Mora Knives on Knifetests.com

Knifetests.com does some extreme testing of knifes. Some people disagree with the amount of abuse they put knives through but it is useful to see how much a sample knife can handle. It's interesting to see where they fail.

They did some of his tests on a Frost's Clipper Mora knife and the videos are on YouTube. The blade held up well considering it's probably the thinnest they've tested. The edge didn't chip out even on concrete block. In the destructive testing, the blade finally separated from the handle and you can see that this model only has a tang that goes a little more than an inch into the handle. A longer or even full tang would have held up longer. The blade was then broken in an extreme flex test but clearly took more stress than you'd ever expect it to handle. I almost hate to point out that he said it's a great knife for the $10 because it would still be a good knife at $50.

Mora Clipper Carbon Steel Model Field Test Part 1
Mora Clipper Carbon Steel Model Field Test Part 2

Mora Clipper Destruction Test Part 1
Mora Clipper Destruction Test Part 2
Mora Clipper Destruction Test Part 3

Swedish Mora Knives

The Swedish Mora knife is a well-respected survival knife. It is available in variety of materials, from wood to plastic handles and in stainless or carbon steel, and with or without a finger guard. It more closely resembles a fishing knife than anything that the U.S. military or a Hollywood filmmaker would issue. But they are sturdy, cut very well, and sell for $10 to $20.

The Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) says:

"Frosts knives of Mora, Sweden has made incredible blades for over 300 years, always placing function over form. We appreciate the quality a Mora blade provides at a very affordable price. Few knives can compare. "

Ragnar's Ragweed Forge has been the main place to order these knives for years now. I particularly like these models:

#1 Mora $10.50
#510 hard red plastic Mora - carbon $10
#740-MG mil green carbon $11
#760-MG mil green stainless $11

Ragnar also carries other traditional knives that are cheap and perform well like the Opinel and Old Hickory lines.


Photo courtesy Kjell Eson

Cold Steel Bushman

The Cold Steel Bushman is one of the best low-end survival knives. Made from one piece of steel, without any joint between blade and handle, it is many times stronger than the typical flea market hollow-handled survival knife. It's designed to easily transform into a spear.

There's a decent video on YouTube that shows it in action.