Your favorite 4.5"-6" scandi blades?

D

Dutch_Henry

Joined
Sep 27, 2011
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I like scandis and carry them more than any other knife (especially my LT Wright Lagom, Andaltool, and Mora Companion). I find them great for everything from processing wood for fires (with a saw or axe), food prep, camp projects, and even cleaning game/fish.

Problem is, they're all about the same length--roughly 3.5 inches to 4 inches. I'd like to find a scandi that's a bit larger, in the neighborhood of 4.5 to 6 inches. What have you used, what would you recommend I look at, and why?

At the moment I'm a bit torn between something like the LT Wright Genesis or sizing up to the Gen 5 or Illuminous 5. Potentially even the Gen 6. My goal is to have something with a bit more power and a longer straight edge BUT I'm not personally a fan of the "sharpened prybar" school of knives (I respect their place...they just don't fit my use).

Thanks for jumping in with your favs and suggestions.

Edit: I like A2 quite a bit, possibly even more than supersteels that are also in my collection, but I'm not particularly hung up on a specific steel.
 
Take a look at the Helle leuku or similar knives. I love Helle's laminated stainless blades. Ahti makes some longer blades, as do Jarvenpaa and Wood Jewel.
 
A classic Mora maybe.....the #3 is a bit over 5"
This is a #2 by Erik Frost with laminated blade, a bit over 4....
17G3MiG.jpg


Lots of Finnish made puuko style available, used and new.
This older Kauhava style is a bit over 5"
XFNTGDJ.jpg


Marttiini has made some Ilves models with larger blades if you take the time to look for them.
The "smaller" knife has a 5 3/4" blade....the larger is 10"
mdsAV5g.jpg
 
I'm not sure where you would find a longer blade with a true Scandi grind, i.e., no edge bevel. It works well on shorter blades like the classic puukko, but given higher stress generated when using a longer blade I suspect it might not hold up very well.
 
You might want to check out the Helle Jegermester. 5.3 inch Skandi grind blade, beautiful curly birch handle. I had the Helle Eggen for a while, and I think they make excellent knives.
 
Boker Plus Bushcraft Kormoran and The Real Steel Bushcraft Knife. I actually like more the flat ground Real Steel Bushcraft Plus knife variant more than the scandi edge versions.
 
I don't own any of the following, but would like to based on feedback here and on YouTube:
-Terävä Jääkäripuukko 140;
-J.P Peltonen Sissipuukko. Ironically, both are likely made by the same maker per this guy:

 
Tafkaag said:
I don't own any of the following, but would like to based on feedback here and on YouTube:
-Terävä Jääkäripuukko 140;
-J.P Peltonen Sissipuukko. Ironically, both are likely made by the same maker per this guy:

Click to expand...
You might be surprised at how many European knives have Lauri blades......
 
Alberta Ed said:
I'm not sure where you would find a longer blade with a true Scandi grind, i.e., no edge bevel. It works well on shorter blades like the classic puukko, but given higher stress generated when using a longer blade I suspect it might not hold up very well.
Click to expand...
I think that the OP has the right definition of scandi grind based on his knives. In my opinion, it is simply the low V grind, bevel or not is unclear.

Meanwhile, the mid V grind, like some examples shown above, is kind of the standard grind world wide, nothing "Scandi" about it other. Ka-bar knife, and the hunting style that it based on, all have that grind and shape if you you remove the swedge and fuller ( which has nothing to do with the blade grind style). This include many Sweden and Finnish style knives. A Nato bayonet like this is more "Scandi" than most example shown in this post so far. The word is becoming a marketing buzz word.

800126gq.jpg
 
Of course Moras are good and cheap Scandis. My favorites that I own or have owned are Skookum Bush Tool, Sargent Edged Tools M1 and M3, and Adventure Sworn Mountaineer. I started moving away from Scandis a bit though and sold all of mine besides the Moras and the Adventure Sworn. They are great for pure wood work, but for an all around camp use knife I started going towards convex edges so I replaced some. The Moras are great to use hard, fit my hands great, light and slicey. And the AS is just so damn nice and fits me so well.
 
Deino said:
I think that the OP has the right definition of scandi grind based on his knives. In my opinion, it is simply the low V grind, bevel or not is unclear.

Meanwhile, the mid V grind, like some examples shown above, is kind of the standard grind world wide, nothing "Scandi" about it other. Ka-bar knife, and the hunting style that it based on, all have that grind and shape if you you remove the swedge and fuller ( which has nothing to do with the blade grind style). This include many Sweden and Finnish style knives. A Nato bayonet like this is more "Scandi" than most example shown in this post so far. The word is becoming a marketing buzz word.
Click to expand...
If you want to know about that silly marketing nonsense of a very tiny short grind on a flat blade blank, ask Ray Mears. He pretty much invented it back in the 1990s......nothing to do at all with Scandinavia. Up until recently most Scandinavian and Nordic knives had what is more or less a convex style grind......then the Ray Mears "a good bushcrafting knife needs this grind" fad set in, and most makers have followed the market accordingly......Now anything with a crappy zero grind high-angle short bevel is a "true Scandi grind knife".
 
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A Arathol , great to see some classic Moras. Definitely a deficit in my collection, though I love the Mora Companions, which I probably use more than any other knife. Thank you for the tip on Lauri blades. It got me thinking about rolling my own, not something I've done before but I have access to the necessary tools.

G Grosse318 , thanks for the pics of the GNS. I love the one LT Wright I own (Lagom). Part of this thread stems from how much I appreciate that blade shape and grind but based on that want something with a little more of a straight edge before we get to the belly at the tip. Originally I was going to order their Genesis, but its so close in specs to other knives I own that it got me wondering about going bigger.

Regarding the marketing hype of scandi grinds, I will say one the most disappointing knives I've ever used is the Mora Garberg. I took it down to a zero grind and it is screaming sharp. But the resulting edge is fragile, particularly with northern hardwoods. Maybe I'll like it better when I reprofile it, but that experience alone made me revisit microbevels on scandis and the wisdom convex grinds.
 
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