Lapin Puukko Hunter
I really want to like this knife...I really do. It does have some nice features. Overall though I don't like it.
Cons
1. Blade geometry: I presumed it would be a scandi grind blade. It may have been but there is a pronounced secondary bevel on this knife. Given that the thing is so stout, that secondary bevel is very obtuse. The thing is very very sharp, I'll give it that.
2. Design: The thing is neither fish nor foul. Not modern, not a traditional puukko. The blade and the handle are like two different knives although the handle is fit firmly to the blade with a flush bolster of, I think, German silver.
3. Finish. The blade is made by Lauri of Finland and they are well thought of. This is one of those blades where they've left on the forge scale. Well they've left so much on that the thing is sooty to the touch...I don't like that. The grind on either side of the ricasso is not even so the ricasso on one side of the blade is 1mm or so higher up the blade than on the other...obvious to the eye and disappointing.
4. Sheath. Very disappointing in a knife of this price point. The leather was very dry and seemed as if it were about to crack. The seam down the back is terrible and it is as if they glued the thing together with pitch or something. I could see pitch on a fully traditional antique replica but this is one of their professional series blades...let's use some Barge cement people. When I put some leather conditioner on the sheath (Obenhauf's HD) it sort of disolved the pitch glue and made it sticky as heck...yuck. Had to scrape it down.
5. Price. Expected much, much more for what I paid for this thing. Way overpriced.
Pros
1. I really like the handle shape. It is a plain birch stained a medium brown. It was very dry when I got it so I treated it also with Obenhauf's HD and it is very nice. Fits the hand very well but it is big and would not fit a small hand well at all.
2. Steel. Well I am giving the benefit of the doubt on this one as I have not put this to use. It did come razor sharp so Lapin gets points for that. We'll see. Lauri has a good reputation for making blades.
So overall, not pleased at all. I was planning to also buy the Lapin Military Knife, a more traditional Puukko (and I wish I had). But I will not be buying that now. I am done with Lapin. Plenty of other Finnish knives to waste money on a company I am not happy with. I am, conversely, very pleased with Heimo Roselli of Finland. Not traditional but the fit and finish and the blades are just wonderful. Scandi grinds with just a microscopic hint of a micro bevel.
I really want to like this knife...I really do. It does have some nice features. Overall though I don't like it.
Cons
1. Blade geometry: I presumed it would be a scandi grind blade. It may have been but there is a pronounced secondary bevel on this knife. Given that the thing is so stout, that secondary bevel is very obtuse. The thing is very very sharp, I'll give it that.
2. Design: The thing is neither fish nor foul. Not modern, not a traditional puukko. The blade and the handle are like two different knives although the handle is fit firmly to the blade with a flush bolster of, I think, German silver.
3. Finish. The blade is made by Lauri of Finland and they are well thought of. This is one of those blades where they've left on the forge scale. Well they've left so much on that the thing is sooty to the touch...I don't like that. The grind on either side of the ricasso is not even so the ricasso on one side of the blade is 1mm or so higher up the blade than on the other...obvious to the eye and disappointing.
4. Sheath. Very disappointing in a knife of this price point. The leather was very dry and seemed as if it were about to crack. The seam down the back is terrible and it is as if they glued the thing together with pitch or something. I could see pitch on a fully traditional antique replica but this is one of their professional series blades...let's use some Barge cement people. When I put some leather conditioner on the sheath (Obenhauf's HD) it sort of disolved the pitch glue and made it sticky as heck...yuck. Had to scrape it down.
5. Price. Expected much, much more for what I paid for this thing. Way overpriced.
Pros
1. I really like the handle shape. It is a plain birch stained a medium brown. It was very dry when I got it so I treated it also with Obenhauf's HD and it is very nice. Fits the hand very well but it is big and would not fit a small hand well at all.
2. Steel. Well I am giving the benefit of the doubt on this one as I have not put this to use. It did come razor sharp so Lapin gets points for that. We'll see. Lauri has a good reputation for making blades.
So overall, not pleased at all. I was planning to also buy the Lapin Military Knife, a more traditional Puukko (and I wish I had). But I will not be buying that now. I am done with Lapin. Plenty of other Finnish knives to waste money on a company I am not happy with. I am, conversely, very pleased with Heimo Roselli of Finland. Not traditional but the fit and finish and the blades are just wonderful. Scandi grinds with just a microscopic hint of a micro bevel.
