Mora Companion review
The Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty knife is a sturdy, mid-sized knife that is designed for hunting, survivalists, and other outdoor activities.
As this knife has a comfortable handle, reasonable price and decent size, it is practical as a self-defense knife, although may be quite heavy for this purpose.
Below, see how the Mora Companion Heavy Duty Knife compares to other poular fixed blade knives currently available on the market:
| Photo | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Cold Steel Survival Rescue Knife (SRK) | $$$ |
 | Gerber LMF II Survival Knife | $$$ |
 | Ka-Bar Fighting Knife | $$ |
 | ESEE Knives 3P | $$$ |
 | SOG Seal Team S37-K | $$$ |
 | Cold Steel Recon 1 | $$$ |
Size of the Mora Companion Knife
The Mora Companion HDK is a mid-sized, multi-purpose outdoorsman knife designed for all outdoor purposes. This is not a heavy knife, as it is only 4.8 ounces, and as such it is designed more to be used for slicing and carving versus hacking through the undergrowth. Still, this knife has an amazing versatility with carving, hunting tasks (from the initial field dressing to fully breaking down the buck), and general light knife skills.
- Blade Options
The blade on the Mora Companion HDK is 4.1 inches long, made from carbon steel. The makeup of this steel is difficult if not impossible to find. As all steels have different flex and breaking points, it is unfortunate that this information is not readily available.
For instance, if you are looking for a knife to work with wood, you are going to want a little bit of flex so you are not snapping the tip off of your knife, yet with this knife it is next to impossible to tell.
With that said, the blade is thick with a Scandinavian grind to it, which is also known as a sabre grind. This means it has a very short bevel and leaves a lot of the steel to support the spine, which is why it is commonly known for items that require a lot of stress on the knife’s spine, such as swords and knives. This will allow more force to be applied to the edge without breaking, chipping or any other form of unfortunate edge loss. That is not to say those things cannot happen to it, it is just less likely.
Below, please take a moment to view some of the best-selling fixed blade knives currently for sale on Amazon:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
1) Mossy Oak |
2) Ka-Bar USMC |
3) Cold Steel Survivalist |
5) Camp Lore PR-4 |
4) Cold Steel San Mai SRK |
The unfortunate thing about the Companion is that it works so hard to provide a really good, sturdy blade and then it stops short, quite literally. This knife would just be that much nicer should it have continued with that extra little bit of carbon steel to give this knife a full tang. But because it doesn’t, this knife does have a certain amount of weakness that would not have been there if they had gone that route.
The Scandinavian grind on this blade makes it a dream to sharpen, in that you do not have to focus as hard on what angles you are working with as opposed to some other grinds. That, combined with the fact that it does not chip easily, makes this ideal for situations where you do not have a lot of time to baby your blade.
To sharpen a Scandinavian grind, an electric knife sharpener should be avoided as they have a tendency to overheat the blade, and carbon steel is sensitive to heat at the best of times. To avoid possible incidents with that, you can use a whetstone and finish with either a nice red Latigo leather strop or you can use newspaper or the likes. Personally, I stick to my leather strop as I find it has just enough friction to smooth everything out and to make the blade shine.
- Handle
The handle for the Companion HDK has a deep belly and has a comfortable rubberized grip. This ensures the blade stays where you placed it in your hand and will help if and when it gets wet.
One task I would not want to be dealing with on this knife is batoning. Yes, it may be able to take it, yet if you get the knife stuck at all, yanking on a partial tang may snap the blade if there is so much as a bubble in-between the blade and hilt.
- Sheath
The sheath for the Mora Companion HDK is a rigid plastic and is known for not being able to withstand much and having issues with cracking and breaking. It also has been known to come quite loose, and as such, it may be worth it to look at having a custom leather sheath made for this knife as, despite its flaws, it is certainly worth the cost of a decent sheath.
Comparison to Mora Bushcraft
The Bushcraft is a very similar knife in that it has the same overall profile, although the handle is lacking the deep belly of the Companion HDK. The blade is minutely larger on the Bushcraft by all of 0.2 inches. These both have carbon steel blades, although the Bushcraft is coated and therefore will not become rusty as easily, which gives it a bonus there.
Both of these knives would be good at dealing with breaking down large game, prying apart joints and then cutting your way out of the bush without stopping to sharpen.
Both of these knives can be used to fish, yet the thickness of the blade may be bulkier than some people would like.
The advantage that the Bushcraft has is that it can throw sparks if needed without any modification or improvements being made.
The price is almost double that of the Companion and one would need to ask is it really twice the knife? The answer is more than likely “no,” yet as neither of these knives even comes close to the $100 range, it is hard to really fault either knife as they both surpass expectations.
Essentially, as all knives go, the choice between these two will all come down to personal preference. What one person may love about this knife could be exactly what others can’t stand about it. Either knife is more than capable of handling the tasks for which they were made.
Mora Companion vs Mora Craftline
The Mora Craftline TopQ is a very similar knife to the Companion. They have nearly the exact same shape and look to them, yet the Craftline TopQ is slightly thicker, is made of a stainless steel as opposed to the carbon steel, and approximately 0.2 inches smaller than the Companion.
The Craftline is perfect for beginners learning how to whittle away and give them a good taste of survival skills, and can withstand a fair amount of abuse without the extra length and weight of the Companion. The handle is also a little thinner, so a smaller hand would be more likely to find this knife comfortable to work with and comes in the same non-slip rubberized material.
Both knives are amazingly good for their price range, and are affordable for a beginner to get a good taste of wilderness skills without having to make a large investment. Between these knives, it truly comes down to which one fits best in the palm of your hand. Neither is going to break the bank, and both are going to last a long time with proper care.
The Mora Companion (non HDK)
The Mora Companion comes in both a “normal duty” stainless steel variety with a bunch of different colors for the handle, and the Companion Heavy Duty Knife.
Carbon Steel vs. Stainless Steel
When asking the question of which material is better, carbon steel or stainless steel, the first obvious difference is the blade materials. The non-HDK version of this knife is made of stainless steel, which some people may like because it is easier to care for, does not rust easily and can be put away without thinking about oil first.
The carbon steel is obviously heavier than the stainless and is also more brittle. This presents a slight problem depending on what you want the knife to do. The carbon steel would require more work and oiling, yet in the end I believe it would end up being a superior material over the stainless steel.
Weight
The second issue is weight. The stainless steel variety is lighter in every way you look at it. Lighter duty, lighter in your hand and lighter on the number of abilities it is able to complete successfully. The HDK definitely wins on this round.
Overall
Overall, the HDK is the superior knife and as both of these knives are budget knives, it is certainly worth more than the retail asking price, which is impressive.
Quick Facts
- Blade Length: 4.1 inches
- Overall Length: 8.8 inches
- Blade Width: 1/8 inch
- Weight: 4.8 ounces
- Blade material: Carbon Steel
- Handle material: Rubber
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the Companion HDK exceeds all expectations for any knife of this price range, and despite not knowing what carbon steel was used, from everything that this knife can do, there is little to no worry that it will mysteriously snap out of nowhere.
If you are looking for a survivalist knife, this may not be the best decision. However, for an EDC, hunting knife, self-defense knife and any other outdoors activities, this knife is worth more than what the suggested retail price is listing which truly says something.
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