MoraknivCraftline Basic 511 High Carbon Steel Fixed Blade Utility Knife and Combi-Sheath, 3.6-Inch Blade

Man, let me tell you, this Morakniv Basic 511 knife is the real deal! Everyone's been talking about it, from YouTube to your buddies, . I gotta say, it's mind-blowing, especially when you consider the price.First things first, this thing is crazy sharp right outta the box. I mean, it slices through stuff like butter. Tough materials? No problemo. Delicate work? Piece of cake. , even after using it as a work horse, it still stays sharp. .The build quality is top-notch too. The blade is made from this high-carbon steel that that's tough. I would guess 1095. The handle feels solid in your hand, . Plus, it's well-balanced,.Now, here's the kicker. This knife is a breeze to take care of. I learned how to sharpen with this knife and it's "Skandi grind" bevel. Even if you're new to this stuff, you'll have no trouble keeping it sharp. And they throw in a plastic sheath, it's sturdy and well-made.But here's the real kicker—the price! I mean, I couldn't believe the price tag when I saw it. You're gettin' a top-quality knife that performs like a champ, and it won't break the bank. It's a steal, my friend.All in all, I gotta give the Basic 511 a solid five stars. It's sharp as hell, built to last, easy to maintain, and the price is unbelievable. Whether you're an outdoorsy type or just need a trusty knife for everyday stuff, this bad boy won't let you down. Trust me, you gotta get yourself one of these. It's the real deal.

I have probably bought about a dozen of these things over the past few years. I give them as gifts, and if I lose one, they are inexpensive enough that I keep a few extra around so I'm never without one. They take an edge quite well, although I can't duplicate the factory edge for sharpness. I just use a steel. The carbon version (vs. the stainless steel) will acquire surface rust, but it's cosmetic. I even found a knife outside that I had lost over a year prior, and cleaned it up with steel wool. It was ugly, but not noticeably pitted, and still totally usable after I re-honed the edge. Because the sheath is plastic, it was fine too. These knives snap into the sheaths with a positive click, so they don't fall out when you don't want them to, but they are very easy to remove with one hand. And they've all been very consistent in how easily they snap in/out. The plastic handles are pretty indestructible too. And the high cost of most other "serious" knives, makes these things seem like the best value possible. There is no reason to get upset if something happens to it ... just get a new one.

I have several of these lying around. Definately the most used edge in my shop. One of only two fixed blades I consider right for expeditioning (the other is an MSR product). Very light. Excellent steel that holds an edge forever. Sharpens with just a few passes on a diamond stone and leather strop. The sheath is very well designed: easy to clip on a belt, stays there when I pull the knife with minimal fumbling to get it back in. Has the option to add holdfast cord. My "go to" gift for handy friends...A few reviewers have complained the steel rusts. Yup. That's because this is made with high quality carbon steel. I just wipe it down occasionally with WD40, especially after being in salt water. Just like all my other quality hand tools...

Morakniv 511 and 546 are both great buys! Don’t expect to find anything with a better value within the same price range unless it’s another Morakniv! Mora 511 could take a lot of abuse and misuse but it is not indestructible. The studs inside the scabbard holding the knife in place will worn out eventually too. However, Mora 511 is a dirt cheap super knife that will spoil you provided that you treat it properly and know it’s limitations.Reading negative reviews on Mora 511 carbon steel knife is sad but oddly entertaining. Carbon steel is NOT stainless steel. Carbon steel is harder than stainless steel and you could sharpen carbon steel knives at a lower sharpening angle than stainless steel knives. Meaning: You could squeeze more sharpness out of carbon steel knives and still expect the edge to last. But, ALL carbon steel knives will stain and rust or even pit if not handled properly. Luckily, forced patina will take care of this problem and there’re tons of instructions online. You could give the knife a forced patina by using either vinegar, mustard, ketchup, Tabasco sauce, steak sauce, lime, lemon, or even potato!All my Mora 511’s came in plain packages. They all came with a rough spine as stated on Mora’s site. The rough spine will have rounded corners so they won’t scratch your hand AND ferrocerium rod fire starters. You must sand/grind/file down the spine and give it a sharp 90 degree angle before you could use the knife’s spine to scrape ferro rods. Sanding down the spine could be more time consuming than many expected because steels on all Morakniv knives won’t be that soft.All Morakniv 511’s will shave hair right out of the package, BUT you might or might not be shaving with the knife’s true edge. Unlike high end knives, the knife will come un-stropped and the knife will have a rope edge (or burr created by sharpening) on the blade. The rope edge is like a microscopic saw which cuts and slices very efficiently but it won’t stay on the blade for too long. The burr will be removed through use and you’ll be left with the knife’s true edge. Since the knife wasn’t chemically sharpened and the machines only finished 90% of the job, how good the true edge is will depend on whoever finished the edge at the factory and your luck. There will be Morakniv 511’s that will continue to cut and slice like a dream after the burr was removed but that’s like hitting the jackpot. Feeling the knife dulling after some use is normal. If you’re lucky, you will be able to bring the edge back with just some stropping. If you are unlucky, you’ll get that almost all or nothing feel once the burr was gone. The knife will no longer slice paper like it used to because the fine, polished edge won’t bite into paper as efficiently. But, it will still remain sharp enough to crank out feather sticks after feather sticks. The rope edge is comparable to a toothy edge. The true edge hidden underneath the burr is a fine, polished edge which will cut a little differently. After all, the sharpening at the factory is just a very good mass produced factory edge that’s not 100% finished; the factory edge got many woo’s and ah’s and it impressed many people already. By the way, I felt that it is easier to find a good edge on Moras with wooden handles than plastic handled models.Even though Mora 511 left the factory pretty sharp, a good sharpening is still needed. Sharpening knives with a scandi grind like Mora 511, is both easy and difficult. It is easy because you don’t have to worry about the sharpening angle much. You just lay the sharpening side flat on the stone and follow the factory angle. It is difficult because it will be noticeably more time consuming compared to sharpening knives with an auxiliary edge made out of similar material; the surface being grinded/polished is much bigger and you need to take out a lot more metal. Sharpening the knife for the very first time will be rather time consuming because you need to polish away all those machine marks left by factory grinding. Fixing a chip will be painfully time consuming unless you have a wet grinding wheel or some type of sharpening/sanding machine. Many people would just give the knife an auxiliary edge at this point; some will simply buy another Mora since it’s so inexpensive. If you have never learned how to properly sharpen a knife with a fine, mirror polished edge freehand or you don’t have any mechanical device that will help you sharpen the knife, it is advised that you learn how to sharpen knives freehand (with dollar store knives) or invest in a nice set of sharpening device first. Scandi grind knives aren’t that beginner friendly when it comes to sharpening. Stropping is a must too if you want to enjoy the knife’s full potential. Once properly sharpened and stropped, a Mora 511 will have an almost surgical knife like sharpness that will outlast many knives under $200. Like all knives with a scandi grind, always give the knife a maintenance sharpening before it becomes dull. You will save a lot of time on sharpening this way. I’ve never tried to reduce the sharpening angle on a Mora 511 simply because I knew it will take forever without machines. There’s no need to increase the knife’s sharpness at the cost of the knife’s edge retention anyway. The sharpening angle on Mora 511 is either optimal or very close to optimal already.

Small but good knife, even got a second one, one in vehicle and one in shooting bag. Have had about 6 to 8 months, both are still sharp as razors and have been used quite a bit. Grip is good, comfortable, light weight and stays in sheath firmly.