Spotlight: Mora Garberg Multimount bushcraft knife

Immediately after its release in 2016 the Mora Garberg had quite the impact. Budget brand Morakniv introduces a €100 knife? The nerve.. is what most bushcraft enthusiasts thought. At least: until the first enthusiasts got a hold of one. It was love at first sight!

To understand why the Garberg was such a remarkable step for the Swedish brand you need to know which tools actually put Mora on the map. It were budget knives such as the Mora Companion. A simple and decent knife, perfect for bushcraft and hunting purposes, which will cost you no more than 20 euros. Many bushcraft enthusiasts started their first fire with this knife. And even people who spend hundreds of euros on outdoor knives, often own one or multiple Mora Companions. This fact alone tells you more about how beloved those knives are.

Mora Garberg

But Mora felt it could do better than the standard knives they had been producing for a while. It is exactly why, all of a sudden, the Garberg entered the stage. Mora did everything it could to turn this knife into the most sustainable Mora knife ever. It took years before the final design was ready. Experts such as Dave Canterbury, known from the Discovery Channel, tested the Garberg in the field and gave feedback to make this knife even better. The product developers at Mora went to extremes and did everything in their power to make sure the Garberg was as good and strong as possible.

Sandvik 14C28N steel

For the blade Mora selected a great type of stainless steel: Sandvik 14C28N. For Mora it was the first time they worked with this type of steel, but in the knife world 14C28N already proved its worth a million times over. Strong, abrasion-resistant and easy to sharpen. It also retains its sharpness well.

In terms of blade Mora worked with a type of modified clippoint. As a result the tip is perfectly positioned in relation to the handle. As you might already expect from Mora the Garberg is also enhanced with a scandi edge. Perfect for wood work and easy to sharpen.

Handle on the Mora Garberg

Mora selected polyamide for the handle. A strong type of plastic that can handle quite a lot. The plastic handle is completely wrapped around the tang of the blade. As a result your hand will never get into contact with the steel tang of the blade. Especially in very cold or very hot circumstances this is a massive advantage. Your hand won't freeze onto the tang when it is -20 degrees out.

The round shape of the handle feels great in hand, even when you use it for a long period of time. The front and back have been enhanced with subtle protrusions that ensure you won't slip and end up on the blade. The way that the middle part is a little thicker than the end of the handle is called a 'palm swell'. As such the handle nicely fills your hand, making it perfect for both small and large hands.

Solidity and video review

You need to be able to rely on an outdoor knife such as this. For that reason the construction of the Garberg is so great: no individual parts, no screws. Simply a steel blade with tang surrounded by a strong plastic handle. Different field tests have shown that the Garberg can handle quite a lot.

The guys at Dutch Bushcraft Knives made the video review listed below in which they show what the Mora Garberg is capable of.

Perfect for building fires

Many bushcraft enthusiasts feel that the Garberg is perfect for building fires. With its scandi-edge splitting kindling and cutting feathersticks is child's play. But perhaps its most important asset it the way the spine of the blade is sharpened.

It is perfectly square and very sharp. Not so sharp you will cut yourself during use, but sharp enough to make sure you can effectively use a firesteel. In fact, we still need to find other knives that can do better than this. It is also perfect for scraping tinder from fatwood or birch bark.

The end of the tang, the steel part that is sticking from the back of the handle is just as sharp. As such the Garberg is incredibly versatile in this respect.

Mora Garberg Multimount sheath

When you go out into the world you will also need a decent sheath. In this case we selected the Multimount version. A solid plastic sheath that comes with different mountings options.

The Multimount system is basically a plastic holder you use to secure the sheath. With the individual Velcro straps you can attach the mount to a MOLLE compatible web. You could also screw the plastic base on any surface where the knife might come in handy.

Or you could merely wear the plastic sheath with the belt loop. The knife is nicely secured inside the sheath, however, for more security Mora also included a ring with a retention strap to make sure the knife will never leave the sheath when you don't want it to.

In addition to the Multimount option you can also select the version with a leather sheath.

Conclusion

Initially the Mora Garberg could count on some scepticism. Today, however, the Mora Garberg is embraced by the bushcraft community. The argument against the price of the Garberg is no longer relevant, simply because the quality and finish got so much better compared to the 'old' Mora knives. Exactly what Mora has been excelling at for years.