I’ve seen Mora knives mentioned here from time to time and considering that I work for a Swedish company, I though I ought to try a Swedish knife.

I couldn’t decide between the Clipper and the Craftsman, but they are so inexpensive I just bought one of each. I could have gone further with carbon vs. stainless, but I already decided I wanted carbon steel (this time). I sprung for the extra $1 each to get the “military green” versions because I have a thing for Olive Drab.



Handles: The Craftsman has a lightly textured hard plastic handle with a moderate guard while the Clipper has a slightly smaller handle overmolded with rubber. The Craftsman has a nice large lanyard hole.



Blades: The Craftsman’s blade is 1/4" longer than the Clipper and also wider, giving it a little bit more heft while the Clipper might be better for fine work. The Craftsman’s blade as well as the bevel where polished, while the Clipper has mill finish and a slightly rougher grind. I actually like the latter better, as it has more character and is a head start on a patina while I hesitant to try sharpening the Craftsman and ruin the nice finish. Both blades are 0.079” thick and where quite sharp out of the box. I wish they were a little bit thicker - it is uncomfortable if you press too hard on the back of the blade with your thumb. Looking at the back of the blade, you can see where the material was sheared, so I’ll square up the backs when I get a chance for use with a ferro rod.



Sheaths: In my opinion, the sheaths are the one place where these knives fall short as a SURVIVAL tool. They are fine for everyday or around the camp use, but I would not “bet my life” on these sheaths. This is because they lack a positive retention of the knife and in the case of the Clipper, the sheath as well.

The Clipper sheath has a sturdy belt clip which is actually quite handy for everyday use as you can slip it on or off your belt quickly. The knife is held in with a light friction fit and the sheath comes about 1/3 of the way up the handle and provides a large target when replacing the knife.



The Craftsman sheath is a little bit more secure as the guard snaps into the flared part of the sheath. It is positively retained threading you belt through the hanger, but the hanger is suspiciously flimsy looking. The Craftsman sheath is ambidextrous, unlike the Clipper.

Again, the sheaths are fine and actually quite convenient for everyday use around a stationary camp where if it is dropped it is merely “misplaced” rather than lost. However, I would not trust these sheaths while moving through the woods without some additional means of retention. Any sideways pressure on the handle or vibration and the knife is now loose in the sheath held in place only by gravity. Now one hop over a log and the knife is gone.

In summary, I probably would bet my life on either of these knives if I find an economical solution to the sheath problem. They are very light and the low cost makes them an attractive option to add a respectable blade to multiple seldom used kits without spending a ton of money. As for which one is the “best”, I can’t say but I will let you know which one I prefer once I have used them a while.

My main issue with many Mora-type knives are their lack of adequate finger guards, particularly with the classic Mora's that have absolutely no guards and a smooth wooden handle. Talk about slippery when wet...

Frost has been rectifying this lately, but not on their carbon steel knives, which simply seem too dangerous to me. Looks as if you're as likely to slice a finger as anything else.

I have the same Frosts Mora, and I used a simple fix to secure the knife in the sheath. I used a piece of 1/8" shock cord as the lanyard. When I place the knife in the sheath I stretch the cord down and under the bottom of the sheath. It's tight enough that the knife won't easily come out of the sheath without some effort.

My Järvenpää Puukko has no guard and I've used it to cut many things from oily to wet and from easy to tough, many times getting slop on the handle and I've never gotten so much as the slightest cut for lack of a finger guard.

If there were that many Scandinavian's slicing their fingers on knives without guards, I think they would have rectified the design quite some time ago. I also think that they offer finger guards more and more for people with no knife training. It's a skill that's not passed on like it once was.

Just an opinion, I could be wrong.

Of course, now that I've bragged about never having cut myself on a knife with no guard, I'm bound to loose a finger. LOL

As an additional note, yes it's probably best that a plastic handled knife with very little texture have a finger guard. These types of materials are probably another reason for more and more finger guards in designs.

I have these same two knives (except my Craftsman is in stainless, the Clipper in carbon).

The Craftsman is our around-the-house knife. Stabbing into large boxes to cut them down to recycling size, etc. Just general purpose tasks. It is perfect for this use and cuts like there's no tomorrow. I hate the sheath, but what do you expect for the price? And I don't need much in the way of a sheath for around-home use. The knife-to-sheath fit is snug and you end up shaving off parts of the sheath unless you very consciously insert the knife just perfectly.

I like the feel of the Clipper in my hand better. And its looks (very subjective). I also like the sheath better (ignoring the stay-on-your-belt concern that was mentioned by thseng). I find knife-in-the-sheath retention to be adequate, but a little light. I doubt you'd lose the knife out of the sheath during strenuous activity, but losing sheath-from-the-belt would be more likely.

The Craftsman has a larger and more abrupt finger guard whereas the Clipper has a minimal one. Thus I think the Craftsman would be safer for those not well practiced in knife use, hence my decision to use that one for around-the-house duty where family and friends may get ahold of it.

Neither knife is a beauty to behold. They are quite functional, but not works of visual art. I like the carbon look of my Clipper better than the stainless look of my Craftsman. The carbon look says "we didn't put much work into final finish" whereas the stainless look says "chrome plated" (obviously it's not chrome plated, but it kind of looks that way).

I rate both knives as stellar in the functional and quality categories. I wouldn't hesitate a nanosecond to buy either of them again. They really are amazing in what they can do at their price point. If you want a show knife for your display cabinet ... look elsewhere. If you want a knife to use rather than gawk at, these babies will do that perfectly. Highly recommended.

And the truth is, for the price, they have no competition. I can't even think of anything that remotely comes close to the Moras in terms of functionality or durability.

And as everyone has agreed, they're ugly as hell but who gives a damn?

Stuff that just plain works has its own beauty.

You are probably right, but I suspect there's more to it. Having made a knife from scratch I can tell you that a good guard is not that easy to either design or affix securely using traditional (primitive) methods. It can be done, obviously, but it adds time and trouble. Older (before 1800 or so) knives, as opposed to swords and daggers intended for use in combat, didn't have much in the way of guards. I suspect this was because it was easier and quicker to make them without guards.

And don't forget the ease of carry issue - it is much easier to tuck a hiltless knife deep into a soft leather sheath and have it stay there than it is to secure it in a sheath that holds it by the blade only because the guard needs to be accommodated.

True, these knives weren't typically being used for heavy stabbing or chopping - there were other implements for that. It is also true the steels and thicknesses of these older blades were such that putting too much strain on a blade could bend or break it, so they weren't used the way some people use knives today.

The main reason scandinavian knives don't have guards is that the guard gets in the way for carving, wood working, and bush craft. The second is that they're not a fighting knife and not really intended for one handed stabbing (if you need to, you use two with one on the pommel and there is little risk unless you're over-doing it).

Nearly all of the 'cheap' Frosts knives I see locally have a small plastic guard as part of the handle. It's shape leads me to believe that it's only purpose is to keep hands from slipping onto the blade. But since this $9 knife is a common one for boys to get a start with...typically at scouts or a similar organization, I imagine that marketing works for them here in North America.

I've used many wooden and plastic handled Mora's over the years...with and without guards. I've never had one slip in that way (I HAVE cut myself many times on them but not since I was a teenager). If wet or frozen I could see some risk but when the risk goes up that just means there is more responsibility on the users part to be mindful of the limitations due to the conditions. I think it's been said many times here that any knife will do it's job if you don't ask of it more than it was designed to provide or use it in a way it wasn't designed to be used...handle design isn't exempt from that rule.

My new JA Puukko has a wooden handle with no guard and it's as solid as a rock in my hand. Part of that is due to the fact that it's not painted or varnished. The real wood texture is better than any rubber knife handle.

Heh heh, you must have been looking at a previous post of mine. Your knives are the same as mine except for the colour part.

As far as the cheap sheaths go, they're passable. But I gotta disagree with you on one point, they do hold the knife securely if they are pushed in completely.

Yes the handle on the Craftsman favours a thumb on the spine sometimes but not always. And even though the Ragweed Forge website says they are the same width, mine aren't - the Craftsman is definitely thicker when I compare them along the spine. (Opps, sorry, just checked - mine is the #780 Craftsman which is 0.098" thick)

www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel/ Eric is an old friend of Doug and myself. If you have any knife needing a superior aftermarket system go to Eric.If you cannot justify the expense ( think system here) the alterantive is to amputate the belt portion and use the plastic sheath as a liner for a leather sheath. Lower guards are a PASSIVE safety feature. And like safety features on firearms a PASSIVE user can still get in trouble.For a dedicated survival blade they are still good insurance.Scandi Knives are woodcraft blades, and in the hands of a familiar user superb for WOODLAND survival. Remember always any survival scenario is a cessation of the norm, which includes carving spoons with your Mora. You are under stress, your knife is under stress. This is why we gravitate to more robust and safety redundant knives like the other scandi knife FALLKNIVEN and it's peers.

Some of those "N" model Fallknivens have a look of a Randall about them. Never a bad thing...

Dang! I seem to have unconsciously plagiarized you! I can't even deny seeing your post because I commented on the same thread.

It violates my cheapskate nature to buy a "superior aftermarket system" for an $11 knife, even if the total is still only $33 + shipping(x2). I may need to invest in some Kydex and try my own hand at sheath making.

So buy 3 moras.

That's the best idea yet!

The belt hanger on my identical Frosts Mora snapped before I even had a chance to wear it out of the house. It took very little to break it. One "loop" is still solid, but I don't trust it at all. I'm happy with the knife though, I just need to make a new sheath.

Hi thseng,

I also have both of the Mora knives you posted. I am happy with the Clipper and carry it often, I also like the blade on the Craftsman but do not like the feel of the plastic handle, it is just not shaped right for me.

I agree that the sheaths are poor. Often when I sit in the truck the Clipper unclips off my belt, I need to modify it into a hanging type sheath.

Great knives for the price though.

Mike

Ahem.....

Are you aware that those are both carbon steel blades?
Only difference is that one of them has a polished blade.

Also I beleive that the Craftsman is the issue knife for the Swedish Army. That is as good a recommendation as it is possible to get.

Uh, yes. Not shure where you got the impression that I thought otherwise. In fact, according to Ragnar's website:



No good, I've known too many Swedes.

Just because something is military issue doesn't mean it's automagically good.

1) I was just checking.
2) It's not a factory error. Carbon steel performs much better than stainless at low temperatures. Stainless just goes brittle.
3) The Swedish Army, unlike the British one, takes pains to equip it's soldiers with good quality equipment. Which is why it's a recommendation.

People interested in Mora knife performance may want to research the last Union War of 1809 between Sweden and Russia.The battle of Virta Bro October 27,with special note of the single finnish soldier armed solely with a empty bayonet mounted rifle holding the bridge should give some anecdotal credit to scandinavian steel.