Scandinavian-Style General Camp Knife

[cm_bushman]

I've been looking hard at Scandinavian style knives lately in my quest for a great all-around outdoor knife. I'm really looking for a knife that is comfortable for my medium-sized hands, utterly dependable, and hopefully under $150. I've looked at several brands and was just hoping for some feedback from some guys with actual experiences.

My first choice would be to save up some more cash and sweat out a design with a custom maker. This is of course the most expensive option, and I'm hoping for 1)some experience with a few production knives to see what really shakes out before going that far and 2) some insight and opinions on the designs and quality of different companies so that I can better understand my needs.

The other end of the spectrum is a Mora. For a quarter of my budget I could have my pick of models, but I was really hoping for a wooden handle and a full tang if possible. Are there any Moras out there with one or both?

When I first started looking at Puukko and Scandi knives, I started with Helle. Their knives look amazing, and I'm especially considering the Viking, Taiga, and Temagami but with unnamed steel, partial tangs, and sometimes mixed reviews, I'm not sure they justify their ~$100 prices. Anyone with advice on those models?

Another company I've been looking into is EKA out of Sweden. Their Nordic W11 and A10 in particular seem to be of great design, and the more complete tang is heartening at a slightly lower price than Helle. I've heard precious little about these knives though, they seem to have little presense in the US. The use of 12C27 is also an unknown to me. I've not heard much praise for the Sandvik steels and I wonder how it compares to plain 1095 or good D2 or cutting-edge M390.

So what I'm really wondering is if there are any full-tang puukko-style knives out there for an affordable price with high-end steel (carbon or stainless), full-tang construction, wooden handles, and well executed, comfortable design?

Lastly there are the more American "Survival" type knives like ESEE and Bark River. The materials seem of better quality, but I'm curious as to what you guys thing of a knife like the ESEE-4 vs. a Puukko knife as a day-to-day outdoors and camping/long-term bush knife in terms of suitability, strength, ease of use, and anything else that matters?

 

[HardTripper]

I wouldnt worry about the "unnamed steel" that helle is putting up, lots of high end makers use proprietary steels and its usually a basic carbon or stainless laminated and heat treated their own way. You would be hard pressed to find a puukko made out of m390 and if you did it would be way more than 150$ Since youre kinda looking at puukkos and kinda looking at ESEE's take a gander at the Tops BOB, its basically an American style puukko with ESEE manufacturing. Right up your alley.

 

[houndoggy]

I too have been getting into Puukkos recently and starting to learn a little about them. Honestly, if you have $150 to spend I would buy a real scandanavian Puukko rather than an American immitation. For about $150 (maybe a little more depending on model) you could get a Roselli. The knife is simplicity itself with no frills, but Roselli has a reputation of being one of the better non custom mfgs. Also, since your interested in high end steel, he has an ultra high carbon steel formulation that is claimed to hold its edge about twice as long as conventional high carbon steel. Honestly not sure if the knives are full tang construction but if used for their intended purposes (in other words they're not meant to be heavy duty choppers or pry bars) these knives should last a lifetime. If you're willing to double your budget, you can begin to start thinking about going full custom. If your decide to go this route, I would take a look at www.britishblades.com, as they have a pretty good forum with discussions about some of the custom makers.

 

[houndoggy]

BTW, if you're interested in a fun folder option, Syderco makes a neat folding Puukko style knife that will be slightly above your $150 budget, unless you can find a gently used one. I just got one myself and so far have only used it to cut paper, but it is a nice, solid, well made folder and wicked sharp. Again, doesn't possess the prybar toughness of a Strider or ZT, but it is a great little slicer.

 

[panzertroop]

Have you looked at Wood Bear Knives? American made, hard use scandi grind. Some of them are beasts!

 

[Cobra281]

Couple suggestions.


Spyderco Bushcraft

BHK (Blind horse knives) makes some real nice stuff.

For the money, Moras are tough to beat.

In addition to your Scandi suggestions (Helle, etc) EnZo knives seem to be getting a lot of good reviews.
Not something I have yet, but on my short list (lol)

Check the custom exchanges here on the forums - be surprised at the real nice stuff there in your price range.

Good luck.

 

[Pennanngalan]

If you decide that you like the looks of the Woodbear knives and want to know about the quality, I have a Brown bear and I would buy it again if I had it to do over, though the Nordic Bear 2 is very pleasing to my eye and I'll probably buy it at some later date.

As stated above, the unassuming Mora is awesomeness incarnate (and they also have a very few full-tang models with WTF prices attached). Marttiini is also good and they also offer a few full-tang models (if you can find one).

And, I'll throw this out just cause I like it too, the Condor Rodan handles very much like a scandi of equivalent thickness (WB-Brown Bear and BHK-Bushcrafter are both in this category). Blade steel is also good and not a disappointment.

 

[CWL]

Ragweed Forge carries a lot of the Scandi knives, so you may want to spend some time there for Scandis. Kellam also offers a fine selection of Scandi knives, but expect to pay more for them. -Also, their Wolverine puukko uses the Lauri PT blade, which you can buy and make your own Scandi for about 1/2 the cost.

If I were to suggest one knife, I think Helle Eggen is a great & scary sharp knife for you to take a look at.

Only knife I would not recommend is the EKA W11. I have it and am extremely disappointed with it. First: the blade is hollow-ground, not Scandi; Second:the grip is designed for you to only have one angled way to grip it -it is uncomfortable if you want to use different grip techniques; and Third: the edge bevel is bad and you will need to remove a lot of steel before you can have a decent working edge.

Lastly, don't get too caught up in the steel. Scandinavians have been living in Arctic conditions for over 1000 years and seemed to have managed just fine with their basic steels.

 

[Thomas Linton]

I've been looking hard at Scandinavian style knives lately in my quest for a great all-around outdoor knife. I'm really looking for a knife that is comfortable for my medium-sized hands, utterly dependable, and hopefully under $150. I've looked at several brands and was just hoping for some feedback from some guys with actual experiences.

Please be specific as to what tasks you want to perform. Given the range of people here, "all-around outdoor" just does not have anything like a common meaning. Some would never baton with a knife - apparently even to save life. Others do it all the time.

Also, what does "utterly dependable" mean for you? Bomb-proof? Few Scandinavian or Finnish knives are bomb-proof. They are meant to cut.

Custom more expensive? Scandinavian and Finnish makers sell their knives to Kellam, which adds a nice margin, and resells. I have two puukkos from Finland, made by a single craftsman who forges his blades, and both came here under $100, including shipping. And he is well thought of in Finland - prize-winner in competitions.

Many Finnish makers use blades made by specialty blade-making forms, such as Lauri.

full tang

Full length or full length and width? Most puukkos that I have have a full-length tang. MORA's generally do not. Knives made in the Nordic areas with full-width tangs are made for export, not use in that area.

With little effort you can find that Helle identifies the steel that it uses, such as Sandvik 12C27, a quite respectable stainless that takes a fine edge but is not as abrasion-resistant as current "super steels" like M390 and Elmax. It holds an edge, on average, better than 1095 if not as well as D2. It is also stainless. YOU have to define what you want to make YOU happy. Helle must be doing something right.

MORA is a value brand. Most of their products are in the $20 range, so 1/6th of your budget would do. They are bang for the buck - not trying for the top quartile. With their thin blades, they slice like crazy. Some carefully baton wood with them and do not break them. Others . . . .

EKA is a respected brand that makes knives more to the styes that Americans are used to. A bit pricy and not much retail network in North America. (Cause and effect?)

ESEE makes knives of 1095 - not stainless. Very stout. Since they are thicker, they do not slice as well as blades 1/8" think or thinner than that. We are back to whatta' ya' want.

Bark River makes knives of all sorts of steels and knives in many, many styles - some Puukko-like. I like mine. Most seem to like them. Some do not.

BTW, if you're interested in a fun folder option, Syderco makes a neat folding Puukko style knife that will be slightly above your $150 budget, unless you can find a gently used one. I just got one myself and so far have only used it to cut paper, but it is a nice, solid, well made folder and wicked sharp. Again, doesn't possess the prybar toughness of a Strider or ZT, but it is a great little slicer.

And the blade chips out like crazy in ordinary use for the knife it was initially claimed to be. The CEO of Spyderco admits there is a problem.

 

[ridnovir]

Helle
Koster
Bark River

 

[Ed Ricketts]

Mora 2000...i'm a big fan. I think the "rubber"/composite handle makes a better user than most wood handles, in most ways...BUT...for that price, if you want wood, you can put a wood handle on it. (Some Moras come with wood handles, of course, but the "2000" is my favorite.)

I also have (& think quite highly of) a Kellam Fang model. Similar, nice wood handle, more $...

I would pair it with a hatchet, machete or other big chopper.

 

[CWL]

I'd like to comment a bit about full tangs on knives. Don't fall for marketing. Do a search here on how many times stick tang knives have failed in the field... Knives have been used for thousands of years in true survival situations and they usually didn't have full tangs.

Two reasons why you do not want a full tang in a Scandi knife (or why you can't find them): 1. Full tangs carry vibration & shock to the user's hands, which results in a lot of pain if you actually use the knife for chopping; 2. Full tangs carry the cold to your hand. People who live in conditions that can reach -30 degrees C in winter and average 0 deg. C, don't want to freeze their hands to the knife.

 

[Ed Ricketts]

Good points, CWL. However, i wouldn't even try chopping with a 4 to 5" blade unless i lost my hatchet, or "big chopper". I don't believe in just 1 blade for everything. I chose to interpret the OP's question as a good all round outdoors knife for everything else but chopping. IMO, one blade simply will not do everything well.

 

[Pennanngalan]

Ragnar's is an excellent suggestion. He sell knives from Brusletto, Helle, Stromeng, Mora, Karesuando, EKA, Ahti, Jarvenpaa, Lapin Puukko, Roselli, and Wood Jewel (as if the choice wasn't hard enough already).

 

[BladeScout]

First of all, you mention a 'camp knife' in your heading and then goes on to describe outdoor knives and smaller knives like Esee4, standard Mora, EKAs etc.
To me a camp knife is a bigger knife than a standard Mora or the Esee4, but that might just be me.

Sounds like you want a bushcraft-type or utility knife.

You mention a lot of nice knives and most of them will do just fine. They give a lot of bang for the buck.

You also mentioned going with a custom knife. If you feel, you would to go that way, you really should save a bit more money and go with a reputable knifemaker and have a nice knife made to your specs.

It doesnt have to be an outlandish design and it doesnt have to be cost its weight in gold.

With a little research and some forethought, you will get a lot of joy out of a custom knife. Way more than with the cheapest solution possible.
Its your money and a production knife might work just as fine - its really a matter of appreciating the small nice things in the world.

I had a friend and knifemaker make this bushcraft knife to my specs and never looked back.

 

[CWL]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend someone commissioning a knife of their own design until they've spent some time using knives so they will understand what is useful. New people who order a custom knife tend to add way too many doodads & fluff features rather than something that will fit their hands well and cut in comfort. We see way too many "newbs" posting a shopping list of features & materials (gleaned from the internet) that they want in a knife -often with contradictory features or functions.

Now if you want to order an existing design from a knifemaker, I will agree with you there.

 

[cm_bushman]

Wow guys, thanks for all the replies, where to begin...? (From the top, I guess!)

HardTripper: I've seen the TOPS B.O.B. knife in a few magazines before and I like the look of it, I wasn't aware that it had come down to the ~$150 range, I had always seen it at prices closer to $200, though I suppose that may have been MSRP. I especially like the bow drill dent in the handle.

Panzer: Thanks for the tip on Woodbear knives, that's one I had not seen before and it looks like a great operation, it really reminds me of Blind Horse Knives. I really like the Rouge Bear, Black Bear, KARHU, and WBK-R models.

CWL: Thanks for the tip on the EKA Nordic W11, from the reviews of knives with similar handles and designs, I had noticed that most didn't approve of the handle shape and complained just as you did of of problems of limited and uncomfortable grips. That is a big deal to me, especially with knives like this, as I have always considered comfort and versatile grip options one of the best things about puukko and Scandi-style knives.

I also agree with your stance about my own designs. I have dozens drawn up, but until I know what works, I don't want to invest in any of them. The main reason I was looking into these production knives was to get some experience with what worked for me before going custom.

Ed Ricketts: The Kellam Fang looks superb, I'll have to get more info on it!

BladeScout: Nice knife man, I like the tang design and the beaten finish, details?
As for all the tips on Ragweed, that's where I've ended up in my search for these kind of knives, it's really a mecca of the style.

 

[cm_bushman]

Thomas Linton: Your reply was longer, so I reserved it for it's own post.

Please be specific as to what tasks you want to perform.

I thought this would come up. To be more specific, I'm looking for a camp/bushcraft type knife for general tasks like carving, skinning, cutting of rope, etc. I will have a hatchet and saw for chopping and processing wood, I don't believe in batoning. I would like a blade with a 4-5" cutting edge, because I believe this gives the best balance with a decent size handle and usable edge. Firesteel compatibility is also a factor, as is a secure sheath. As for steel, 1095 is fine by me, and so anything better is simply a plus. I'm just a sucker for high-end steels. That is why I gravitated to the Koster Bushcrafter, SURVIVE! EDC 4.1, and Bark River Bravo-1 until now.

Also, what does "utterly dependable" mean for you? Bomb-proof?

Far from it. I'm looking for a knife that can 1)Hold together against moderate abuse of cutting, skinning, carving, etc. 2)keep an edge through a day of these tasks 3)have no issues with transport and jostling around and 4) do all of this with the option of versatile grips and comfort. Not an extreme list of criterea. I was hoping for full tang simply because I believe it is simpler and stronger. I have seen and heard of the partial tangs on Moras failing a few times and it just turned me off of them a bit. With care and intelligent use (no batoning) however, this may not be an issue.

 

[Sulaco]

Checkout Ragweed. I want to pickup one of the Aito Puuko's in bark.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Good. You know what you want to do. It would be very cool if you could hold a given possibility - even use it some.

Some knives just feel "right" to me. Hand tool. Others, not so much.

I am holding a 80-yeal-old Lahdensuo puukko right . . . NOW. Birch bark handle. Ahhhh! 4" diamond cross section blade. Who knows what carbon steel he used. But it cuts like crazy.

My Spyderco puukko is S30V and beautiful. Takes and holds a keen edge, but the handle is so sharp on the bottom edge that it hurts to use. I must fix it or forget it.

Good hunting.