I’m going through a bit of an obsessive interest in fixed blades, which has been kind of nice. Honestly, after CRK ruined my pocket knife interests for over a year, it was hard to get excited about reviewing new stuff. Then, even after “getting over” my Sebenza love (I’m not over it), I needed something else to pique my interests. Fixed blades it is.
I really liked the Morakniv’s I handled in years past, before I was “knife guy”, so I thought this would be a good place to start. For the price, why not? Years ago, I used to buy the Morakniv half-tang blanks to make custom wooden handles – like this one:
So, I grabbed a Companion. Now, what makes Morakniv’s distinct is the Scandi blade grind, which means it has a single bevel that runs the entire length of the blade. This makes the knife particularly well-suited for slicing and carving tasks, but it can also handle heavier tasks like chopping and batoning. My first project with the Companion was rough-shaping some tree limbs for a bow and arrow project I was doing for my son. The Companion sliced into it like butta – like BUTTA!
Add in a super ergonomic (albeit slightly ugly) handle, this thing is a joy to use. The sheath is pretty good, too. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done and includes a few neat things that I could see coming in handy – like the ability to clip to jacket buttons. The best thing about the sheath, though, is the fact that it has a standard clip instead of the loop system. This means it’s super easy to pop the knife on and off without taking off your belt.
Overall, the Morakniv Companion is a reliable and affordable knife that is well-suited for a wide range of outdoor activities and household tasks. It’s awesome. For the price, even awesome-r. Carry! My only issue is that now that I’ve experienced excellence under $20, I may have ruined all future fixed blades. Only time will tell, and I have no choice but to continue buying new gear.
