I stopped by a local KC military surplus store tonight (Raven?s) looking for some odds-&-ends and walked out with a nicely priced ?Mora Bushcraft Survival SS Knife? for the kid to take to the Pathfinder Spring Gathering in a couple of weeks and now I?m a tad big jealous
It has a ferro rod holder with a better than average rod plus a ?meh? diamond sharpener built into the sheath. I was pleasantly surprised by the ferro rod it turned out better than any of the add on rods I?ve picked up with cheap equipment. The rod?s handle is a bit lighter in weight than I would like but the rod itself throws a mean spark on every strike. The knife spine has a good 90% angle specifically for sparking a rod and it does a great job as most Mora?s do. It?s a Sandvik 12c27 stainless steel with there standard scandi grind. The knife length is 9.1/4 inches long with a 4.1/4 inch blade that should do well at the Gathering as the kid will probably be using his SAK folder more than a fixed blade but I?m hoping he has a great time and do not want him going in lacking basic gear.
The most surprising thing about this knife is the handle and grip. I?m used to the cheap $8~$13 Mora?s and while I love them to death the handles have always left a lot to be desired in my opinion. This knife on the other hand has a well designed rubberized handle that fits nicely in the hand and is very grippy making it easy to hold on to. I felt comfortable choking up on the handle while making a feather stick and had no problems with the two pot holders I notched. While I haven?t battened any kindling with it (and probably never will) I would trust it to do the job without any issues.
Overall I would be more than happy caring this blade out into the woods as my main fixed blade along with an axe. It?s not as beefy as my Condor Rodan which I would take without the axe but they are very different knives. If your looking for an entry level ?bushcrafty? knife you won?t go wrong with this model as long as you couple it with a good cheap axe or hand saw.
