Fallkniven Northern Lights

tiogatires

tiogatires

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Feb 6, 2007
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I did some searching here and elsewhere on the net. Can anyone tell me if Fallkniven's Northern Lights series knives are full tang? Couldn't really find a decisive answer. Specifically looking into either the Frey, Njord or the Oden.

Do you recommend them? How have they held up with the laminated steel? User opinions are greatly appreciated.
 
I've been doing a bunch of research on Fallkniven as well. I love the look of the Northern Lights. From what I've gathered, the blades are the same as the A1 S1 F1, so full tang. And they're still made in Japan. The main difference is the handle material and that they are each hand made. I hope that helps.
 
Well, they are full tang in that the tang runs the full length of the handle, and is a fairly hefty 5/8" to 3/4" wide rather than being a narrow stick tang (like the USMC Kabar) but it is still a hidden tang, of course, fully surrounded by the leather discs.
 
I'm really leaning to get one. They are drop dead gorgeous. I'm wishin one shows up on the exchange.
 
tiogatires said:
I did some searching here and elsewhere on the net. Can anyone tell me if Fallkniven's Northern Lights series knives are full tang? Couldn't really find a decisive answer. Specifically looking into either the Frey, Njord or the Oden.

Do you recommend them? How have they held up with the laminated steel? User opinions are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Here's the tang of my Frey and as You can see it's a substantial amount of steel under the leather handle.
It's held together with the pommel and pommelnut.
If needed the nut can be tightened or opened.

qnkn.jpg



Do I recommend them? :)
Yes! :thumbup:

I have used my NL's (I have the NL1, 2, 4, and 5) hard and no issues at all!
On some, the pommelnut has been tightened very hard, but it was possible for me to re-open as I want it adjustable.

The laminated steel has held up as You should expect for such a high-end production knife.

Peter at Fällkniven has told me several times, that to date no NL's has come back to him in pieces!
He has also asked the knifemakers in Seki City, to only produce the NL's if they can get the very best leather for the handle.
If not, Peter's wish is: " Don't make them"!

NL4 Frey
7t72.jpg


NL5 Idun
fmh3.jpg


NL2 Odin
00kn.jpg



I didn't get the NL3 Njord because I think the NL2 Odin is so much more of a Cross-Over knife.
For smaller knives the Frey or Idun will do the job.

My NL1 Tor is special with the custom Sambar Crown handle and doesn't really belong in this topic, but it's a truly great knife!

h2n8.jpg



Regards
Mikael
 
Mikael,

Thanks very much for the time to post all those pics and info. That handle patina looks awesome. I remember my old kabar looked like that years ago from years of use. I'll be saving my sheckles up for in of the middle line up knives as I love 6" - 7" blades.
 
You will not regret getting one of the NL's, they are real knives for real use!


Regards
Mikael
 
I'm kind of in between getting the Frey or Njord as my first. Mikael, which would you recommend? Mostly I'm looking for a do it all woods/camp knife.
 
I was thinking about that Q yesterday, when working in the garden.

I carried a combo of the Frey and the Odin working with chopping and slicing weed, 2" Ash and some carpenting.

The Odin shines in chopping, without being too bulky and it cuts very well too!

The Frey was used for smaller jobs.
It is thinner for good cutting performance and it processed weed and wood with great accuracy!
The Frey is too small for chopping and the Odin is my choice for this.
I know many NL users prefer the Njord, but I think it's too big for small jobs and too small for big jobs.

Out of these 3, the Frey, the Njord and the Odin, the Odin was my first choice.
It still is and for a do it all Cross-Over knife, it's great!

Nowadays when I'm in the outdoors, I carry a smaller fixed and if I also take a big knife, it is in the daypack.
The big knife would be enough, but if I get spectators, I don't wan't the attention a big knife gives and I take the smaller one instead.

Another thing, why invest in such expensive knives as the NL's, when the market is flooded with less costly alternatives?
The answer is that this will show on more extended stays in the Outdoors!
For a few days camping in the nearby forrests, they are overkill, but when the going gets tougher, they start to work!

I don't do those tough Outdoor stays, but I enjoy the high quality in fit&finish and the feeling of a tool in hand that I can depend upon.

I guess You want me to say that You should choose the Njord over the Frey.
I say the Odin, but among many others my son prefers the FK 6" blades. instead of the 8" versions.
So if 6 to 7" bladelenght is what You are comfortable with, ok then the Njord is the right choice! :)

Regards
Mikael
 
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I was also pondering between Njord and Frey, but eventually I came to conclusion that Frey is pretty much the perfect size for all around general trekking, hiking, fishing, woodcraft knife. If I need to cut down larger trees, I take my kukri with me:-). In the end it still about personal choice and preference.

I do have a question. Is the handle material and design the only difference between e.g. Frey and S1? What does handmade in this context mean; putting it together?
 
ChristianJ said:
I was also pondering between Njord and Frey, but eventually I came to conclusion that Frey is pretty much the perfect size for all around general trekking, hiking, fishing, woodcraft knife. If I need to cut down larger trees, I take my kukri with me:-). In the end it still about personal choice and preference.

I do have a question. Is the handle material and design the only difference between e.g. Frey and S1? What does handmade in this context mean; putting it together?
Click to expand...

Congrats to a great knife!
The Frey and S1 share the same steel and heat-treatment, otherwise they are differrent.

Handmade means assembly, convexing the edge, sharpening, making&shaping the handle and put-on the final fit&finish.



Regards
Mikael
 
I am looking to buy an secondhand NL Odin. This particular one has numbers 8619 carved to the non edged part of the blade just after quillon. The seller is unable to explain them except that this piece has been in a collection and has a number :-). Do you happen to know if those numbers have any meaning as far as Fällkniven is considered?
 
Christian, I haven't heard of factory numbers on the NL series.
If a model has had numbers from the factory, it has been the first 1000.

Maybe this particular number was a request from a previous owner, as Fällkniven do custom laser engraving.

New pic:

en6u.jpg



Regards
Mikael
 
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Mikael - as always thanks for the pics. That stag handled blade is off the charts. I'm really starting to like stag for handle material. Where did you get it done?

As a small update, I'm still planning on picking up a NL4 Frey at some point. I pretty much choked and bought a custom handled F1 in the meantime. It really fills the hunter needs for processing game which is why I liked it. Also, from what I hear, they are getting harder to find. I am still looking forward to a Northern Lights model though. They're just so awesome to look at!
 
Tiogatires, that custom F1 will give You a lifetime of hunting adventures!
No real need for a NL with such a custom, but I agree, they are awesome to look at.
They are not just only for the good looks, as they are performers at the very top of good knives IMO.


The stag NL1 was built right here in my home-workshop.

ywm3.jpg


The NL1 project started as a good deal in a local knifestore and Dale at The Knife Connection had a few pieces of top grade Sambar Crowns.
There's something Magic with nice stag, but it's hard to get good pieces and Dale had the best at the time.

0zmb.jpg


hz7a.jpg


It was a job well worth doing and it was tons of fun!
This knife's main purpose is as a showpiece, but it's fully usable and sometimes sees use in the garden.

The NL2 Odin is another thing and it happens that it rides in the bottom of my Hunting/Fishing daypack.
Mainly I use the F2 in my avatar and the Odin is there for occasional chopping.
The bag is 13" long and the NL1 is way too big for this bag! :D

ju7j.jpg


zaf5.jpg


If You get a stag handled knife, You will not regret it, but ask for more!
KSF has plenty of Northwoods small hunters in Sambarstag and any of them will make a good start.



Regards
Mikael
 
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I could not help myself. I bought the NL2 Odin second hand for a quite reasonable price. The knife is in pristine / unused condition having been a collectors item. It has custom sheet and nice engraving on the quillon saying "Spes sibi quisque". I guess that translates roughly to "Let each be a hope unto himself or Let each man's hope be in himself". Sort of nice touch for a survival knife.

6f155da0deebe2cf6567bd63b2592-orig.jpg
 
I've got the F1, S1 and A2.

I want the NL series soooooo bad......

Must not give in.......stay strong.......

:D

I have no complaints about any Fallkniven I've owned, and stacked leather is right sexy.....

Moose
 
Moose, it sounds like You got it real bad! :D

Is there anything I can do, before You reach for Your CC number?
Do You favor a particular model, or all of them? :friendly_wink:



Regards
Mikael
 
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