mora knifes

[Nomad_Of_Soul]

hink "car". A basic Fiesta is all the car most peopel will ever need. But a lot of us drive bigger, faster, more capable, cars. Why? Because we enjoy it.

Err.... I have a fiesta 1.1 it's 25yo and still runs sweet, i was given it for nothing because the previous owner was embarrassed to be seen in it but i get your point though. There are some lovely knifes out there, i once bought a Mick Spain knife on ebay for around £200, i lost it less than a week later over a cliff straight into the sea
I'm always tempted by a good looking well built knife the mora isnt the most attractive knife out there but at it's price i think i'll use it until i come across the knife that suits me.
i would love to try before i buy but unfortunately it's case of buying before trying for me as i dont know anyone with a woodlore or any other bushcraft knife, everyone i know are as much interested in bushcraft as they are in the many different shades of white paint you can buy and shops around these parts are the usual small town shops you find in every single town in Britain (we don't even have a waitrose for god's sake) I do take a client to a blacksmith once a week so i think i'll talk to him about knife making.
Anyway, in summery Mora=good, cheap practical knife Others=desirable shiny objects

 

[Nomad_Of_Soul]

Lovely knifes Woodcutter

 

[addyb]

For me, all my reasons for buying a Mora were purely financial. Most of my money goes into paying tuition and I usually end up with very little left over. So when someone told me "You can get a fantastic knife made with fantastic steel for twenty bucks" I was all over that like a fat kid on a smartie! And now that I've owned a Mora for a while now, I realize just how great they are as a tool. Mora knives do most of the things that other knives do, knives that are ten times the price.

You really can't go wrong with one....or two...or three. (But that way lies addiction)

Adam

 

[Johnboy06]

When i finally get out into the field as a beginner and a novice to knives ill be goin for the mora. I was looking at the best knifes for hundreds of pounds the woodlore included but once i saw what people think about the mora and the fact that for the price of those expensive knives i could get almost a full kit for bushcrafting for me its a no brainer. And if i dont like it it was less than 10 quid cant go wrong. So the people here have definetly changed my mind when i posed a similar post "which knife i should get".

Although i still love the f1 micarta i think its called but maybe the fact that im not even 100% on the spelling of it indicates i should get a mora

 

[MitchelHicks]

How can you say that £310 is a bargain when they only cost £250 on the Ray Mears website!!

Well i think it comes with some other bits and you should check on EVIL BAY I've seen bids for used woodlore blades at £450 with hours left to go.

I wouldnt dream of buying one of them from ebay but £310 is good I think for what it would sell for on ebay.

 

[MitchelHicks]

Okay as a guy with a thread running called "an entirely new knife". I guess its only fair I should answer this question.

Is there anything wrong with a Mora?

Yes - there is! The point is all wrong for a start.

That is the opinion of a bloke who carries and uses knives every day and has done for three decades. Other blokes who carry and have used knives for far longer have a different opinion of course.

Okay, in truth, the Mora will be the best "bang for your buck" knife you will ever own. I don't need a better knife. I want one though.

Why? Because I can. Because its fun designing my own (and scary and frustrating). I'll never get the chance to do that in most things.

Think "car". A basic Fiesta is all the car most peopel will ever need. But a lot of us drive bigger, faster, more capable, cars. Why? Because we enjoy it.

In most fields I will never get the opportunity to design. I can't have a Landrover body, with Toyota reliability and Volvo comfort etc. I am very lucky. In knife terms, I can do this for less than the price of one very good golf club. I have been lucky enough to do the same with axes through some very talented people who brought my designs to life.

Do I NEED these things? Nope, a Wetterlings and a Mora would get me through. But I don't NEED to Bushcraft - I enjoy it, its a hobby I take pleasure from. I take huge pleasure from being out in the country. I'm out walking every week. In the quiet times I love to think how the experience could be improved. Its a quiet simple pleasure.

So in answer to your question - a Mora will do everything you need to. If you take pleasure from the craftsmanship and design in a better knife, feel free to indulge yourself - nothing wrong with a little indulgence

Red

I think thats a fine point well put if you like bushcraft then its nice to have a good knife and a custom made one is even better which is what alot of people would like.

Its a very interesting skill and I think a part of bushcraft itself to make a knife at some point because with it means survival and being able to make one must be very satisfying.

However if you are buying a woodlore knife just because the well know Ray Mears has one I would say if you have the money go for it. However If you could have a look round Im sure you will find other attractive models with different price ranges that you can purchase or even select the best parts and combine them to make your own blade.

However having an expensive knife does not mean that with it comes any wisdom of how to use it and for that I would say a mora is the place to start.

 

[spamel]

The girls from Blue Peter were using Mora knives on a survival trip on todays programme. I actually sat down and watched Blue Peter for the first time in years, and I think they did quite well. They found a deer (which was placed for them to find, and it was explained not to scavenge form a dead deer in case it had been drugged and killed by a vet) and they cooked it up andseemed to enjoy it. Not too sure about using tom sauce though!

I realise that a lot of it will have been staged, they probably went and stayed in a lodge at night and went back in the morning to continue filming. Let's not forget the cheating and lies that went on in that competition not too long back!! Seriously though, it was nice to see a bit of survival and bushcraft skills on TV and the fact that a knife was being used and nobody was horrified apart from the actual knife handling. They apparently did some different grips in their training but I missed the beggining of it. I may try and catch the omnibus if they still do it.

 

[baggins]

just got the complete set of Mors dvds, and just watched the one on knives, axes and saws. It's well worth getting hold of a copy. $100 canadian (£50), for 4 dvds that total 7 hours of viewing pleasure. Completely different approach to Rm, just Mors infront of a camera talking and explaining stuff, really good.

 

[spamel]

It's on the wish list! I had a look and he has loads of stuff out.

 

[pollitt]

I have a mora knife and in all honesty it does nothing for me. If its there and i need a knife id use it without fuss but when i use it i dont feel completely happy using it. Instead i use a Helle Eggen knife which cost me £46 and i really get on with it. As Red said a mora will work but my Eggen feels to be the knife that is more suited to me. If i ever have to replace the Eggen (or if i just have to much money) i might have a go at using one of those SWC kit knives though

Stuart

 

[gorilla]

as a relative noob, i got a mora clipper as i figured that until i knew what a knife was about, there was no point in spending serious money, and i was right. i've done all kinds of stuff with my mora - lots of carving, preparing meat and fish, peeling veg, cutting down ripped clothes - basically everything i've needed it to do. the only negative point for me is the length of the blade for carving - a shorter blade would be better. i bought a brusletto balder knife - nice short blade, but the handle is a bit small, so my next project is to buy a lapplander 90 blade (or similar) and make my own.
if you're anything like me Nomad, there's alot about knives you don't know yet - i know very little. the experienced knife users like Red have the wealth of knowledge that they can apply, and see the intrinsic faults in a blade, which grind is best, which profile is best etc, and can say which type of blade is best for a particular task - for a chump like me, it's sharp, it cuts, that'll do for now. as my knowledge and experience grows, i may well find i need a different knife. the thing that amazes me is how the moras can be so cheap - they are obviously better than alot of more expensive knives, but still remain inexpensive!
Rm may endorse AW knives for his own use, and his own shop, but he gives all course members a mora, so he must think pretty highly of them too.
if and when i'm in the market for a new shiny, i don't think i could do any better than the great blades on the makers market - i'd rather pay £150 there than £300 for a woodlore.
get a clipper, a leather sheath and a dc3 - sorted!

 

[mr dazzler]

g'day folks, i just watched a mors kochanski dvd on knifes and axes in which he states that when it comes to knifes all i need in the wilderness is an mora survival knife which cost around £8! This left me wondering if i should be removing my name from the eternal waiting list at woodlore for the holy grail of knifes (seems like). I did think about this before why should i spend a few hundred on a knife when i could pretty much do the same things with a knife that cost a tenner but i just thought there must be a good reason. I would just like to ask if it is really in my interest to buy a woodlore knife (apart from selling it on ebay just to make a few extra quid which seems to question the worth of owning one as ebay is never short of woodlore knifes, are they over rated? or is everyone just cashing in on the current popularity of bushcraft). Also there are some excellent knife makers out there that produce some fantastic knifes at a reasonable price. With so many bushcraft knifes at crazy prices to insane prices I'm feeling somewhat confused by it all. Is there any simple sites that can explain the benefits of cheap and expensive knifes?

I do not own a fixed blade knife (no real need for one at the mo), if I did I would consider a frosts knife (2 1/2 inch blade carveing one), the trainer one, or like gorilla, a bursletto balder, something like that. (BTW gorilla, whats that knife like blade wise, dos it take and keep a decent edge? Just asking!!) At the end of the day I'd say if it aint broke dont fix it. Does your mora do the jobs you require of it, take and keep a decent edge, feel comfortable for long period's of use etc etc?? I am more from a joinery/carpetery background, woodwork forums are full of tediuos posts that confuse and mislead newbie's about the "necessity" to invest £100's in lee neilson's/clifton planes etc etc like its a status symbol or something and you cant do any "real" woodwork without one, I'm a cool woodworker cos I gotta whole full set of name bronze planes :sad6: . Yet theres actual real pro woodworkers who use real cheap, simple, even old vintage wooden planes and get excellent results. Spending lots of money might help, and I suppose it supports an industry of sorts, but it isnt a short cut to acqiuring real skill's. In most areas of craft's etc you get an industry built up that tries to get peole to spend unecessary large amounts of cash on "essential" item's, same with the sharpening gadget industry, thats another sore point on the "woodie" forum's, they more bothered about their sharpening "kit" and "set up" than what they actually DO with a sharp edge once they got one (if they ever did get one that is) I'd just say dont be led by peer pressure fashion statement consideraton's, and trust and go with your own instincts and conviction's
cheers Jonathan

 

[Dougster]

I've just made a custom sheath for a member here. He's modded a clipper blade and put a wooden handle on it. I'm shamed to say I was a bit miffed at the knife when I saw it and thought 'Piece of cr#p' but then I held it - the blade had been modded - to a convex edge, and the handle was supremely comfortable. I did the best sheath I could out of courtesy and honour and found one of the best user knives I have come across. (Hope you like the sheath mate).

Red has made a knife which suits him down to the ground, it is a precision knife ( and a beaut to boot) which I have drolled over many a time, but my custom design from Stuart M (a finer knife maker you will not meet) is totally different.

I have always been told that you don't start with the best, if you do, then you're wasting money. Start with the basics and form an opinion, decide what is best for you and move towards that. It may sound arrogant, but I believe my knife will provide everything I need. I have tried many a different type of knife (and sold many of them on) and will stick with my Woody clone (of 12c27 NOT 01 ) and my new baby (name as yet undecided) for almost every other job.

I've read this site until my wife has shouted at me, I have used and sharpened knives until I have a grey residue on my stones (and many a flat surface) and I know what works for me. I have even read metallurgy documents until I am deciding semantics when they won't make any difference to what I do.

Get out there - whatever knife you have will be fine, as long as it does the job it is meant to do. Some of us crave perfection (to our eternal financial detriment) and others are happy and make do. Whatever you do, don't just follow the crowd. The woodlore IS a good knife, IMHO it's just not the best. It certainly isn't worth the money.

The only thing I can say that I'm SURE all will agree with is - start with a Mora, make your decisions from there. If you don't like it you will know why and you will be able to say to one of the wonderful makers on here (my aim is to be one day be amongst them) 'THIS' is what I want - can you make me one? Then you will know you have what you want, it's made for you by someone who knows their craft and is real value for money.

 

[Chainsaw]

As a novice, I would also recommend starting with Frost mora or clipper, I plumped for a clipper as I didn't like the mora handle. I also treated myself to an F1 because I like shiny things but I justified it as I thought the clipper was a bit light.

I use both knives, I use the F1 for 90% of general work but the point on the clipper is, well, pointier and the blade is thinner making is slightly easier to carve detail with and also to prepare animals although it struggles a bit to break legbones etc.

Depending what you intend to do a lot of will help guide you to which type of knife is more suitable or if you may need 2 to keep you happy. I would love to think there is one knife to do all jobs but I'm not so sure.

That's my tuppence worth, probably not worth tuppence in real money

Cheers,

Alan

 

[sam_acw]

I was something of a late comer to getting a Mora. They aren't impressive to look at but they are nice to use. Mine has grown on me to the state that I'm getting a 2nd one and a big brother (7inch Leuku) to go with it!
They are well worth buying as you'll definitely use it - I've got a fair few other knives yet its the mora I'm using at the moment!

 

[Porcupine]

judging by all the above posts you realy start to wonder why the list for ppl that want a woodlore is so long.

my personal advice would also be a mora.

i wanted a woodlore but couldnt rationalize the expense so i bought a kit of one of the knifemakers here.this gave me a great kit wich turned with a lot of elbowgrease into a "woodlore" clone.

then i found out i like a thinner,smaller type of knife, amazingly enough something like the frost mora a friend of mine had


buying a mora costs you a tenner worst case, best case it saves you a few hundred quid.

 

[Shinken]

Im with the get your own knife to suit yourself camp.

A production knife might suit you. But it will never suit everyone.

A mora handle is just too small for me, so for me its no good. some are lucky and find it comfy - great.

i would never buy a mora and rehandle it, you can buy a blade blank with a longer tang for the same price and without the hassle of splitting a mora down.

My opinion of course

 

[mrostov]

There are some full tang Mora blades and you can buy these in un-handled, blank form. Mora's have some of the best blades of any production knives but the handles suck. The Clipper handles are OK but they are a 1/3 tang blade. Those handles are still just a tad small.

The blade that Kochanski uses is a full length tang, which seems to be a 4.25" laminated blade.

Here's what I did with a full length tang, 4.25" Mora laminated blade blank. The blade blank cost US$12. This is essentially the same blade that Kochanski uses but with a handle much more to my liking. I posted this here a while back, but felt it was pertinent to this thread. Since making this knife, it has rapidly become one of my favorite field blades.

 

[Mungo]

Yes, I like the idea of putting a handle on a Mora blade blank - I can buy them at www.leevalley.com in Canada.

I love my Mora - absolutely the best purchase I have made in bushcraft. I have other fancier (i.e. more expensive) knives, but this is the best for me while camping.



I recommend them,

Mungo

 

[woodstock]

I bought a frost Mora after it being recommended on some threads and have not been disappointed for the price you would be hard pressed to find anything better the plastic sheath is tacky green plastic but practical I have more expensive knifes but the blades are not that much better pound for pound