I've never seen it with a guard. And yeah- few knives will get as sharp as the laminated Mora. At the price it's a stupid-good deal.

I've never seen those wooden handled mora's with hand guard before, interesting...


I've never liked the handle on those old-fashioned red ones - but that is a question of personal geometry and preferences. It would only take 15 minutes to remove that silly paint, shape the handle to fit my hand and then treat the wood with whatever you like (to improve the grip, not cracking etc). If you have a handle that fits your hand like a glove and a surface that is less prone to slipping than wet, red paint - then do you really need a finger guard? But handling the red mora I've always had a feeling that I was going to slip any minute....


I've recently become very good friends with the clipper (carbon steel as well as stainless). I really like that handle, and it feels secure without any need for any more finger guard than the unobtrusive small ergonomic "bump" that is there.


Oh, and if anyone has more info on those laminated moras I'm interested in that as well. Laminated knives have a long tradition in Scandinavia, but I didn't know that mora made any. Well, live and learn...


I love Mora for their price / quality relationship. Over the last 6 months I've been going through 6-7 knives of slightly different configurations, testing and trying - as well as trying to sharp them afterwards. These knives are scattered around at various places in my home, car and so on. No knife is wasted. I would never have the heart to buy a $100+ knife, test it for a few weeks, sharpen it and then let it live in the tool chest...

I'll have to look for the specifics, but IIRC the laminated Mora has a high carbon hagane hardened to around 61-62 RC with a soft stainless jigane. The laminated was the first Mora I ever saw, probably 20-odd years ago. I really love my Mora Tri-Flex but I still think the $12 laminated one is the best they ever made.

I've never used a laminated blade Mora, but they look really interesting.

Lee Valley Tools (no affiliation) carries them under the Frosts brand, both with unpainted handles and as blades-only.
Unpainted handles: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?c=&p=31077&cat=1,51222&ap=1
Blades only: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=31078&cat=1,130,43332,43393

in a nutshell: mora knives are inexpensive and do their job well.
exceptionally well given the price. In fact i'd challenge anyone to find another ten dollar knife that can compete.
same with the venerable Swiss Army Knife. You could easily spend $100 on a pocket knife and not get the same level of utility and quality found in a $20 Climber.
Now if only there were a tomahawk with that kind of price/value ratio...




The Sharpest Blade is Useless if the Mind is Dull.
(that's mine, by the way.)

I use a Mora in my SAR pack because of its simplicity, strength and ability to sharpen quickly.

Blake
www.outdoorquest.biz

Disclaimer: I sell some these knives on Amazon.

Just to clarify:
The "Allround" knives are very similar to the clipper. They have what I consider to be a somewhat better sheath.

The TopQ Allround has a thicker blade than the Clipper and a slightly fatter handle. The back of the spine is finished smooth, unlike the Clipper. It is only available in stainless steel.

The HighQ Allround has a blade that is thinner, more narrow and shorter. The spine is unfinished. The handle is more of a flexible vinyl rather than rubber. It is available in both stainless and carbon steel.

Thanks for all the thoughts and feedback. I've pretty much decided on the 840 Clipper. Ragweed forge seems perpetually sold out of them.

HJ

I have the 840 and 911. I much prefer the 911's sheath, it actually holds the knife even when you turn it upside down.

The 911's handle is a bit beefier.

In the photos below, the 911 is on top. I got the 911 from Ragnar (Ragweed Forge) a couple weeks ago -- lightning-fast shipping, as usual.


#911 -- This is an all-purpose belt knife with a 4" carbon steel blade .098" thick. $12.00.

#840 -- The carbon steel Clipper has a 3 7/8" (100 mm) blade of unpolished carbon steel .079" thick. $10. Out of Stock

Thanks for the side by side photos. That's quite helpful to see them juxtaposed like that.

I have smallish hands (ring size 9.5), so I was thinking of the 840. If I buy from Ragweed Forge, I suppose I'd have to get the 840 MG since the regular 840 seems to be permanently out of stock. Perhaps he just lists it for the sake of completeness but doesn't intend to sell it.

An 840 will also be easier for my wife (very small hands) to use when we're out hiking together.

HJ