Survivorman and Helle knives collaboration knife.

tabeeb762 said:
There are plenty of seasoned hunters running around with dull Winchester knives, but I wouldn't trust their ability to design a knife either.
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That's like comparing apples and oranges
 
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Interesting thread regarding Helle and Les Stroud. I work for Sport Hansa; we are the US / Canada distributor for Helle and have been working with the guys in Norway on this project. We expect to be a few weeks away from being able to share some preliminary design details and images which we will share when they are ready. If you are not familiar with Helle, they just did a video that explains their heritage which is worth having a look at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cuYnbWmEMY
 
PropThePolecat said:
No harshness meant. Ive always tried to write to my fellow forumites, as i would if we were standing and talking face-to-face. But sometimes things are lost in the process.

And i follow your logic now :thumbup:
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I was actually talking about my own post when I said that sounded too harsh. I have a habit of doing that.
I guess it makes this bit "sometimes things are lost in the process" all the more true.
No hard feelings.
 
Of all the survival personalities, I like Les the best. I'm hoping he'll be more consultant than designer and sign off on a simple basic design.
 
tabeeb762 said:
How so?
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A seasoned hunter would most likely design a great slicing knife to process game because it's what they do ... Les has both the knowledge and experience to know what qualities a good knife should have IMO.
 
Coyja said:
Helle is a pretty classy company, that have been around for 80 years making knives for use in a very harsh climate. Ragnar doesn't have a single knife of theirs for more than $95.
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This the problem. Helle makes highly optimized bushcraft knives for a good price.
In order to do something that will sell you either need a high markup or something radical. Otherwise whats the use.
 
KuRUpTD said:
A seasoned hunter would most likely design a great slicing knife to process game because it's what they do ... Les has both the knowledge and experience to know what qualities a good knife should have IMO.
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I disagree, because I've seen it hundreds of times.

If you have ever seen an EDC thread on a gun forum you'll see a hundred CRKT M16s to every good knife.
These guys know a good gun, and have no problems dropping good money for one.
But they won't spend more than $16 for a knife simply because they don't know any better.

The same applies to hunters, chefs and many others.
 
tabeeb762 said:
This the problem. Helle makes highly optimized bushcraft knives for a good price.
In order to do something that will sell you either need a high markup or something radical. Otherwise whats the use.
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You're both right and wrong with this statement.
Bear with me here.
For a certain segment of the buying public, you are absolutely correct.
However...
This knife is marketed at the crowd that is looking for basically a proven, utilitarian design made by a company that makes optimized bushcraft knives for a good price.:)
You have to know your audience, and I think this knife will satisfy the intended market.:thumbup:

I think it will be too short for my likings, but it will most likely be a solid, utilitarian woods knife.
 
tabeeb762 said:
This the problem. Helle makes highly optimized bushcraft knives for a good price.
In order to do something that will sell you either need a high markup or something radical. Otherwise whats the use.
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Well, they just re-offered this model to their lineup and it looks awesome and is only $75:
http://www.helle.no/Default.aspx?tabid=7988&language=nb-NO
Ragnar seems to praise it quite a bit, and they don't seem to be able to keep it in stock.

Les already seems to be into a certain un-named model he found in his youth in the woods in Canada. Doesn't seem to sound like he intends to do a lot of tweaking... Besides, isn't a "highly optimized bushcraft knife" EXACTLY what he wants made?

He could have put his name on a turd and it would've sold.
He didn't. He chose Helle.
Lets wait and see...
 
stabman said:
This knife is marketed at the crowd that is looking for basically a proven, utilitarian design made by a company that makes optimized bushcraft knives for a good price.:)
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Coyja said:
Les already seems to be into a certain un-named model he found in his youth in the woods in Canada. Doesn't seem to sound like he intends to do a lot of tweaking... Besides, isn't a "highly optimized bushcraft knife" EXACTLY what he wants made?
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If this turns out to be the case I'd be interested. Believe me, I want nothing more.

What worries me is there aren't a lot of people who would pass up a chance to make a good sum of money if all it takes is an etched signature. I probably wouldn't.

At this point all we can do is speculate.
 
It should be a good partnership and one that will bring some solid marketing exposure of Helle to North America. They really need that kind of exposure given the excellence of their product but generally limited distribution.

To me, Helle's are like that excellent production upgrade to a mora. Everything great about a mora, along with a super-attractive, but still traditional, handle. As for what Les comes up with, I respect the guy to bits, but I do have some doubts that his 'named knife' will really be anything all that different from what Helle now offers. It will be 30-40% higher price because of signature on the blade and will come with his picture on the back of the cardboard of the knife packaging. It will be a great knife, like all Helle's, but probably not something I'm going to rush out and get.

It will increase Helle's exposure and they will get a bunch of people getting a solid, great knife who have bought it for the name. Poor Horndog will not be able to avoid his impulse to buy this latest rendition of a popularized survival blade and we will benefit from Horndog's considered objective review of its performance!

All and all I look forward to seeing the results of this. If Helle gets pushed up to the forefront and gets better exposure than I think it is a great thing. We all win here!
 
I only have one Helle. The Nying. A small knife and very well made. I have always thought Helle's did not get the attention they deserved. I for one am looking forward to this collaboration. I wish I had the skill Less has. If he thinks it's what a survival knife should be. Then it will be ( at least for him) I might not agree with it but I won't say he is wrong.
 
This only makes me respect and like Les Stroud more.

I got a Bear Grylls catalog in the mail the other day.
Apparently, that one will plaster his name on a caribou if it stops long enough to take a pee. :p
 
I also hope it turns out great but something people aren't mentioning is price. If its not say sub $100 then I doubt many people will be interested. I would expect to pay around $75-$85 as thats around what I have paid for good knives that I use for this purpose. I also hope its avaliable from several sources or at least easily shipped to US. (I think Sport Hansa will make sure of that)
 
I really have an affinity for the Helle Storm knife, great product. Les Stroud is commendable for going with a company that makes awesome knives and not mediocre, across the board products (HELLO Gerber).

Since we are on the giving props bus, I just want to say that Canterbury's design with TOPS is a really good one as well.
 
Coyja said:
"I dont want anything fancy - nothing with a flashlight in the handle or a compass on the side. Just solid, real and durable.....quality. A knife you can actually use in the wilderness."
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breaking news, it's going to have a compass in the handle and a flashlight on the side! :D
 
That's pretty interesting, I'm not really one for the celebrity endorsed knives but I like Les Stroud so it should be interesting to see what he comes out with. I don't think Les is much of a knife knut and the cutting tools he used on survivorman reflected that. He was usually using a Leatherman/SAK and later on Buck fixed blades. They're all decent knives/multi-tools that you can pretty much depend on (in normal use), nothing gimmicky, no cheap junk, but nothing really special either.

I have a feeling that he sees a knife as little more than a tool, an important tool but still just a tool, so I wouldn't expect anything too amazing but I think it'll probably be a good usable knife. After all, Les Stroud knows what he's doing in the woods so if this knife is good enough for him I'm sure it'll be good enough for a lot of people. He does like his axes though so it probably won't be a stand alone survival knife that you can beat through logs or hack down trees with, I'd expect something more along the lines of a hunting knife, only with more wood working capabilities, which sounds good to me but maybe not everyones thing.

I'm not too into scandi ground knives anymore so I'm not sure if I'll be buying it when it comes out but it should be interesting to see and I have confidence that it'll turn out to be a decent knife. As far as price goes, well Les seems kind of like the everyman of the survival show world and his knife choices in the past have been fairly inexpensive so hopefully that transfers over to this knife as well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see though.
 
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