scandanavian hiking knives?

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

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Dec 3, 2000
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I decided to go on a lil' ole 3.5 mile day hike on Monday. After reaching my half way point while walking through calf deep snow, bustin' my a$$ on glare ice a couple dozen times, (Yak Trax? what are those?:rolleyes: ) sliding down loose shale, falling through bad ice, etc. I was freakin' tired and hating every extra ounce I had on me, including my snazzy new BRKT Golok I'd decided to carry. (which incidentally looks like it got dragged that distance behind a truck now)

So, I decided I need to get something lighter than my 19 ounce Golok, and have a real liking for Scandanavian designs lately. Actually, I guess that's kinda fortunate, since most of them are very lightweight, and thusly fits into the picture quite well.

90% of the knifes use will be for whittling fuzz sticks,opening packages, etc. The other 10% would go towards the building of a fire. I guess what I'm saying, is that I'm looking for versatility, and a very high weight to strength ratio.

I'm wanting at least a five inch blade. I'm considering knives from Helle, Kellam, Stromeng, and Kero knives.

The Helle I'm not sure of due to it's being all stainless, I kinda prefer carbon steel.

The Kellam Tracker looks reaally nice, but a recent review in TK didn't seem to give it glowing recommendations from what I read between the lines. (chipped the blade a couple of times, sheath held alot of moisture and resulted in rust)

Kero I'd never heard of until yesterday, but sounds good.

Stromeng I havent heard anything about.

What experiences have y'all had with these brands, and what would you suggest?
 
All the knives Kellam sells are good knives. I have carried a Jarrvepaa and a Roselli puukko for years now, and can tell you they are exellent knives. Both are carbon steel and get wicked sharp, and hold it well. They cut so well, they are capable of doing work that is out of scale to their size.
 
Get a Järvenpää puukko and you won't be sorry. I use mine for everything.

If you feel the need for a slightly larger blade, get a leuku. It's the big brother of the puukko, and is better suited for chopping.

Järvenpää and Martiini make the best production scandis IMO, although if you're used to Bark River quality, you may want to dip your toes into the world of custom scandis. :D

Peace.
 
this Ranger Puukko might be the one for you. oops, somehow the link is the same for multiple pages on the site, so go to Kinife Shop then go to Fixed Blades then select Other Lines.
 
Wow, thanks for the link NI200, those are some beautiful Scandi blades. I might have to pick one of those up ...

- Mike
 
While not 5" I highly recommend the I. Jarvenpaa 1244
IJ1224.gif

Carbon steel, stout blade and the birchbark handle is quite comfey...warm even. The sheath has a plastic liner and is totally forgotton once on your belt. Great engineering, funky old school look.

This has a 5" blade, but of thinner stock.
wallymuk.jpg

It is the Helle Jegermester.
5" of 12C27 stainless. Wood handle, reindeer spacer.
A nice knife, no liner in the sheath so you have to be a bit careful resheathing. Worth the money too.

Thinthick.gif

For comparison, left to right
Murphy Fisherman's Pal
IJ fishing knife
Frosts Swedish Army knife
IJ 1244
PJ Tomes Utility
Helle Jegermester
Berg 'Shark'
Dozier Slim Outdoorsman
Dozier Personal Utility
RO Easler small skinner
Marbles Woodcraft

Or you could just get a GB mini :D
Not much bigger than the Jegermester and a whole lot more chopability ;)
 
Thanks for the pics and links! now I'm gettin' all sortsa fired up about the selection here.

I did a little poking around with Helle knives and found these two:

http://www.helleknives.com/product24.html

This one has a nice narrow laminated blade of the length I was searching for, a hidden tang, natural materials, and forgive me for being a wuss, but I like the deep choil:o It's located right here in good ole Wasilla Alaska too. My only concern is that this particular gent seems to be really high priced on alot of his knives. I'd hate to pick it up from him, and then find one for half the price. I'm all for supporting local economy, but within reason... (I'd bought a Fjellmann from him over the summer for $72) Not to insult the guy...helluva nice guy....he was very patient while I stood there for an hour and a half at the state fair choosing a knife...:o

Second one I found (same place) is this one:http://www.helleknives.com/product8.html

very nicely sized and shaped. fairly traditional, but notice that it DOES have a bit of finger protection up there. Admittedly, I like the sleek looks of the Hjellbit better, but the Hovding looks like it could be one helluva work horse.

Neither of these seem to be knives that seem to be very common or available. That much more reason to snag one now. Instant gratification would be wonderful too.:D

Custom Puukko.....(ad lib Homer Simpson drool) I have been a bit spoiled by my Bark Rivers the last couple of years....:D (mine is dedicated to game processing, my wifes is off limits for me)

Still shopping around though....Before I jump on another Helle, I'd like to find something with a longer more gradual blade grind to it. It's taking a LOOONG time for the Fjellmann and I to become friends. Thanks for all the info and input!
 
NI200 said:
this Ranger Puukko might be the one for you. oops, somehow the link is the same for multiple pages on the site,
Click to expand...
Here's the direct link to the Ranger Puukko. This is an awesome knife, tough and sharp, with a really non-slip grip on that rubber handle, and an excellent sheath which can be worn high or low vertically on your belt, or rigged horizontally. 5.75" blade, 10.25" overall, 10 oz in the sheath.
 
The Ranger is a sturdy knife, but for fuzz sticks and the like, it's a bit thick. Also the handle can eat up your hand during longer periods of hard use.
 
Way-O, I would think anyone should carry a Mora clipper or Swedish Army Knife or one of the Kellam equivalents, for the appropriate small tasks. In stainless steel with plastic handle and sheaths, they are inconspicuously light weight and low maintenance, and sharp as razors.

They will easily spare the heavier knives a lot of small work.
 
Esav, I don't really see the need for a bigger knife if one carries a mora. Depending on the location an axe or a machete, or perhaps a saw or a folding shovel would make a better pair. Something like reliable folder for backup too, of course.
 
The only Scandinavian knife I own with a 5” blade is a traditional KJ Eriksson Mora. It’s a great knife: it’s light, very inexpensive, and even works well in the kitchen.

It seems like most puukko-type knives tend to have shorter blades. That’s probably because they’re designed with more detailed woodworking needs in mind. I noticed that some Tommi knives have blades 5 inches and longer, but they’re not cheap! :eek: Marttiini probably has some longer bladed puukkos too.

If you want to go the leuku route, you might look at Roselli’s stuff. They have models with both 5” and 7” blades. I personally haven’t tried a Roselli leuku, but I have a couple of their other knives and they’re some of my favorite users.
 
Dang....and to think I was under the impression it would be easier to pick a knife of Scandanavian influence!

Anyhoo, I just got done ordering a couple of Moras from Ragweed Forge to scratch the current itch, and threw some trading stock out to see what comes along. Oh, I ordered a five inch carbon steel blade and a 4 and a quarter laminated steel blade.

The Kellam Ranger is one helluva good looking knife....and one I would be willing to consider but...the whole black coating plastic handled thing is what I'm trying to get away from, at least for awhile. The blade thickness really wouldn't be a big problem. It'd be a bit of extra assurance when flying in small aircraft where gear tends to be limited, or away from the axe, machete, or saw back at camp, or even on small day hikes where I'm less likely to pack the big stuff It's not what I set out for. But I can't help liking it.

I've ruled out the Kellam...ready for the cheesiest reason of the year? here goes...I don't like the names. With umpteen hundred other excellent choices already out there, I don't need to have "Prowler,Fang,Slasher, etc. on the side of a knife blade, or "Wolfpack" written across the front of my sheath. Aint I a petty SOB?:o :D

I'm actually not entirely too sure why the Scandi bug has bitten so hard. I think I'm just at a point of burn out with most modern styled knives. Perhaps there's just something nice about a knife design that's been used for well over a thousand years, and is still very capable.
 
I'm surprised that Ragweed/Ragnar didn't have the Helles that you mentioned.
Custom maker Charles May makes some standard style knives with Scandi type blades.
There was another thread a month or 2 ago about IJ's and Karasuandos IIRC.

Remember the hunt is at least half the fun :D
 
That type of Puukko really is an "EDC" of it's time. I would expect it to be a very good all-rounder. The only thing that I am not so fond of is the sheath type, I have lost a few Puukkos from such ones.

TLM
 
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