Who makes the best pukkos ???

[sharp-k]

Hi folks,

can someone tell me who makes the best pukko ??? the idea is to have a good traditional razor sharp blade outdoor knife for hiking, hunting, survival ...

I like the no-gimick style of Roselli and I know there are other good brands Helle , Kellam, ... but I have no experience with them


Any input are welcome !

Thanks in advance.

 

[Elen]

Well, for the best, you'd have to go handmade. Jukka Hankala and Pentti Kaartinen, for example, are real masters when it comes to puukkos. The mass-produced factory made knives simply aren't up to the same level. But, Roselli does make nice puukkos, albeit a bit pricy for their quality. Can't go too wrong with them.

 

[1Tracker]

I own a few Helle's and can vouch for their quality and durability! Nice to handle and look at to boot!

 

[xbxb]

I would give these guys a call. I bought my knife from Kellam about 6 yrs ago. Made by AK
and I have never bought another straight knife since.
http://www.kellamknives.com/

 

[Wabajack]

I like the Iisakki Järvenpää Aito and the Roselli Carpenters design, but there are a lot of good names out there.

 

[HighDesertWalker]

Hi folks,

can someone tell me who makes the best pukko ??? the idea is to have a good traditional razor sharp blade outdoor knife for hiking, hunting, survival ...

I like the no-gimick style of Roselli and I know there are other good brands Helle , Kellam, ... but I have no experience with them


Any input are welcome !

Thanks in advance.

I have all three that you mention, and would characterize them as follows.

The Kellam (made by Ahti) are the strongest, due to their thicker blades, metal bolsters up front and full, non-exposed tang construction. Kellams are expensive because they are selling for Ahti, and that drives the price up. A few models are available at Ragnar's at a somewhat reduced price. Ahti knives are sharper out of the box than any other knife I have owned period.

Helle is comparable to Ahti in quality and offers a few models with metal bolsters. Most models are full tang. The Fjelkniven in particular is a great model and deserves a close look. It has the additional advantage of a laminated stainless steel blade.

Roselli knives have a very appealing primitive style. Though none of their blades have a full tang they all have metal bolsters.

My personal preference is for the almost indestructible, sharp as hell Ahti. :thumbup:

 

[Dannyboy Leather]

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.