Knife snobbery

[ammo]

In terms of actual performance on wood, then yes a Mora is pretty hard to beat. That is due to the blade geometry.
Is it a thing to behold, a pleasure to use and feel. I think not. Will still do the job though.
Give me a tool that has soul, character, traits of the maker even, any day.

 

[Hammock Hamster]

Some interesting points of view here.
My own tends to be a mixture - I am a big fan of Mora and have several of their bushcraft and carving knives which I use regularly.
I also have a Mears bushcraft, svante djarv carver and several of mr orford and westermanns lovely tools - these more expensive items also get used just as often.
I've never been a collector but do have an itchy mouse finger when it comes to buying but personally I could never warrant spending on something I wouldn't actually use.
My main bugbear, and this goes for any type of kit, are those as mentioned by the OP who get snobby about others choices.
What has it got to do with anyone whether I use a ten quid mora or a £500 custom job as long as I'm doing so responsibly and it's working for me.
That goes for the reverse snobs too who advocate that you should only use a handmade bit of sharpened metal you smelted yourself (or something similar).
I actually made a YouTube video a couple of years back discussing the differences between the RM bushcraft knife and the Mora clipper and there were some particularly vehement views on the subject though being honest there were a good number of trolls about wanted to be fed too! 🙄


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[mikehill]

For me, if you like a Mora fine. If you like to spend £200 fine. As long as they are used I don't have a problem. I use both types. I do get annoyed at the present Woodlore prices though

 

[Robson Valley]

I'm a kitchen cleaver snob. My oldest wok and 20cm cleaver turn 50 this year. The other 20's and the other 2 woks are somewhat newer.
Ironically, the really fancy, carved and engraved cleaver sits in the bottom of the drawer, Unused in years. Not a thing wrong with it.

Sometimes, it pays to gamble a little on a knife edge, just to see what they are like, and when you can afford it. Some wood carving tools are like that.
Does not mean that they have to be costly. There is expensive junk.

I found a box of little 16cm cleavers packed in grease in the far back corner of an Asian grocery store. $6.95 each, about 4.20 BPS for you.
Right hand slicing cleavers, 20 degrees one side, 40 the other.
Scrubbed that back for 20, total. Magnificent kitchen tool! So good that I bought several others as gifts for my kids.
I like the weight and balance so much, I'm, tempted to cut 5cm off each of the big cleavers, all but the bone cutter.

 

[bikething]

Most folk are buying knifes and not using them, how many come up for resale brand new! Every time I see one I honestly thing what was the point in owning it if you never used it!

I wonder how many stamp collectors spend hundreds of pounds on a penny black with the intention of sticking it on an envelope and putting it in a post box?

And if they don't - do they get ripped to shreds on letter writing forums? okenest:

 

[Robson Valley]

+1 bikething. I guess you guys can't collect Klingon Batleffs.

The really weird thing about some rare stamps and coins is that they are defective in the printing/stamping.
How does that make these upscrews worth so much more? Is a knife with a damaged or bent handle worth more?

One of my cousins here in Canada collects new Canadian stamps. She buys whole sheets and files them away.

 

[hughtrimble]

The really weird thing about some rare stamps and coins is that they are defective in the printing/stamping.
How does that make these upscrews worth so much more? Is a knife with a damaged or bent handle worth more?

Knives with incorrectly stamped blade steels can sometimes fetch a premium if they're from certain manufacturers. But yes, you won't see people say 'My Chris Reeve has blade play so it's worth more than your standard, properly-functioning example'!

 

[Terr]

I hear you. My very first bushcraft knife was a Mora Clipper. I'll have been using it for 10 years this November. Don't need anything better or pricier. The only alteration I've made is DIY a leather sheath.

 

[John Fenna]

Hmmm -
I have been following this thread with interest... and seem to agree with everyone!
Yes there are "knife Snobs" and "Reverse Knife Snobs" out there and I too both like cheap knives as well as expensive ones..
Perhaps I am in an enviable situation as I get to play with lots of different knives in my role as a reviewer for a magazine.
I have generally found that the real "budget" knives tend to work OK but lack "visual appeal" and "ergonomic comfort" more than the more expensive models.
Some more expensive knives can have steels that have "preferable performance characteristics" for certain usages.
Some more expensive knives are overdressed, under-performing works of art (I have even seen a knife with a solid gold blade - I am guessing that it was never meant to be used for battening through Oak !), while some cheap knives have steel that I would not (personally speaking) want to use as I find that it dulls quicly but is hard to sharpen well.
I have many Mora Companions that I use to teach with, I use Mora and Hultafors blades to make new knives (re-handled and given leather sheathes) but currently I use a custom knife born of personal choice and experience....
Years ago I bought a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V - I loathed the handle and sheath and found the blade too long to give good "tip control" so with minimal skill or tools I cut it down from the handle end and made a new Oak handle for it - which I made to my own design and which worked for me.
So far so good.
I was not all that happy with the grind so with a bought jig I tried to re-shape it to a Convex ... the jig gave a lop sided convex - not awful but unsatisfying - and as I had no need for the swedge I tried to re shape it to a Drop Point ... with hand held stones ... and stabbed myself in the hand quite nastily!
I still used the knife - but it was never exactly as I wanted it....
At the Moot I had the Great Dave Budd regrind the blade to a High Saber grind with a Drop Point then at home I made it a nice simple leather sheath and it is pretty much the knife I wanted it to be when I bought it - a good all round "user" that has a steel that is capable of taking an excellent edge that is long lasting and easy to sharpen, a comfortable handle and a secure sheath - all of which I find good to look at as well as to use.
It was not a cheap knife when I bought it - but not too expensive either - but with the hours of work that have gone into turning it into my prized possession the knife (if you costed the man hours) would mean it is extremely expensive!
I have no problem with this.
For me the journey has taught me an awful lot about steels, working designs and aesthetics - all of which count, in some way, to the pleasures of using a knife.
I think that we should be happy to use a knife that makes us happy and be happy for others to use a knife that makes them happy too

 

[petrochemicals]

Years ago I bought a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V - I loathed the handle and sheath and found the blade too long to give good "tip control" so with minimal skill or tools I cut it down from the handle end and made a new Oak handle for it - which I made to my own design and which worked for me.
So far so good.
I was not all that happy with the grind so with a bought jig I tried to re-shape it to a Convex ... the jig gave a lop sided convex - not awful but unsatisfying - and as I had no need for the swedge I tried to re shape it to a Drop Point ... with hand held stones ... and stabbed myself in the hand quite nastily!
I still used the knife - but it was never exactly as I wanted it....
At the Moot I had the Great Dave Budd regrind the blade to a High Saber grind with a Drop Point then at home I made it a nice simple leather sheath and it is pretty much the knife I wanted it to be when I bought it - a good all round "user" that has a steel that is capable of taking an excellent edge that is long lasting and easy to sharpen, a comfortable handle and a secure sheath - all of which I find good to look at as well as to use.
It was not a cheap knife when I bought it - but not too expensive either - but with the hours of work that have gone into turning it into my prized possession the knife (if you costed the man hours) would mean it is extremely expensive!
I have no problem with this.
For me the journey has taught me an awful lot about steels, working designs and aesthetics - all of which count, in some way, to the pleasures of using a knife.
I think that we should be happy to use a knife that makes us happy and be happy for others to use a knife that makes them happy too

Could we see a picture of excalibur please John?

As for the cost, self build is never never cheapo, anyone who says it is is wrong. Knives lights bivvy and rucksacks are all veRyan very expensive when you add up the materials and the time. Your average bivvy costs material+zip or cord+mozzi+seam tape+velcro easily hits 70 before you start the time. 5 his makes you see why custom knives cost easily 100 dollar.

Psychological I think Alan wood is on strike per woodlores. No orders the price goes up. As some one once said all they can see is Alan wood crying saying "not another woodlore". If the wood lore is so good and it is a mass production knice (50+ produced) I bet if you pay 200 quid for the complete knife you could get a better knife thand alan makes. Mass production is the lowering of costs through quantity, look at fearri versus thrust ssc.

 

[John Fenna]

Could we see a picture of excalibur please John? .

Excalibur?
Nope just MY user


sorry about the lousy photos it is dark outside...

 

[petrochemicals]

Excalibur?
Nope just MY user

sorry about the lousy photos it is dark outside...

I like that, it has shades of mark hills eagle about it, the tapering length.

 

[Trotsky]

If we've got knife snobbery, is multi-tool snobbery a thing too?
I've never been one for multi tools but, I just saw one of these https://www.heinnie.com/hanwei-paul-chen-multi-tasker and a voice in my head decided it was worth a punt, especially for the money and given that my EDC knife for work is getting a bit tired now.

 

[KenThis]

I've enjoyed this thread and think John Fenna has pretty much nailed it.

My thoughts.
I have a few different knives some moras, some much more expensive and some in between.
One of the big differences for me between the tools is not so much what they can do but what they lead you to do.
In other words a Mora knife is an incredibly functional tool that 'allows' you to do any bushcraft cutting chore and in the right hands to do it well.
Whereas sometimes a more expensive knife, one perhaps more tactile or more aesthetically pleasing not only 'allows' you to complete any bushcraft work needed but actively 'invites' use. I'm hoping I'm not the only one who picks up a nice wood handled knife and instantly wants to test it. There seems to me to be something hard to quantify about a really well made knife, that both looks and feels good in the hands. It's a "je ne sais quois" quality that is something some of us are willing to pay for, when deep down we still know that a Mora or Hultafors will do the same job at a fraction of the price. Probably why we're also strangely reticent about loaning our favourite knives compared to a Mora etc...

 

[5teep]

If we've got knife snobbery, is multi-tool snobbery a thing too?
I've never been one for multi tools but, I just saw one of these https://www.heinnie.com/hanwei-paul-chen-multi-tasker and a voice in my head decided it was worth a punt, especially for the money and given that my EDC knife for work is getting a bit tired now.

Got one of those myself, for a tenner it's well worth it but it's big and heavy so a car boot tool or bag carry I think.

 

[Countryman]

Yes there is knife snobbery.

I seem to have avoided the worst of this by not going down the Woodlore route. I've always favoured a bigger knife in the bush and so I either carry my Dartmoor or another beast that Mark Hill built to my design. They have been described as "camp knives" I haven't ever forgiven George Aitchkinson for holding up my Dartmoor to a class and describing it as "deeply unfashionable"

Cheek! What does he know 😁

You guys do pay nutso money for these little vegetable knives!

Yes I agree that there is pleasure derived from "Taste the Difference" compared to "Tesco Value" However you all clearly don't understand what's required of a tool in the boonies and one day your little knives will be looked at with scorn reserved for the Mullet, flared trousers and skinny jeans.

Word.


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[Tiley]

"...a good all round "user" that has a steel that is capable of taking an excellent edge that is long lasting and easy to sharpen, a comfortable handle and a secure sheath - all of which I find good to look at as well as to use.

...I think that we should be happy to use a knife that makes us happy and be happy for others to use a knife that makes them happy too "

Mr Fenna writes with extraordinary sense and wisdom. This is perhaps what we're all after in the pursuit of bushcraft nirvana; the journey that each individual takes on that quest can, of course, lead them to the esoteric, custom-made world or the mass-produced one. Inevitably, when you find a knife that you like and like using, you will champion it and its maker, occasionally sprinkling scorn on other blades. This can be interpreted as 'snobbery' or 'inverse snobbery' but is more likely to be just an affirmation of the tool you prefer using at that time, rather than snobbery per se.

I reckon that the wider the variety of tools that you use and experience, the less likely you are to deride others that, perhaps, you haven't tried. With few exceptions, every knife, custom or mass produced, has qualities that make it good; although price can be a factor, it is a little myopic to criticise or praise a knife on this criterion alone - it is how it handles and whether it does what you want in your hand that is the key, surely?

 

[Highbinder]

I have just been, for the sheer hell of it, using an old "Sheffield England Slightly Imperfect" vegetable chopping knife to whittle down a piece of willow for whatever I am going to do with it, and do you know what, it ain't no puuko, leuku, kukri, machete, Bear Grylls, Ray Mears sacred riddle of steel, forged in the fires of Mount Doom knife, but do you know what, it does the job as good as anything else.

And there are some people that are contrarians and like bragging about how cheap their knives are, too. Other people just get on with what they have. It's not just knives. It's human nature.

 

[Samon]

Excalibur?
Nope just MY user
View attachment 45561
View attachment 45562
sorry about the lousy photos it is dark outside...

Wait.. that was an SRK? from a hairy gross catterpillar to something badass like a butterfly with razor blades for wings.

If we've got knife snobbery, is multi-tool snobbery a thing too?
I've never been one for multi tools but, I just saw one of these https://www.heinnie.com/hanwei-paul-chen-multi-tasker and a voice in my head decided it was worth a punt, especially for the money and given that my EDC knife for work is getting a bit tired now.

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!



On the whole point the thread made though. Once a 'thing' becomes popular or a person gets heavily involved, the obsession grows and leads to crazy buys and must haves. My brothers are obsessed with bbq's and slow smoking meats.. One has over a thousnad quid in Weber bbq's and accessories and last weekend spent £200 just on meat for a little bbq.. lol. Not to mention the 12 hours of obsessing over temperature of the brisket and pork shoulder..

I like my pipe smoking and the americans are a true testiment to obsession of a hobby. One guy on a forum had 250lbs of pipe tobacco in his basement, all jarred up and thousands spent on custom pipes.. it's nuts. Even with their cheap baccy prices that's still over $12,000 on tobacco alone.

 

[Barry Rowland]

I'm a huge SAK guy and have one with me daily, as well as an Opinel of some sort. I'm of the opinion that whatever works for you is good enough! I'm married with 2 sons at home, and run into enough trouble with my SAK and multitool collecting with the wife, let alone getting a custom knife done up for me!