Tag Archives: Helle

Helle Harding

by Woodsbum

I have been waiting for about 3 years for a Skookum Bush Tool from Rod Garcia and for right at 2 years for a SPL knife from Steven Long. Both of which were slotted to be my neck knives while I was out in the woods. Unfortunately, I am still a ways down the list for both of these creations so I finally decided that I needed to get something that would fit the bill until I got either of these customs. After searching the Internet and messing around with several different knives I set my heart upon a Scandi grind of some sort that had around a 4 inch or less blade, but was full tang and had a good handle to do minor wood processing and carving. What I found that I really thought would work well was the Helle Harding.

Helle Harding

Helle Harding

On Amazon these knives are around the $140 mark, but I got mine at a local shop for $125. This definitely fit within my price range and the size, feel and weight were exactly what I was looking for. The stacked handle adds almost no weight to the knife overall and the blade itself feels quite light and agile in my hand. The sheath is real leather and there is a retaining flap that locks the knife in place when sheathed. This really gave me increased peace of mind that I could wear this all day long and not worry about losing the knife somewhere along the way.

Everyone is going to have to forgive my pictures. Like almost every outing I have, I leave my phone in my vehicle and almost never take a fully charged camera with me. It has gotten to be an almost impossible task for me to remember that I need to take pictures. Because of this you guys are going to have to suffer with my impromptu photo session on my lunch break. I think even these pictures will allow you to see how well this knife performs on even the least perfect of situations.

Over the years I have become quite the fan of Scandi grinds. What I love most about them is how easily they cut through wood and make curls for fire starting. I am not sure if it is just how I use a knife or if it works this way for everyone, but I exert far less energy and pay way less attention to my technique when using a Scandi grind. These pictures will show you how easily I was able to make some feather sticks with a less than desirable wood choice. Considering this was all done during my lunch break, I was very happy with how well it sliced right through this water logged dead branch without chipping it up too much. Again, it was not a wood choice I would have made if I was not desperate to take some pictures for this post.

Feather Sticks

Feather Sticks

Mind you that this wood was at the initial starts of being punky. It was really right in that perfect spot where (if it was dry) you could make a very efficient bow drill set out of it. As a matter of fact I am going to set it aside and let it dry for a while, then carve out a spindle and hearth.

With almost no effort at all, this guy just sliced right through the wood and made nice curls. Most of them broke off at the end as you can see, but each cut curled multiple times. The sweet spot on this blade seems to be the entire cutting surface. There are no areas that seem to cut worse or better than another. It will be interesting how it performs once it dulls several times and I have to resharpen it. If it can keep the current cutting efficiency even after multiple sharpenings, I will be quite impressed.

Here is a better look at both the knife and how it cut this very brittle branch.

Cutting Power

Cutting Power

The knife also works very well for field dressing animals harvested in the field. Well, it works quite well for the ducks I tested it on. I could see this as a field knife that would handle any task thrown at it, although like all general purpose items it would not excel at every task.

Overall I am quite impressed with this buy. The grind on the blade is a very capable feather stick maker, the agile feel to the blade allows for fairly intricate carving (although I am horrible at carving and refuse to show my poorly made spoons to anyone), it works fairly well for game processing, and the weight is negligible. If anyone I run into is looking for a mid sized knife to use for general camping chores I will now recommend this particular knife.

Now that I have picked this up I am concerned that I will have a hard time choosing between this and the two customs I have on order. Too many options!!!!

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Gear Check Meetup (Part 2 – Neck/Camp/Chore Knives)

by Woodsbum

 

In the second part of the “series” I have broken down a few of the knives that we discussed.

Neck/camp/chore knives, by my definition, are those knives that usually hang around one’s neck for use in cutting things around camp: rope, food, packets of sheer nummy-ness, etc. They can also be used for feather and fuzz sticks or just to whittle yourself a spoon. I commonly refer to them as “camp knives” although many have adopted that term to be used for the large bladed knives that resemble the old Hudson Bay knife. The knives that I am referring to are not as thick and heavy as your hard use type knife and even patch or game knives work well for these tasks. The main thing is that they need to excel at the chores that your hard use knife doesn’t.

To be perfectly fair, you can call these “Steve” knives, hot dog stickers or thumb jabbers for all I care. The important distinction is specific to their use and not the nomenclature.

Many people feel that these knives are just as good as any other heavy duty knife and can do anything that those others can do. The big thing to remember is this: Most bushcrafters carry multiple sharps. Many do a Nessmuk trio, while others do more of a Kephart style combination. Even if you do something completely different and pair saws with knives, tomahawks, or the sort you will need a knife that you can do the more intricate work with.

Morakniv Classic

Morakniv Classic 2

Morakniv Classic 2

Morakniv has been almost synonymous with bushcraft for many years. Their knives are razor sharp right out of the package, are carbon steel so you can get a good spark if you square off the spine, and are very inexpensive. The problem is that they are not a full tang and you cannot depend on them during heavy use such as batoning or chopping. Moras do, however, make one heck of a feather or fuzz stick. They are highly recommended as a neck knife or for lighter use as a camp/chores knife. For those that believe that these never break, please check out the multiple images here.

Morakniv Companion

Morakniv Companion

Morakniv Companion

Condor Woodlaw:

Condor Woodlaw

Condor Woodlaw

This knife was on the previous page as a hard use knife. Depending on the other items you carry, this could actually be used as more for camp chores if you bring an axe to do your major chopping and fire preparation. The thing to remember is that you want one really sharp knife in addition to something you can drive through a tree if you need to.

ESEE 3

ESEE 3

ESEE 3

The ESEE 3 was also on the other page. Again, it really depends on what your other tools you carry. Like I have mentioned before, stay clear of the serrated blades. Because of the changes in blade shape serrated edges make it difficult to judge cut depth and direction. Some people practice up and can use them quite effectively, but it is going to be a practiced skill and not something that will be easily transferred from knife to knife. I am not saying that people can’t do it or don’t love them once they get used to them. It is simply an added difficulty that newer bushcrafters should steer clear of until the get more established and transferable skills developed.

Helle

Helle Eggen

Helle Eggen

Helle knives are absolutely remarkable and a dream to use. Their Scandi grind keeps the edge hair popping sharp and they are a full, but hidden, tang. For a knife that can be used for many years without worry or failure, Helle would be a great choice.

Sargent Edged Tools

Sargent Model 1

Sargent Model 1

Sargent Edged Tools is a custom knife maker that builds a great knife. His designs are very simple, but elegant. They are a bit more expensive than many other options, but are definitely worth the price.

As you can see, many of the knife choices are more Scandi ground with a bit smaller blade. They all tend to be smaller and lighter. This allows the user to use a cutting edge closer to their hand for better control. It also allows for more exacting use during activities such as carving or shaping wood.

No matter what you end up getting, make sure you have a tool for each job that will be presented to you in the field. Cover all aspects of chopping, splitting, carving, and general camp chores so that you don’t end up using the wrong tool to complete a task. This can end up being a dangerous situation. Just ask anyone that had to hike back out of the woods to get stitches.

I hope that you find this informative. Happy bushcrafting everyone!!!!

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