Expensive Knives.

[treetop57]

hi have we ever had i'll show you mine if you show me yours (photos of your best knife with cost is what i was thinking what else) that should keep this mad dibate going

 

[Retired Member southey]

Yup, plenty of "show us your knives" threads.

 

[cbr6fs]

I'm really struggling to understand the near mythic status of Mora knifes.

I've had 2 so far, 1 the handle split while carving a spoon the other looses chunks of blade every time i use it on anything but bacon.

To be honest if the money was available, i don't think anyone in their right mind would select a Mora as the ONLY knife to take on a expedition.

On the other hand i would take anyone of my custom knives anywhere with me at any time and be confident in their abilities.



I don't want to jump to incorrect conclusions, but of those comparing Mora knives with a quality custom have you actually used a top quality crafted knife?

I'm trying to think how best to describe it.
Lets say you have a holiday booked and your driving say 1000 miles to Italy.
You have 2 options for tyres:
#1 A cheap set of remoulds
#2 A decent set of quality tyres

Sure the cheap remoulds may well get you to your destination, but how you drive and how you feel when driving are totally different.
Put simply you have far more confidence in your tyres.

It's the same with me with my knives.
If i take out say one of my Stu Mitchell's i know that unless i treat it like a complete idiot that it'll do whatever i task it and will come back in 1 piece.
When i'm using it, i'm confident so can be bold in it's use.

With the Mora with my poor experiences i feel like the handle could break at any time, if i lean on it through say a tough knot i would expect to chip the knife or even worse snap.
So when i use it i find i am really holding back as i simply don't trust it to the same level.


Of course if i was broke or i had nothing else i'd sooner have the Mora than nothing, BUT as i've managed my finances well throughout my life, at 43 i'm in a position where i can afford to spend £600 on a knife, and i can appreciate it's quality and craftsmanship that has been put into it.

Ands that's another thing.
Sad as it may seem to some, i do find that when ever i get my custom knives out at least 15 mins flies by as i tend to look at the knife.
I see a angle and wonder why it was done that way and what was the craftsman thinking when he/she did it.

So a quality custom knife to me is first and foremost a tool, but i also really appreciate the workmanship and craftsmanship that's gone into them, to the point that they're like a small piece of history to me as well.

If your shaking your head or laughing then good on you, but without wanting to seem dismissive if you are shaking your head then chances are you don't understand.

 

[santaman2000]

cbr6fs it's hard to respond to that completely because I've never even seen a Mora to be honest. That said from what I've learned about them here on the forum (and over on BCUSA) the last year or two I gather they're rather cheaply made with function and affordablility to the point of disposability in mind over all else.

IF indeed that's the case I can understand your reluctance to trust one as your only knife when far and away from resupply. BUT! And this is a very big but. Mora on the low end and custom handmade knives on the top end aren't the only choices out there. Many times on this forum ya'll have seen me reccomend a simple Buck 110. I know that's not the first choice of many on here but that's not the point. Rather the point is that there are several production knives out there that are of a good quality at an affordable price.

You don't have to restrict your selection to either end of the scale.

 

[Woodcutter2]

Bic biro's, they write, cheap to buy and would write a postcard home from Kilamanjaro.

Pride of ownership.....pleasure in use........

All comes down to "Horses for courses" and what floats your boat, cash available etc etc, me I love good quality tools, my favourite wood plane is 400 quids worth gets used most days (cheap by Karl Holtley standards,yes I'd love one cheers) others swear by a 60 quid Stanley to do the same thing......irate:

 

[rik_uk3]

The Mora range are a superb everyday knife that give problem free performance for not a lot of cash to hundreds of thousand of outdoor folk everyday, whats not to like. One of those on your belt and an Opinel or buck knife in your pocket and that should be your basic blade needs covered on a trip really.

 

[Aussiepom]

The Mora range are a superb everyday knife that give problem free performance for not a lot of cash to hundreds of thousand of outdoor folk everyday, whats not to like. One of those on your belt and an Opinel or buck knife in your pocket and that should be your basic blade needs covered on a trip really.

Depends on where your trip takes you. Here in Australia we have a lot of eucalypt. It's a hard wood and even simple whittling leads to the edge on my triflex Mora rolling like buggery. I still use the knife for many everyday tasks, but if I'm going into the bush at any time I make sure I've got something more reliable with me. They're not a bad knife, especially when you take the 'value for money' factor into account, but I wouldn't be taking one on a trip with me as my only fixed blade.

Obviously I could modify the edge geometry to beef it up a bit, but I assume we're talking about standard Moras here, not modified ones.

 

[cbr6fs]

The Mora range are a superb everyday knife that give problem free performance for not a lot of cash to hundreds of thousand of outdoor folk everyday, whats not to like. One of those on your belt and an Opinel or buck knife in your pocket and that should be your basic blade needs covered on a trip really.

After owning 2 and both having problems, i wouldn't trust another Mora.
Opinel are ok for cutting apples, but a non locking folder is of absolutely no use to me.

To be honest i would and do take my Ritter Griptillian over a Mora any day of the week.

I feel far more confident with a locking folder than i do my Mora, it's THAT bad.

 

[Ex Chairman]

There comes a point in pretty much everything (material possession wise) where you pay more than is absolutely NEEDED.

I have a £2000 mountain bike that i recon is pretty good, my mates cost him £6000.
He is faster than me up hill granted, but that's only because he is fitter than me, when we swap bikes he's still faster than me even on my bike.

I have a supercharged MX5 putting out around 240bhp, it's worth at best £5000.
At a recent track event i was lapping my mate in his £100k M5 roughly every 6 laps.

Said mate lives in a 4 bedroomed house, yet there is only him and his Mrs.
A 1 bedroomed house would do.


So there comes a point in most things in life where more money doesn't necessarily buy you more performance.
But then as humans we are emotional animals.
Want is not the same as need.


If most members here came into a vast amount of money i'd bet my underpants many would commission a knife over £500, even those shouting the loudest.

Those that didn't would buy something else that wasn't NEEDED like a fully restored Land Rover instead of a £500 Pajero, or a Haglöfs coat when a £15 pull over would still keep you warm.

I have a mate that has a brand new car every 3 years yet when you speak to him he can't afford to eat properly and has zero savings.


End of the day folks do what they want.
A custom knife often has a far higher resale value compared to many production knives, some even go up in value.
So although that initial layout is a lot for a knife if you buy it for £250 and sell it 2 years later for say £200 then £50 for 2 years use out of a quality knife isn't too bad.

That's pretty much the only logical reasoning, anything else will simply be an emotional decision and we ALL make those.

This is a really great way of explaining things mate!?