Late To The Party
Sorry I'm late, guys.
I see that Mora and Opinel have already been mentioned.
I will add that Opinel is available in both carbon steel and stainless. For the purist, I'd go for the carbon steel. Takes a truly sharp edge and holds it well. Simple mechanism, ring lock, and available in sizes from too small (#6) to
way too big (#12) with Goldilocks sizes (#7, #8, #9). Price range is from $10 to $21, give or take.
The Mora knives are available in both carbon steel and Sandvik 12c27 stainless. Most of mine are stainless. Their stainless comes sharp, gets sharp, stays sharp. So does their carbon steel. They also do a progressive-temper carbon steel, called "Triflex," which is both hard and tough. For an outdoor knife, this is gonna be a great steel. All the Mora knives are fixed blade. Handles are wood, hard plastic, soft-ish plastic, and rubbery plastic. Depending on your application, there will be a handle that suits. The Mora knives run from the $10 range into the low hundreds, depending on model. Most of them can be had for under $25.
From their catalog, here are a few that I have. All of these (except the #277) are real bargains; you're getting more knife than the price would suggest.
Mora #1 -- the original classic Mora knife;
I have one of these that I picked up more
than 30 years ago. | #277 -- a more "dressy" knife, good for smaller hands |
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#40 -- sort of a "boy scout" version of
the Mora #1 above | #511 -- this one lives in my Jeep |
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#2000 -- I really like this knife; have four or five.
I keep one in my "portable kitchen" box. | #760 -- I also have this one in red and olive green.
There's one of these in each emergency bag. |
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Additionally, I have some older patterns no longer in production, but similar to the above examples.
Close cousins of the Mora knife can be found in the Norwegian catalogs on
Ragnar's Forge. Brusletto, Helle, and Strömeng brands can be seen there. Nothing cheap there. Starting at $50 and up. Really good quality, excellent finish on the better ones.
Also take a moment to look into the Finnish knives there, too. Good pieces.
Now, all of that said, I do have my own favorites.
Mora is a little town about 165 miles north of Stockholm, which is already pretty north. There is another town, Eskilstuna, about 65 miles or so west of Stockholm, that also has a knife manufacturer, EKA.
Unlike Mora, the folks at EKA do
primarily folding knives.
Pretty much all of theirs are Sandvik 12c27 steel, and their locking mechanisms are pretty much all lockback style. The knife styles are a little different from what you'll see in a typical American sporting goods store, but they're time tested by a people who care less about style and fashion and more about function and application.
Their stuff isn't terribly cheap, but I have maybe a dozen of their folders, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Expect to pay $40 and up. BTW, EKA also does three or four fixed blade knives. Those are next on my list.
Just to hint and what you'll see when you get there, here are
a few shots of EKA folders I currently have.
Here's a Swede 88:
Swede 88 with Swede 92:
Nordic T8 with Swede 92:
