapaa blade:

So I guess that with a customized Mora knife you would have your Bushcraft needs pretty well covered at a fraction of the cost of a 'real' custom.

-Emile

 

[daved]

Get one of each, and save the mortgage for knife # 3

HTH,

Jim.

Now that is the type of advice I like! I can squander money on two knives on the grounds that it is a "scientific" comparison and still feel virtuous that I have saved money by not buying the third knife!

JimH, you are a true genius!

Still, I'd better rein in my enthusiasm for the moment as I still have to find something to sharpen them with ...

Dave