A knife is probably the one tool that almost every adult uses on a daily basis. They are so ubiquitous that some people never give them a second thought. I am not one of those people. It’s true that some have called me a knife snob, but I’m fine with that. I like knives. I’ve even made a few of my own, but that’s a different story. The Morakniv Companion is a knife that I would take with me anywhere (barring TSA restrictions of course). The knife comes in three versions, the regular Companion, the Companion Rescue and the Companion Serrated. For this review I tested the Morakniv Companion Serrated.
All three versions of the Morakniv Companion are made from Swedish cold-rolled stainless steel*. This is an ideal choice for an outdoor knife, making it less susceptible to corrosion and pitting than a high carbon blade. The blade itself is 104mm long (about 4 inches) and is 2.5mm thick. The knife is well balanced and comfortable to hold. The handle, which is made from a high friction grip rubberized material, is great when it is dry but not as grippy as I expected once it got wet. I would not call it slippery, it’s just a noticeable difference. Which, I guess, is to be expected.
At first, I was a little skeptical about the plastic sheath that comes with the knife, but I have to say that I came around on it. I like that it is rigid. It protects the knife and you quite well and it will not get damp when exposed to water. The knife locks into the sheath, by kind of snapping into place, which keeps it from slipping out while it’s in your backpack or on your belt. That’s right, the sheath has a belt clip. So if you want to be all Grissly Adams you can wear this knife on your hip. The belt clip is really the only week part of this knife that I could detect. I like how easy it is to slip over your belt. It holds quite well, but I’m concerned that it could break, either from repeated use or from overly aggressive handling. Time will tell on that one.
I don’t get out on the trail much this time of year, so I tested this knife out in our kitchen and the blade is great. Sharp enough to make short work of a pineapple, something every outdoor enthusiast brings along on an outing. Seriously though, it was a good test. The knife had no problem cutting through the outer coating and was easy to use as I cut the pineapple up into bite size chunks (delicious). After my snack, I tested it out on some rope that I had lying around and of course it worked great. It’s not as comfortable as a chef’s knife, but this is a utility knife, a knife that easily moves from the cutting board to the coil of rope that’s in the trunk of your car. I skipped the tin can routine, because that is so last century, but I will say “it slices, it dices…. etc. etc. etc.”
Morakniv has been making knives for over 100 years. They know what their doing. This knife is built for the outdoors. All together, the knife and sheath weigh just over four ounces, and since a knife is one of the ten essentials, I would seriously consider picking one of these up to add to your gear. Regardless of what kind of outdoor activity you prefer, from roughing it to glamping, a fixed blade knife is something you’ll want around. At least I know that I do. As an added bonus the Morakniv Companion comes in multiple colors, so if safety orange is not quite your style, hopefully you’ll find something that is.
The good:
- made from high quality Swedish stainless steel
- well balanced
- comfortable to use
- versatile
The bad:
- belt clip might break over time
Would I Recommend it:
- absolutely
Available from Amazon for about $15.00
The More you Know:
*Stainless steel is a steel alloy that contains a minimum of 10.5% chromium by mass. The chromium creates a passive film of chromium oxide that prevents oxygen from diffusing into the steel and blocks corrosion both at the surface level and in the metal’s internal structure.
Boreing stuff: All images (except the pineapple photo and belt clip) courtesy of Morakniv. Morakniv provided me with a free review sample of this knife, this did not effect the opinions expressed in this review.