This is my second Hells knife. It's Helle's model 175, named Earth. It's made in Norway, and you can find it at your local knife shop for about $65. On to the review...
Handle Specifications and Impressions: The Earth's handle is made of one piece of curly birch, which has a light tan color to it. It's 4.2" long, and has a groove cut out at the point where the handle meets the blade spine. This is ingenious, and is so you can put your thumb on it for better control. There's a slight guard on the front, but not much. The handle is rounded, but not circular, so it has a nice surface. It feels like it's been sanded and laminated. The handle fills my hand; it's not skinny or flat. I really like the feel of this handle.
Blade Specifications and Impressions: Wow. This isn't the blade you get with your typical $60 knife. The Earth's blade is triple laminated stainless steel; the core is high carbon at 58-60 Rc, with softer steel (18/8) as the outer layers. The blade is 3.55" long, and ends in a drop point. The back of the blade is flat, and the edge curves upward. There is a small indentation on the blade that is for putting your thumb on; it assures you more control. Combining this with the groove in the handle, you have a nice combination of control and comfort. The blade came extremely sharp, and held its edge through light work. It has a satin finish.
Sheath and Extras: The Earth came with a black leather sheath. It will fit a belt up to 1.7" wide. The sheath has a snap in the back of the sheath, which is ultra secure. Despite this, it's still easy to release the snap and withdraw the knife. Very nice set up. The Earth also came with a polishing cloth that has the Helle logo on it. It's good for getting scuffs and fingerprints off the blade before putting it back in the sheath. I'd polish with it, but I have other cloths for that. The Earth also came in a cardboard tube. I know a lot of people disregard this and throw it away, but I find it useful for carrying my knife cleaning equipment.
More later....
Handle Specifications and Impressions: The Earth's handle is made of one piece of curly birch, which has a light tan color to it. It's 4.2" long, and has a groove cut out at the point where the handle meets the blade spine. This is ingenious, and is so you can put your thumb on it for better control. There's a slight guard on the front, but not much. The handle is rounded, but not circular, so it has a nice surface. It feels like it's been sanded and laminated. The handle fills my hand; it's not skinny or flat. I really like the feel of this handle.
Blade Specifications and Impressions: Wow. This isn't the blade you get with your typical $60 knife. The Earth's blade is triple laminated stainless steel; the core is high carbon at 58-60 Rc, with softer steel (18/8) as the outer layers. The blade is 3.55" long, and ends in a drop point. The back of the blade is flat, and the edge curves upward. There is a small indentation on the blade that is for putting your thumb on; it assures you more control. Combining this with the groove in the handle, you have a nice combination of control and comfort. The blade came extremely sharp, and held its edge through light work. It has a satin finish.
Sheath and Extras: The Earth came with a black leather sheath. It will fit a belt up to 1.7" wide. The sheath has a snap in the back of the sheath, which is ultra secure. Despite this, it's still easy to release the snap and withdraw the knife. Very nice set up. The Earth also came with a polishing cloth that has the Helle logo on it. It's good for getting scuffs and fingerprints off the blade before putting it back in the sheath. I'd polish with it, but I have other cloths for that. The Earth also came in a cardboard tube. I know a lot of people disregard this and throw it away, but I find it useful for carrying my knife cleaning equipment.
More later....
