Review on Orange Morakniv Companion Outdoor Knife - 4.1-Inch Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade For Camping And Hiking (M-11824) by Christopher Cortez

I am impressed.I am a blade fanatic, having used several types of blades daily for well over 3 decades. So, when those around me hear me say that about some type of bladed tool, they usually perk up and pay attention. My posts on my old Revain account, particularly the knife reviews and knife sharpening tools, drew quite a bit of attention, although it’s been a couple of years since I posted reviews there. ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AGHZK3B6CTD7K36646BENTATZGQA )My favored factory knife companies are usually Buck, Benchmade, Ontario, and likely now Morakniv, if future knives I’ll purchase from them hold the same quality as this one. The Morakniv Companion I received will likely replace my Benchmade Barrage folder as my EDC for the foreseeable future as I continue to evaluate it.This is absolutely a 5 star knife. I had some QC concerns when I first received this item, but I’ll get to that later.and those concerns proved moot once I had the chance to try this knife out today.Out of the box, this knife is ridiculously sharp. I’m used to new blades having a good edge from the factory, but I believe this is the absolute sharpest blade I’ve pulled out of a package.ever.and I own a host of knives, from some cheap beater knives to high-end blades.The Sandvik 12c27 steel used in this knife is a great knife steel.probably among the better stainless steels used by more knife brands. Until I really give this knife a few months worth of work, the only stainless steels I would rate better would likely be CPM 154 and CPM SV30, respectively. However, those two steels usually carry a far higher pricetag than this Sandvik blade.After using my rouge-infused strop to make this already scary-sharp blade even more frightening, I’ve used this knife all day (and will post an update after a month or 3 of use), purposely finding tasks to use it on. I’ve chopped some veggies, cut up a couple of boxes just because I could, stripped some electrical wire, reduced a small piece of hardwood firewood (about 2inx4inx12in) to fine tinder, and feathered a 2in diameter limb of the same hardwood.After that, I ran this blade a few times across my strop, and the edge was back to where I started. I expected the Sandvik steel to hold up well, but this went past my expectations. The "Scandi” flat grind this knife has performs extremely well. I’ll try the carbon steel version of this knife next, before I move on to the other models Morakniv produces.Let’s talk about what this knife is for.EVERY knife has a particular purpose, just like any tool. This knife is meant as a light to medium duty EDC knife. With the 4.1 inch blade it is sized to tackle just about any normal cutting task you would need from day to day. Even taking this camping with you it would serve extremely well for food prep and tindering. What it ISN’T meant for is HARD use.yes, I have no doubt you could baton a small piece of firewood (2 or 3 inches diameter max) and this blade would hold up well.but that IS NOT what this knife is meant for. I’m not even sure why people want to use a knife for tasks other tools are better suited for.get a hatchet, for God’s sake.Another point is this knife is NOT full tang.which is JUST FINE. Full tang blades are needed when a blade is used in hard tasks where every bit of strength you can get is needed. This is still a ¾ tang blade, which is MORE than enough for its intended purpose.Further, the tang is notched, so when the handle is molded to it and hardens, the blade simply will NOT pop out, even under misuse. I’ve watched one of these knives de-handled so we could see how they are formed.and I’ll tell you it was difficult for that person to cut through the handle material with a high-speed reciprocating saw.surprisingly difficult. The handle is WELL FORMED around the ¾ tang and I cannot see anyone having any problems at all with it failing to perform. My normal EDC knives are really strong locking folders (Buck, Benchmade).and this is certainly stronger than those by far, and is meant for tasks you would normally use those for.Further, the ergonomics of the handle are quite comfortable, and the additional rubber coating over the plastic provides an excellent grip.The included formed-plastic sheath also functions well. The sheath grips the handle once inserted and the knife feels secure. I can’t imagine why anyone would have issues with it.The only concerns I had in the beginning were about QC.when I first pulled the knife out of the packaging, I noticed it looked like someone had stabbed the blade into something hard.maybe at the factory? There were a couple of edge blemishes near the tip. However, if I weren’t so OCD about my blade edges I probably wouldn’t have noticed, and touching the edge up on my strop eliminated those blemishes. Still, it’s something the company shouldn’t be OK with.Overall, this is a fantastic light to medium duty EDC knife. Again, I’ll post an update after a month or so of use, but I don’t see my opinion of this great knife changing after seeing how it performed today.