Cutting Tool Review: The Mora HQ Robust Knife

Mora HQ Robust

A year ago I had gotten a Mora HQ Robust Knife for my step-son Sean.  I gave it to him on the Baxter State Park Trip.  I wanted him to have a Scandinavian ground knife that was sturdy, and easy to sharpen.  I wanted the knife to have a high carbon steel blade.  I did not trust Sean to keep the high carbon steel blade blade oiled to prevent rusting so the knife needed to be inexpensive.  The taking care of the knife was a valid concern, because Sean lost it about three months later.  My family not having the knife anymore is the reason I am using stock pictures of the Mora HQ Robust from the Internet.  I have always wanted to try a Mora knife myself, because they are a polarizing knife in the outdoor community.  People seem to either love or hate them.  All of the previously mentioned criteria made getting Sean a Mora an easy choice. 

My impressions about the Mora HQ Robust Knife were all positive.

The blade thickness at the spine is twice as thick as the Mora Companion, one of Mora's most popular knives.  The picture on the right shows the Robust on the left, and the Companion on the left.  The spine was about as thick as my Enzo Trapper.  The spine had a nice 90 degree angle which makes it good for striking sparks off a ferrocerium road, and scrapping tasks like gathering cedar bark for tinder.  The high carbon steel blade threw sparks when I struck it with a piece of quartz.  Enough sparks that if I had a piece of charred cloth I would have another combustion device.  Maine does not have any naturally occurring flint or chert, so quartz was my only choice.   You can usually get one or two good strikes off Quartz before it crumbles.  The blade was sharp, and stayed sharp for quite a while.  It batoned, and then made feather sticks for the fire with ease.  It never really dulled on me.  It just needed a touch up on a Japanese water stone like a month later. 

The handle was comfortable, being of some kind of rubber coated
plastic.  The handle felt ergonomic, and did not fatigue the hand.  It provided for a good grip even when my hands were sweaty, or wet.  Inside the handle is a rat tail tang that runs the 3/4 length of the handle.  A lot of Mora's detractors criticize this feature of the knife, thinking it makes for a weak knife.   This tang is reinforced by plastic.  I have had no issues with it bending or breaking, and I did some extensive batoning with it.

Note the 3/4 Rat Tail Tang

The sheath was a rigid friction fit plastic.  The sheath is something Mora's detractors criticize, but to me it was an asset.  I have always been a fan of the hollow handled survival knifes ability to carry things in the handle,  but hated they were weak due to no tang.   Using Ranger Bands (inner tube used as rubber bands) I was able to secure a button compass, needles, hooks, sinkers, mono-filament line, snare wire, a whistle, can opener, and a ferrocerium rod.  People who call the sheath cheap are just not looking at its full potential.  If you look at the photo on the right you can see all the stuff that was carried on the sheath.  The whistle, can opener, button compass, and fishing/sewing kit were secured under a four inch long ranger band.  The snare wire and ferrocerium rod were secured with two one inch pieces of Ranger Band, over the four in piece of Ranger Band.

A Lost Opportunity the Mora 511

The knife cost was about twenty dollars when I bought it from Amazon.  Now it is going for $13.50 from Amazon.  The price point alone makes this a pretty darn good knife.  My first exposure to Mora knives was when my Uncle Wes showed me "bait knives" that were about eight dollars a knife.   He said, "you could just get a half dozen of these, and throw them away"  This was about ten or more years ago, and had not heard of Mora knives yet.  These were the knives he was talking about in the picture on the right.  They were Mora 511 knives in stainless steel.  Mora knives are inexpensive, priced like they are disposable, but they are a good quality knife built to last.  Looking back I wish I had bought a half dozen.   Live and learn.

I love Mora knives, and feel a lot of the people who hate them are probably knife snobs.  I did not want to admit I liked this $20 dollar knife as much as I like my $100 Enzo Trapper, but it was the truth.  My recommendation is give them a try, and keep an open mind.  This would not be my first choice for a one tool option,  but this, and hatchet or Bahco Laplander saw would be an awesome combination.  Until next time keep your knives harp and your powder dry.

Whats in My Bushcraft Kit: Cutting Tools.

I have mentioned before that I have an Enzo Trapper knife, and I consider this my primary cutting tool.  A primary cutting tool is the cutting tool you can least afford to be without, and for most people that is a knife.  I have mentioned that a Bahco Laplander saw was my secondary cutting tool and wanted a good hatchet as a tertiary cutting tool.  I have talked about the Laplander before in a previous blog entry and hatchets as well.  In this entry I am focusing on the Enzo Tapper and other knives I have used and like.

How the Enzo came to me

My Finished Knife

My Enzo Trapper came to me as a kit for me to assemble, for half the the price of a finished knife $89 from the Omaha Knife Store.  I received the blade, the screws, and scales.  I epoxied the handles on, and tightened the screws.  I waited 24 hours and then filed down the screws.  I then shaped and sanded the scales.  This knife after a few passes on a Japanese water stone is hair popping water stone it went from really sharp to hair popping razor sharp.  This is a wonderful knife for bushcrafting, but I carry a
Laplander saw to compliment it.  This knife was not intended to be a one tool option for me for bushcrafting.

Another knife I liked that I did not intend to be a one tool option was the Becker Necker BK11.  I loved the idea of the hollow handle survival knifes from the 80s.  I liked the storage idea of the hollow handles, but knives need a full tang for strength.  I came up with the idea of putting the survival kit on the sheath with ranger bands, this gave me a a strong knife with a tang and a survival kit.  I used a magnesium bar as a combustion device, included a needle, mono-filament line for threat/fishing line, led light, can opener, a compass, and two fish hooks. I had also included a small bag of one inch lengths of jute twine smeared with mineral oil for tinder.   This was an Every Day Carry item for me for a year and for bushfrafting I paired it with a tomahawk.  I loved this knife and the tomahawk not so much.  I should mention I beat the crap out of this knife batoning and it held up.  The handles (scales) came from Tomar's Kabars.

Squared of Spine

After Market Micarta Scales

The Becker Companion BK2 I bought to be a one tool option.  A one tool option must be able slice, chop, and baton.  This knife is a half inch thick.  Some people call it a sharpened pry bar.  This knife chopped better than the tomahawk.  This knife is my first choice as a one tool option for cutting.  I have used this knife more than any other and beaten the hell out of it.  I have batoned logs into boards for fire drill sets. I configured this knife as a survival knife like the smaller Becker BK11 Necker knife. I squared the back of the spine because it was to rounded to strike a spark on a ferrocerium rod. I included a small back up knife a Gerber dollar clip knife, and used a ferrocerium rod instead of the magnesium bar for fire starting. The handles were from Tomar's Kabars. The rest of the items were the same as what was on the BK11 knife kit I had made. I loved this knife, just like the other two I had previously mentioned.







These are all of the knife options that I have tried and really liked. I would love to try about some Moras and repost back on those. I would love to hear what you think, and what is working for you. Until next time keep your knives sharp and keep your powder dry.

Bushcraft Kit for Maine Spring, Fall, and Winter

In Maine we have four seasons we call them mud season, tourist season, deer season, and snow season.  I have heard they roughly equate to the rest of America's spring, summer, fall, and winter.  My current bushcraft kit is configured for the colder months of the year.  In Maine the winters can be pretty brutal. Many nights it is zero before the windchill.  You have to get out of the wind and stay warm.  A bushcraft kit should be adequate for indefinite survival or having enough gear for a fun trip into the woods.   You can think of a bushcraft kit as extreme minimalist camping.  I am rebuilding my bushcraft kit after my previous one was stolen during home invasion.  I want to share the evolution of gear as I rebuild it with you.

This is what is currently in my pack before I adjust it for warmer months.  I will go into greater detail on each item in my kit later, explaining more about each item in later entries.

This is the backpack I keep the kit in. The kit fills all the side and top pouches. The large center portion is empty with room to hold food and clothes.  The rolled up wool blanket is part of the kit.  I believe this is a must have item in the Maine woods in the cold seasons.  This was a great bag that L.L.Bean stopped making around ten years ago.  I paid $49 for this bag and it is still kicking.

My primary cutting tool is an Enzo Tracker knife and I love it.   O1 high carbon steel with a scandi grind.  My secondary cutting tool is a Bahco Laplander saw, which is the benchmark that all other folding survival saws are measured.  It is high quality and only cost around $25.

I use the BCB Crusader Cook System and Patten 58 Water bottle.  My secondary container is the ubiquitous nalgene water bottle in blaze orange.  The BCB kit has a stove and metal canteen cup for boiling water and plastic cup for drinking out of.

I have my First Aid Kits I & II and my Cordage Kits in a used Crystal Light container sealed with electricians tape.  These containers can be used for extra water containers.  The First Aid Kits hold gauze, pads, band aids, tape, and field dressings.  The Cordage Kit is wrapped in dollar store high visibility nylon twine and inside is the dreaded jute twine, paracord, electricians tape, and duct tape with roll flattened.


I also have a Shelter Kit containing two tarps from Walmart, they were about $10 each, and are made of a blue grommeted windbreaker material.  The Fire Kit contains an assortment of lighters matches and tinder contained in my Crystal Light containers.  The kit also contains a good ferrocerium rod that costs about $10.

My Food Procurement Kit consists of three yoyo automatic fishing reels and three wire snares.  I also have some snare wire (dollar store picture hanging wire) in my Miscellaneous Supplies.  In my Miscellaneous Supplies I also have a bandana, duct tape, MRE beverage bags, Chapstick, a needle, and thread.

Around my neck I carry a my compass on a length of papacord is is a Silva compass that I have had for 22 years.  I also carry a multi-tool the Gerber Suspension.    I also have additional gear I pack from time to time, like hiking binoculars for Colleen, and a Brew Kit for me.   I would love to hear comments on what people think I am missing and should have.  This Bushcraft Kit is an evolving thing and I would love feedback.

Until next time keep your knives sharp and your powder dry.