OT: Puukko/Lueku Combo From Ragweed Forge

[Josh Feltman]

I've been looking into getting a non-khukuri belt knife, and I really like this set from Ragweed Forge. I know Ragweed has been mentioned on the HI forum a few times, and I thought someome posted pics of this set or one similar a while back. Anybody have any experience with these knives?
--Josh

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Josh, I think Yvsa picked up one of those Leukkos a while back and seemed pretty happy with it (don't trust my memory, maybe Yvsa will chime in). I have owned a couple of the Iisakki Jarvenpaa puukkos and they give very good service.

Not sure what your intended use will be for the belt knife, but can tell you the Scandinavian knives are excellent outdoor knives. Ragnar has a good selection, and you might also want to check these folks out www.kellamknives.com

Sarge

 

[Josh Feltman]

Thanks for the link, Sarge, I'll check it out. I'm thinking of general camp knife use, maybe with some light to moderate chopping with the lueko, though I've pretty much got chopping covered with my khukuris. I've got an Errikson mora that I like quite a bit, and wanted to try something similar but a bit larger. I really like the idea of the larger knife paired with a smaller one on the same sheath.
--Josh

 

[mamav]

Got Eric one of these sets for Father's day from Kellum Knives. It's very nice. But you'll have to ask him about it when he gets home tomorrow. We've dealt with Kellum and they are very good. She'll call if there's any questions and just is an overall good co.

 

[ichor]

Originally posted by Josh Feltman
I've been looking into getting a non-khukuri belt knife, and I really like this set from Ragweed Forge. I know Ragweed has been mentioned on the HI forum a few times, and I thought someome posted pics of this set or one similar a while back. Anybody have any experience with these knives?
--Josh

I'm also considering this set. I have bought numerous knives from Ragnar, but not these in particular. I will say that Ragnar's is very fair, honest and easy to deal with.

 

[Eikerværing]

Originally posted by Josh Feltman
Anybody have any experience with these knives?
--Josh

Before I discovered khukuris there was only this knife for me for hiking and sleeping in the forest. That is, I only had the long one without the extra little one. And still it would be my first choice if I was to choose a survival knife and needing to drastically reduce the weight of my backpack.

The handle is thoughtfully shaped. It gives you a safe grip when you cannot feel your hands anymore in the cold and your mittens are slippery. You don't want to hold a circular handle as with a khukuri then. As for the blade it is good steel and easy to resharpen, just like other Scandinavian or Finnish knives.

As for chopping utility it is no match for a khukuri. It will take you a small eternity to chop all the way through a solid branch so I usually just weaken the branch by cutting out a part of it and then I step on it so it snaps in the weakened section. So you could say I use it to help me determine where I want the branches to break so they fit into the fire. Now I am used to khukuris though so I have become lazy and prefer to use the khukuri so I can chop all the way through.

This knife type is what outdoors men and hunters use in Norway. The Norwegian military has adopted it as part of their standard equipment ( http://www.norwayonline.no/company.asp?compid=483 ).

My knife is just refered to as a saami knife and is made here in Norway by the Saami People. It is their traditional knife as a nomadic reindeer herding people in the subarctic regions so the utility value of it is unquestionable. The Saamis and the Finns share a common linguistical heritage and have had close coexistence for a long time so I don't know if the knife was originally invented by Saamis or Finns.

I read somewhere about an old Saami who was asked what he needed to survive in the wild. He answered "the long knife and the little knife". I suppose the little knife is for small utility purposes like skinning smaller animals, marking the ears of the reindeer with the family mark, cleansing fish and carving in wood and such.

 

[Eikerværing]

What size is the big one of the two knives in your picture?

Mine has a 9 inch blade and I feel that is the minimum I want on it. I have tried the 8 incher and it felt like a different class of knife. The 9 incher gave me the feeling of a small machete and nice for light chopping. The 8 incher felt like just a big blade, it didn't have any "swing" to it.

But that might be a personal preference. The military version has an 8 inch blade so it should be good enough.



Oh, and as it has oftenly been discussed here about the best khukuri for self defence, I know my Saami is a better choice for me in a self defence situation. It is considerably lighter and quicker. But as it lacks weight there is no point in hitting indiscriminately at someone. You will have to stay controlled and keep your head cool and go for the vital parts. With a khukuri you can just wack someone in the head but with the danger of moving slowly enough for your attacker to get at you.