Knife Comparison: MoraKniv Companion and the Cold Steel Survival Edge
Kevin Felts 05.15.18
In this article we will be comparing the Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion and the Cold Steel Survival Edge. Both are fixed blade knives of about the same size, and around the same price. Both knives cost less than $20 and are available with Amazon Prime shipping.
The reader should not consider this a “versus” article as we are not trying to determine which knife is better than the other. It will be left to the reader to determine which knife best suites their needs. However, at the end of the article the author will share his opinion on the two knives.
Blade Length
- Survival Edge: 4 7/8 inches
- Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion: 4 inches
Each blade was measured from the tip to where the blade connects with the handle.
Blade Width
- Survival Edge: 15/16 inch
- Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion: 13/16 inch
The width of the blades were measured at around half the length from the tip to the handle.
Blade Material
- Survival Edge: German 4116 stainless steel
- Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion: High quality carbon steel
Overall Length
- Survival Edge: 9 3/16 inches
- Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion: 8 3/4 inches
Weight, with sheath
- Survival Edge: 5.45 ounces with survival kit. 4.40 ounces without kit.
- Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion: 4.85 ounces
Sheath
Both knives have a kydex sheath of similar design. Each one has a belt clip which allows the knife to be clipped to a belt, or to MOLLE webbing.
Cold Steel Survival Edge
First impressions are a throw back to the 1980s Rambo style hollow handle survival knives. Unlike the survival knives from the 1980s, the Survival Edge does not have a wire saw.
Handle Contents:
- Compass
- Fish hooks
- Weights
- Fishing line
- Whistle
On the outside of the sheath is a storage compartment for a fire starter. However, this makes the sheath too wide to fit inside MOLE webbing. The clip will attach to MOLLE webbing, but the sheath will not fit into the webbing.
This means the sheath will attach to the webbing, but will be hanging loose outside the pack. One solution is to remove the fire starter.
Unlike a lot of hollow handle survival knives where the blade attaches to the edge of the handle, it appears the blade of the Survival Edge extends into the handle about one inch. Even extending into the handle about one inch, this is not the type of knife to use to pry on something with.
The handle has a nice texture which facilities a nice grip.
While handling the knife, the compass fell out of its housing from inside the cap. There appeared to be no glue on the backside of the compass. I will probably put some super glue on the compass and glue it inside the cap.
The compass does point north.
Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion
First impressions are that of a well rounded camp knife. The Companion would be well suited in a hunting camp skinning deer, or in a fish camp.
I recently got to use my Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion to trim the fat off four briskets and five pork shoulder roast. At the end of the job the knife was dull and needed to be resharpened. After a few minutes with a sharpening stone the knife was sharp and ready to go back to work.
While the blade steel claims to be “High quality carbon steel,” I feel it does not hold an edge as good as a good quality 1095 blade.
From what I have been able to find, the Heavy Duty Companion is around a 3/4 tang, which means the tang does not extend the full length of the handle.
Handle has as nice shape, but can get slippery.
Final Thoughts
This is how I see the two knives:
Cold Steel Survival Edge: Hiking / backpacking knife.
Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion: Hunting / camping knife. The Morakniv would be my choice when camping for several days. Or if I were going to the hunting camp and expecting to skin a deer, the Mora would be my choice.
However, if we take the survival kit and fire starter out of Survival Edge, it weighs just 4.40 ounces. For people who count every ounce in their backpack, the Survival Edge weighs 1.45 ounces less than the Companion.
If nothing else, take the survival kit out of the Survival Edge, and replace it with dryer lint and a fire starter. Chances are someone would need to build a fire more than they would need a fishing kit. Rather than putting the fire starter that came with the knife in the handle, it was replaced with a 79 cent fire starter.
In this comparison I feel the MoraKniv Heavy Duty Companion edges out the Cold Steel Survival Edge. While both knives seem well built, hollow handle knives have certain weaknesses which can not be overcome.
