Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty Knife with Sandvik Carbon Steel Blade, 0.125/4.1-Inch

Great little non expensive knife would certainly buy again

Can't beat a mora knife.

(My thoughts on the Mora Heavy Duty Carbon Steel Companion Knife and about putting a patina on the blade) Don't let the price fool you this is NOT a cheap knife, it’s just very inexpensive. If I hadn’t read so many good reviews about it, I would never be interested in a knife that costs less than $20 because usually you get what you pay for. Swedish products do have a reputation for substantial quality though. I classify knives in terms of quality by the material the blade is made out of. What makes this such a good knife is the blade is forged from tool grade carbon steel which makes it hard enough to hold a REALLY sharp edge and tough enough not to break when you push it. It's not often that you find a carbon steel knife at this price point and like many other people, I feel like I got way more than I paid for. I'm probably never going to push this knife to its extreme limits in a survival situation, but it’s nice to know that if I ever have to, it can take it. I picked this knife first, because of the hordes of good reviews and the price being a close second. I know Mora make stainless steel knives too, I’ve heard the same good things about the quality of those. If you want to see how good the knife is, just go to youtube where you can find tons of reviews from people who show how the knife performs in practical situations. I was surprised to hear that the knife is not full tang because you would never know it. Its only ¾ tang but it’s as solid as can be. The way it is manufactured into the handle will ensure that it won’t ever come apart. This knife comes really, really sharp out of the box and what’s scary is that you can even make it sharper if you want to, one of the benefits of carbon steel. The handle is very comfortable and the whole knife has a really solid feel. I really like the sheath too, you can wear it on a belt or just clip it on your pants with no belt. It has a nicely designed catch that prevents it from slipping off your pants. One problem you have with carbon steel over stainless, is that carbon steel will rust if you don’t take care of it. I think the benefits are worth a little extra effort to take care of the blade, like keeping it cleaned and oiled. I’ve seen a lot chatter about people putting a patina on the blade because it’s supposed to protect the blade from rust. It’s a dark coating that you get from a chemical reaction by soaking the blade in boiling vinegar. I tried it and one thing I found out is the plastic handle stands up to boiling temperatures with no problem at all.After doing it, I guess I wouldn’t recommend the patina, because you are actually eroding the steel on the blade away. The video I was watching said to do the process 5 times. When I was done I had a nice dark satin finish on the blade, it looked pretty cool but there were a few splotches, so I tried to scrub it a little to blend them in. Nothing seemed to make a difference until I tried an SOS pad and some dish soap. That’s when I found out that the patina finish is not permanent, it can rub off. I also noticed that the etching on the blade was gone. There had to be quite a bit of erosion to take it down far enough to erase the deep etched logo and text that were there before I started. The knife is still good and I will be able to use it fine, it’s just the erosion makes it look like it’s been heavily used for many years and I just got it yesterday. I didn’t think the patina thing was worth the time and trouble especially since it damages the surface of the blade and it’s not even permanent. I ended up buying a second knife because they are so affordable. Now I’ll have a nice new looking one and another I can beat on without feeling too guilty. I would recommend this for anyone, especially outdoorsmen. I think people who don’t know about them would be pleasantly surprised but the quality of such an inexpensive knife.

If you could only leave home with one knife for the rest of your life, which knife would it be? Well, the Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty might be one worth considering, for pretty much anyone, but especially if you are on any kind of budget.True, not a full tang fixed blade, but a grippy, sturdy, comfortably inviting handle ready for any kind of reasonable use in a camp setting. Maybe not the best food prep knife, but it will get the job done in a pinch AND reliably break down an elk, feather wood for burning, and should even serve reasonably well in a self defense role, should it come to that. The Scandinavian grind makes it ridiculously easy to sharpen with any reasonably flat stone or diamond sharpener. Takes a fine edge, hangs onto it reasonably well, resists damage admirably. Sturdy, no-nonsense plastic sheath with integrated belt loop is easy to wear, to forget about while wearing it, and to rig for different methods of carry.If there was any complaining to do, it might be done about the carbon steel blade. But is anyone going to complain about that carbon steel being 0.125" (3.2mm) thick? I doubt it. Any problems which might arise from corrosion are easy to mitigate with regular maintenance and/or the ever-popular preventative maintenance of a boiling vinegar patina, followed by a good beeswax. Out of that, you'll not only get a blade better protected from the environment, but also the coolest-looking Companion HD on your block, guaranteed. Double points if you bought the OD Green one. Another minor area of contention might be that the sheath is not made to carry on the left side of the body. A minor inconvenience for ~10% of the population (myself included). If that is important to you, the Kansbol, Garberg, or Mora 2000 models might be more what you're looking for. At any rate, any person reasonably knowledgeable in bushcraft/survival will find your choice difficult not to respect. That's hard to ask from any ~$20 product (at the time of this writing) these days, but Morakniv manages it here.To sum it up as succinctly as possible, the Companion HD is just about everything you need and nothing you don't in an outdoor knife. If you don't yet own a Morakniv, this is a great one (maybe the best one) to start with, and could easily be the last knife you ever buy. Though if you're anything like me, it won't be. It's difficult not to want to support a company that makes such high-value, affordable products.