Picking a Proper Survival Knife

[@mikelychock0310]

Another great, informative video!! Thanks Bruce for providing the free helpful knowledge. Always count on you for practical survival information!!

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thank you

[@Ve-suvius]

You carried the Mora 511 for 20 years? That's quite a time. Shows it served you really well. Trustable companion. I remember Cody Lundin saying to me in an email he still uses that old red handled(wood handle) Mora of him, for decades. I think it is the #1 . Really nice.

[@BruceZawalsky]

They are fantastic knives, use one consonantly since the 1980's

[@Ve-suvius]

@@BruceZawalsky Beautiful. Just excellent. 👌

[@TmanPlaysUncensoredGaming]

Love my moras. Most favorite mora is the garberg carbon. Workhorse of a knife.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Yes they are great blades

[@tumbleweed6658]

I can't believe I missed this channel, the information is rock solid and this guy is a life long student of the late great Mors Kochanski. Next stop on my bushcraft journey is to get copy of Mr. Zawalsky book.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thank you I hope you enjoy the book a and I know you will love my next video

[@vincesterr3557]

Love your work, Bruce. I read Northern Bushcraft as a boy and spent many hours over the years practicing the skills inside. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge on here. You bring a ton of wisdom and practicality to the topic that is relevant for our Northern Canadian playground. It's great advice to ask people to make sure they find out WHY others think knife X is the best survival knife. I bought a few Fallknivens in my time and my favorite is my trusty F1. Can NOT even TRY and argue with your point about the Mora Knives being affordable. I bought them for my kids when they were growing up because when you give one to a 10 year old, it may get lost a few times and that's a lot easier to bear when you can replace it for $15. It's pretty handy to be able to have on in multiple kits as well, so that you always have it when you need it.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thanks and if you like this stuff you will like my book as well

[@20Hikecdt23]

Thanks Bruce. Hope you are doing ok.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Doing well, just working in the northern forest so no time for new videos until I return

[@PreparednessVeteran]

My preferred option would be a Mora too. Just super allrounders. Super information which makes real sense. Many thanks.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thanks glad you enjoyed iy

[@zefsurvival7962]

Hi Bruce great information. Great point about the value of afforardiblity...their is alot of benefits to having multiple knives in multiple location's/kits. Also the willingness to use it - alot of people don't want to truly use their kit. Great information... but I am still waiting to see the Rambo knife you have strapped to your 🦵. ;)

[@BruceZawalsky]

We all like knives, but a knife that costs you too much is a often a waste. Sadly I lost my Rambo knife in a woods clearing exercise in Dundern in 1985 and never bothered to replace it

[@wolfmaan]

Great information, thanks for posting!

[@BruceZawalsky]

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it

[@Jay_A52]

Thanks for the advice!

[@BruceZawalsky]

Great you enjoyed it

[@thecuttingsark5094]

Another great video. Having spent too much money on knives that I later got rid of, I came to a conclusion. The Mora is close enough to perfect, the extra strength on the full tangs is unnecessary weight and if I need something heavy duty I use a saw or axe. People moan about the cost of beautiful Swedish axes but waste twice the money on knives! Crazy.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thank you and yes they are amazing knives and have used them for years myself and with thousands of students, they are fantastic.

[@hb.canada]

Hello Mr. Zawalsky your videos are always very interesting. Thank you for everything you share on KZbin. I was wondering what is more durable for the Canadian winter, with its intense cold. Is it preferable to use a carbon blade or a stainless steel blade? (for tasks like batoning and other more challenging activities in cold weather) Thanks in advance.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Carbon steel work fine in cold weather, I like carbon steel it is easier to sharpened and stays sharp longer, handles the cold and only use stainless steel if I am operating on water. Batoning in extreme cold may affect the handles of cheaper plastic.

[@hb.canada]

@@BruceZawalsky Thank you very much for your quick response, your opinion matters to me. Have a good day and thanks again. 🤠

[@MichaelTravis12c27]

Bruce, I just got your book and have started to go through your video library. First, thank you for what you are doing. No fluff, no-nonsense, just solid information gleaned from first-hand experience. I deal with a LOT of knives, from the basic Mora to high-end customs. (I've shifted from youtube to writing for magazines) I also have a highly sought-after custom knife smith for a father-in-law. We have discussed MANY times that while the customs are wonderful, no one really needs anything more than a good Mora. If you have access to American Survival Guide magazine, I have an article on a knife company called Rokka out of Finland. They are much more expensive than the Mora, but they are one of the best bushcraft/survival blades I've come across in a long time. They fit all of your parameters. I'm curious as to your thoughts on Fallkniven. I've been using an F1X and while it is heavier than I think you would like for neck carry, it has proven to be a tremendous knife. I've found that the steel (laminated stainless) holds an edge for a very long time, has great cutting geometry, and isn't at all difficult to sharpen. I can only presume that you have had ample experience with Fallkniven. Do you have any experiential objections to them?

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thanks and I don't recognize thr knife company, but lot of good kit out of Finland and I saw a number of great Finnish knives at the Global Bushcraft Symposium two years ago. Where do you buy them, they are certainly worth a look.

[@MichaelTravis12c27]

@@BruceZawalsky Lamnia seems to be the best place to find them.

[@Ve-suvius]

I liked and subscribed 😁👍.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Thank you

[@Ve-suvius]

@@BruceZawalsky 🙏🙌 Thank you too for these informative video's.

[@Bushprowler]

This Ben's Backwoods knife is just a clone of Mike Lummio's design which was the Entrek Forester at first and later on the BCNW O1 from Woodbear knives. It's based on a Mora Classic but not quite the same blade width, full tang, thicker blade and a beefier handle.

[@BruceZawalsky]

I don't think I have ever seen that knife in Canada, but I will look for it

[@davidchen3862]

Mora knives are great. Have a few around and packed away in different places so that it is there if needed. I do like and used more often my better knives. A knife, like any other tool, is only as good as the user. Using, practicing and knowing the limitations and capabilities of a tool is key. I've tried and tried over the years to have knives and/or fire steel around my neck but for me that's a no go. It drives me bat **** crazy.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Wearing it around your neck does take a bit of getting used to, and if we were all the same the world would be a bit boring

[@alf3553]

I have a couple old blades (nothing expensive) but since I discovered Mora’s well like you said, cheap & just an all round great blade for the money. You can have a Mora in every pack & vehicle kit & still have money for Pizza Night 😂

[@BruceZawalsky]

They make fantastic knives for Survival Kits

[@jessehemphill9406]

I make knives (not for a living anymore) and have a Mora I carry every day

[@BruceZawalsky]

Fantastic

[@jessehemphill9406]

@@BruceZawalsky just found your channel love it!!!!

[@BruceZawalsky]

@@jessehemphill9406 Thank you, enjoy

[@Jeffrey1978]

Bruce, So you would not recommend the Mora Garberg Carbon Steel knife before choosing a custom made knife?

[@BruceZawalsky]

Yes, it's a huge price difference for a very small difference, I like the Pro C but as a rule all their knives are exceptionally good

[@Jeffrey1978]

@@BruceZawalsky So just to verify, the Pro S is the Stainless steel version and the Pro C is Carbon steel correct? Both are full tang as well?

[@zefsurvival7962]

I can't wait....you will pull out a 3foot long samurai sword that has button compass in the secret handle compartment... maybe 👀 not;) I guess I will have to wait and see. :)

[@BruceZawalsky]

Its unlikely, I do have a pruning saw from Japan that looks like a Samurai sword from a distance, but it has no secret button compass compartment

[@Ve-suvius]

What's your thought on the tiny gaps between the handle and the blade of the knife. I have seen this with all the Mora Pro C's , Robust. I can put a piece of paper a little over a 1/4 inch down there. With all of the Pro C's.. A lot less on the Mora Companion HD, not at my regular Companion.. Carbon tends to rust more quickly. Is it a problem when moist/water gets in.. Do you see the need to seal it off ...?

[@BruceZawalsky]

I have never seen a problem with it, i sharpened it regularly and keep it dry, if you were worried then a very small amount of epoxy would certainly seal it

[@Ve-suvius]

@@BruceZawalsky If you've never seen a problem with it. I would think it should be not so much of a problem. You had use the Mora 511 for over 20 years? And Canada has its wet weather also .. 1+1=2 here ?

[@Ve-suvius]

@@BruceZawalsky I'm not going to fix something that isn't broke.

[@Semeion7]

Scandi need lot of work to sharpen, i preffer full flat style for surviving and stainless steel. Something like Fallkniven A1 is a better choice.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Razor sharp in 5min is not a lot of work

[@Semeion7]

@@BruceZawalsky if you sharpen a scandi blade in 5 min, you'll leave it all scratched up, it's not a clean job.

[@BruceZawalsky]

@@Semeion7 I have taught over 1000 people in my 28 years of fulltime teaching of wilderness survival in Canada on how to sharpen scandi bladed knives and a dialy sharpening does not scratch the knife if you make the right kind of sharpening board and sharpen it correctly

[@Semeion7]

@@BruceZawalsky ok

[@Ve-suvius]

Most of the time all it needs is a touch up with the strop. If it is a bit more dull, 1000 grit is plenty. That's my experience. After that the strop and it is shiney shiney again. You can also go for 2000 grit before the strop. It's most of the times already plenty to go back to the razor edge. I use sandpaper for sharpening...I like that the best. Better for me than waterstones or diamonds stones.

[@howardvarley8795]

I would NEVER trust my life to a cheap 2mm thick partial tang knife, because they break!!... Too easily. Ive broken several processing wood, two preparing veg in the kitchen! And I would Never put a (cheap) cost on my life.

[@BruceZawalsky]

Strangely I have never broke one myself, I have had a few students break the old style plastic handles by batoning them at cold temps, but never the blade of a MoraKnife and I used them for 100’s of hours in the wilderness at very cold temperatures

[@Ve-suvius]

@@BruceZawalsky Skills makes the difference. 😁😉 They are tough enough. The Pro C tougher than the 511 ofcourse. The Pro Robust even a little tougher. Joe X (Austrian guy with the gasmask/ funny dude) has some destruction video's on several Mora's. Breaking a Mora in the kitchen on veggies? I don't know about that. There must be something wrong. But with what or who? 😋 And the Mora Companion Heavy Duty (look at the video of Joe X on that one), if someone claims to break that, he has a screw loose in his head. Don't go for survival , stay at home. But people like that are even at home not safe.