Morakniv Basic 511 Fixed-Blade Knife

The 511 is the cheapest of the Moras. Even, symmetric grinds and shaving sharp, like almost all my other Moras. The steel is classic basic carbon steel, easy to sharpen and holds an edge fairly well. It’s very clean Swedish steel, free from contaminants, unlike Chinese steels, which not only makes it perform well, but makes it less likely to chip out or fracture. Since it’s carbon steel and not stainless, it will rust if not maintained with a little mineral oil, but, unlike stainless, it will spark with a piece of flint or certain other types of stone to start a fire. The toyish plastic handle might feel cheap and, yes, keeps the cost down, but it is quite comfortable and ergonomic and protects bare hands from freezing in very cold weather. The sheath is perhaps ugly but functional and can attach to a button in colder weather so you can carry it outside of your coat instead of having to dig underneath to find it on your belt. The unsharpened spine on this model (its primary purpose is for construction, not bushcraft and striking a ferro rod) is easily remedied with a file, grinder or Dremel. The Scandinavian, or “scandi”, grind is easily sharpened as you just lay the flat leading up to the edge on a stone and sharpen away - no trying to maintain a secondary grind like other types of edges. Another plus is that, despite being crazy inexpensive, it’s made in Sweden by people making a living wage, not by slave labor in China.