The Morakniv Bushcraft Survival Knife is a sturdy piece of kit with a very thick blade and a very fluorescent handle. Together with the Morakniv Kansbol and the Morakniv Eldris it is one of my favorite outdoor knives.
- Size: Length 258 mm
- Weight: 213,9 grams
Victorinox, Leatherman and my DIY knife
I love knives and I am pretty proud of the knife collection that I have at home. Most of them stay at home and are not used for what they are made for. Just because some of them are too beautiful (and too expensive). Knives that I use on a regular basis – next to the Moraknivs – are the Swiss Army knives from Victorinox and my Leatherman Charge. On these two I hardly use the knife tool by the way.
The Victorinox is used mostly since it has a briljant corkscrew-opener that works perfectly and the Leatherman is there for all the small tools. The knife is – honestly spoken – not that good. I made a fixed blade knife a few years ago… that one is part of my personal museum too; it is a bit on the heavy side. Perfect for chopping wood though. Back to the knives that I do use constantly: the Moraknivs.
Mora in Sweden
Like I wrote above: I own a Morakniv Kansbol, a Morakniv Bushcraft Survival and the Morakniv Eldris. The first two I bought at the Morakniv shop in Mora where the Morakniv factory is (later more on this) and the Eldris… that was a present of the Scandinavian Outdoor Group after being part of the Scandinavian Outdoor Award and where the Eldris won an award. On the Morakniv Eldris I did a full review in Dutch a few years ago but I tranbslated it recent to English so if you want to know more on that one, just follow this link. The Morakniv Kansbol review you will find here.
Morakniv Bushcraft Survival: Size and weight
On my scale the Morakniv Bushcraft Survival weighs 213,9 grams in total and the knife 120,6 grams. The total length is 258 mm and the knife length is 232 mm.
Knife blades
The blade is made from 12C27 stainless steel that is made by the Swedish Sandvik cooperation. The steel ‘blend’ is made by Sandvik for over 45 years but it has been continuously improved. 12C27 steel is corrosion resistant and has a hardness between 56-58 Rockwell. Because of this hardness it has a nice balance between retaining its sharpness and being tough at the same time.
The blade is 109 mm long and 3.2 mm thick at the spine. Because of its thick spine the Bushcraft Survival Knife is very stiff with hardly any flexibility. It has a drop point blade and it has a very straightforward 7 mm high Scandi grind along the total blade length. The total edge angle is 27°.
Micro bevel
To the Scandi grind Morakniv added a micro bevel that is between 0,05 and 0,5 mm high and that has a total edge angle between 35° and 45°. Without it the blade would simply be too vulnerable for heavy outdoor and bushcraft jobs.
Handle
According to the Morakniv website the handle is made of TPE-rubber. Technically this is not totally true. The core of the handle is made from very hard and sturdy PolyPropylene. Around this core a layer of TPE-rubber provides grip and comfort. The outside handle of the Bushcraft Survival is completely coated with TPE. On the butt end of the handle the PolyPropylene is visible too.
Handle blade construction
For a fixed blade it is important to know how the blade is fixed to – or better in – the handle. The Morakniv Bushcraft Survival has a partial tang* and it sticks 83 mm into the handle. So… not a full tang. Does it matter? No not really since the PolyPropylene of the handle is so stiff and robust that I can mistreat the knife as if it was a full tang construction. Because of the PolyPropylene core I can use a big piece of wood like a hammer and batter on the back end and use the knife like a ‘chisel’ or prying device.
*The tang is the metal part that extends the knife blade into the knife’s handle. The length of the tang is important to the overall construction of the knife. In general one can say that the longer the tang is, the stronger the knife. A full tang runs through the whole handle and a partial tang only parly. Again – in general – the tang is an important factor in the knife’s price. Longer tang knives are more expensive than partial tang knives.
The sheath
The Morakniv Bushcraft Survival has a sheath that has an integrated carrier for the Morakniv Fire Starter that comes with the knife. It also has an integrated diamond sharpener. The sheath is also made of PolyPropylene and it has a hard detachable PolyPropylene loop to carry it on your belt. The sheath has a hole in the bottom for draining water and to enable wet knives to dry.
Morakniv Bushcraft Survival handle comfort
The handle on the Morakniv Bushcraft Survival has a very ergonomic shape with a special index finger grip part. The index finger is protected well by the swelled head. My hands are quite small – glove size 7.5 – but the handle fits perfectly. The TPU-outer layer is very grippy and I do like the little ridges on the top at the head of the handle; if I put my thumb on it I can steer the knife more precisely. On the downside I noticed that with wet hands the TPU gets quite slippery. With cold weather it is definitely comfortable.
Morakniv Bushcraft Survival blade
Because of its 3.2 mm thickness the blade of the Morakniv Bushcraft Survival is very stiff and super for a lot of outdoor jobs. I have used it for putting points on sticks for roasting marshmallows on the campfire, for scraping thin layers of bark from birch trees to start a fire, for making a poop shovel, splitting wood by batooning and even chopping trees in more campfire friendly pieces. The blade performs excellent for these jobs. The Scandi grind edge stays sharp for a long time and when it gets a blund sharpening on the go with the diamond sharpener on the sheath takes some practice but is effective. Sharpening with a sharpening stone is advised because it is easier to retain the correct Scandi grind angle.
Color, sharpening and sustainability
Before heading on to my verdict, please allow me three last small remarks on sharpening, color and sustainability.
I sharpen most knives with a big flat sharpening stone at home and outdoors with a small one. I find that the grind on the Morakniv Bushcraft Survival is easy to sharpen since the grind is the same on the whole length of the blade.
The alarmingly orange color of the Morakniv Bushcraft Survival is a smart choice; it is very easy to find if you drop it by accident or lay it aside in green grass. The knife is available in smart and non-smart colors by the way.
Somewhere in this article I already mentioned that the knife is manufactured in Sweden. Also the blade material is from Sweden. I would like to stress here again that the knives are made in Sweden and Morakniv proves that some things of beauty can be produced in Sweden without breaking the bank. If you don’t get this remark: read the article on the Crud Gjöra Glove.
Verdict
The Morakniv Bushcraft Survival is a hard working tool. The thick blade is strong for a lot of different demanding jobs. I am very satisfied with the overall comfort. Sometimes the handle is slippery when wet and that is a bit of a bummer. The blade is tough, remains sharp for a long time and is easy to sharpen. The fact that the Bushcraft Survival has an integrated Fire Starter and a diamond sharpener is absolutely a bonus. Price wise it is also not expensive. The Morakniv Bushcraft Survival costs € 69,99/$89,99 and I rate it at 9.0/10.
Information
International: www.morakniv.se
The Netherlands: www.adola.nl
