RescueRanger
PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2008
- Messages
- 16,370
- Reaction score
- 244
- Country
- Location
So I have been a collector and user of hunting and utility knives since my first hunt aged 13. Continuing from my post in 2020 about choosing a survival knife, today I will be reviewing what has become my go to daily use knife.
My Morakniv Companion (Margalla Hills Trail No. 3, Islamabad)
Here we have the Mora Companion which is one of the cheapest knives that Morakniv make (Morakniv is their actual name, although as we all know them as Mora, so that’s what I will call them from now on). The companion is also one of their most popular sellers and, given the competition in this price range, it’s really not hard to see why. It cost me 4,950 rupees from Gown House in Rawalpindi.
The knives in general come in some very garish neon green and orange colours which are just not my cup of tea. Luckily I was able to find one in a beautiful olive drab trim which matches my day pack beautifully.
The sheath is the common shape for the Mora brand and it is functional but needlessly large given its simplicity. The only real problem I have is that one simple change would make this so much better, at least for myself. They need to move the belt loop down on to the body of the sheath and make the handle more accessible by doing so. I know that would make the knife sit higher on your hip but I find that when I go for the blade I’m always grasping at the belt clip at the same time. I did have to shake fairly vigorously but the knife did remove itself from the sheath which is a downside for a survival situation, but for general purposes the sheath retains the blade well enough.
The blade is mirror polished, which is a shame, as I find it makes a knife look cheap. I know this is a cheap knife, but honestly when you hold it, it certainly feels like a good quality piece so a brushed look on it would have been great. It is sharp out of the box and I did remove some hairs but it could do with a little TLC to get it razor-sharp. It has a Scandinavian grind and it appears to have a micro bevel on one side (although it could be the mirror finish playing with my eyes) so it simplifies sharpening a bit, and you could always grind it out as its very small (and possible non-existent).
The handle is again the usual Mora shape and its made of the usual thermo-plastic rubber so it sits comfortably in the hand and feels secure. I think this is one of the ways Mora manages to keep its retail costs down. The have found something that works and have stuck with it. The don’t need to redevelop a handle which costs lots of money and they keep a similar blade design across a few of their models so the sheath design basically works for a large variety of their knives.
All of this means they don’t have to develop and make new moulds and spend months testing their designs. It just allows you to get some of the benefits of their higher priced blades in a much more affordable package. That’s something I think Mora do very well and it’s something I find most other knife makers avoid. Most companies seem like their cheaper blades were intentionally made worse, so as to encourage you to buy the better and subsequently more expensive models. Mora do not do this. They do make cheaper knives, and they obviously aren’t as good as their better, more expensive knives, but they always feel good and perform well.
I really enjoyed the grip on this knife, it was a pleasure to use when shaving kindling and the drop tip is very sharp meaning it can be used for gutting and skinning too if you are keen on hunting or bush craft. For the price you will struggle to find a better all-round knife with this quality and feel. For twice the price I think the only options would be a more expensive Mora’s. Really it’s worth while if you just want a cheap knife for fishing or general outdoor use or you are looking to buy your first knife and want a good place to start. You just cant go wrong with a Mora.
I hope you enjoyed reading this... If you want to read more about selecting survival knives read my previous thread on the subject here:
My Morakniv Companion (Margalla Hills Trail No. 3, Islamabad)
Here we have the Mora Companion which is one of the cheapest knives that Morakniv make (Morakniv is their actual name, although as we all know them as Mora, so that’s what I will call them from now on). The companion is also one of their most popular sellers and, given the competition in this price range, it’s really not hard to see why. It cost me 4,950 rupees from Gown House in Rawalpindi.
The knives in general come in some very garish neon green and orange colours which are just not my cup of tea. Luckily I was able to find one in a beautiful olive drab trim which matches my day pack beautifully.
The sheath is the common shape for the Mora brand and it is functional but needlessly large given its simplicity. The only real problem I have is that one simple change would make this so much better, at least for myself. They need to move the belt loop down on to the body of the sheath and make the handle more accessible by doing so. I know that would make the knife sit higher on your hip but I find that when I go for the blade I’m always grasping at the belt clip at the same time. I did have to shake fairly vigorously but the knife did remove itself from the sheath which is a downside for a survival situation, but for general purposes the sheath retains the blade well enough.
The blade is mirror polished, which is a shame, as I find it makes a knife look cheap. I know this is a cheap knife, but honestly when you hold it, it certainly feels like a good quality piece so a brushed look on it would have been great. It is sharp out of the box and I did remove some hairs but it could do with a little TLC to get it razor-sharp. It has a Scandinavian grind and it appears to have a micro bevel on one side (although it could be the mirror finish playing with my eyes) so it simplifies sharpening a bit, and you could always grind it out as its very small (and possible non-existent).
The handle is again the usual Mora shape and its made of the usual thermo-plastic rubber so it sits comfortably in the hand and feels secure. I think this is one of the ways Mora manages to keep its retail costs down. The have found something that works and have stuck with it. The don’t need to redevelop a handle which costs lots of money and they keep a similar blade design across a few of their models so the sheath design basically works for a large variety of their knives.
All of this means they don’t have to develop and make new moulds and spend months testing their designs. It just allows you to get some of the benefits of their higher priced blades in a much more affordable package. That’s something I think Mora do very well and it’s something I find most other knife makers avoid. Most companies seem like their cheaper blades were intentionally made worse, so as to encourage you to buy the better and subsequently more expensive models. Mora do not do this. They do make cheaper knives, and they obviously aren’t as good as their better, more expensive knives, but they always feel good and perform well.
I really enjoyed the grip on this knife, it was a pleasure to use when shaving kindling and the drop tip is very sharp meaning it can be used for gutting and skinning too if you are keen on hunting or bush craft. For the price you will struggle to find a better all-round knife with this quality and feel. For twice the price I think the only options would be a more expensive Mora’s. Really it’s worth while if you just want a cheap knife for fishing or general outdoor use or you are looking to buy your first knife and want a good place to start. You just cant go wrong with a Mora.
I hope you enjoyed reading this... If you want to read more about selecting survival knives read my previous thread on the subject here:
How to Choose a Survival Knife
Ever wonder how to choose the perfect survival knife? This article will show you how. Photo: Esee have a proud history of making knives for the outdoor since 1997. In my opinion, a survival knife is your most important tool when caught in a wilderness survival situation. While it’s true that...
defence.pk
.
