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Spyderco Bill Moran Drop Point Review
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Bill Moran fixed blade through a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...rco-Bill-Moran-Black-Blade-Drop-Point-Squeak!! The Moran is available in both an upswept trailing point (Bowie style) blade and a drop point blade. Both options are plain edged only. The drop point is available in a satin finish or coated with matte black carbon nitrite. It is also available with a black or safety orange handle.
The pass around version I received was drop point, black coated, with a black handle. The MSRP on it is $139.95 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $77. The knife is made in Japan.
The Master of the Forge
The late William F. (Bill) Moran was a pioneer in the modern use of Damascus steel. He also served as President of the Knifemakers Guild and founded the American BladeSmith Society. You can learn more about him in this Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021402058.html
During his lifetime, Moran's work was highly collectible and it is even more so now. The Spyderco Moran might be your only chance to acquire Moran design without selling your car or dipping into your kids' college fund. Spyderco first produced Moran's namesake design in 1995 and it is still in production today with his name engraved on the blade.
Size & Weight
The first thing you may notice about the Spyderco Moran is its light weight. Previous production models were called 'Featherweights" and its an apt description. The knife weighs 3.0 ounces but the way it is balanced, it feels much, much lighter. In fact, its 2.7 ounce Boltaron sheath feels quite a bit heavier than the knife. The knife is slightly longer than eight inches overall and the blade is just under four inches. It is 1/8" thick.
Handle
In contrast to Spyderco's flat handled folders, the Moran's curved handle is three-dimensional with swells that fit the palm comfortably. The handle is crafted from fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) with rubbery Kraton inserts on both sides and on the thumb ramp. A lanyard hole is drilled at the butt end.
Blade
The Moran's flat ground blade is milled from VG-10 stainless steel. VG-10 has earned a reputation as a great all-around steel: corrosion resistant, tough enough for utility use, and capable of taking and holding a keen edge. The Moran arrived shaving sharp, as is typical with a Spyderco knife.
The spine and choil-like cutaway have sharp corners that could be used to strike a fire steel. There is the ubiquitous Spyderhole drilled toward the handle end of the blade. In use, the blade geometry makes for a fine slicer, although it seemed like the matte black coating dragged a little on cuts.
Sheath
The Moran comes with a pancake style black Boltaron sheath. I wasn't familiar with Boltaron, but in researching it found that it is a Kydex alternative. The manufacturer describes it as:
I don't know what version of Boltaron Spyderco used (4330 or another variant) but the sheath is well constructed. It has great positive retention and a drainage hole drilled toward the bottom. The repositionable G clip allows for right-hand or left-hand carry, but I would have liked to see it allow for horizontal or vertical carry, as well.
Conclusions
Mora knives justifiably receive lots of love here at BladeForums. The Spyderco Moran seems to me like Mora version 2.0, and not just because the names are similar. The light weight, no frills, working, hunting, camping nature of the knives is the same. The Moran, however, brings modern materials, ergonomic design, and precision manufacturing to the table.
I used it today to cut some palm fronds and while I would have liked more handle length, blade length, and weight, the Moran was more than up to the task. I'll use it over the next few days and report back. In the meantime, I'd like to offer my thanks to Spyderco for making these knives available, to Frank K. for putting the pass-around together, and for BladeForums for giving us a place to make it happen.
To be continued...
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Bill Moran fixed blade through a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...rco-Bill-Moran-Black-Blade-Drop-Point-Squeak!! The Moran is available in both an upswept trailing point (Bowie style) blade and a drop point blade. Both options are plain edged only. The drop point is available in a satin finish or coated with matte black carbon nitrite. It is also available with a black or safety orange handle.
The pass around version I received was drop point, black coated, with a black handle. The MSRP on it is $139.95 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $77. The knife is made in Japan.
The Master of the Forge
The late William F. (Bill) Moran was a pioneer in the modern use of Damascus steel. He also served as President of the Knifemakers Guild and founded the American BladeSmith Society. You can learn more about him in this Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021402058.html
During his lifetime, Moran's work was highly collectible and it is even more so now. The Spyderco Moran might be your only chance to acquire Moran design without selling your car or dipping into your kids' college fund. Spyderco first produced Moran's namesake design in 1995 and it is still in production today with his name engraved on the blade.
Size & Weight
The first thing you may notice about the Spyderco Moran is its light weight. Previous production models were called 'Featherweights" and its an apt description. The knife weighs 3.0 ounces but the way it is balanced, it feels much, much lighter. In fact, its 2.7 ounce Boltaron sheath feels quite a bit heavier than the knife. The knife is slightly longer than eight inches overall and the blade is just under four inches. It is 1/8" thick.
Handle
In contrast to Spyderco's flat handled folders, the Moran's curved handle is three-dimensional with swells that fit the palm comfortably. The handle is crafted from fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) with rubbery Kraton inserts on both sides and on the thumb ramp. A lanyard hole is drilled at the butt end.
Blade
The Moran's flat ground blade is milled from VG-10 stainless steel. VG-10 has earned a reputation as a great all-around steel: corrosion resistant, tough enough for utility use, and capable of taking and holding a keen edge. The Moran arrived shaving sharp, as is typical with a Spyderco knife.
The spine and choil-like cutaway have sharp corners that could be used to strike a fire steel. There is the ubiquitous Spyderhole drilled toward the handle end of the blade. In use, the blade geometry makes for a fine slicer, although it seemed like the matte black coating dragged a little on cuts.
Sheath
The Moran comes with a pancake style black Boltaron sheath. I wasn't familiar with Boltaron, but in researching it found that it is a Kydex alternative. The manufacturer describes it as:
"...a proprietary, fire retardant, extruded Acrylic/PVC Alloy sheet. Boltaron 4330 offers a UL 94 V-0 rating and meets stringent FAA flammability requirements. Boltaron 4330 combines excellent impact strength, abrasion resistance, rigidity, chemical resistance with superior thermoform ability."
I don't know what version of Boltaron Spyderco used (4330 or another variant) but the sheath is well constructed. It has great positive retention and a drainage hole drilled toward the bottom. The repositionable G clip allows for right-hand or left-hand carry, but I would have liked to see it allow for horizontal or vertical carry, as well.
Conclusions
Mora knives justifiably receive lots of love here at BladeForums. The Spyderco Moran seems to me like Mora version 2.0, and not just because the names are similar. The light weight, no frills, working, hunting, camping nature of the knives is the same. The Moran, however, brings modern materials, ergonomic design, and precision manufacturing to the table.
I used it today to cut some palm fronds and while I would have liked more handle length, blade length, and weight, the Moran was more than up to the task. I'll use it over the next few days and report back. In the meantime, I'd like to offer my thanks to Spyderco for making these knives available, to Frank K. for putting the pass-around together, and for BladeForums for giving us a place to make it happen.
To be continued...
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