Modified Moras

[bamabiker]

A few years ago while at a gun show talking to an acquaintance about knives he turned me onto these Mora knives made in Sweden. They are cheap in price but have a pretty good blade.

The one on the right is the basic 511 and can sometimes be found for as little as $10. The one on the left is (I believe) the Companion model which is a little bigger with a thicker and better finished blade. This one was bought for $25.
I have bought 2 of the Companions and about 4 of the 511s. Have one in each vehicle, one in the kitchen, one in the shed and one right here on the computer desk.
The two things I don't like about them are the plastic like handles and sheaths.
I grew up liking pretty wood and leather so decided I'd try my hand at modifying some Moras.
These first 2 are 511s. The dark one is walnut with a stainless blade and the other is cherry with a carbon steel blade. The sheaths are my own creations.


This last one is a Companion with Olive wood handle and my sheath.


I think they look better now.
Anybody else like Moras?

 

[Pisgah]

I have a half-dozen or so. They're great as-is, and perfect as raw material for customization.

 

[waffles]

I had one carbon one I had to scrap after some rusting issues, but all the stainless ones I have are absolute troopers. Sharp (and easy to keep so), durable, and dirt cheap. I have a couple of nicer fixed blades I like more, but if I'm entirely honest the Mora is just about always the better option.

 

[Marshwheeling]

That is beautiful work by BAMABIKER. I’d be proud to carry either of those, although the nice basketweave would be wasted on me, since I would probably just stick the knife and sheath in my pocket. Moras are light enough to do that with.

There is a saying you will see sometimes on Bladeforums: “Mora and Opinel. All else is vanity”.

If I am remembering this right, I think I learned about Mora knives on this forum, within a year or so after I joined. I tried a couple of the wood-handled models, a 612 and a No. 2, with their distinctive red-painted oval handles. They sold at the time for ten or eleven bucks.

There are still a number of Moras that can be had for under $10. My 511s were $8.99, and the Bahco carpenters knife, essentially a Companion witn thinner blade stock was $6.99. Their price leader for some time had been the 510 Allround which relied on a hard red plastic handle to keep the price at $5.99. Morakniv tried to drop the 510, but Mora fans yelled so long and loud, they brought it back. They had to buy new tooling, though, which pushed the price up to thirteen bucks. Even at that price, the 510
is one of my favorite Moras.

I have probably got a dozen Moras of various types, and have bought another couple of dozen as Christmas gifts.

 

[robvious]

just picked up 2 for Christmas gifts... yellow handles 14.99.. big bucket of them at the knife shop 2 towns over.. looking forward to testing them out on a fall deer...

 

[lawandorder]

Turned ugly ducklings into princesses.

 

[squidsix]

It had been said that if one wants to confound and distress a mechanical engineer, all one need to is hand them a Mora knife and tell them to test it to destruction