The Puukko

Will Power said:
Indeed it is a flag day here today and thanks to The Zieg The Zieg for bringing up Lönnrot. Not only a scholar of oral folk traditions but compiler of a Finsk-Svensk dictionary and a Finnish language work on biology.

Finnish is damnably inflected (but many other languages are handicapped by prepositions 🤣) and @A.L. is of course correct about the plural form of puukko, but being ruotsinkielen and living in the west my grasp of Finnish grammar, amongst other things..not always on point. Think puukkot would be 'on the puukko' strictly speaking?

Finnish is not an Indo-European language it has no similarities with neighbouring languages such as Russian, Swedish, German and borrows surprisingly few words from other languages being very inventive even in these globalized 'Bro' times :D It's close to Estonian, they can understand Finns but Finns not always them. It is linguistically akin to Hungarian, another maverick language on its own surrounded by Slavic & Romance languages, but they are no way mutually intelligible.

Back to the knives then. I've regarded the puukko as a working tool, handy outdoor item and as such never been drawn to having an expensive Custom made, whereas pocket-knives....:) There certainly is a shed load of pedantic bickering amongst certain 'experts' about what is a real puukko and it's often tedious. Like in the Classic Car world where monster egos monster each other 🤣 I've been to the Kauhava puukko festivals in June and some of the dealers sell ordinary stuff, others are custom makers and some are friendly but others dour, and seem to harbour dislikes of each other on a petty scale. Not been since covid so I'm not even sure if it still takes place.

I've been more than pleased with the Marttiini and Kauhavan knives I've had, inexpensive, decent and handle well. Others, particularly abroad, may thirst for more elaborate puukko or rare historical ones, all good, all part of the joy of knife ownership and use, something that often gets forgotten.

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Outstanding!
 
Will Power said:
Indeed it is a flag day here today and thanks to The Zieg The Zieg for bringing up Lönnrot. Not only a scholar of oral folk traditions but compiler of a Finsk-Svensk dictionary and a Finnish language work on biology.

Finnish is damnably inflected (but many other languages are handicapped by prepositions 🤣) and @A.L. is of course correct about the plural form of puukko, but being ruotsinkielen and living in the west my grasp of Finnish grammar, amongst other things..not always on point. Think puukkot would be 'on the puukko' strictly speaking?

Finnish is not an Indo-European language it has no similarities with neighbouring languages such as Russian, Swedish, German and borrows surprisingly few words from other languages being very inventive even in these globalized 'Bro' times :D It's close to Estonian, they can understand Finns but Finns not always them. It is linguistically akin to Hungarian, another maverick language on its own surrounded by Slavic & Romance languages, but they are no way mutually intelligible.

Back to the knives then. I've regarded the puukko as a working tool, handy outdoor item and as such never been drawn to having an expensive Custom made, whereas pocket-knives....:) There certainly is a shed load of pedantic bickering amongst certain 'experts' about what is a real puukko and it's often tedious. Like in the Classic Car world where monster egos monster each other 🤣 I've been to the Kauhava puukko festivals in June and some of the dealers sell ordinary stuff, others are custom makers and some are friendly but others dour, and seem to harbour dislikes of each other on a petty scale. Not been since covid so I'm not even sure if it still takes place.

I've been more than pleased with the Marttiini and Kauhavan knives I've had, inexpensive, decent and handle well. Others, particularly abroad, may thirst for more elaborate puukko or rare historical ones, all good, all part of the joy of knife ownership and use, something that often gets forgotten.

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Will, you always manage to put things very succinctly. Part of the fun of knife collecting is learning the culture that created the knives. I am woefully ignorant of Finland in general, other than it's geographical location.

The 'experts' you mention remind me of the endless debates of different steels that continuously happen.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone posting here. I am genuinely enjoying all of it!
 
draggat draggat . Thank you Steve. If a person says they're ignorant of...it's the end of ignorance because it means they want to know, to enquire. We all know so little, but that is what keeps making a new day new and worthwhile, the delight in finding out wanting to know more, however difficult.

As for experts in any field, especially on the internet, it's often an excuse to unleash their pent up aggression and boorish imbecility 🤣
 
L lambertiana It's around the size of an open GEC 15 Just about 13cm/5.25". Blade 6cm/ 2 3/8". Maker Kauhavan puukkopajaa. Reindeer antler/Curly Birch. Other handles available but don't know if hey can send to the USA now with all this cusoms fiasco etc.
 
veeteetee said:
Found this at the local flea market for 15,- euros😁: a miniature leuku made as business gift for the Finnish forest company Kemi Oy, prior to 1993.
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Total lenght is 15 cm, carbon steel blade is 5,5 cm, no maker´s stamp:(, reindeer antler handle.
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Another "Jewel" you found! John
 
Will Power said:
L lambertiana It's around the size of an open GEC 15 Just about 13cm/5.25". Blade 6cm/ 2 3/8". Maker Kauhavan puukkopajaa. Reindeer antler/Curly Birch. Other handles available but don't know if hey can send to the USA now with all this cusoms fiasco etc.
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From my experiences recently, ordering from outside the US is not a problem. You'll get an invoice from the shipper (FEDEX, UPS, DHL or whoever) as separate bill for what ever customs duties you owe either before or after delivery depending on when payment is due. Check with the seller before you buy.
Things are changing rapidly though, and this is currently whats on the FEDEX site

As a transportation provider and customs broker, FedEx is required to assess and collect duties and taxes in accordance with current customs regulations and government directives in effect at the time of import. According to guidance issued by Customs and Border Protection on February 22, 2026, duties imposed under IEEPA will no longer be collected for goods entering the U.S. after 12:00 a.m. EST on February 24, 2026. No other duties or tariffs are impacted by the Supreme Court’s ruling.
 
Will Power said:
L lambertiana It's around the size of an open GEC 15 Just about 13cm/5.25". Blade 6cm/ 2 3/8". Maker Kauhavan puukkopajaa. Reindeer antler/Curly Birch. Other handles available but don't know if hey can send to the USA now with all this cusoms fiasco etc.
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I looked around and couldn't find a US source. And even Lamnia doesn't have it.

Wood Jewel offers almost the same knife, same blade length with a little longer handle, and same handle materials.

Edit to add: It looks like I can order directly from the maker. Do they use Lauri blades? Now to work on funding...
 
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A Arathol Thanks for the info. Problem is that ALL EU Post Offices have suspended delivering packets to the USA from last September due to the tariff uncertainty. I cannot send anybody in the US any packet now, so no more trades or selling to the US , puts the block on collecting. Stuff FROM the US to the EU is delivered OK but there are tariffs on this too. So if somebody wanted to buy a knife from a Euro dealer it would probably be sent via very expensive courier, but it's worth e-mailing dealers to see if they have arrangements of some sort, individuals don't.
 
Will Power said:
A Arathol Thanks for the info. Problem is that ALL EU Post Offices have suspended delivering packets to the USA from last September due to the tariff uncertainty. I cannot send anybody in the US any packet now, so no more trades or selling to the US , puts the block on collecting. Stuff FROM the US to the EU is delivered OK but there are tariffs on this too. So if somebody wanted to buy a knife from a Euro dealer it would probably be sent via very expensive courier, but it's worth e-mailing dealers to see if they have arrangements of some sort, individuals don't.
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From what I can see, buying a single knife would fall under the de minimis rule, so does not fall under the IEEPA tarrifs as long as its under $800. So, it looks like the flat 15% import duty would apply, which would be collected at time of entry and paid buy the buyer. Guidance was just issued, once its properly disseminated there should be no problem with shipping to the US.
 
Will Power Will Power I am constantly realizing how little I know, in general, along with the fact that there is so much depth, even in the seemingly simplest of things.

Regarding shipping packages to and from Europe, I've completely hit the brakes. I've read about many instances of people paying 4-5 x the original amount for something due to 'brokerage fees' charged by carriers, which are far and away more than the actual tariff. For now, I'm sourcing from the US.

In regards to the puukko, I am extremely impressed with Kauhaven Puukkopaja. Now I am uncertain if this particular specimen is actually a puukko or something else? The handle is shaped a bit differently. Also, I was initially concerned about the handle being weak due to the hidden tang which does not extend through the end of the handle.

From all reports that I can find, modern epoxy is incredibly strong, stronger than the wood handle itself, so there shouldn't be much worry. I don't plan on abusing the knife, so I'm sure it won't be pushed to its limits, at least not by me.



 
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