If you have ever attended one of the larger Nordic knife shows you quickly realize that there is no "best", only different. We often misapply the word "puukko" (Finnish belt knife) to Swedish and Norwegian knives -- though they may be similar in design. I have found that this is not wise to do with many of the custom makers out there who are not from Finland. :foot:
I have several customs, and dozens of mass-produced scandinavian knives in my collection. The custom knives are usually well worth the added expense with regards to overall quality and durability.
For the most part, investing in one of the factory knives is safe. I have sent three Roselli puukko knives back to my supplier because of really bad grinds. Another, a leuku, I sent back because the blade was so severely twisted during the forging process that establishing any decent edge on the knife would have been impossible. I had a hard time believing that any of these knives escaped quality inspection, but, others have had similar experiences with Roselli . That said, I have several other Roselli knives that have proven themselves well-made.
The laminated Helle blades will bend if accidently abused at all. I have one Helle knife blade that took on a permanent bend while my son was shaving fuzz sticks with it in lodgepole pine! I bent the blade back, repeated the activity myself, it easily bent again. Not common for Helle. I have a few Jarvenpaa knives that are excellent, one that is brittle, another that is too soft. We have had real good luck with Brusletto, Ahti, and the Kellam house brand knives.
