seeking info on Helle Odel

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I've been looking for a 4" or so fixed blade to fill the gap between my Bark River Mini Canadian and Becker BK10. The Becker is too much for most of my light hiking and camping use. The Barkie, while a great edc, is a little too short sometimes for some tasks.

People rave about the Scandinavian knives, so I thought I'd try one that's a little nicer than the Moras. The Helle Odel is the typical functional Scandi style, but with a beautiful birch and reindeer antler handle.

Does anyone own this knife or other Helles? I'd love some feedback.
 
I have quite a few Scandinavian knives, although not the Odel. I do have a Helle Nying, which has a shorter blade. Excellent handle, razor sharp blade that keeps its edge. Nice little sheath, also. From the one I've got and the others I've handled, I definitely recommend Helle.

Here's a few links to other Scandinavians.
 
I've got a Helle Odel. It is an excellent knife. Good ergonomics & sharp, sharp, sharp. If you get one, once in a while it doesn't hurt to rub a little mineral oil into the handle. The antler, leather, and wood seem to like that.

Here's mine:

IMG_1346.jpg
 
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My only Helle is the "Millstone," a beautiful and well-made knife. I have given other Helle models as gifts and they all have had a consistently high build quality. Whether or not the Odel is suitable for your task in mind, I don't think you'll regret buying it.

...so I thought I'd try one that's a little nicer than the Moras.
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The plastic molded handles don't do much for me, but I'm definitely happy with the wooden handled Moras (both Frosts and Erikkson). Not as nicely finished as a Helle, but simpler and less expensive.
You might also consider the knives from Karesuando, Ahti, and Marttini. The Marttini knives I've handled have been just as nice as Helle. I consider Ahti and Karesuando to fall in-between Mora and Helle.

Happy Shopping!
-Bob
 
Bob W said:
Whether or not the Odel is suitable for your task in mind, I don't think you'll regret buying it.


-Bob
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I intend to use it as a general purpose knife for camping and hiking. My Becker is usually overkill, but sometimes my BRK&T Mini Canadian is a bit too short.
 
For some useless trivia; "Odel" is a traditional Norwegian form of inheritance where the oldest son (or recently oldest daughter) inherits the entire farm, to keep the land from being divided into uselessly small pieces over time. In case someone sells a piece of land with odel-rights to someone outside the family, someone else with odel to that piece of property can petition the government and be given the right to buy the land back at a price set by the government (no matter what the out-of-family buyer actually paid for it).

In this context, "Odel" is probably best translated as "heirloom" though.
 
I guess I better take care of the Odel if/when I get one, so it can be passed on.:cool:

Now - is it pronounced "OH-del" or is it "oh-DELL?"
 
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