Mora knives

[finallyME]

So I am looking at getting a few mora's. One for my BOB, one for my wife's BOB, and one to mess with. I am trying to make BOB's with stuff that I don't take out (it is proving to be a challenge unless I buy more than one). My wife has small hands, so that is important for her. I don't want anything longer than 4 inches. Shorter is perfectly OK. I don't want a laminated blade, FULL CARBON please, also no SS. And, I want the blade as thick as possible. I plan on purchasing from Safe Zone. I am guessing that Rick is associated with that site, so maybe he can offer some recommendations. Anyone else can offer recommendations as well. :)

[Sarge47]

We bought 3 of the 746's for the family awhile back from SafeZone. Great little knife! I now have my eye on the Mora 2000 since I can't get a freebee knife from either Crash or Poncho. :innocent::sneaky2::cool2:

[BENESSE]

I don't want anything longer than 4 inches. Shorter is perfectly OK.:)

Shouldn't you ask your wife first?

[Rick]

There are some things you need to answer for yourself, first. Are you a traditionalist? Would you rather have a wooden handled knife or is something newer okay?

If you want something a bit more traditional then look at the Mora Classic #1. It has a carbon 4 inch blade and a red birch 4 inch handle. This is the standard carry knife in the Mora line. I have to tell you, I have a phobia about knives with no blade guard and this one doesn't have one. It's just me but it hurts to even look at it.

You might consider the 840. It's carbon steel with a blade 3 7/8 inches long and .079" thick. It has some red on the handle so you aren't quite as apt to loose it but it's no so much that you look like a firetruck walking through the woods. The gripping surface of the handle is about 3 1/4 so it's not too large. Well suited for a small to medium hand. Pretty inexpensive, too.

The 911 is another really good choice. Just about the same as the 840 but with a 4 inch blade that's .098" think. The guard is a little more pronounced in the 911. It also has a swivel built into the belt loop, which is kind of cool. It gives a little more versatility on how you hang your knife.

If you don't like the red color then consider the 840 MG. Same knife as the 840 above but with subdued green colors.

The 640 is considered the Tradesman. It has scale and square on the blade (hence the Tradesman name). Full orange plastic handle with a 3 7/8 inch blade that's .079" thick. Mora has discontinued this one but they are still available.

Those would be my choices based on what you provided. If I had to choose just one out of that bunch it would probably be the 911. It has a nice thick blade in the size you want. The handle will fit a small to medium hand really well with a nice finger guard. It has just enough red color so you won't loose it if you put it down in the weeds and the sheath comes with a swivel.

I hope that helps.

[finallyME]

Is the difference between the 711 and the 911 the handle thickness?

[RangerXanatos]

I have the 911 and I like it a lot. It helped me and my brother remodel our bathroom and I've fell a wrist sized privet tree.

[Rick]

The handle is different and slightly smaller in the 911 and the sheath has a swivel on the 911. Otherwise, they are about the same. Both have red markings on the handle.

[Nativedude]

The Mora Original S1 are the most durable of the Mora Line.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff58/Nativedude1/jpeg_mora05_jpg-1.jpg

[finallyME]

I ended up buying the 711, 911 and 780. Apparently the 780 has been discontinued, and I got the last one in stock. When I talked to my wife, she said that she didn't like a lot of bright orange. That narrowed the decision a lot. Also, because of her small hands, I wanted one for her that had a small handle, hence the 911. It was hard for me to decide on what to get for me though. Hopefully with three choices, I can make a concrete decision. If not, there is always the original.

[Rick]

The Mora Original S1 are the most durable of the Mora Line.

So, what's the best survival knife? :innocent:

Personally, I've found most are about the same on durability. The 2000 has the longest tang so it probably would take the most abuse.

[Nativedude]

I've seen a lot of the thermoplastic handles crack, break, split, and pull off in cold weather.

Personally, I haven't had, nor have I seen, a wooden handle break, crack or split.

I did have one that I took the wood handle off and replace it with a Mule Deer antler handle.

And, the Original S1 has the stainless/carbon steel laminated blade, which, holds its edge the best and longest.

[finallyME]

I got my knives yesterday. That was pretty fast service. I will do some testing and report back. Today I plan to skin a rabbit.

[finallyME]

Here is a quick first impressions. First, I was worried about whether I would be happier with the 911 or 711 based on handle size. It turned out to be a non-issue. I think they are pretty much the same size. It is really hard to tell the difference in size while holding both. They have the same blade, so the differences are purely cosmetic. I like the 711's sheath better, but I still like the 911's sheath. I like the way they both feel in the hand. They are also small enough for my wife's hands, so a winner all around. I like the 780's blade more than the other two. It is a shame they discontinued that model. I wonder what other Mora's come with the same width blade, and are carbon steel? I don't like the sheath on the 780. It is the same as the 760, if you want to see it in stock. I guess I will be making my own sheath.
Now for usage. I used the 780, along with pruning shears and a big stick to kill and skin a rabbit. Normally I have always used utility razor blades. The 780 was much better at the task. It didn't come razor sharp, but was very easy to sharpen, due to the scandi grind. This was my first knife with a scandi grind. I am sold. They are so easy to sharpen. They have one angle, and it is easy to hold. No special sharpeners, just a flat stone. Anyways, it cut through the hide very cleanly, with little effort. For the price, you won't find a better knife.