Mora Eldris Bushcraft Neck Knife Review 2017/07/28
A knife dangling around your neck can first seem rather unusual but
once you start using one its hard to give up the convenience offered.
This review and field test we will look at the Mora Eldris.
Introduction
Mora is no stranger to making knives and I am no stranger to using their
products. The Mora Eldris has caused a stir online since it was
announced and now I will finally get my hands on one. The name Eldris is
significant. In Swedish tradition families that worked on the land would
spend the warmer months at their
fäbod. Letting the cattle
graze, stock up on supplies and enjoy nature before the cold of winter
would creep round again. Close to where the knives are made to this day
in Mora Sweden there is a
fäbodar called Eldris and this is
where the neck knife get it’s name.
Use
Outdoor tasks we have to accomplish vary and so always relying on a
single knife which is normally a larger blade worn on the belt can be
laborious. You simply don't always need the size or strength of a full
tang bushcraft knife. The Mora Eldris is worn around the neck in a
downwards style with it hanging right in front of you. This allows you
to grab it whenever you need to. The sheath of the Eldris is downwards
pull which speeds up draw time especially when compared to reaching down
to your side to get a knife from off your belt. The lanyard is threaded
through the two drainage holes or you can put it through a hole on the
locking strap. I prefer the downwards pull.
The Lanyard
Onto the lanyard and you can include an optional mini firesteel which
Mora sell with the Eldris if you go for the full kit option. I recommend
to use your own small firesteel. It adds to the grab and go value of the
Mora Eldris when you have both knife and means of lighting a fire on
your person tethered together. Once you have everything assembled the
Eldris is complete and you are ready to head out with everything you
need worn on you. One important note about wearing paracord around your
neck. It's important to have a point of weakness so it breaks if you
catch it on something as this means it will snap before it strangles
you…
In the Hand
In the hand the Mora Eldris feels great, even in big hands. The handle
has a good palm swell and has two types of strong feeling plastic.
Firstly one being sticky to provide serious grip and secondly
textured and of a firmer feel. Having these technical features on such a
small neck knife is excellent and increases the usefulness of it. It's
comfortable enough to use for longer tasks such as carving due to its
lovely handle and feel.
Blade
The blade of the Mora Eldris is 2mm thick and 59mm long. This is tiny
but it packs a serious punch with its Scandavian hybrid grind made of
Sandvik 12C27. A martensitic stainless chromium steel. The addition of
chromium contributes to its corrosion resistance which is great for
outdoors people. The spine is ridgeground so striking a firesteel is not
only possible but effecient. The knife is 143mm in total length and has
a HRC 56-58. Resulting in a good hardness for a neck knife but not the
hardest I have seen. The blade arrived scary sharp and has held an edge
very well. Sharpening a stainless steel knife is never ideal and as the
Eldris does not have such a deep Scandi grind all the way along the
belly its not the easiest knife to sharpen in the field. Moreover there
is no sharpening choil so it is impossible to sharpen the entire length
of the blade. In addition to your whetstone I would also pack a
sharpening rod to hone the edge along the belly but this could also be
done with a stone with a bit of practice too.
Sheath
The Eldris is protected by a klicklås (click lock) which holds
the knife very securely when not in use. The sheath also grips the knife
well when you are needing it to hand but not immediately using it. The klicklås
is made of a strong synthetic leather type material. The sheath is
symmetrical which allows you to place the knife in any way you want.
This subtle feature but means you don't need to check which way round
you have the knife facing the sheath when putting it back. This is a
great time saver but for me I always put the blade facing away from me
for the next draw.
The Mora Eldris with its small size
fits easily into a pocket, the lid of a rucksack and worn around the
neck. It fits right in with your layering system so much so it almost
disappears into your clothing and kit list. At 80g its very light too.
Carving feathersticks and firelighting is a pleasure with the Eldris,
the belly is very good at making the finest feathers at the end which
take a spark easily. The photo below is taken from the official
Mora video on the Eldris and you can clearly see the tang design.
Conclusion
On extended use I found the supplied Mora Eldris firesteel to be too
hard in compound for my liking and with my style of firelighting. I
swapped it out for a softer firesteel and it worked much better for me.
Equipment that doesn't grab your attention and instead just works with
you is the mark of good kit. The Mora Eldris with its small footprint
but excellent performance coupled with some good solid design features
means this is a true all rounder and one that will be with me for many
hikes in the future. Highly Recommended
