I went to pick up my very first knife this morning. It came yesterday by recorded delivery and i missed it so a quick trip to the post office and i am now in possesion of a Frosts mora training knife.
I left it sealed in the envelope as i drove home incase i was stopped for any reason. As i drove i thought about this amazing edge that would soon be in my hands, push cutting through enourmous felled logs. By the time i got home it had turned into more of a knife to end all others than a simple cheap bushcrafting tool
I walked in the house and laid the envelope on the pc desk whilst i put the kettle on. Armed with my tea and a new realistic expectation i removed it from the jiffy bag. I have to say my first impressions were pretty muted realy. The knife and sheath are in a midtone olive. It looked strange on my desk, quite anonomous. I think this is because of the matt finish on the handle and sheath not reflecting any light, begging to be lost amongst the forest floor. You would definately have to keep an eye on where you put it when not in use.
Ok, "lets see this blade" i thought. The blade does not readily come free of the sheath which is good. With a hollow "click" and even worse scrapeing noise i released the blade. My audible sense told me immediately that the sheath is cheap and nasty and after inspection it's clear that the sheath won't last long at all. There is a corrigated affair to lend movement to the belt clip and the clip assembly itself is too thin and looks like it will split after moderate use.
No worries, You get what you pay for and as this is my first knife costing all of £10 im not overly concerned.
My attention already on the knife i immediately notice a greasy film over the blade. "Thats good" i said ( maybe i shouldn't tell you about talking to myself ) I expect the film of grease is to protect the blade whilst in storage and transit, which is another plus.
I have a medium sized hand with chipolata fingers but the handle hosted them quite well. I am able able to fit all 4 fingers under the safety lip and my thumb round the back with just the top of the knuckle peeping over the top of the handle.
The handle itself is solid and beefy, quite fat infact. All the joins from the plastic moulding are smooth and the whole thing feels pretty strong. There is even a good lanyard wholewith excellent thickness around the edges. The whole handle is covered in that minute non slip grain which seems rather effective.
The blade. Having read stories on here about " scarey sharp!" with different knives i was determined not to be disapointed although in the same mindset i did still expect mine to be a steel eating monster ( as you do )
I picked up the jiffy bag and with a latteral grip away from me pushed against it. there was a slight struggle whilst the edge bit into the thin cardboard and selathane bubbles. I let the blade findit's own way into the material and once confident it was hungry i pushed a bit harder. "Good", it slices confidently through the rest of the bag. That's not to say it's push sharp yet as it needed a pretty stout edge to get it's teeth into. I would say ( from my limited experience ) that it's mid way between slice and push sharp. needless to say i set about chopping up the rest of the jiffy bag with a variety of cuts.
It is obvious to me now that the blade needs some sharpening to make it trully effective. The first inch of the blade nearest the handle is good although the rest up to the tip struggles. I need some water stones i think.
Coclusion.
I think this knife will serve me well, it appears raw in it's function with no delusions of grandure. it's just heavy enough to be integral to your stroke and the blade is thick enough not to flex with light work. The safety guard/lip doesn't feel intrusive and the knife overall is pleasing to the eye. It's not tactile though, infact it looks like it preffers to be left alone unless you want to cut something.
The 3 things i dislike about it most are :the colouring which makes it look everso slightly toyish. The sheath, which is cheap and nasty with no character or substance, and the fact that evey time i release the knife i get a sliver of nast plastic on the blade. Apart from that i would reccomend it.
Some readers may have noticed my incorrect terminology but to be honest i realy am new to knives and i havn't got the hang of them yet. However, i hope this helps any newbie ( like me ) when considering the purchase of a Mora training knife.
I left it sealed in the envelope as i drove home incase i was stopped for any reason. As i drove i thought about this amazing edge that would soon be in my hands, push cutting through enourmous felled logs. By the time i got home it had turned into more of a knife to end all others than a simple cheap bushcrafting tool
I walked in the house and laid the envelope on the pc desk whilst i put the kettle on. Armed with my tea and a new realistic expectation i removed it from the jiffy bag. I have to say my first impressions were pretty muted realy. The knife and sheath are in a midtone olive. It looked strange on my desk, quite anonomous. I think this is because of the matt finish on the handle and sheath not reflecting any light, begging to be lost amongst the forest floor. You would definately have to keep an eye on where you put it when not in use.
Ok, "lets see this blade" i thought. The blade does not readily come free of the sheath which is good. With a hollow "click" and even worse scrapeing noise i released the blade. My audible sense told me immediately that the sheath is cheap and nasty and after inspection it's clear that the sheath won't last long at all. There is a corrigated affair to lend movement to the belt clip and the clip assembly itself is too thin and looks like it will split after moderate use.
No worries, You get what you pay for and as this is my first knife costing all of £10 im not overly concerned.
My attention already on the knife i immediately notice a greasy film over the blade. "Thats good" i said (
maybe i shouldn't tell you about talking to myself ) I expect the film of grease is to protect the blade whilst in storage and transit, which is another plus.I have a medium sized hand with chipolata fingers but the handle hosted them quite well. I am able able to fit all 4 fingers under the safety lip and my thumb round the back with just the top of the knuckle peeping over the top of the handle.
The handle itself is solid and beefy, quite fat infact. All the joins from the plastic moulding are smooth and the whole thing feels pretty strong. There is even a good lanyard wholewith excellent thickness around the edges. The whole handle is covered in that minute non slip grain which seems rather effective.
The blade. Having read stories on here about " scarey sharp!" with different knives i was determined not to be disapointed although in the same mindset i did still expect mine to be a steel eating monster ( as you do )
I picked up the jiffy bag and with a latteral grip away from me pushed against it. there was a slight struggle whilst the edge bit into the thin cardboard and selathane bubbles. I let the blade findit's own way into the material and once confident it was hungry i pushed a bit harder. "Good", it slices confidently through the rest of the bag. That's not to say it's push sharp yet as it needed a pretty stout edge to get it's teeth into. I would say ( from my limited experience ) that it's mid way between slice and push sharp. needless to say i set about chopping up the rest of the jiffy bag with a variety of cuts.
It is obvious to me now that the blade needs some sharpening to make it trully effective. The first inch of the blade nearest the handle is good although the rest up to the tip struggles. I need some water stones i think.
Coclusion.
I think this knife will serve me well, it appears raw in it's function with no delusions of grandure. it's just heavy enough to be integral to your stroke and the blade is thick enough not to flex with light work. The safety guard/lip doesn't feel intrusive and the knife overall is pleasing to the eye. It's not tactile though, infact it looks like it preffers to be left alone unless you want to cut something.
The 3 things i dislike about it most are :the colouring which makes it look everso slightly toyish. The sheath, which is cheap and nasty with no character or substance, and the fact that evey time i release the knife i get a sliver of nast plastic on the blade. Apart from that i would reccomend it.
Some readers may have noticed my incorrect terminology but to be honest i realy am new to knives and i havn't got the hang of them yet. However, i hope this helps any newbie ( like me
) when considering the purchase of a Mora training knife.
