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Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 8, 2018
What makes this worth more than a Mora Companion, which seems to be basically the same thing for a fraction of the price?
Benjabooly
373
Oct 8, 2018
Daisy_CutterVery different shape and maker and steel. Higher quality build and micarta handle as opposted to molded plastic. Full tang versus rat tail.
bookworm13
677
Oct 8, 2018
Daisy_CutterAlso, the "ESEE" part of the spec. 😉
Daisy_CutterThe garberg would probably be the Mora that is most similar and it costs almost this much (90-100?) and still has a rubber handle. I think that's running 14c28n though so you're probably trading some toughness for that corrosion resistance vs 1095.
The companion is a lot of knife for$20 but it's still a $20 knife.
Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 9, 2018
Daisy_CutterThanks for the replies everyone! Reading around a little more, it seems like the quality of high carbon blade steels has more to do with grind and heat treatment than composition.
Does anyone know if ESEE does anything different or better on those fronts than Mora?
bookworm13
677
Oct 9, 2018
Daisy_CutterI was being facetious earlier but don't forget that ESEE has a lifetime warranty. That accounts for some of the cost.
I think both companies do a good job with their heat treat and grind. Like @Notsurewhyibother mentioned, it would be better to compare this to the Mora Garberg in 1095 than to something like the Mora Companion. The Garberg does come in both 1095 and stainless 14c28n.
Benjabooly
373
Oct 9, 2018
Daisy_CutterThere really is no better. It is for the most part preferential. Most knives that are made by good company's will be comparable at the same prices. Find what ones you like best, and see what steels you like best. A carbon steel like 1095 will hold a VERY sharp edge for a good amount of time, be exceedingly tough, and easy to sharpen. Where as the stainless steels will vary in edge retention, toughness, ease to sharpen, and even corrosion resistance. Knifeinformer has a good but very basic page to give you general information on the steels. I would say look at bradford for an excellent selection in shapes sizes and steels, at least to go off of for reference.
Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 9, 2018
bookworm13Agreed, the Garberg is probably the better comparison. I'd overlooked the fact that this has a full tang.
p.s. Thumbs up for correct use of "facetious".
Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 9, 2018
BenjaboolyYup, I have a couple of Moras, and they hold their edges better than anything other than my M390 Bradford 4. So that's why i was wondering if ESEE does anything even better with their carbon steel blades.
Omniseed
1972
Oct 9, 2018
Daisy_CutterA Mora or two has a place in everyone's house, they're outstanding. I have a stainless one in my car crap, and if I were an avid backpacker or something I would probably have a pair of them in every pack.
Dutch7
53
Oct 9, 2018
Daisy_CutterYou're getting good advice! Mora Companions have less width, which makes them much better slicers vs this ESEE. If you're mainly doing food prep and carving green wood (or doing light carving), the Mora would be the way to go. This ESEE won't do as well with food prep, will likewise be great for light carving, but has enough backbone for heavier-duty tasks that would tax the Mora.
ESEE works wonders with 1095 steel. It's better than Mora's carbon steel, and will be tougher than Mora's stainless. That said, if you're decent at sharpening (or just diligent enough to strop your knives to keep them sharp), either will be a joy to use. I have and really like a Mora Garberg and several Companions. On paper, the ESEE is the superior knife. But I personally get way more use out of my cheap Moras than my higher-dollar ESEEs!
bookworm13
677
Oct 9, 2018
OmniseedI think I'm up to seven Moras now. One in each car, two in the garage, one inside to open packages, one at my parents place and the small craft one at my desk for delicate repairs. Basically they've replaced boxcutters and disposable razers for me. The only problem is I get lazy to do the fully scandi resharpening.
I heard one guy say that in Sweden they consider them disposables and often just toss them rather than resharpen them. 😲
Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 10, 2018
Dutch7Thanks!
I'm really starting to see the advantages of a slimmer blade in many situations. I got the Mora Bushcraft Forest with the weird composite grind just for fun, but since then it's been my go to blade 90% of the time.
If it came in carbon steel I would get one right away.
Tigerman
412
Oct 11, 2018
Daisy_CutterI think ESEE knives are in that rare category where there are almost no weak points or let-downs. You pay for the care they put in to go that last few percent. Heat treat? The best. Will it break? No. Warranty? Lifetime. Design flaws? Nope. Comfortable? Very. Practical? Very. Gimmicks? None whatsoever! They don't claim to cover all possible angles, eg. not stainless, so they are not the be-all and end-all of all knives. In fact not even the best all rounders. If you're shopping with budget and specs in mind, ESEEs will not seem great. You could easily find them boring, too. But if the apocalypse comes, I'll grab my Junglas and ESEE 4, and walk away from all the others without looking back.
Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 11, 2018
TigermanThat does seem to be the general consensus with ESEE, and you have to respect a knife maker that uses a 'boring' steel in an excellent way instead of padding the spec sheet with more exotic materials.
Tigerman
412
Oct 11, 2018
Daisy_CutterThat's a good way of putting it.