Im looking for a good quality outdoors knife. I used to carry a finnish Martiini knife set when i was in lapland they were great but im curioius to see what else is out there. My priority is a quality, sturdy, multi-purpose outdoors knife. I hate folding knives so they are out of the question. I just think they’d break. Any recommendations?
People tend to discourage them, but I’ve had a lot of success with one of those “Rambo” knives, with the hollow handle and the saw-back. Mine’s just crappy stainless steal, but it’s sturdy enough to take a beating. The hollow handle is waterproof, so it’s pretty good for keeping some dry tinder in. The main problem is the size, as it’s kind of bulky and hard to conceal. If you don’t need to worry about concealing, though, it’s fine.
I’ve never been into expensive knives. Mora knives are the best knife for the money. They are real working class knives. They are easy to sharpen but hold an edge well. They come in a variety of sizes and styles. And they are cheap enough that you can get a couple of different ones. I have a bunch of them. One that just stays in my hunting day pack has field dressed a lot of deer. I think they are still under $20. Made in Sweden I think.
The other kind of knife I favor is the old carbon steel kitchen knives. I always look for them at second hand stores, thrift stores and yard sales. I have a whole bunch of them too. Most of them cost a dollar or less.
Fish fillet knives are really useful too because of the shape. I always look for the old ones.
I’ve always liked the simple and elegant Finnish knives.
Yes there are some great scandinavian knives out there. Like i said i had great success with a set of Lappish/Finnish Martiini knives, priced a little above average but still manageable. The Mora Knives seem to be kindof what im looking for right now. Im not sure about hollow handled knives though. Concealment is not much of an issue for me by the way.
Did some research on the Mora knives and just ordered 2 different ones. they arrive after 2 weeks or something because they were out of stock. Thanks for the tip. Dirt cheap and quality! i like it that way ;)!
Hmmm, I might order one to have as a spare. I’m of the opinion that you can’t have too many spare knives.
absolutely agree on the Mora knives. The carbon steel ones sharpen up much easier than the stainless, btw. The stainless ones are still great, but I love my carbon steel Mora.
Although I’ve seen them with plastic handles and sheathes Woodcraft has the wood handled ones, which I like best: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1364
Especially something as cheap and robust. Not a bad item to have around if you want to give a few pointers (tips? sharpen their skills? etc…let me cut to the chase) on sharpsmanship to someone new, either. Let 'em learn on their own knife, you know? A $12 knife and a few words (maybe a trauma bandage) could be priceless to someone, and it never hurts to have another friend with skills. Community is key.
[quote=“derekja, post:7, topic:834”]absolutely agree on the Mora knives. The carbon steel ones sharpen up much easier than the stainless, btw. The stainless ones are still great, but I love my carbon steel Mora.
Although I’ve seen them with plastic handles and sheathes Woodcraft has the wood handled ones, which I like best: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1364[/quote]
I haven’t found one yet with a wooden handle that was as comfortable as the plastic one I have. Don’t get me wrong – I would much prefer a wooden grip, but my hands are hammy and large and the extra-chunk’n’length on the “soft grip” style moras are a lot more comfortable for me.
I should probably just stop being lame and get a blade and carve my own handle to fit.
Also, for those of you looking for a source for Mora knives besides woodcraft (as linked above…I like woodcraft, but the shipping is a lot more expensive) I’ve had good experiences with Ragnar at Ragweed Forge http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html.
He used to do $5 shipping no matter the size of your order. Most of the basic Moras are $10-$15.
Whoa, Ragweed Forge is awesome. Thanks for posting that!
must resist spending money
[quote=“derekja, post:10, topic:834”]Whoa, Ragweed Forge is awesome. Thanks for posting that!
must resist spending money[/quote]
I don’t need another knife. I don’t need another knife. Say it with me, Rekjaw. I don’t need another knife.
[quote=“Daveopithecus, post:11, topic:834”][quote author=derekja link=topic=886.msg9961#msg9961 date=1209443208]
Whoa, Ragweed Forge is awesome. Thanks for posting that!
must resist spending money
[/quote]
I don’t need another knife. I don’t need another knife. Say it with me, Rekjaw. I don’t need another knife.[/quote]
Unless, of course I’m making it from scratch…
Way to turn “bad” into “badass,” Hypnopompamus.
I’ve never made a knife from scratch. It’s something I’d like to do in the next few years. I used to make swords out of scrap wood and duct tape and then ambush the neighbors with them. Oh, how they laughed and patted me on the head and sent me along.
Not next time.
(kidding! I really love my neighbors and not being in jail)
+1 for the legendary mora.
My grandfather has always used them. Great for wood carving and skinning, and it makes an awesome fishing knife.
I remember this person who did a review, and tested all the myths about… which weren’t myths at all. Chop a tree down with it, split wood, hammer it into a tree and stand on it.
He was stunned when he cut it apart and it had only a tiny tang with a rivet at the end. It goes against all concepts of what a good knife handle is, yet works like a charm.
Mors Kochanski raves about them in his book “Bushcraft”.
Wow! :o Speechless. That never happens. 
[quote=“derekja, post:10, topic:834”]Whoa, Ragweed Forge is awesome. Thanks for posting that!
must resist spending money[/quote]
Unfortunately I just lost that inner battle… lol
mike
How do we best take care of our knives? Any Sharpening tips? Rust removing tips? i wanna make my tools last as long as possible…
ciao!
Just got a mora…love it!
How do we take care of our knives? Like they were our children.
I’ve only sharpened with a diamond stone, unfortunately they can be hard to find in the wild. I understand sandstones and concrete work though.
Don’t let your knife rust. Don’t let anything you use rust. Keep it clean, dry, and oiled if necessary. Rust is the enemy.
Now say it with me:
Rust is the knife-killer. The little death that brings total oblivion.
- Benjamin Shender
found instructions on Knife Making Without Tools, about how to craft a butterknife into a more than kitchen tool. the same website has details for making a blowgun and how to use it. not the most traditional methods or materials by any means, mind you, but still neat.
I bought two Moras from Ragnar’s last fall and I’m pretty happy with them. Well, one of them at least. I got a green-handled one with a carbon steel blade that I like a lot (like a lot a lotâ€â€I’m really happy with it) and then a black-handled “Triflex” that I don’t care for nearly as much. I don’t know exactly what I was supposed to expect, but I know it’s supposed to be something between a laminated steel blade and a regular carbon steel blade. But in my experience it just doesn’t hold an edge very well. It arrived very sharp, as expected, and held the original edge OK for a little while, but I’ve sharpened it to almost-new 2 or 3 times since then and it doesn’t seem to hold the edge very well at all. Don’t get me wrong, it still does the work I want it to and cuts through the wood, but it loses its fineness pretty quickly, and the carbon steel one doesn’t.