Morakniv Pro Robust vs. Companion HD

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lee12

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Apr 8, 2014
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Hello:

I am about to get my first Morakniv and I am stuck between the Pro Robust and the Companion HD. I mostly want to use it for hunting and hiking. I don't plan on ever batoning, and I am not into bush craft...I like to day hike, I like to hunt. There are plus and minus to both. I would use this knife to cut small limbs out of a deer stand, field dress deer, and breast out turkeys . Both appear to be very strong (same width I believe), but while the robust has a 3.5 in blade, the companion had a 4.1 in blade, on the other hand, the Robust has a more sweeping blade profile. Also, 3.5 in carries a bit better. I know that it sounds like I am leaning towards the Robust, but I would like to know why the companion is 3x more popular, got to be a reason why, and If so, should I get the companion? Just kind of stuck on what to do. Please offer advice. Thank you!
 
If you're not going to be batoning then go with a thinner blade. The Robust and HD Companion have the same thickness and it's just wayyyyyy thicker than you'd need if not batoning it and it drags down the cutting performance by a significant margin.
 
Hi lee12

Congrats on deciding to get a Mora, you're about to make a useful and economically sound acquisition, irrespective of which model you get.

Why is the Companion so much more popular? It's no doubt because of it being around for longer than the Pro series. Although the HD version is new the Companion,and its predecessor the Clipper, have been around for ages. Why given the choice between the two would people opt for the Companion over the Pro Robust? Well probably because most folks would prefer the extra blade length. And maybe because its pointier profile is better for bushcraft applications.

For your intended use I'm inclined to go with FortyTwoBlades and suggest something thinner that will slice better. So maybe also consider the Basic model 511 which comes in military green too these days, also carbon steel and has a 2mm thick spine and a blade length of 3.5". Also comes in stainless..
 
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The tang on the clipper is very short.

The Robust is a 3/4 tang but i have seen photo`s of rust on the tang inside the handle so get some oil in there.

The companion has a 3/4 tang.

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John.
 
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FortyTwoBlades said:
If you're not going to be batoning then go with a thinner blade. The Robust and HD Companion have the same thickness and it's just wayyyyyy thicker than you'd need if not batoning it and it drags down the cutting performance by a significant margin.
Click to expand...

This. Ben really really knows what he's talking about.

The "hard use" types can make use of the extra width/strength of the thicker blades. I, for one, really like the Companion HD. It's one tough SOB.
That said, my regular non-HD Companions outnumber the HDs by about 3:1. Why? Because for 99% of knife tasks, including all the ones you mentioned, that extra strength isn't really necessary. In fact, an argument can be made that if you have a proper tool set of hatchet, knife and saw, you will NEVER need the thick strong blade.

Why is the Companion more popular than the Robust? I'm going to guess the handle. I love the grip on the Companion and Companion HD. They are just perfect in every way.

My vote is to get a Companion in stainless. The carbon steel model is thinner and a ever so slightly "slicier" but you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. Since you are going to use it for hunting, the corrosion resistance of stainless would be nice when the knife is getting covered in blood.
 
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Get the No.2 or the 612. Then your conversation can go back in the Traditionals subforum.
 
Great advice, everyone! Got a bit to think about. So another question; since I should go with something slimmer, should I look at there following models: 511, Pro C, and original Companion? Another question to that, what would be the difference between the 511 and Pro C? I am a carbon fan through and through so I'll be sticking with that. Also, if I was to go with the Companion, is it really more beneficial to have a 4.1 inch knife?
 
The 511 has a similar blade profile to the Companion but its handle is more like those on the Pro series. I'm with you on the carbon, easy to sharpen, gets nice and sharp and has decent edge retention. I got a 800 grit King Deluxe recently and it works very well on my carbon Mora.. Sorry veering off topic a bit.. But ja, check out the 511 with the military green handle, looks great to me (I have the older one with the red handle).

Also, just for fun check out Dutch bushcraft knives YouTube video review of the pro robust, those lunatics try very hard to kill that poor mora.
 
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Thanks for the advice, I did see that video on how hard it is to kill the Robust. One reason why I wanted it; short, stout, sharp....all three of my favorite components, however, if it doesn't cut as well as the 511 or Pro C, maybe I should look else where.
 
What about the Mora kansbol, I only paid around £24 for mine in the UK and it`s a great knife, check youtube videos

John.
 
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I am now looking at the Pro C, it looks awesome! Still really like the robust, especially after watching the torture test. I like how stout it is. But I appreciate the wisdom here and will mostly likely lean towards the Pro C.
 
The tasks you've listed really aren't high strain and you'd be amazed at what the Pro C would be able to withstand. Strength tasks outside the relevant range of what the knife is going to be called upon to do are really kind of superfluous. What matters is how well it'll work for the tasks you'll be using it for, and in that respect the Pro C would be the clear winner over the Pro Robust while stilling being stronger than it even needs to be.
 
I have the Pro S and Companion. I like the configuration of the Pro S better. (Pro S is just a stainless Pro C)

I'm pretty rough on my stuff, and the Pro S is plenty strong.

You aren't going to go wrong either way, really.
 
buy the one you like the look of better, knives like free basically. Just buy one it will work great.
 
Mora’s Pro C and Pro S are incredible blades.
I know the thread is several months old but I’d like to add my experience for the benefit of others researching these knives, that’s how I found this thread.

I have several Moras: the standard Companion in carbon and also one in stainless; the HD Companion; the Craftline Pro C (well, I HAD one for a while but I gave it to my brother); and the Craftline Basic 511 (well, I HAD one for a while but I gave it to my other brother). And I’m expecting the Pro S in the mail any day.

I agree with Velitrius Velitrius that I like the Pro C/Pro S better than the companion. The wider (or taller, I guess) blade stock on the Pros gives you a nice belly curve which makes them better for a hunting/skinning knife I also like the more pronounced finger guard. The Companion’s grip is a good grip but when up to your elbows in field dressing any grip gets slippery; the bigger finger guards on the Pros give a slightly more secure grip.
The Craftline 511 and 546 (carbon and stainless versions respectively) are also excellent little knives. They basically have a hard plastic version of the Pro C/S rubberized handle and the blade is basically a smaller companion blade, same pointy profile.

None of this is to say I don’t like my Companions. I like them a lot. My stainless Companion is my dedicated snorkeling/diving knife. I will say that I far prefer the standard Companion over the HD. Besides maybe tolerating a little more batoning, I don’t see what the HD can do that the standard Companion can’t. The HD’s grip is fatter but has the same finger guard dimensions as the standard Companion so it fits the same sheaths. This kind of makes the whole grip taper down to the aforementioned modest finger guard. I don’t feel I can really push the tip into anything very hard without feeling like I might slip onto the blade. The standard Companion grip feels much better and the Craftline Pro grip feels better still.

All these blades come in well under $20 (most under $15) and I highly recommend them to anyone, beginner or otherwise. My brother-in-law asked me about a sturdy fixed blade basically as a starter; he’s new to outdoorsy, feildcrafty things. At my recondition he got a Pro C.

I generally lean towards carbon steel for all my everyday and hard use knives. They sharpen easy and take a little more abuse than the stainless counterparts (there’s a reason the HD Companion and Craftline Robust are only offered in carbon). But in the case my dive knife I chose stainless and my Pro S is my dedicated chest rig/tac vest knife, I figured this knife will sit most of the time and get wet and sweated on the rest of the time.
 
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