I have met quite a few interesting characters in my 20+ years as a sales rep calling on the country's largest home improvement chain, from the multi-millionaire real estate developer who drives a 20 year old pickup, to the medically-retired DEA agent who brings his working dog along with him and who 'alerts' on about 20% of the customers(!!), to the ex-corporate lawyer who is now a cabinet maker and part-time blacksmith.
The last guy, Rob, has turned out to be not just a customer in the store or the target of a sales pitch, but also a friend. When he gets finished with a cabinet commission (his stuff is that cool), he sometimes fires up his forge and cranks out pieces he gives as gifts to clients and friends. I have seen pictures of candlesticks and full-on candelabra to fun things like wrought-iron bottle openers and napkin rings.
This is a longish lead-up to the main topic of this post. Everyone has favorite knives, and their reasons for those choices are quite personal. I decided to get with the program and see what the big deal is with Mora knives, and why they had such a passionate following, by building my own knife! It is a Mora style blade, specifically a Lauri pattern. I don't know enough about the difference to speak on why one is a Mora and one is not, but I'm betting there are folks reading this who can educate me.
Rob gave me this knife blank:
Lauri Knife, Blade 3.7" Long Model #105H
From the website:
- NEW LAURI HIGH CARBON 105H BLADE
- 3.7" X 3/4" WIDE BLADE.
- 8 1/4" OVERALL WITH A 3MM THICK BLADE.
- HARDENED TO 59 ON THE ROCKWELL SCALE.
- UNPOLISHED BLADE WITH SCANDINAVIAN GRIND.THIS IS A NICE SIZE ALL PURPOSE BLADE.
- RAZOR SHARP MADE IN FINLAND.
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| Before |
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| After |
This shaving was done dry on the top of my wrist, with the knife right out of the package.
Ben's Backwoods has a large selection of knives, camping equipment and survival gear that my friend Rob says has never disappointed him in quality or their customer service. I am adding this supplier to my List of Interesting Places that may get some of my money in the future.
A bit bothersome is the lack of handle kits for their knife blanks. I've looked through the site and there are no offerings; I've even searched other places that sell kits, but there are no solid handle options, just a good selection of 'slab' or two-sided kits. This is going to be a more complicated job than expected, since I will have to buy a block of wood of the proper size, drill a hole lengthwise, shape it to a comfortable fit, and then figure out a durable finish.
There will be more updates as I get involved in this project, so stay tuned!
The other thing that I just picked up is a fun and fairly frivolous item, a MOLLE mountable bottle opener, specifically this:
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| http://amzn.to/2cf6MPY |
Product Description:
- Yeti's lightweight MOLLE bottle opener attaches directly to your YETI Hopper, meaning you'll never again be without a way to crack into those frosty brews.
- It's low profile to prevent snagging, attaches snugly for maximum leverage and is made from corrosion-resistant stainless steel that can take a major beating.
- As an added bonus, you can attach it to your pack or any other MOLLE rigging.
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| Mounted on my 5.11 Rush Moab 6 |
The Takeaway
- Adding a knife to my gear and dusting off my woodworking skills all at once is a treat!
- Every purchase doesn't have to be 100% practical. Fun can be in the mix as well.
The Recap
- Lauri knife blade: $11.98 from Ben's Backwoods.
- YETI bottle opener: $10 from REI, or $15.95 from Amazon with Prime.
If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!
NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
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