@@taitrunkl7086 I am not an expert, but at the military the Sargeant told us that in a long march you notice every gram, it was because one of us wore his big gold Diesel watch before going on a march, and he said if this would be a 40 km march his arm would probably fall off, but it just was a 10 km march so it wasn't that bad. The next thing is that everything too much sums up quickly, depending on what you do you have a lot of stuff on you, and if everything is even slightly too heavy it can sum up to a point where you strongly notice it after a while.
@@Universal_Craftsman Ye but it's still a pair of socks weight we're talking about, I don't doubt that on a long march you should have the least amount of weight on you as possible, but paying another (over) $50 for lighter scales and other lighter steel when you literally already have a great knife just grams over your "limited wight" that was based on feeling not calculations or anything doesn't seem worth to me. I'm not saying he did anything wrong, I mean it's his youtube and his money and it's probably worth it to get 3 episodes out of 1 if he went with that knife, but for real life I don't think it's necessary, with that orange knife he'd be just fine.
I used to go backpacking with a small cast iron pan strapped to my backpack, and I caught a lot of grief from guys who would spend an incredible amount of money on freeze-dried foods and paper-thin, flimsy cookware, to save a few ounces of weight. But you'd be amazed how they lined up in the evenings to use my pan when I was done with it....
I can relate to packing heavy. I do some mountain trail runs selecting the ones that are predominated by athletes. I necessarily date only much younger because I would love to have children, so it's also necessary to prove that I have fitness advantages to attract a young lady capable of keeping up with me. While hiking with the competitive fast pace group in the lead, they are all about lightweight even to the extent of caculating the minimum amount of water to pack. Typically, they will rest and socialize at the peak and that's where I surprise them all by having packed extraordinary heavy with stainless steel vacuum bottles of cold water for each to have one. I can get away with that because I'm a bicycle racer.
My knife is probably the last place I'd personally choose to save on weight. I want a knife I can chop down a tree with. But the video was interesting. One thing that came to mind to me was that you could probably save some weight by using flared tubing as oppose to loveless bolts. You'd still have a mechanical connection due to the flare, but it would be a lot less material than loveless bolts.
I'm a fan of monster knives and have literally hundreds of amazing big blades. With that Said, over the kast few years I've learned I can do 90 percent of the same work with smaller, easier to sharpen blades, that are much lighter. Now I carry a martinni as my edc , and i do have some moras, I think they are great smaller lighter blades, but the style and craftsmanship of the martinni from finnland wins my favorite knife award, well for lighter knives, I do love my bowies. I'm a big man, work in the woods and live in the mouatins , weight doesn't bother me while hiking, I'm always walking and carrying stuff lol, but my kids and wife don't have that same strength, my sons will, but not yet, so these knives are perfect for them, razor sharp, tough as hell for the size and they are great for craving when your bored or need something made quickly or for fun.
I do a ridiculous amount of hiking in the mountains of Western Maine and NH and the single most significant and noticeable weight change I've ever experienced was when I went to lighter......shoes. I still applaud your quest for a light durable fixed blade and I can't wait to see what you create.
what shoes do you prefer? and how durable are they? i wear boots 24/7 and have always been happy with the protection, stability and durability. im genuinely curious as to what your experience has been.
I live in the Rocky's, I don't know about where you are but when I was in Missouri (Fort Leonard Wood) what they called mountains (Ozarks) we call foothills
@@krknfmkr8919 yeah, i started wearing boots fulltime when i was 14 on my first construction jobsite. never felt the need for anything different outside of football cleats. im 25 now and haven't skipped a day haha. still it makes sense that weight on your feet lilely drains more energy then weight on your back, bigger tires kill your fuel economy and such... i cant shake the idea that boots are the right place to "spend" the weight. people definately take their feet for granted. also, one of my favorite sayings is "a man should spend good money on 2 things, his boots and his bed. because if hes not in one hes in the other."
I love my Mora Basic, it's my favourite knife regardless of cost, since I'm a UK hunter which is basically just field dressing rabbits, pigeons, squirrels etc, I don't need to baton or start fires etc. So it's literally perfect.
Man, I am super excited to see what comes of this project. I just finished my woodelore clone and the difference in weight to my previous backpacker is incredible. I can’t imagine a completely usable knife under 3oz. Good luck brother!
I mean .... Throughout the indigenous world over, the tribal people usually carry 3 blades of varying sizes. Their life is in nature all times and they almost always carry a small knife. The western ideology of knives is silly at best.
Hi, I see this is from 3 years ago. Do you still have the knife. Did you sell it? How big was it? Do you have a video on your channel about making it? I looked, but couldn't find one
Moraknive sells blade blanks. I just ordered one and am going to make my own handle for it. No idea what kind of steel it is, but I just want to try and make the handle as my foray into knife making.
If it's stainless, it's 12C27. If it's carbon steel, it's UHB-20C which is a European version of 1095 with a bit of silicone added in which gives the knife a bit more flexibility.
I’ve advertised for Mora knives for years, I’m a barber and a customer told me he was skinning a bear next to a buddy and he said he had to sharpen his knife 3-4 times but his buddy never stopped skinning so my customer is a believer now! Lol Swedish metal is very good
@@scottyj6226 that makes me wonder now since they are very far north and needing to drill in ice is not rare for them. And Mora makes more cutting tools than about everyone.
@@BobSmith-kd6lq I've searched for years. Have never found anything that competes with a Mora basic for the money. So now I collect them, and make customs for friends and customers.
Couldn’t you save the $50, give it to your buddy and have him carry your backbreaking knife for you? Problem solved. You have a nice knife to use, you’re 3.5 ounces lighter and not just a fraction of an ounce, and your buddy is richer and in better shape. I’m really good at problem solving.
I have been carrying the exact same knife for years - and I've had plenty of knife snobs make comment about it. The batoning is a legit drawback - but I have stopped doing that and begun making feather sticks instead. It works great for that, and I can even start fires with damp wood!
Up here (In Canada), we simply call this "Proving your citizenship." Plus, if your pet Polar Bear gets lonely, he has a buddy to play with. Aaand if he gets hungry...
@@ahmedshakir6967 Not a good idea I personally have had many Beavers as friends/companions and it always the same thing, lets go shopping, buy me stuff,where are you taking me for dinner, I want a ring, my mother said....Wholly crap ! You are better off NOT getting Beavers involved in anything.
excited for this project. you might want to consider leaving 1 or more diagonal pieces of metal in the center of the hollowed out handle to add some rigidity. like a truss bridge. contouring your handle even more than the prototype might help as well. my concern with thinner stock is that you want a wedge shape to separate the wood while batoning. a thin knife will have a tendency to get stuck. perhaps you can get away with a thicker stock knife that is less tall to save weight (meaning from cutting edge to spine). maybe with a scandi grind?
I have a chest full of knives. The MORA #1 was my EDC for a few years before I went to a multi tool. Shape as hell, cheap and worth it. I still use that MORA at least once a day.
Happy to hear of your plan to go much thinner! I just bought a knife from a small, up-and-coming custom maker. It's 0.072'' thick CruWear with a scandi grind. Even thinner than a Mora basic. I haven't used it much yet, but I'm really excited to try it out. Seems perfect for my normal hiking/backpacking use. I hear excellent things about the toughness of CPM 1V. Maybe look into that?
I’ve been using a morakniv 4.1 inch for a few years now, and it has not disappointed. Retains its blade, even after many uses, like woodcarving and general cutting
@@ssunfish there are a ton of good choices for this. Balsa is not the wood to use for that regardless of weight. Don't understand why you even mentioned it
I few ideas came to me watching this! Taper the tang, use carbon fibre or aluminium pins and maybe wood is a lighter handle material? I was thinking about beech or birch for handle scales.
Great video,I can't wait for the prototype an testing. My idea would be to router out scale from the inside to reduce weight an make them wider then add a cork insert to take up the space inside the handle,now I would seal the cork with a plastic coating before epoxying over it an I would use aluminum pins . A lot of prototypes to get it right but that's the fun of building an challenge yourself,you get experience an tested knowledge in real world experience. Keep up the good work Alex ,I still want you to make a Savage version of your knife with a Kukuri style blade mixed with your blade design on the Savage knife you made .
I decided to reduce weight in my backpack by removing other items which I could do without and keep a decent knife on my utility belt and a decent bedding also.
Take a look at the construction of the scales on the dpx hest original, they're slightly smaller than the tang itself (surprisingly comfortable) and they've been hollowed out for storage. Could shave a bit of weight that way. And I've seen some designs where the tang tapers off towards the back, likely for balancing but also would shave some grams. Good luck with your diet!
I've had a mora robust for a while and the only thing I would change about is adding just a little bit of length, looks like your ultimate knife is pretty much what I'd want out of mine as well
I love my Mora Robust. If all you want is slightly more length, then they also make a thicker version of the Mora Companion. It's called the Companion HD (heavy duty). Less than $25.
@@Danielson1818 Yep , the HD is no less than a fantastic knife , and it is plenty strong enough to baton on . In destruction tests it does as good or better than many much more expensive knives .
Generally, I would say that "I want a knife that does a thing and meet a certain criteria, and it also happens to be an interesting engineering puzzle" is a good enough reason as any to make a knife.
love the idea. sounds like a great knife. For me though, id rather save weight elsewhere over my knife. This is coming from a guy who carries a kukri though lol
I've watched a lot of videos on knife making, and I like yours best. Your explanations and knowledge are better than anyone before....well except for Shurap. Haha. Keep it up man!
Excellent video my friend, that's food for thought or is it fool for thought.?Just buy a Mora companion knife that's all I use hunting or fishing or hiking and a black plastic sack and Butchers twine.I leave all my rifles and my huge knife collection in the gun room,i just subbed.Stay safe.
The companion doesn't fit the design parameters i set in the video. Its not about the mora. It's about designing a knife to fit a specific use and specifications. Hope this helps make sense of this video 🙂 Thanks for the comment! And the sub! It's always appreciated 👍👍👊
I used to go backpacking for around a month more or less every summer. However I definitely didn't hike 15+miles every day, I didn't even hike every day. When I found a nice spot near a nice trout hole or a waterfall swimming hole I would spend 2-4 days enjoying that place and that was the best thing about having no schedule, phone, or companions for the trip. That 25-30 days of relaxing, solitary, self reliance and freedom made the rest of the year much more tolerable and kept me in a much better place mentally. Anyway people who spend their vacation behaving like a drill instructor was barking at them make me confused and suspicious.
My Mora 2000 lives in my haversack, for day excursions, it's maybe just a packet of chewing gum heavier than your specifications. !! Lol,,, If you can nail down your parameters, I'll buy one, for sure,, (but only if it's stainless,, 12C27 ?), ha ha,, can't wait for the next installment,, cheers,,,,
I'm all for designing your own knife, and I know you'll do a fantastic job, but I myself personally wouldn't be able to tell or physically notice the difference of 5 ounces in my bag. I'd happily carry the larger knife no matter what kind of hiking or camping I'm doing.
I sell some hiking stuff at my store and and the lengths people go to in order to save a gram of weight is astounding. Squirting toothpaste dollops onto wax paper then letting them dry. I guess all the water in the toothpaste is too heavy.
I agree with you honestly but I think the idea is three items that are 5 ounces less is basically a pound --- so if you take 5 ounces off 9 items you've lost 3 pounds - and my pace is 64 steps per 100 meters--- so that is 3 pounds EVERY step or 192 for all the steps in just 100 meters. Again I DO agree I just carry the weight but then I just camp and do short hikes out to my locations in minimal mountainous terrain
@@TingTingalingy I'm not sure he does count paces, lol. I was a surveyor for years and it takes me 36-37 steps to go 100 feet. That's about 115 steps for 100 meters. Accomplishing that in only 64 steps seems unrealistic, unless he is 10 foot tall.
The online knife community is very obsessed with knife weight. They see very small knives like a Spyderco Native, para 3, and even the lil native or dragonfly as monstrously bulky weapons of war. I think they eventually want all knives to have hollow plastic handles and blade geometry like a box cutter razor. It's almost as if they despise durability. And of course, many of them believe that if the knife breaks for ANY reason it's because you were using it wrong. Lol
Cool project. Honestly, I just carry a pocket knife these days when I thru hike. It’s not often you need it, and I’ve batoned my cheap spydeco when needed. Mostly we just cook on our stoves.
@@johnwamsley1896 It is funny how time makes a fool out of one... I started carrying my 22 cause it is lighter and has more rounds... I would take everything the lightest possible now...
@@dirtysouthbushcraftandmma9784, BINGO!. The video is about making a knife that works for hiking and camping, not about being so afraid that one feels he needs a large caliber firearm at his side. ...thus my question about his big gun whittling wood into kindling. Some of us go hiking all the time and rarely carry a sidearm or long rifle.
I always come back to this video. Ive played the game, bought into blade steel hype, spent couple thousand on knives. The ones take camping and hunting? A bahco laplander or mora companion. Folding knife is a cold steel prolite clip point. About $50 for all three.
Right, I have no clue why he says convex would shave off weight... It has more material than even a flat grind. The reason his convex is lighter is just because he also increased the primary bevel height up to the spine
I agree 100% on the weight. When I first started on hunting, I geeked out on specs of my shot gun and wanted to have the best with me but I learnt quickly that after a few hours walking in the rainforest, the weight can feel 2-3x the actual weight. That adds up when you need to carry your animal back, it's crazy. Now when I shop, I see first is the weight. It has to be some of the lightest I can find and the specs would be secondary. As long as it doesn't get lots of complains, I'm good to go. I'd get a light knife too when I'm walking that long and far
your sense of humor is cool!...Oh....and i like beimg as heavy as possible when i climb mountains thats why i strap sand bags to my arms neck legs and feet....makes me feel like a real man :-)
I just found your videos a day ago.... I’ve watched quite a few since. Lol! You gotta come back... your videos are great!! They are timeless!! You gotta come back man!! I love your work! I hope to see more! I can’t wait to see more! I’ll be here when you get back! Damn good work! Laughing my ass off while learning at the same time! Great content!
3v and S7 are some really nice and tough steels. A8 mod is really tough stuff too. You might try Titanium, it can be heat treated and/or have the edge carbidized. Don't know how well it'll do on batoning, but it will be much lighter. Other ways you can save weight is make the knife narrower, skeletonize or drill holes in the scales, shape scales(contour or anso pattern), tapered tang, crown the spine(help with batoning by removing stress points and feels nicer but no ferro rod stricking).
Have you come across Yakut Knives. They are forged with a hollow grove on one side. I’m interested in copying the idea using a grinder on a file knife. In your case this groves blade could lose weight. Also what about a foam type material for scales?
I understand your design challenge, bu tat 76 I'm to damn old to start worrying about weight now never did even think about weight until I started watching you tube . When I was taught about living in the out doors staying for a few weeks or more in the mountains weight was just not talked about we just took what we needed and dealt with it . I't's for the young to deal with ounces not me but we really like your knives and the way you make your video's stay safe out there . Happy trails
My favorite things. Backpacking and knives. I typically just go for the manix 2 lightweight as apposed to a fixed blade simply for the weight savings, knowing that i lose capability. I interested to see what you come up with
There are plenty of knives that are very much like a Mora Basic. They are called Bait knives. But they really don't make a substantial improvement on the Mora (most are actually 420 crap!) . Strangely, while in the Army and walking 15-30 miles a day, the weight of Mk2 Fighting knife was the least of my worry when it came to weight. Water was probably the heaviest thing carried after ammunition. Okay, with that said, I was thrilled with this video. My thought was going with a shorter handle or slightly shorter blade. Can't wait to see the follow up and your new steel choice! Big Thumbs up!
I totally agree with you on the paracord only handles speech. Haha. I use the Mora Classic no. 2. I love that for camping. Feathersticks, battoning kindling, etc...
Tapering the tang will help, even a slight taper on the thinner stock you plan on using. If you want to keep the handle-pin attachment strength with the use of threaded pins, use some *aluminum* Corby bolts in a smaller diameter than 1/4" which is more than you need, 3/16 or even an 1/8" Corby bolt head should be fine. Or just get some carbon fiber pin stock. Sand blast and thoroughly clean you tang finishing with denatured alcohol because it doesn't leave any residue like acetone does. Proper epoxy preparation with a good slow curing epoxy (such a g-flex) can make all the difference between it merely being used as a sealant from moister and it being a good and strong bond. Always make sure to properly measure and throughly mix the epoxy for _at least_ a few minutes. These may seem not that important but it can really make a big difference in its overall bonding strength, then almost negating the need for any pins, and something like carbon fiber pins would be just fine when good quality epoxy is used to is full potential. Also, for the large cut out in the tang, I would make a cut out using some light poplar wood (or the like) to fit inside of there and then just drill a few holes in the wood for some epoxy rivets. That large hole requires a lot of epoxy to fill up, which can add some extra weight verses filling most of that room with a very light wood. Carbon fiber is light with regard to its strength to weight ratio versus steel, but it still isn't super lightweight in itself for a handle material. It may not be as indestructible as carbon fiber, but some curly Maple scales (or walnut) would also reduce the weight and still be pretty strong, you could even dye them orange for better visibility if you wanted lol. Maple and walnut have been used of guns for centuries.m some other lighter and yet strong synthetics would be neoprene rubber sheets, which apparently some hunters enjoy on their knives. Obviously some of these recommendations or a bit over the top, but since you're trying to shave a few grams here and there, then shave it in every single material you use on the knife. Looking forward to seeing your tests and the results. Take care :)
I like your vision and trying to achieve a goal for your personal wants in a knife. Myself, I choose the knife that I feel I'm going to need in any possible situation, while backpacking, camping, fishing, hunting, and whatever the weight is, that's what I have to carry. I've carried my Kukri on many occasions, but found it to be too big for some tasks, and I've carried inexpensive fixed blade garbage knives from the army surplus store. But my go to knife for the last 20 years or so is my Gerber LMF. It's in my opinion the perfect all around, do everything knife. The only other knife I would carry if I owned one would be the Gerber BMF. I still want to buy a BMF but they cost a lot of money. The size of the BMF is pushing the comfort zone in some situations but its size will be a life saver in some situations, also. The LMF is in the Goldilocks zone, not too big, not too small, but just right.
"200 g is too much, I have to cut that in half for backpacking."
Me, probably 30 kg (60 lbs) overweight: Oh, I have a problem.
Yes
109 is too much because we need 85 brugh who will notice that while carrying a whole backpack.
@@taitrunkl7086 I am not an expert, but at the military the Sargeant told us that in a long march you notice every gram, it was because one of us wore his big gold Diesel watch before going on a march, and he said if this would be a 40 km march his arm would probably fall off, but it just was a 10 km march so it wasn't that bad. The next thing is that everything too much sums up quickly, depending on what you do you have a lot of stuff on you, and if everything is even slightly too heavy it can sum up to a point where you strongly notice it after a while.
@@Universal_Craftsman Ye but it's still a pair of socks weight we're talking about, I don't doubt that on a long march you should have the least amount of weight on you as possible, but paying another (over) $50 for lighter scales and other lighter steel when you literally already have a great knife just grams over your "limited wight" that was based on feeling not calculations or anything doesn't seem worth to me. I'm not saying he did anything wrong, I mean it's his youtube and his money and it's probably worth it to get 3 episodes out of 1 if he went with that knife, but for real life I don't think it's necessary, with that orange knife he'd be just fine.
@@taitrunkl7086 Your point makes sense off course.
I used to go backpacking with a small cast iron pan strapped to my backpack, and I caught a lot of grief from guys who would spend an incredible amount of money on freeze-dried foods and paper-thin, flimsy cookware, to save a few ounces of weight. But you'd be amazed how they lined up in the evenings to use my pan when I was done with it....
I enjoy both types of hiking. Only one allows you to do 30 mile pace per day though.
I like this comment a lot
I can relate to packing heavy. I do some mountain trail runs selecting the ones that are predominated by athletes. I necessarily date only much younger because I would love to have children, so it's also necessary to prove that I have fitness advantages to attract a young lady capable of keeping up with me. While hiking with the competitive fast pace group in the lead, they are all about lightweight even to the extent of caculating the minimum amount of water to pack. Typically, they will rest and socialize at the peak and that's where I surprise them all by having packed extraordinary heavy with stainless steel vacuum bottles of cold water for each to have one. I can get away with that because I'm a bicycle racer.
My knife is probably the last place I'd personally choose to save on weight. I want a knife I can chop down a tree with. But the video was interesting. One thing that came to mind to me was that you could probably save some weight by using flared tubing as oppose to loveless bolts. You'd still have a mechanical connection due to the flare, but it would be a lot less material than loveless bolts.
I'm a fan of monster knives and have literally hundreds of amazing big blades. With that Said, over the kast few years I've learned I can do 90 percent of the same work with smaller, easier to sharpen blades, that are much lighter. Now I carry a martinni as my edc , and i do have some moras, I think they are great smaller lighter blades, but the style and craftsmanship of the martinni from finnland wins my favorite knife award, well for lighter knives, I do love my bowies. I'm a big man, work in the woods and live in the mouatins , weight doesn't bother me while hiking, I'm always walking and carrying stuff lol, but my kids and wife don't have that same strength, my sons will, but not yet, so these knives are perfect for them, razor sharp, tough as hell for the size and they are great for craving when your bored or need something made quickly or for fun.
I bring an "Old Timer Schrade" camping but I daily carry a "Man Bug" smaller than a bic lighter.
I do a ridiculous amount of hiking in the mountains of Western Maine and NH
and the single most significant and noticeable weight change I've ever
experienced was when I went to lighter......shoes. I still applaud your quest
for a light durable fixed blade and I can't wait to see what you create.
what shoes do you prefer? and how durable are they?
i wear boots 24/7 and have always been happy with the protection, stability and durability. im genuinely curious as to what your experience has been.
I live in the Rocky's, I don't know about where you are but when I was in Missouri (Fort Leonard Wood) what they called mountains (Ozarks) we call foothills
@@Trickydickysticky I hear ya. 20+ years sheet metal worker, I wear Caterpillar steel toe boots every day.
@@krknfmkr8919 yeah, i started wearing boots fulltime when i was 14 on my first construction jobsite. never felt the need for anything different outside of football cleats.
im 25 now and haven't skipped a day haha. still it makes sense that weight on your feet lilely drains more energy then weight on your back, bigger tires kill your fuel economy and such...
i cant shake the idea that boots are the right place to "spend" the weight. people definately take their feet for granted.
also, one of my favorite sayings is
"a man should spend good money on 2 things, his boots and his bed. because if hes not in one hes in the other."
There's a Dutch company called 'Haix', they make some of the best boots out there.
I love my Mora Basic, it's my favourite knife regardless of cost, since I'm a UK hunter which is basically just field dressing rabbits, pigeons, squirrels etc, I don't need to baton or start fires etc. So it's literally perfect.
Man, I am super excited to see what comes of this project. I just finished my woodelore clone and the difference in weight to my previous backpacker is incredible. I can’t imagine a completely usable knife under 3oz. Good luck brother!
I mean .... Throughout the indigenous world over, the tribal people usually carry 3 blades of varying sizes. Their life is in nature all times and they almost always carry a small knife. The western ideology of knives is silly at best.
Hi, I see this is from 3 years ago. Do you still have the knife. Did you sell it? How big was it? Do you have a video on your channel about making it? I looked, but couldn't find one
Moraknive sells blade blanks. I just ordered one and am going to make my own handle for it. No idea what kind of steel it is, but I just want to try and make the handle as my foray into knife making.
If it's stainless, it's 12C27. If it's carbon steel, it's UHB-20C which is a European version of 1095 with a bit of silicone added in which gives the knife a bit more flexibility.
@@benjaminb1319 Sorry, that "e" should not be at the end. Silicon, the element silicon with an atomic weight of 14.
@@benjaminb1319 Atomic number. Never expect me to make sense after I grade biographies of U.S. Presidents.
@@random_eskimo_in_the_rockiesSilicone would add a whole lot of flexibility!
I’ve advertised for Mora knives for years, I’m a barber and a customer told me he was skinning a bear next to a buddy and he said he had to sharpen his knife 3-4 times but his buddy never stopped skinning so my customer is a believer now! Lol Swedish metal is very good
Is Mora the same company that makes ice augers? Because thier auger blades are scary sharp.
@@scottyj6226 that makes me wonder now since they are very far north and needing to drill in ice is not rare for them. And Mora makes more cutting tools than about everyone.
I have a Mora cheapo and it's a great knife and I dare say the best knife you can buy for the money. I paid $10 for mine.
@@BobSmith-kd6lq I've searched for years. Have never found anything that competes with a Mora basic for the money. So now I collect them, and make customs for friends and customers.
@@Danielson1818 Nice
Couldn’t you save the $50, give it to your buddy and have him carry your backbreaking knife for you? Problem solved. You have a nice knife to use, you’re 3.5 ounces lighter and not just a fraction of an ounce, and your buddy is richer and in better shape. I’m really good at problem solving.
My buddies are on to that😂
He can't have his buddies carry his knife. This is a 'hold my beer' moment.
Lol!
@@garrycollins3415 brilliant comments.Lol.
Lol taking off your jacket and leaving it would save more weight
Great video man! Looking forward to seeing where you go with this 👍
Seems I ventured down a rabbit hole... this is turning out to be complicated 😂 Thanks for watching my friend 👊
@@OUTDOORS55 this is a pretty steezy vid thanks for sharing dude
I have been carrying the exact same knife for years - and I've had plenty of knife snobs make comment about it. The batoning is a legit drawback - but I have stopped doing that and begun making feather sticks instead. It works great for that, and I can even start fires with damp wood!
That Mora is awesome, I use them daily
I carried the Mora companion for years when I lived in the pacific North West.
personally, i'm not concerned with the weight of my knife. love that knife ! cool concept though, wish you success.
How about you just befriend a beaver? You won't have to carry it, just attach a leash. It can fulfill all your wood processing requirements!
Up here (In Canada), we simply call this "Proving your citizenship." Plus, if your pet Polar Bear gets lonely, he has a buddy to play with. Aaand if he gets hungry...
I had thought the presenter was Ukrainian. I had no idea Beavers even lived in the Ukrainian
@@davidduffy9806 Hmmm yeah I get your point... Nobody likes paying for shipping
@@ahmedshakir6967 Not a good idea I personally have had many Beavers as friends/companions and it always the same thing, lets go shopping, buy me stuff,where are you taking me for dinner, I want a ring, my mother said....Wholly crap ! You are better off NOT getting Beavers involved in anything.
@@kanehunter23 What about a platypus?
excited for this project. you might want to consider leaving 1 or more diagonal pieces of metal in the center of the hollowed out handle to add some rigidity. like a truss bridge. contouring your handle even more than the prototype might help as well. my concern with thinner stock is that you want a wedge shape to separate the wood while batoning. a thin knife will have a tendency to get stuck. perhaps you can get away with a thicker stock knife that is less tall to save weight (meaning from cutting edge to spine). maybe with a scandi grind?
Is there any followup video on this project?
I love how much this guys loves his knives.
I know right, it made me subscribe
@@Gin132456 same
Just found your channel. Learning alot! Just bought a mora for hiking. Checked those Spyder knives to but holy crap are they expensive.
I have a chest full of knives. The MORA #1 was my EDC for a few years before I went to a multi tool. Shape as hell, cheap and worth it. I still use that MORA at least once a day.
Not finding the perfect knife for me personally is exactly why I started making knives. Watching your journey has helped me immensely. Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to watch! It's always appreciated 👍👊
Happy to hear of your plan to go much thinner! I just bought a knife from a small, up-and-coming custom maker. It's 0.072'' thick CruWear with a scandi grind. Even thinner than a Mora basic. I haven't used it much yet, but I'm really excited to try it out. Seems perfect for my normal hiking/backpacking use.
I hear excellent things about the toughness of CPM 1V. Maybe look into that?
How much for the orange 1084 prototype?
Okay, you have my full attention. 😲
This is something I've thought about before, so, can't wait for the next installment! 👍
Same here. Im already dreading the wait or missing it when it comes out
You can still skeletonize the handle after epoxy. Maybe 5/16" to 3/8" holes. Three or four would help drastically reduce the weight.
I have thought about that. I may use carbon fiber tubing to fill the holes. It would definitely cut a couple tenths😀👍👍
I'm rooting for, and heckling you at the same time.
I’ve been using a morakniv 4.1 inch for a few years now, and it has not disappointed. Retains its blade, even after many uses, like woodcarving and general cutting
What about a tapered tang? I'm also thinking about using a light wood. It would be a lot cheaper than carbon fiber and maybe even lighter.
Balsa wood is light but can be dented with a bit of pressure with your fingernail so...
@@ssunfish there are a ton of good choices for this. Balsa is not the wood to use for that regardless of weight. Don't understand why you even mentioned it
I was about to say something about tapering the tang but it would be harder to make a the scales though.
@@ssunfish There are tons of ways to just make a durable shell around the soft wood.
How ya gonna stop the tang from wallowing out the balsa internally?
Good point about needing to use the paracord.
The ultimate knife is always going to be a custom made knife to suit your particular needs :P
Or a box of unopened moras
Such a cliffhanger!!! Cant wait for the follow up video!!
I few ideas came to me watching this! Taper the tang, use carbon fibre or aluminium pins and maybe wood is a lighter handle material? I was thinking about beech or birch for handle scales.
Great video,I can't wait for the prototype an testing. My idea would be to router out scale from the inside to reduce weight an make them wider then add a cork insert to take up the space inside the handle,now I would seal the cork with a plastic coating before epoxying over it an I would use aluminum pins . A lot of prototypes to get it right but that's the fun of building an challenge yourself,you get experience an tested knowledge in real world experience. Keep up the good work Alex ,I still want you to make a Savage version of your knife with a Kukuri style blade mixed with your blade design on the Savage knife you made .
I can't imagine the cork would do anything there. I agree to hollow the scales, but no need for cork.
I decided to reduce weight in my backpack by removing other items which I could do without and keep a decent knife on my utility belt and a decent bedding also.
But, but....my snivel gear!
But.. but.. my cast iron skillet.
Alex, you don't have to explain it to anyone, if you want to try and make it, good luck, I'm with you all the way!
Daniel Boone would laugh at the term "light weight gear".
Daniel Boone lived in a harsh reality and never laughed at terms. He never laughed, but might have lifted his eyebrows.
I really like this. Incredible attention to detail, copious amounts of knives, and you really know what you're talking about.
Take a look at the construction of the scales on the dpx hest original, they're slightly smaller than the tang itself (surprisingly comfortable) and they've been hollowed out for storage. Could shave a bit of weight that way. And I've seen some designs where the tang tapers off towards the back, likely for balancing but also would shave some grams. Good luck with your diet!
Very cool project! Putting the work in to make the ideal design is worth it for sure. #greatness
I've had a mora robust for a while and the only thing I would change about is adding just a little bit of length, looks like your ultimate knife is pretty much what I'd want out of mine as well
I love my Mora Robust. If all you want is slightly more length, then they also make a thicker version of the Mora Companion. It's called the Companion HD (heavy duty). Less than $25.
@@Danielson1818 Yep , the HD is no less than a fantastic knife , and it is plenty strong enough to baton on . In destruction tests it does as good or better than many much more expensive knives .
Great work. Looking forward to the next steps
Generally, I would say that "I want a knife that does a thing and meet a certain criteria, and it also happens to be an interesting engineering puzzle" is a good enough reason as any to make a knife.
Very true, that said you probably win more weight reduction by having a good shit being going on the hike.
Love the editing and love the personality! Just keep swimming :)
I can send you a carbon fiber plate from the aircraft plant I used to work at, it's about 12x12x 1/4" thick
(just creamed pants)... (wishes it was sent to me...) yeah...
Sign me up too
I would make you one and me one,,, ole fart Jimmy
@Toni Niemi the replacement blade knives are extremely awesome for that
The reason you used to work there? Because they were coming up short on supplies?
Love the edits, full value
I actually got to the end and wanted more
love the idea. sounds like a great knife. For me though, id rather save weight elsewhere over my knife. This is coming from a guy who carries a kukri though lol
Asa Holloway same here
The kukri gives you a irl style bonus
I've watched a lot of videos on knife making, and I like yours best. Your explanations and knowledge are better than anyone before....well except for Shurap. Haha. Keep it up man!
Excellent video my friend, that's food for thought or is it fool for thought.?Just buy a Mora companion knife that's all I use hunting or fishing or hiking and a black plastic sack and Butchers twine.I leave all my rifles and my huge knife collection in the gun room,i just subbed.Stay safe.
The companion doesn't fit the design parameters i set in the video. Its not about the mora. It's about designing a knife to fit a specific use and specifications. Hope this helps make sense of this video 🙂 Thanks for the comment! And the sub! It's always appreciated 👍👍👊
I used to go backpacking for around a month more or less every summer. However I definitely didn't hike 15+miles every day, I didn't even hike every day. When I found a nice spot near a nice trout hole or a waterfall swimming hole I would spend 2-4 days enjoying that place and that was the best thing about having no schedule, phone, or companions for the trip. That 25-30 days of relaxing, solitary, self reliance and freedom made the rest of the year much more tolerable and kept me in a much better place mentally. Anyway people who spend their vacation behaving like a drill instructor was barking at them make me confused and suspicious.
My Mora 2000 lives in my haversack, for day excursions, it's maybe just a packet of chewing gum heavier than your specifications. !! Lol,,,
If you can nail down your parameters, I'll buy one, for sure,, (but only if it's stainless,, 12C27 ?),
ha ha,, can't wait for the next installment,, cheers,,,,
I like the Mora 2000 a lot, best Morakniv IMO
Ahh geeky knife video…exactly what I was looking for!
I'm all for designing your own knife, and I know you'll do a fantastic job, but I myself personally wouldn't be able to tell or physically notice the difference of 5 ounces in my bag. I'd happily carry the larger knife no matter what kind of hiking or camping I'm doing.
I sell some hiking stuff at my store and and the lengths people go to in order to save a gram of weight is astounding. Squirting toothpaste dollops onto wax paper then letting them dry. I guess all the water in the toothpaste is too heavy.
I agree with you honestly but I think the idea is three items that are 5 ounces less is basically a pound --- so if you take 5 ounces off 9 items you've lost 3 pounds - and my pace is 64 steps per 100 meters--- so that is 3 pounds EVERY step or 192 for all the steps in just 100 meters. Again I DO agree I just carry the weight but then I just camp and do short hikes out to my locations in minimal mountainous terrain
@@mikemcg3921 i had no idea people count paces and such. To me that's too serious, I'm not hating byt that is news to me.
@@TingTingalingy I'm not sure he does count paces, lol. I was a surveyor for years and it takes me 36-37 steps to go 100 feet. That's about 115 steps for 100 meters. Accomplishing that in only 64 steps seems unrealistic, unless he is 10 foot tall.
The online knife community is very obsessed with knife weight. They see very small knives like a Spyderco Native, para 3, and even the lil native or dragonfly as monstrously bulky weapons of war. I think they eventually want all knives to have hollow plastic handles and blade geometry like a box cutter razor. It's almost as if they despise durability. And of course, many of them believe that if the knife breaks for ANY reason it's because you were using it wrong. Lol
Great project! Well done!
@outdoors55 can I have the prototype 😐
IKR, some of us ain't as worried about that 1 ounce 😂
Which knife is the bigger knife you show after the Mora basic please?
Okay so I'm a lazy slob but a morakniv robust would seem to come close enough to me to meeting your standard and they are cheap.
Have the 511 and love it... Ended up buying the kansbol great knife.
@@chrissexton6634 I agree it is a great all around knife.
Dude you’re super funny. Killing it. Thanks for the vids.
once you get your mars station knife figured out.. kickstart the sucker cuz I want one. ;-)
Cool project. Honestly, I just carry a pocket knife these days when I thru hike. It’s not often you need it, and I’ve batoned my cheap spydeco when needed. Mostly we just cook on our stoves.
Taper the handle to shave off a few grams of weight
Sameone wtf🤨
@Sameone that's super irrelevant. Why does your body shape have to do with how light you want your knife to be?
@Sameone Weight moves weight.
TheCooperman666 actin and myosin fibers move weight. Fat is part of the weight that is moved.
Great video and looks like your having a lot of fun with this one.
Idk... My 45 is a lot heavier and I happily carry that all the time.
Right, don't give us lame excuses about why you need a light knife with a solid handle, just tell us how to you'd make one.
@@johnwamsley1896 It is funny how time makes a fool out of one... I started carrying my 22 cause it is lighter and has more rounds... I would take everything the lightest possible now...
How well does it make a campfire? (like a good knife can) ...different priorities I guess.
Don't be scared homie!
@@dirtysouthbushcraftandmma9784, BINGO!. The video is about making a knife that works for hiking and camping, not about being so afraid that one feels he needs a large caliber firearm at his side. ...thus my question about his big gun whittling wood into kindling. Some of us go hiking all the time and rarely carry a sidearm or long rifle.
I always come back to this video. Ive played the game, bought into blade steel hype, spent couple thousand on knives. The ones take camping and hunting? A bahco laplander or mora companion. Folding knife is a cold steel prolite clip point. About $50 for all three.
Hollow grind would take out more material than a convex
Yea, I was thinking the same too
...Not good for batoning
Right, I have no clue why he says convex would shave off weight... It has more material than even a flat grind. The reason his convex is lighter is just because he also increased the primary bevel height up to the spine
I agree 100% on the weight. When I first started on hunting, I geeked out on specs of my shot gun and wanted to have the best with me but I learnt quickly that after a few hours walking in the rainforest, the weight can feel 2-3x the actual weight. That adds up when you need to carry your animal back, it's crazy. Now when I shop, I see first is the weight. It has to be some of the lightest I can find and the specs would be secondary. As long as it doesn't get lots of complains, I'm good to go. I'd get a light knife too when I'm walking that long and far
Make a walking stick knife. Then the weight won’t be a issue. When hiking or in the woods you can’t skimp in a good knife and pistol
love this video. I'm working with knife design myself so I love this challenge you set yourself
Hollow carbon fiber pins are not expensive, and much lighter than your brass pins !
your sense of humor is cool!...Oh....and i like beimg as heavy as possible when i climb mountains thats why i strap sand bags to my arms neck legs and feet....makes me feel like a real man :-)
**heavy breathing and watching with interest**
Lol😂 i will make one under 3oz, i will!!😂
I can't wait to see where this goes. Very cool project. The toughness testing should be fun. Good luck!
All depends on intended use, there is no ultimate universal knife.
I love your input on that morakniv. I had one break on me not too long ago. Was not the plastic part though.
I've got it a Bladeless knife without a handle.No,no don't thank me your welcome.
Criminally underrated channel. Maybe try G10 pins instead of brass. Drill countersunk lightening holes above the grind line?
Eat your Wheaties. And hike with dehydrated water in your canteen. Ha.
Steven Wright: " I was going to buy some dehydrated water, but I didn't know what to add...."
That's very true. Mora basic carbon is the knife. Got them three.
congratulations on this entertaining video. you are getting better every time. i am a big fan.
I really like the first test blade. Nice job.
What is the heavier knife used in this video that he uses to compare??
I just found your videos a day ago.... I’ve watched quite a few since. Lol! You gotta come back... your videos are great!! They are timeless!! You gotta come back man!! I love your work! I hope to see more! I can’t wait to see more! I’ll be here when you get back! Damn good work! Laughing my ass off while learning at the same time! Great content!
Ill be back👍
I absolutely love the first knife you've made!!!!....and it's orange!!
As some others have said, tapering the handle a bit, adding some jimping, and maybe removing part of the scales in the center where you cut the steel.
Can’t wait for the next video. Thanks Alex!!
3v and S7 are some really nice and tough steels. A8 mod is really tough stuff too. You might try Titanium, it can be heat treated and/or have the edge carbidized. Don't know how well it'll do on batoning, but it will be much lighter.
Other ways you can save weight is make the knife narrower, skeletonize or drill holes in the scales, shape scales(contour or anso pattern), tapered tang, crown the spine(help with batoning by removing stress points and feels nicer but no ferro rod stricking).
Have you come across Yakut Knives. They are forged with a hollow grove on one side. I’m interested in copying the idea using a grinder on a file knife. In your case this groves blade could lose weight. Also what about a foam type material for scales?
I understand your design challenge, bu tat 76 I'm to damn old to start worrying about weight now never did even think about weight until I started watching you tube . When I was taught about living in the out doors staying for a few weeks or more in the mountains weight was just not talked about we just took what we needed and dealt with it . I't's for the young to deal with ounces not me but we really like your knives and the way you make your video's stay safe out there . Happy trails
My favorite things. Backpacking and knives. I typically just go for the manix 2 lightweight as apposed to a fixed blade simply for the weight savings, knowing that i lose capability. I interested to see what you come up with
Love the space theme, you should keep it for all future videos
That is going to be done beautiful knife, something I would buy.
Have you considered a clip point or tanto style blade to reduce weight? Or would this weaken the blade to much
What is the heavier knife 3:30 used in this video that he uses to compare?
Batoning isn't taxing on edge retention?
@4:47 Isn't that Rough Ridge in Boone near the viaduct? Awesome place!
Great vid. I like the Mora Basic handle. I would start there. A lite comfortable handle that really fits your hand. Yes I know everyone is a critic.
There are plenty of knives that are very much like a Mora Basic. They are called Bait knives. But they really don't make a substantial improvement on the Mora (most are actually 420 crap!) . Strangely, while in the Army and walking 15-30 miles a day, the weight of Mk2 Fighting knife was the least of my worry when it came to weight. Water was probably the heaviest thing carried after ammunition.
Okay, with that said, I was thrilled with this video. My thought was going with a shorter handle or slightly shorter blade. Can't wait to see the follow up and your new steel choice! Big Thumbs up!
Can you skeletonize the handle scales also? That would be lighter.
I totally agree with you on the paracord only handles speech. Haha.
I use the Mora Classic no. 2. I love that for camping. Feathersticks, battoning kindling, etc...
great project cant wait to see it
Tapering the tang will help, even a slight taper on the thinner stock you plan on using. If you want to keep the handle-pin attachment strength with the use of threaded pins, use some *aluminum* Corby bolts in a smaller diameter than 1/4" which is more than you need, 3/16 or even an 1/8" Corby bolt head should be fine. Or just get some carbon fiber pin stock.
Sand blast and thoroughly clean you tang finishing with denatured alcohol because it doesn't leave any residue like acetone does. Proper epoxy preparation with a good slow curing epoxy (such a g-flex) can make all the difference between it merely being used as a sealant from moister and it being a good and strong bond. Always make sure to properly measure and throughly mix the epoxy for _at least_ a few minutes. These may seem not that important but it can really make a big difference in its overall bonding strength, then almost negating the need for any pins, and something like carbon fiber pins would be just fine when good quality epoxy is used to is full potential.
Also, for the large cut out in the tang, I would make a cut out using some light poplar wood (or the like) to fit inside of there and then just drill a few holes in the wood for some epoxy rivets. That large hole requires a lot of epoxy to fill up, which can add some extra weight verses filling most of that room with a very light wood.
Carbon fiber is light with regard to its strength to weight ratio versus steel, but it still isn't super lightweight in itself for a handle material. It may not be as indestructible as carbon fiber, but some curly Maple scales (or walnut) would also reduce the weight and still be pretty strong, you could even dye them orange for better visibility if you wanted lol. Maple and walnut have been used of guns for centuries.m some other lighter and yet strong synthetics would be neoprene rubber sheets, which apparently some hunters enjoy on their knives. Obviously some of these recommendations or a bit over the top, but since you're trying to shave a few grams here and there, then shave it in every single material you use on the knife.
Looking forward to seeing your tests and the results. Take care :)
I like your vision and trying to achieve a goal for your personal wants in a knife.
Myself, I choose the knife that I feel I'm going to need in any possible situation, while backpacking, camping, fishing, hunting, and whatever the weight is, that's what I have to carry. I've carried my Kukri on many occasions, but found it to be too big for some tasks, and I've carried inexpensive fixed blade garbage knives from the army surplus store.
But my go to knife for the last 20 years or so is my Gerber LMF. It's in my opinion the perfect all around, do everything knife. The only other knife I would carry if I owned one would be the Gerber BMF. I still want to buy a BMF but they cost a lot of money. The size of the BMF is pushing the comfort zone in some situations but its size will be a life saver in some situations, also.
The LMF is in the Goldilocks zone, not too big, not too small, but just right.