Made in Sweden

Mora Garberg Review

Last Updated: July 15, 2019
You’re familiar with the concept of being “fashionably late,” right? It’s the idea that, by showing up to a party well after the festivities have begun, you’ll gain coolness-points by joining in just as the fun hits its stride. While no one has ever accused me of being either fashionable or cool, I am a bit late to the coming-out bash for the Mora Garberg.

Buy the Mora Garberg at BladeHQ

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But, when Morakniv offered to send me a sample for review, I knew I couldn’t pass up the invitation. This party of two took me from the dry winter of New Mexico to the snows of Colorado, with food, fire, and woodworking along the way. Now that the festivities have faded, here are my thoughts on the Mora Garberg.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

There are two major differences between the Garberg and its more budget-minded cousins like the Companion. First is the main thrust of its existence – That glorious, full tang construction. See that bit of metal peaking from the back of the pommel? Wonderful!

Then there’s the steel. While most of Mora’s lower lines employ carbon blades (yes, I know you can get the Companion in stainless), the Garberg utilizes Sandvik 14C28N. According to the maker’s website, this is a steel intended for situations placing “Very high demands on edge sharpness, edge stability and corrosion resistance such as chef’s knives, pocket knives, hunting and fishing knives.”

Mora has put 4.25-inches of Sandvik’s finest into the Garberg’s clip point blade, 4-inches of which are sharpened. The square-edged spine is fairly broad, with a lateral measurement of 0.12-inches. Add in 4.75 for the handle, and you’re left with an overall length of 9-inches. It’s a pleasing, medium-range design from the Swedes, weighing in at a hair under six ounces.

So, how does it perform in the field? In short, it’s a Mora. Carving, spine scraping, and wood shaving are an absolute breeze. And, thanks to its full tang toughness, I had no trouble batoning through small and medium sticks. This knife was a pleasure to use in the field.

One important note – While most Mora’s come with a scandi edge, they’ve opted to include a tiny micro-bevel on the Garberg. It’s an interesting departure from their usual MO, but not one that causes a whole lot of concern. Anyone looking to remove the bevel can do so with relative ease, given enough time at the sharpening stones. Plus, look at these ultra-fine shavings I was able to get. This, ladies and gents, is a precision instrument. Full scandi or not, the edge gets the okay from me.

Out of the dozen or so fixed blades to come across my review table, the Garberg is one of the two best fire starting implements I’ve tested. The other is the Cold Steel Finn Wolf, which I jokingly referred to as the “Finn Dragon” due to its ability to draw fire from a ferro rod by essentially breathing on it. The Garberg is the only other knife I’ve used capable of generating this sort of spark shower.

There are a few weaknesses here, however. As good as the Garberg is at striking a cooking fire, it’s not much help when it comes time to prepare your dinner. Slicing onions and other produce was a rather unpleasant experience, in fact. But, this is a known quantity with scandi grinds. Even with the microbevel, the Garberg’s edge geometry and thickness are ill suited to the kind of delicate slicing needed to produce evenly-shaved foodstuffs. It’ll do the job, but it’s happier squaring off against branches as opposed to brie.

Speaking of kitchen nightmares, I did encounter one issue with the microbevel. When rinsing the blade in the sink, I tapped its edge ever so slightly against the faucet. This produced a tiny, tiny roll that I’ll try to capture below.

Now, this is purely my fault. The knife still cuts with no noticeable difference, and I’m sure I can buff this right out. But if you’re using the Garberg in the wilderness, be sure your woodworking area is free of rocks.

Handle and Ergonomics

Per the folks at BladeHQ, the Garberg features a “polyamide handle with textured TPE inserts.” That’s a fancy way of saying “This is a $90 knife with a plastic handle.” And I’ll be honest – That choice of materials doesn’t exactly thrill me. I understand the reasoning (mass production, durability, lifespan, etc.), but I actually prefer the slightly softer and grippier handles on the Companions.

The ergonomics, however, are just fine. Its gentle ovoid swell fits my medium/large hand like a glove. And speaking of such, the polyamide handle actually works well with gloves. Cold weather testing for knives is a relatively new thing for me (despite growing up in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin), and the Garberg performed significantly better than the Condor I tested a while back.

Let’s briefly revisit the blade or, more specifically, the tip. It held up fine during a stab/pry test on wood, but the lack of a forward finger guard makes this a somewhat risky process. Grip is great for carving and other lateral cutting, but the impact of direct thrusts could slide your finger down onto the edge. This is especially true if you’re wearing gloves, because of the slight tactile buffer between the hand and handle. I’m not overly concerned about this, however. 99-percent of the time, the Garberg’s grip is solid.

Sheath

In standard trim, the Garberg arrives with two options – an unobtrusive leather belt loop and a MOLLE-compatible multi-mount setup. I didn’t test the more military minded option because, well, I’m not that hardcore. Truth be told, I don’t think I own a pack with MOLLE webbing, unless you count my Vanquest organizer pouch. But affixing the MORA to my backup kit would look a little strange.

The ride on the Garberg’s plastic sheath and belt loop is light and effortless. So much so that, when I got home from the woods, I left it on my belt for the rest of the day. While I’m not sure about the longevity of the leather loop (the material is a bit thin), it’s going to be great while it lasts.

The hard, plastic profile of the Garberg’s stock stowage fits the knife pretty well, and I enjoy the reverberating clack on the draw and return. It’s a sound I associate with Mora as a brand, so that’s part of the charm for me. Blade retention is only okay, however. Given a medium-strength shake, it will pop out of place. Part of the multi-mount system includes a leather fold-over clasp, but this slide-on accessory occupies the same space as the belt loop. So, you choose one or the other.

Mora does offer a full leather sheath for those willing to pay a slight premium. This option has a more substantial fold-over flap with snap closure and a belt loop. I didn’t get a chance to sample this option, but it certainly looks interesting. If you’re after a more traditional outdoor aesthetic, you may want to give it a go.

Morakniv Garberg Review – Final Thoughts

My three-word summary of the Garberg is as follows: Confidence in hand. From the moment I drew it from its sheath, I knew this was going to be a solid tool. While I’m not the biggest fan of the handle’s material, its shape and performance eventually won me over.

The biggest knock on the Garberg isn’t the microbevel, or the sheath, or its lack of foodprep prowess. It’s the price, plain and simple. Most folks are used to paying $15-$30 for a Mora, and this model costs at least three times that. Personally, I can see where the angst comes from. Steel Will and Buck make blades that are almost as good functionally, while costing substantially less.

But what it boils down to is this – Of all the fixed blades I’ve tested, the Garberg is the one I’d want to take with me into the wilderness. It’s an all-around performer from a storied company, perfect for buyers who are looking for a single, do-it-all bushcraft blade.

Do I think it costs too much? Absolutely. But in the field, far away from your bank and bills, this is an excellent knife.

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I recommend purchasing the Mora Garberg at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Mora Companion Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 3 Comments

I’ll always be a folding knife guy at heart, but recently I’ve been on a fixed blade kick. I never thought they would appeal to me, but I’ve come to appreciate fixed blades of all shapes and sizes. And in a nice little fluke of symmetry, just as my appreciation of folding knives began with an affordable, European everyman’s knife, the fixed blade that opened my eyes is similarly affordable, European, and populist: the Mora Companion.

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The Mora Companion, and Mora in general, has a complicated reputation in the knife world. This complication stems from its intersection with the hardcore outdoorsman / survivalist / bushcrafter communities. Whether or not it was designed for the kind of applications these guys put it through is unclear (and Mora’s own literature on the subject is vague), but it has become a point of contention amongst enthusiasts, who tend to think it is an indispensable tool or a sham of a knife.

I approached this review with no significant outdoors experience, no previous Mora experiences, and no fixed blade preferences. The Companion thoroughly impressed me. I put this through an especially wide array of cutting chores and it never flagged, never failed to impress me. This is a beautifully simple tool. It was an impulse purchase for me, and the best one I have ever made.

(For the record, the model I reviewed is a standard Companion with the 12C27 stainless steel blade.)

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Companion has a 4” blade, a 4.5” handle, and an overall length of about 8.5”. It comes with a plastic friction fit sheath. Combined, the knife and sheath weigh just about 4 oz. Like all Mora knives, the Companion is made in Mora, Sweden. The Companion is exactly the right size for the sort of general outdoor tasks you would call on it to do.

Mora has a near-perfect rendition of the drop point here. One thing that is hard to notice in photographs is the balance between straight and curved edge. It may not look like it, but the blade is divided, length-wise into equal portions of curved and straight edge. Some blades favor one or the other but here, the balance is exact. Whether you’re slicing, roll cutting, push – or pull-cutting, you’re going to have enough length of the edge you need for the job. Brilliant.

Steel is 12C27 – a great blade steel, especially at the price. There are plenty of proponents of the carbon steel Moras out there. I’m sure that the carbon steel is great, but I abhor rust and I abhor having to worry about my knives so I went with the stainless. It’s kept a little soft at 57-58 Rockwell, which is probably good given that it might be pressed into more demanding tasks.

The Scandi grind is a traditional element of Scandinavian knife culture, present and accounted for on the Companion. It’s a little reductive, but the way I think of a Scandi grind is as a sabre grind with an extremely small edge bevel. Scandi grinds are renowned for their woodworking ability, and my experience with the Companion reinforces this. This knife took huge, even bites out of a block of basswood. Beyond this, the general geometry of the edge made the knife excel at just about everything. I cut woods, thick plastic ties, paper, cardboard, and produce. The Companion went through everything with ease, and I never fought to push it through media until it was almost totally dull.

The first time I sharpened my Companion I just went along the tiny edge bevel and had great results, although I understand now this isn’t the traditional method. If you watch videos on how to sharpen a Scandi-ground knife, they tell you that the primary bevel sets your sharpening angle. This means that you should never have to reprofile a Scandi-ground knife, even after years of use. It also means that if you’re using something like a Sharpmaker you may have to configure it for freehand sharpening.

The second time I sharpened the Companion, I set it along the primary bevel as I was supposed to. It worked well, although I marred up the mirror finish on the knife a bit. I was using a dry diamond plate instead of a wet stone, so this may have had something to do with it.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Companion’s handle is made from plastic, with a TPE-like wrap around the center swell. It’s great, plain and simple. The palm swell is exactly my style, and there is just the slightest amount of Coke bottling to fill the hand. The downturn at the butt of the knife and the guard at the front are both gentle enough to preclude any issues of finger crowding. This is a great, task neutral handle.

Some designers overengineer their handles, with embellishments like finger grooves, parrot beaks, palm swells, different traction inserts for different parts of the handle, jimping, thumb ramps – eventually it just becomes too much. The Companion is wonderful in the hand without being overdesigned. I wouldn’t call it understated so much as simply stated: this is just a knife, plain and simple. The handle is here so you can use the thing, so go out and use it, however you want.

Sheath

The sheath is your standard plastic friction fit Mora affair. Although it didn’t move me to my core, I like this sheath. The plastic, while not as handsome as leather, doesn’t look any worse to my eye than nylon and is very lightweight and durable. There’s a drainage hole at the bottom to let out accumulated moisture, and I like that the belt clip doesn’t require me to take my belt off and loop it through. You simply pry it open far enough to slide over your belt, and you’re golden. It almost works like an oversized pocket clip.

Another small feature that I found surprisingly handy was the thumb ramp on the corner of the sheath. You can push off it with your thumb to disengage the Companion from the sheath with ease, and it helps index when you’re putting the knife away.

Mora Companion – Final Thoughts

I’ve gone this long in the review without addressing the Companion’s price, so I’d like to do so now.

A lot of people say or think that the Companion is a good knife for the price. I don’t believe in good knives for the price. There are good knives, and there are good values. You can pay too much for a good knife, but you can never say a bad knife is a good value.

I think that reviewers need to address the cost of all the products they review, because value – what you get for what you pay – is an intrinsic part of good design. It contextualizes design decisions. This is why we’re okay with AUS-8 on a $25 knife but less thrilled when we get it for $80 – it doesn’t make a knife a worse knife, but it makes it less well-designed, and thus less attractive as a possible purchase.

If I paid $75 for the Companion, I’d still tell you that it was a good knife, but I would take issue with design choices relative to its price, and it wouldn’t get a recommendation.

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Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife with Stainless Steel Blade, 4.1-Inch, Military Green

BUSHCRAFT KNIFE: The perfect all-in-one knife for outdoor enthusiasts, this outdoor knife makes an ideal camping knife, backpacking knife, fishing knife, hiking knife, or survival knife
PREMIUM BLADE: 0.08-inch thick hardened Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel knife blade stays sharp longer than carbon steel and is less prone to rust; Ideal for carving, food prep, and cutting tinder
HIGH-FRICTION HANDLE: Made with an ergonomic polymer handle with a soft friction grip and finger guard, this knife is safe and efficient for use in all weather conditions
PROTECTIVE POLYMER SHEATH: Easy-to-clean plastic sheath comes equipped with a belt clip, so you can easily attach your knife to a belt or rucksack
SPECIFICATIONS: Blade thickness: 0.08 inch (2.0 mm), blade length: 4.1 inches (104 mm), total length: 8.5 inch (217 mm), net weight with sheath: 3.9 ounces (110 g)

I recommend purchasing the Mora Companion at Amazon. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.