Doug recently updated his "Sharps" article with mention of Mora knives. What is, and also important what is not a Mora? These are very popular with many instructors, writers and people in general. Moras are thin ( .098), scandinavian ground ( a simple V ) of quality steel and inexpensive. The tang is a rattail with a differential temper. You will bend a Mora before breaking one. Steels are either carbon or the respected SANDVIK stainless steel. Rockwell is a hard 59. This translates into a tough edge with an easily sharpened geometry. Nobody likes to invest in a $100+ knife and realise they haven't a clue to sharpen the thing properly. The carbon version is one of the few knives that will actually throw sparks with native flints ( any fine grained, hard rock.) This isn't the easiest fire strategy anyway, but I enjoy frustrating the "Anthony Hopkins" telling me about making fire from ice and wearing stainless blades <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />. You will want to dress the spine with a file to improve the spark. The wooden handled versions ( red painted birch) are a nightmare with wet or tired hands. If you buy one sand the handle! There are composit handles versions with a small lower guard.These are much more user friendly for beginers. You even get a sheath with a Mora! It's black,plastic and very secure. So thats what you get for $9. It won't split billets with batoning ( I have managed smaller billets of softwood.) It will shave feather sticks ( use the curve behind the point) better than anything, teach sharpening and outcut anything. At the price you can buy a few, learn and stash the survivors as spares. The Swedish Air Force actually used them in their surival kits before Fallkniven!

I bought three Moras about two months ago. For $27 how could I go wrong. These are wonderful , inexpensive tools. I have used one almost exclusively for cooking since they came in the mail. I took Chris' advice and sanded the handles of all three; I find the handles to be very compfortable and with sanding, quite grippy when wet. They are easy enough to sharen on a stone, just lock the bevel to the stone and go for it. While they take a great edge they don't hold an edge for as long as I might like.

For me, there is something nice about finding such a great tool for so little outlay. I have also lost more knives than I care to admit in the last 20 years. Each loss still pains me <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> With these Moras however, I would never feel bad about losing one.

What is the length of the blade on the moras?

on the $9 version, just under 4 inches

In metric money it's 90 mm....

I got mine at the gas station in Karesuando as I didn't take with me from home any knife knowing that in that place is plenty to choose from. Yup, and Mrs. Eliasson was very kind guiding us thru the Knife factory ( got one there too, but much too nice to use on smoked salmon).

The Mora is a very very good tool, and even has a hint of "wild looks" despite the plastic red handle. Hadn't much success in producing any sparks from it, though, but cuts anything you throw at him, cleanly.

Oh, and from such trip what you bring home to the kids? Knives & whisky of course <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have never abused any other knife that much. I have even heated it and reshaped it with a stone after bending the blade tip. It has been 4 years and still is fine. I do not like using my main knife for daily purposes so all the job is done by the Mora for many things. Can be sharpened easily but I usually keep it a bit dull on purpose. We do not have any sold here but if we did I would buy a few more. I have wrapped the sheath with some cord and electrical tape.

Burak

I know they are inexpensive knives but I can't understand why you wouldn't feel bad about losing one. I 've had a stainless curved 5inch Mora for about three years and it has served me well, I've lost it severel times, most recently I buried it in the wall of a shelter for about 4 months. It still works perfectly, apart from the sheath which is slightly brown and a bit feeble, but blade still shiny and everything. It has definately proved itself (please excuse the cheesiness here but I'm quite attatched to my knife <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />).

I bought mine with a clean handle and there is no alternative for the sake of your hands, and the perfectly oval handle ensures no blisters.

Check out this website for more Moras people:

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

My knife is number 34.

The current line of thought is that a drop point blade is best for suvival use, but the curve has its advantages when carving wood, the main disadvantage of course is that the point is not in line with the knife handle making it difficult to bore holes and such.

p.s. What are people's views on traditional nordic Norwegian knives, I was considering getting one but I'm not sure whether there will be much improvement on the one I have?

I could use a little help here. I’ve been looking at Moras and I’m a little confused. Best I can tell is that Mora is a town in Sweden and a style of knife. It sort of sounds like Solingen and steel. I’ve seen Frost Moras, Eriksson Moras and I assume that the Karesuando knives are also Mora. So what exactly is being discussed when we say Mora? Could you please respond when you have some Mora time? (Yeah I know, but 38 years of bad puns pretty much obligates me to say that.)
Biscuits

Mora is actually the company that makes the knifes but they are marketed by frosts and Eriksson. I've never heard of Karesuando though. Hope this sheds a little light on it.

Mora is a town in Sweden and the two knives most identified as the "Mora" knife are produced by Frost and K.J. Eriksson.

Karesuando is a Swedish knife made in what we commonly call Lapland. (The part of Lapland within Sweden in this case.)