Can anyone compare & contrast the Spyderco & Kellam puukko's in use?

S

Stainz

Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Messages
3,760
I bought the Spyderco first - found it, the ironwood handled model, sale-priced and then half-off on clearance at a local shop. I bought the Kellam from a mail order site - for about a third of the $200 I spent on the pair. They are vastly different - S30V SS or CS - 'traditional' vs modern. They seem so different - I need help in deciding which one to keep for wood's walking chores - aka bushcraft 'lite'. Thanks!

Stainz
 
I had an original Spyderco bushcraft. Nice knife but I found it a bit bulky for its niche. I prefer a more gracile knife for that kind of general utility. Strangely enough, I am cool with big knives generally.


Edit to add: I haven't used the puukko, which I now realize is the very different knife you're probably referring to! :foot:

While I don't have a Kellam puukko, I have the almost identical Wolverine. Keeper! I love this knife. Great ergonomics, razor sharp edge, I mean "be careful" with it, extremely light weight, beautiful sheath.
 
Kellan Puukko uses a Lauri blade?
What length does your kellam have

I have a knife with a 95 cm blade
Put it to the waterstones to make as close to zero
superb cutter
not for batoning though
 
Love my kellam puukko:thumbup: I've been perty tuff on it carved a lot of wood butcher 2 roosters cut the bones use it in my edc rotation few passes on a strop its razor sharp
 
Kellam says their puukko is 3.75" and the Wolverine is 3.7". My Wolverine measures 93 cm.
 
Stainz said:
I need help in deciding which one to keep for wood's walking chores - aka bushcraft 'lite'. Thanks!

Stainz
Click to expand...

No. I don't think you need help with this. Simply use both knives and decided which one works better for YOU. Now if you were deciding on which to buy that's another matter but yea already got both so IMHO take them on actual outings and do the stuff you're considering. Pick the winner based on your experience.
 
Last edited:
Esav Benyamin said:
I had an original Spyderco bushcraft. Nice knife but I found it a bit bulky for its niche. I prefer a more gracile knife for that kind of general utility. Strangely enough, I am cool with big knives generally.
Edit to add: I haven't used the puukko, which I now realize is the very different knife you're probably referring to! :foot:

While I don't have a Kellam puukko, I have the almost identical Wolverine. Keeper! I love this knife. Great ergonomics, razor sharp edge, I mean "be careful" with it, extremely light weight, beautiful sheath.
Click to expand...

Esav,

What makes the knife bulky?

Thanks
 
neeman said:
Esav,

What makes the knife bulky?

Thanks
Click to expand...


The knife has a very thick handle & the sheath is very wide too (which can make it a bit awkward to carry) so I'm guessing it's either one of those or both that bothered Esav. It's a heavy knife as well btw, or at least for it's size.

I love mine though (Bushcraft, I don't own the Puukko unfortunately). My hands are medium sized at most but strange enough I wouldn't mind an even (slightly) wider handle. When it comes to harder cuts where I really need a firm grip I find most knife handles too thin to be honest, but that's a matter of preference I guess. I just hope they'll make one with a nice wooden handle again some day though, the G10 is a little plasticy imo.

But on-topic: I'm with Woods Walker on this one; just put them through the pases (thoroughly) and decide for yourself which one you like best...or just keep both if you can't choose.. :rolleyes:

Please share your findings after a while, I'm very curious about the Spydie Puukko myself, and I'm about to try an Ahti Tikka (which is related to your Kellam) as it happens.
 
Last edited:
I have a number of puukko's and a Wolverine as well. And I bought the Spydie puukko -- now discontinued.

The bottom edge of the handle of that particular Spyderco puukko was painfully thin. It hurt to use it in power cuts in the hammer grip as the force is concentrated on the last two fingers of my hand. Spyderco said, in writing both times, that the handle was not defective and was defective, but they "could not" fix it. I kept it hoping to rehandle it. I think the blade is excellent. It certainly looks nice - if you can deal with the hole in the blade.

I have never had this problem with any other fixed-blade knife. Puukko handles are typically very comfortable - at least to me.
 
I just picked up a g-10 spidie puukko yesterday on a sale/final clearance.

Had a hard time choosing between g-10(170$) and the ironwood model(164$) No tax charged on them as well.......just could not pass it up!

I intend to actually be using it occasionally and was not sure if the ironwood would hold up to varying temperatures and humidity.

Ironwood model is prettier but I liked the slightly grippy feel of the g-10

I have 6 days to decide if I want to trade it in for the "wood"

Any input would be appreciated and in line with the OP is wondering

Thanks
 
neeman said:
Esav,

What makes the knife bulky?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Neeman,

The Spyderco Bushcraft is a thicker knife than the typical puukko. Hard to tell from pictures, but here it is next to a Pekka Tuominen original.

3uey.jpg


The main thing is the sheath. The entire package of knife and sheath is much bulkier than a puukko and tuppi combination.

9vxy.jpg
 
Kamagong,

thanks

Clearly a full tang knife and a flat sheath is going to be much bulkier and heavier than a stick tang wooden handled with a form fitting sheath
And the useage is also quite different
Puukkos are much lighter to carry and use, but does not have the strenght of a full tang, and I am not prepared to do any batonning with my puukkos
I just do not see them being made to be hit

I just wondered if there was something specific about the Spyderco that made it even more bulky
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top