Knife snobbery

mark.177

Maker
Apr 21, 2014
722
152
Cornwall UK
Yeah people love to spend a fortune on crappy multi tools. In reality the pliers are always meh comapred to real ones a 10th the price and the other tools are just goofy and never get used. Regarding the Paul Chen multi takser, I've bought three! One for me, and one for each of my brothers. They are bulky, heavily built and don't have loads of extra silly tools. The shears are such a good addition too, far more useful on average than pliers.

Well made and at a tenner you'd be a pompus fool to pass on one!



.

i make handmade knives i cant afford to keep!... my edc is a number 6 opinel with locking ring removed that or an old sak camper. my next big purchase though? one of those Paul Chen multi takser's! thanks samon!
 
Jul 24, 2017
1,163
444
somerset
I think knives grade like most tools, lower cost means lower grade materials fit and finish and as you go up the scale there is a point of saturation and going beyond is about say, a name, a limited run or something more in the realms of art the nice thing about the knife spectrum is so many work well, and what I expect from a "high grade" knife is exactly that, the steel, especially heat treatment, the fit and finish its longevity and feel of use all that bit more so but in the knife world its not a night and day effect its more subtle, its when you push a limit that the better grade knife should show its form, but its not like say a car, where a high grade car will show its ability very quickly, a knife your only asking it to cut. I think a high grade knife should do what it dose for longer and sometime more sweetly.
 
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Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
5,260
464
none
bought a mora classic 125 the other week, compared to a red no1 I over paid, glad I did it rocks :)
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
5,260
464
none
I think knives grade like most tools, lower cost means lower grade materials fit and finish and as you go up the scale there is a point of saturation and going beyond is about say, a name, a limited run or something more in the realms of art the nice thing about the knife spectrum is so many work well, and what I expect from a "high grade" knife is exactly that, the steel, especially heat treatment, the fit and finish its longevity and feel of use all that bit more so but in the knife world its not a night and day effect its more subtle, its when you push a limit that the better grade knife should show its form, but its not like say a car, where a high grade car will show its ability very quickly, a knife your only asking it to cut. I think a high grade knife should do what it dose for longer and sometime more sweetly.


you ever own a Mora?
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,885
3,302
W.Sussex
Ha!! Mags, after my last purchase (Swisstool), I almost had to move in with your boat crew!! :lmao:

Swisstool, now you're talking. Way more refined than a Leatherman, and actually less useful than my Charge TTI, but I just find it a pleasure to own and use. I suppose that's snobbery in a nutshell, but I didn't buy it for bragging rights, I bought it because it pleased me. And I got it from Amazon for £60, bargain.:)
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
For a fixed blade knife it is impossible to beat a Mora in the price vs quality.
The blade steels are top notch, handle ergonomics too. Specially the new ones with the dual layer plastics.
But not the best finishing, and of course the plastic handles.

You have a huge range of blade designs too if you include Frosts knives. Personally I prefer several Frosts models before Mora.

Both lines (Frosts and Mora) use steels made by an outside company, a specialist in steels in Sandviken down the road.

Kind of snobbery too, using a Mora/Frosts?
 

Herbalist1

Settler
Jun 24, 2011
585
1
North Yorks
Absolutely - there are some great knives out there at a very reasonable price with fantastic quality steels - mora ( you used to be able up pick up 3 mora 511s for under a tenner from clauss Olsen), svord, easily as good as much more expensive knives. Paying more will get you better finish, nicer handle and sheath materials etc but not necessarily a more functional knife. I've got a Ben Orford Woodlander - it's a fantastic blade (I really rate Ben among the best makers out there), beautifully finished and with excellent leatherwork. It really is a very capable knife and an absolute pleasure to use but more often I'll be using a mora 510 and I never feel I'm compromising on performance when I do! For a folder my favourite is a svord peasant (once I'd tidied up the wooden scales which do come as rough as a badgers backside) - again a great knife and quality steel and in my opinion a joy to use but not if you're looking for a work of art.
So it isn't necessarily a question of getting what you pay for - you can pay a lot more for a crap knife with poor steel than you would for a mora - it is about choosing wisely. And there's nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful tool either but again not all expensive knives are good knives!
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Many of us could be classed as knife collectors or afficionados.
It is part of the hobby to buy exclusive and/or expensive knives. I would not think we buy them because they are more functional ( they are in most cases less functional), we buy them for the enjoyment of owning something nice.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
My favourite knife at the moment is my Mora Companion in the slightly thicker stock Heavy Duty model. I like it so much that I went ahead and purchased the matching Ray Mears Woodlore leather sheath. I also bought a D-ring Scandinavian belt loop for the original plastic sheath which is made from Paul Dore's leatherwork.

It's a brilliant knife for a few quid.... :)

Such snobbery, having a RMW sheath.....

:lmao:
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,490
8,368
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Hi Janne,
Can you explain to me the relationship between Frosts and Mora? are they the same company, different ranges? I have a knife stamped/etched Frosts Mora that I had from new well over 40 years ago (yep, I'm that old) - drop point, cherry(?) handle. Is there any connection between the company that made my knife and current Mora knives?
Cheers,
Broch
 
Jul 24, 2017
1,163
444
somerset
The sheath is £35 from Woodlore now but I got it a bit cheaper in one of their sales, I think it was 10% off at that time. Still, it gives me a great quality leather sheath and knife for under £50. I paid four times that for a pile of "knife-maker" crap so I am definitely not into knife snobbery anymore after that experience. I also have the standard Companion, as well as a Garberg and the Eldris. I've just realised I'm what some folks would call a Mora fanboy. But my favourite is the Companion Heavy Duty which has to be good value, at around £14.

The little woman's knife is the companion, great little knife! I have my heart set on about four types of mora so I guess I'll be in the club too, odd as it may seem I like the steel plastic rubber combo of mora's.
 

Dingo

Nomad
Jan 7, 2005
424
0
leicestershire
Knives.... mmmmm, my EDC at the moment is a present I received from my work mates, its an 'Old Bear' Antonini, basically a posher Opinel, I still have my trusty No8 in my bag, but to be honest this is a lovely knife, and the locking mechanism is simple and old fashioned, a lot like me!

I have a larger bladed tool which I keep in my bag for a camp knife, like countryman said, sometimes you need a little ooumph, however my £15 fancy folder and my £6 old faithful Opinel I find do almost everything I require, hold a nice edge, prep my much required lunch's and teas, stews and pot roasts.

I think knives are personal things, each to their own, I agree with almost everything that's been said on this thread and many more over the years, I think if you think about what you want your tool to do, when you see them for sale hold it in your hand and ask yourself, will this item do what I need? if so, and you can afford it, you like it, buy it.... if your purchase does what you wish the cost is insignificant whilst it works in your hand, and when you become more adept at what you practise, you may want to trade up or down to another tool you feel fits the bill, or you may like me just like the look of this big cumbersome thing.

but it will be yours.:)
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
5,260
464
none
Hi Janne,
Can you explain to me the relationship between Frosts and Mora? are they the same company, different ranges? I have a knife stamped/etched Frosts Mora that I had from new well over 40 years ago (yep, I'm that old) - drop point, cherry(?) handle. Is there any connection between the company that made my knife and current Mora knives?
Cheers,
Broch

better from the horses mouth?

https://morakniv.se/en/about-us/our-history/

and if you have specific questions email them, there will be someone who can answer
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Mora is a town in Sweden, that used to have several small manufacturers of that specific, traditional Swedish knife type. One by one they disappeared until two remained. Frosts and KJ.

Once they merged they used to start using Mora Kniv as a brand name, spelled Morakniv.

I do not understand how they can, because if I move to Mora and start making those trad knifes, it will become a Mora kniv ( Swedish for 'knife from Mora').
Janne's Mora kniv. The design is not patended. Nor the expression 'Mora kniv'.

I am in fact using Mora and Frosts blades as a base in my hobby, knife making.

To show where Frosts knives are made, they are branded 'Frosts Mora'.

Frosts brand is more for professional use like butchers, chefs, fishermen and farriers. Specific blade and handle designs
Mora kniv brand is for everybopdy else, plus tradesmen.

Just to confuse the consumer, same knife can be branded Morakniv and Frosts next year.

I have a couple of the Fish Slaughter knife, bot S/s and Carbon. some are marked Mora, some Frosts.
 

Robson Valley

On a new journey
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,672
McBride, BC
Thanks for the explanation. Over the years, Morakniv and Frosts are both named on the #171, #172 and #188 farrier's Equus hoof knives that I use in wood carving.
 

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