Survivorman and Helle knives collaboration knife.

cramsey3006 said:
Helle blades are some of the best priced ones to buy individually, for the steel quality. They run from around $15 to $25.

I've handled a few Helle knives at various stores and their fit and finish was MUCH better than the knife Joe has.

The Temagami resembles the Taiga quite a bit, to my eyes. Add the tang and rivets to the Taiga and it's almost the same knife.

The handle on Joe's knife leaves a lot to be desired, IMO. The wood is pretty, but it doesn't seem to have any type of finish on it. There's really no excuse for how the rivets and tang area look, for a knife with a $100+ price tag. Heck, for a knife with even a $60+ price tag.

And we all know better, as well, that if someone on BF laid out $100 or more on a knife and the rivets, tang area, and overall handle looked that bad, there'd be a raging post about how piss poor the knife quality, and it's company, is. :rolleyes:
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i like these kinds of knives, and have more than few from different makers... esp Helle - really love their stuff. have a couple coming in fact :> intend to have more, including the Temagami...

would expect final production knives to have better quality. as other people have said, i'm guessing a hastily put together prototype. this one doesn't have the mid blade jimping i've seen in other photos of (another?) Temagami.

in talking to someone in the know, another MAJOR reason for the price being higher on this than a Taiga, is that it used a lot more steel. stick tang vs even partial mortise tang results in quite a lot more steel. they can no longer overlap stick to stick on the stock thus sharing some stock. so, more steel, potentially some more waste, higher price right there. add a bit more complication in the mortising, PING, and a thong hole? bam.

perfection will be required though :)
 
I think it is worth pointing out Joe doesn't have this knife. All he did was handle it at SHOT in the Blue Ridge booth like about 35,000 other people did over the week. Blue Ridge was less than certain when production knives would be available.
 
Sidehill, you are right, we should wait to see what the production version looks like before the final verdict. I'm not going to remit my original posts on what I thought of the prototype that I saw at blue ridge.
 
Everyone has made very good points. Here's the way I see it...

Unless they had the knife labeled as a prototype or preproduction model, and I mean labeled or marked where everyone could see that it was such (not just telling people who asked about it), I would think that it would definitely not be to Helle's advantage to have it out there.

If I were Les, I would be VERY unhappy about it. I'm sure that he agreed to the collaboration because of his knowledge of Helle and the quality of the knives they produce. Here is the knife he designed and is endorsing by putting his name on it and his reputation on the line, and they take a piece like that to the show for it's FIRST major look from the outdoors industry and the general public? Not a good foundation to start on, IMO.
 
The point is this is a very thin and short bladed production knife with a simple wood handle. For $180 ?!

For 180 you can get a very nice custom from several makers here, or many other production knives fall within this price point.

Spyderco Temperance 2! the spyderco has a better sheath, more expensive steel, sweet handle and better fit and finish than what we have seen with the stroud knife for 180 ish

so you think the helle is not over priced? for 160 ish you can get a ESEE Junglas with a 10 inch blade, sick micarta handles and a awesome kydex sheath... when you see what is out there for less than the cost of this tamagami you may see you are being ripped off.
 
SubaruSTi said:
Spyderco Temperance 2! the spyderco has a better sheath, more expensive steel, sweet handle and better fit and finish than what we have seen with the stroud knife for 180 ish
.
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Not for nothing, but I see nothing attractive about the Spyderco Temperance. So all that is completely subjective.

But thats not why I am quoting you. I am quoting you because I would like to know how you can judge fit and finish of a knife that you have never held? All I have seen of the Hell were a few pictures, and everything looks quite flawless, but it's a picture....

I do think $180 is alot for that knife, but after owning and using a few Helles, I don't think anyone would feel "ripped off" if they purchased this one.

I am not singling you out, I just feel fit and finish has allot to do with the cost of a knife, and I don't agree with people judging fit and finish by a picture...
 
Joezilla said:
Hey Guys, keep the thread civil.
I do agree with many (all) of Kgd's points. It very well could be a rushed version of the knife as well, but those scratches still rub me if it is a production around 100. I've got a Helle right now, but I didn't pay more than $25 for it. If it performs like this Helle, then it will be stout dependable knife for those who know how to use it, but like I said, there are price points I'm willing to shoot for if it is agreeable. This was the only knife at the show, at the blue ridge wholesale table.
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Thanks Joe!
 
this thread has gotten to the point where it is about as interesting as the menu selection in a retirement home...
Who cares??
It cuts things..it's pretty.. I won;t spend that kind of cheddar on it. Not because I don;t think it;s worth it.. (I love my helle knives) but because i am a blue collar boy, an for that amount of coin I can get a Kellam pukko, a wetterlings hatchet, an still have enough for any type of mutitool I want
That being said, even though I won;t pay that much for one.. I will more than likely end up owning one at some point.
 
rescueriley said:
this thread has gotten to the point where it is about as interesting as the menu selection in a retirement home......that being said, even though i won;t pay that much for one.. I will more than likely end up owning one at some point.
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He he :D
 
Didn't Joe say that these will have a MSRP of $100 and probably run around $60-$80 retail in his post?
 
Read on *that other forum about knives* that the $180 was for the first "autographed" batch, but maybe it's only a rumor.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
I'm not worried that the tang is not strong enough, I just prefer full (length & width) tangs. Besides being arguably tougher, it you break the scales, you still have a handle that can be easily wrapped, not to mention ease of repair (replacement of scales).

Just my take, of course. :D

Doc
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Absolutely correct, Doc. :thumbup:
 
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Ken C.
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$170 seems acceptable although a bit expensive.
Now would like to see how it perform and notably how durable it is (from the pics I don't worry too much about ergonomics).
Hope Helle factored that in because the knife will probably be given the rough treatment.
 
Ravaillac said:
$170 seems acceptable although a bit expensive.
Now would like to see how it perform and notably how durable it is (from the pics I don't worry too much about ergonomics).
Hope Helle factored that in because the knife will probably be given the rough treatment.
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it SHOULD be at least as tough as its closest kissing cousins in the Helle lineup. possibly more-so. however, it's twice the cost at street prices. is it twice as tough as those?

i'd have paid $100 new in box at a show for the initial offering and used it well :) esp as it looks like some of the ones they were selling don't have that forward spine jimping (not a fan).

still, if one of these comes flitting by on the exchange, we'll see. or a Helle Taiga. or a couple others :)

i've a Helle Alden now as a "gentleman's stroller" (it's PRETTY) that will see some bushtime. the Helle Earth too; but i suppose it's also time to sell off a number of other closely related models, as there's too many in the old crate to count ;) hah. Winter. she is a harsh and boring mistress causing us to spend.
 
anyone know if the tang is flush on the pommel of production ones
 
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