In this edition of Not All Good Things Are Stupid Expensive Just Ask Your Mom, we bring you some Morakniv reviews. These guys make what are likely the best cheap knives on the planet. We have a Morakniv Companion review, a comparison of the Morakniv Basic and Pro, and some insight into the Morakniv Kansobol. There will probably be assorted other things we’ll list here in the opening paragraph, as much to let you know what to expect as to placate and pacify the $E0 G0ds and G00gl& algorithms! Read on. The Mad Duo
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Morakniv Knives: Improbably Budget Friendly
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A few years back, I was planning a long canoe trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. My wife needed a knife for the trip. Like many wives – as baffling as it sounds – she didn’t have a go-to sheath knife suitable for a wet week in the wilderness.
When I asked what she intended to carry, her attitude suggested that the decision was rather inconsequential, so I started searching for the most functional and affordable knife available, i.e., the best cheap knives that weren’t really cheap.
I landed on the Morakniv Basic. That of course, took me to the Morakniv Pro, thence on to the Morakniv Companion, and then on to some of their other tools. And that is why several Morakniv reviews are laid out in the comparison below.
Grunts: thence
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The Best Cheap Knives You Can Buy
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Cheap is a relative term.
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The first thing we have to address is terminology. When we say cheap knives, we don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Not at all. These are inexpensive knives, and they’re well worth the money you’ll spend.
Five different models. The Floating Fish Knife, Kansbol, Companion, Basic, and Morakniv Pro. These are hands down the best cheap knives you can buy, at least insofar as we’re aware of.
The Morakniv Basic didn’t look like much online, but it was built for a week on the water—plastic handle, plastic sheath, and single-digit price tag. What more could you ask for?
That was a rhetorical question, but I know the answers.
Many of us – myself included – want fancy handle materials around boutique blade steels that have to be explained engineering by the alchemist offspring of NASA scientists. That’s so we can overvalue our precious tactical investments and leave them in the safe. Hell – I own several knives that are more expensive than most guns, but I am (admittedly) too attached to them to ever use and abuse them like they were meant to be used and abused…
Much less risk losing them in the river.
The Morakniv Pro, in carbon, will soon take on the patina that this 5-year-old Basic shows. These are carbon steel blades, so they need some care. Don’t let that stop you, though. Read any 2 or 3 Morkniv reviews (including this one), and you’ll see why they are so popular.
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Morakniv Knives: Not a household name
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Morakniv is a Swedish company headquartered in Mora, Sweden. Their knives are reminiscent of the Puukko and other traditional knives from that part of Europe. The blades are no-nonsense and rarely fancy. The handle materials and sheaths are designed to take the abuse of the elements. They’re rugged but not overbuilt, and they’re priced incredibly low.
The Kansbol sheath has a more flexible belt hanger that wraps around the top of the sheath.
Knives from this region have been in production for upwards of four centuries, but this company has been in production under a series of evolving names since 1891.
During that time, the blade shape has remained somewhat consistent. Handle materials, though, continue to evolve.
Morakniv Knife Reviews: Our Featured Five
• Morakniv Basic Review
• Morakniv Pro Review
• Morakniv Companion Review
• Morakniv Floating Fish Knife Review
• Morakniv Kansobol Review
Don’t go looking for hatchet-thick fixed-blade knives. If someone like Ethan Becker designs your go-to bushcraft knife, the Morakniv lines will feel perilously thin. Some of these blades come in under 1/10th of an inch.
Is that an issue? Might be. It hasn’t ever been for me. These blades are short. The blade grinds on most of them leave the bulk of the blade’s steel in place, which adds some strength.
Speaking of those grinds—these are all Scandi grinds—at least the ones I’m looking at here. A Scandi grind uses a single bevel to build the knife’s cutting edge. Once you know your way around a Scandi grind, they are easy to maintain and keep sharp. The learning curve is steep for some of us, but the reward is worth it.
Morakniv reviews: this one is the Basic. An aptly named knife, and no apologies.
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Morakniv Basic Review
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If you need a decent knife to drop in the toolbox, leave in the truck, dedicate to the workbench…, the Basic can do the job. The Basic knives have narrow blades that come close to the three-and-a-half-inch mark (slightly smaller than the Morakniv Pro). There are two versions—one that’s high carbon steel and another that’s stainless.
The Basic’s handle is plastic, but the plastic has a solid texture that makes them easy enough to hold onto. The tang narrows down from the blade into a longer stick that extends through almost to the end of the handle.
And as I mentioned—the price. These are selling for less than $10. They may not even show up in packaging—just a knife shoved into a shipping envelope, and Morakniv earns my unending respect. Packaging costs money, wastes resources, and I just throw it away.
Check the price:
The Morakniv Pro (red handle) is a step up from the Basic. The handle has rubber inserts, and the blade is a touch wider.
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Morakniv Pro Review
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The Morakniv Pro looks much like a Basic, but the blade is slightly wider. The extra width of the Pro provides a bit more heft and strength to the blade.
The handle on this one is TPE rubber. It will stick to your hand a bit more than the handle of the Basic. The rubber and the extra steel in the blade of the Morakniv Pro will bump the price up a buck or two. The Morankiv Pro is usually available between $13 and $15.
Check the price:
The Morakniv Companion – slightly more heft and length. This is an excellent choice for bushcraft.
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Morakniv Companion Review
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As the price on Morakniv knives increases, the blades tend to get more robust. While the Basic and Pro have blades that are .08”, the Morakniv Companion adds length and bumps up the width to .11”. And the Morakniv Companion adds a half inch to the blade length and more material to the tang.
The Companion, with its rubber handle and slightly improved sheath, still sells for under $20.
Check the price:
The Floating Fish Knife. I can’t wait to need this feature.
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Morakniv Fish Knife: It’s a Floater
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I can’t be the only one who has lost a knife to the insatiable appetite of the ocean. And the lake. And a couple of rivers. Maybe it is me. I’ve sunk some knives, a couple of watches, and a few fishing poles.
I’m planning a float trip in Manitoba this summer and went looking for a floating fillet knife. Truth be told, that’s what kicked off this article. I’d been sitting on that old Basic, thinking I might take it when I found the Floating Fishing Knife (as well as the Pro in stainless and the Companion), and I decided I’d put them all through their paces.
The Floating Fish Knife has an almost mirror polish on its stainless. Don’t pry with this knife–the tang extends about halfway into the handle to keep the back end buoyant.
The Floating Fishing Knife is reasonably self-explanatory. The handle is made of cork which provides excellent buoyancy and a surprisingly comfortable grip. And best of all, when I drop it in the drink, the knife will bob.
Morakniv has taken an extra precaution for chuckle-heads like me and made both the knife and its sheath very easy to see. These sell for under $30.
Check the price:
The Kansbol – much as I like the Morkniv Companion, this is the fanciest design I’ve seen from Det avlånga landet. It would make a great hunting knife.
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Morakniv Kansbol
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Just when you thought the entire line would be totally self-explanatory, along comes the Morakniv Kansbol. This one is a bit harder to wrap your head around.
The back portion of the blade is thicker–.11”. This gives the blade its heft. The front of the blade has been thinned down significantly on both sides, making for a thinner, much more flexible section. The tang, too, is wider and runs the length of the handle.
The deep grind on the front of the Kansbol thins out the blade to a thin, flexible tip.
The Kansbol takes the utilitarian versatility of these other blades to the next level of performance by using Sandvik 12C27 steel—appropriate for a Swedish knife. Sandvik 12C27 has a high chromium content, making it easy to maintain, but it holds an edge better than some stainless steels.
The Kansbol can do it all. The blade is thick enough to baton. The thin front half is good for slicing and filleting, and—like the others, the spine’s back is ideal for running down a Ferro rod.
The Kansbol came in a fancy package – a box. The Pro showed up naked, just a knife in its sheath, which is even better.
The price of the Kansbol is usually around $35.
Check the price:
These five knives: the Basic, the Morakniv Pro, the Morakniv Companion, and others, are headed into the wilds of Manitoba this summer with a crew of Scouts. And at these price points, they’re ideal blades for Scouts who are hell on steel.
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A Morakniv Sheath Note
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To wrap this up, I’d like to call out the no-frills nature of the Morakniv sheaths. They’re plastic, yes, but they hold up well.
The indentation on the handle is how the Morakniv sheath locks to the knife. It provides a positive (and satisfying) click.
Fire starters can be added to the sheath if you’re into that. And some sheaths have built-in belt clips while others use a loop, also reminiscent of the Scandinavian knives and the way they hang from belts.
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But that Morakniv price!
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I’m still hung up on that. These jokers are functional, incredibly easy to maintain, well thought out, and anything but precious. The sheaths have drain holes built in. The belt clips have angled claws to catch and hold a belt…; just about every detail seems refined and intentional.
That isn’t something I can say about many of the knives I own.
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I have 2 511s a 546 and a ProS. The 546 is my go to knife when on a float trip.
At these prices I have several models places in all my gear. Field pack, tactical bag, bug out and survival pack, Car, and sometimes an Eldris for my pocket or as a neck knife. They are amazing tools.
PS: The Kansbol is the perfect companion for my fly fishing in the Everglades. Very light with the perfect blade design for fishing and camping.
I seem to collect knives. I didn’t start out that way, but I see a knife and it calls to me and I just have it. I have big knives — almost short swords, small knives, carbon steel, stainless steel. I almost bought a flint knife but talked myself out of it. I like bayonets from the age of bayonets, WWI. WWII and would love to lay my hands on a Rosalie the Lebel from the Franco-Prussian War. The Germans hated it because it caused a lot of deep wound gangrene in an age before antibiotics. All of that said, my work knives (plural) are Moraknivs. Best value in steel in existence in my view. I think inflation has set in a bit though. I didn’t check the author’s reference sites, but I know Amazon is higher than the prices he listed. But not by much. Even at the higher price, still the best value around.
You know every trick to make me smile and every magic to make my sadness disappear. Your kind of friend is so rare because you are the most precious gem in the world!
You are a harbinger of good things for me, dear friend. Ever since we met, my life keeps getting better and brighter. You are my best friend darling and I hope you feel the same way about me because no matter what happens, I’ll never let you go.
Mora knives have been standard issue for bushcrafters in the UK for a couple of decades, they are the go to knives for most people, recommended by ray mears as a starter knife. so common used in sweden that builders stir paint with the, they are as common on a building site in sweden as a box cutter/stanley knife. Dave Canterbury highly rates the moras as well, especially the kansbol.