Mora 2000

The Mora 2000 was introduced in 1991 by KJ Eriksson. It was the first innovation for a decade and became a sales success very quickly. The original prototype was called "Trapper" but it was actually exported for a period across the Atlantic, where it was sold under the powerful name "Moose Master"

Mora 2000 was a request from KJ Eriksson's Norwegian agent Rathe for a knife to hike with.

Early prototypes made out of plastic padding and aluminum blade

Prototype before any pattern was engraved on handle and sheath

Another Trapper prototype in Maroon red. Personal collection of Dave Canterbury. Several other colors were tested, among them blue, grey, maroon, green, black.

 
The very original idea for the knife was a wish from our Norwegian agent who wanted a knife "to go on tour with".

"The idea was to create a practical all-around knife that would work just as well for skinning, cleaning, and filleting fish, and for skinning and butchering felled prey, and slicing bread or cold cuts and buttering sandwiches." from Morakniv website

The huge popularity of this model is most likely due to the very unconventional blade geometry, deviating from the edge and blade geometry, that Morakniv calls "profile-ground". The front section makes it better for slicing and skinning and the back portion remains giving enough space for carving and heavier-duty work.

The tip of the blade was inspired by the N58 from KJE

The blade is made out of 12c27 stainless steel  In 1991 the blade length was 115mm and 2,5mm thick. But sometimes the tip would go through the sheath, so in 2009 the blade length was shortened to 109mm (by pushing the blade 6mm into the handle, the actual knife blank is the same only less blade is shown)

Regarding the heat treatment Thomas Eriksson "... we have been optimizing the heat treatment for that blade since 1991 (for 34 years now) and have very accurate specifications for heating, cooling, and tempering (anealing) for both temperature and time to maximize the possible performance of the 12C27. The profile ground tip also makes the tip more flexible compared to a blade with full thickness all the way towards the tip."

The tang it's around 2/3 length (not full length). This is the original design with only one notch 

Currently, the layout of the tang has a few more notches. 

The handle design made out of TPE-rubber was also very innovative. 

In 30 years of existence, more than 1.5 million were made, making it one of the most sold Mora knives ever. 

This blade design would also be used in the model Mora Bushcraft Forest (the same blade blank with different grip designs).

On the left a wooden handle prototype made by Pär Brask that was not commercialized. On the right, a co-brand knife made KJE ice drill distributor in the USA

During the period 2005-2009, the was a logo on the sheath

The older version models made with the stamp Morakniv have a smaller gap between the harder and softer grip.

Mora 2000 Orange high visibility version Neverlost

Above: Test batch of the Hight visibility in the inverse color scheme that was finally adopted. Since this was a test run there was no sheath design made. About this knife, Thomas Eriksson wrote: "It is from a test run before making the Neverlost Edition. It proved that the HiVis orange was not that HiVis with a black core so we choose the HiVis core with a black friction grip instead. This version was never produced for sale, just a test run. Note the "Mora of Sweden"-logo on the sheath as well. It was only there for a short time (2005-2009)."

Test run with Teflon coating. Never made it to any official production. This coating is very different from the DLC used today on the Bushcraft Black etc. Teflon coating never made it into production. It was sold at the factory outlet at Nils Olsson in Nusnäs just South of Mora. Knife owned by Vild Mark

Morakniv uses the same blank for the model Bushcraft Forest.

In 2017 Morakniv introduced the Kansbol, the natural evolution of the Mora 2000. The main differences are grip design, sheath, 90-degree spine to be used with firesteel, and the blade finish.

Some Mora 2000 design elements can also be found in the Garberg and in the Eldris.

Mora 2000 on top and The Kansbol on the bottom

On 25 de January 2021, Morakniv launched a black version to commemorate 130 years. At 17:00 the first batch of 130 pieces, all numbered, were available to buy online and at the factory shop in Mora. The website crashed for almost 2-hour to the high demand of thousands of Morakniv enthusiasts all trying their luke to buy one of the 130 pieces. 

The unnumbered will be released in Feb 2021. 

https://130.morakniv.se/

A knife blanks were also available to buy, which allowed craftsmen to create custom knife work and beautiful pieces of art.

Splendid examples of custom knives using Mora 2000 Blank by the talented craftsmen Chad Spies

Different stamps

Ver 1, "TRAPPER" is the prototype name (1990-1991)

 

Ver 2 "MORA 2000", 1991

Ver 3, MORA 2000, from 1991 to around 1992

Ver 4, KJ ERIKSSON, from around 1992 to 2005

Ver 5, MORA OF SWEDEN, from 2006 to 2009

Ver 6, MORAKNIV, from late 2009 until 2015

Ver 7, The MORAKNIV logo with the "V" shaped as a blade), from late 2015 and onwards

V8, Mora 2000 130 anniversary edition - 2021

 The Mora 2000 is issued by Swedish Armed Forces (FMV N. M6310-004610)

More about the usage of Mora knives in the military here

KJ Eriksson catalog page from 1991

Fakes Mora 2000

Russian Copy 

The knife of the bottom is a fake Mora2000 found in Russia. It was probably made in China. 

The main differences:

• Color: the fake is gray
• The tang is smaller and thinner 
• The fake doesn't have the grooves on the handle that separate the guard and pommel and the handle part
• The blade geometry and grind is different 

Fake knife branded "WASA" on the bottom. Top knife made for Neverlost

The main differences:

• Color: The knife is a pallid orange
• the sheath is black instead of the original orange
• the blade geometry and grind is different

Russian copy - Photos by Gabe Martin

 

 

 

Special thanks

• Thomas Morakniv for all the information shared
• Chad Spies for the pictures
• Gary Jones for proofreading.

Sources

https://anthonyawaken.com/mora-2000-review/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Morakniv

https://morakniv.se/en/this-is-morakniv/our-history/