Knives

Here we go again, I have some knives to talk about. I cannot believe it I must be out of my mind. It must be a dream. I have always been very drawn towards factory knives, this you know from before and what you see on my topics. Anyhow it is worth mentioning that I also like handmade knives. It just turned out to be that I somehow always venture into the factory realm. Some factory knives are semi-custom because it requires extra steps in a production and hand-steps. Helle is such a Company and you can clearly see this if you are acquainted with this Brand. Wood is a material that is a living material that can over time or during hard use change or gets small damages. I never had any problem with any Helle knife.

 Masur Birch, curly birch or parts of the birch materials used from a tree gives a very comfortable grip and it is beautiful to look at. The advantage with such wood is that if it cracks or somehow obtain damages then only small parts of it will fall off while you have in reality full use of it still. On one picture today you can see the Wabakimi knife and it is a wonderful comfortable grip. Razor sharp blade that is very useful in my opinion. It is a stout cutting tool in deed. Many times on knives of the world you see that the handle suffer and is so small that it is not comfortable to use while here you can clearly see a rich handle. I am not going to use this because I only have this for my collection and to keep up with the development there.

 I do not think Helle like any batoning with knives. The Temagami and the Wabakimi are designed to be stout knives with a solid tang. Anyhow if you are unsure about batoning then my advice is not to use it splitting wood. It is not necessary to use force when batoning either, just use simple taps on wood you can read. I have no doubts that the Temagami and Wabakimi can take serious force cutting. In reality the Helle knives are great cutting tools and in the real life to split wood it is best to use an axe.  One of the wonderful factors with Helle knives is the thickness and edge that express or screams out an all-use design. I would and also many prefer like I do some length on the blade to call it all-use one. The Temagami is really a wonderful complete design.  Too thick blades can be uncomfortable on wood and the precision suffer very much and this kind of draws the points down while the Helle knives are perfect there.

When talking about precision you understand where I am going with this article today. One of the really advantages with SAKs is not only that it is very versatile and got a package of functions. They also have a blade that is slim and can be used for precision cutting. In my experience for EDC almost all types of cutting is somehow related to precision cuts. Therefore the brutal cutting really almost never happens. So this also explains just how important it is to have a sharp blade because without the ready edge the simple, easy precision cutting can turn out to be nasty. This in the sense you will not be able to get the nice result. This is so with all knives!

Swiza is a Company in Switzerland with a very long history with watches while the knife part is young. We know the story very well so I am not going into this besides mentioning it. It is a knife Brand that somehow ignited rapidly to be known quickly. Swiza made Swiss knives got all the versatile and precision factors present. It then is an alternative to Swiss Army Knives.  I like the many handle colors and decorations, it appeals to me.

Also on one picture today you see an Opinel from France number 7 with stainless steel blade. Super lightweight and perfect for EDC cutting. Cool color!

To make sure I would like to mention that I can make my own knife handle and sheath. Not decorated or art-knives. I like to read about such knives too. What I would to say is that I am not official to talk about the knife Brands shown here. I know rather much about it anyway, all are my impressions and my view here.

The 111mm category by Victorinox really talks to me with extra force. Interesting to mention is that during the last  years Victorinox transformed 111mm slide-lock knives into the more sturdy and professional liner-locking category. The Services Range construction liner-locking category is impressive and there you have something extra in deed.

Here you see the Wabakimi handle and it is ergonomic, rich and a locking handle design. very comfortable.

some marks and dings on them, probably from one or two body vs the shoreline experiences too. Some Paint too....

So what do we have here?  – Here you see a selection of some of the pouch types I have used. MultiTools, large 111mm or 130mm category require a pouch if I use it in a boat or kayak. If I want them easy to reach all the time that is.

Helle makes a decent and high quality sheath for their fixed blades and folders too. Wenger had and Victorinox today also got several alternatives for their products as well.  No problem with any of them. There is also a pouch on the picture that is from another country.

Now, the Temagami knife on the picture today is have shown and talked about before while the Wabakimi is new. The Opinel is also new and I have a few variations of them.  I got both knives for a nice price, happy about that.  I am looking for new Victorinox, Wenger and Swiza knives.

With versatile SAKs and pocket knives it is in my opinion completely necessary to use stainless steel. It would be a nightmare for cleaning and maintenance if not. While on a fixed blade things become a bit different because it is something by simple maintenance and care would maintain well. The Temagami is triple laminated carbon steel but you get the laminated stainless editions if people prefer that. I like both and the triple laminated stainless steel used by Helle is very good. I believe it is around 59HRC and the Carbon one 57-59 HRC I will have to look it up. Anyway they are late 50s HRC. They are easy to sharpen and can get superior sharpness. The carbon steel blades you clean, wipe and use some mineral oil and you are good to go.

Victorinox and Wenger usually stay a bit towards the softer side of the stainless steel used, somewhere 55-57. Swiza is directed at 57. In all senses they are very easy to sharpen and can get really sharp. Sometimes it is relieving to know this. All you have to do is bring a sharpening stone with you and in a few minutes you are ready. If you like super steel then it could be practically very difficult to repair or restore. Everything works for the preferred and specialized user one way or another.

Last today i would mention two things and first is the curly birch like on the Temagami and Wabakimi. Already above today you find some information on the material. The wood grows in weird forms that make it suitable for a knife handle. Masur Birch is my favorite material. If you work with wood you learn that the wood can grow in opposite directions and in a wave or curly form. Suddenly a small cavity, groove or bark line appears. This you find on Masur Birch and Curly Birch and other parts of the Birch.

Last I would once again mention that I am a believer in letting the edge do the cutting tasks and force is the last resort when using a blade or any function for that matter. This I learned with sharpening as well that force is not necessary because doing so you will only hurt the maintenance or sharpening result. Today the diamond coated stones will do the trick nice and comfortable. The sharp and ready edge will be a much safer tool and it will cut like a charm.

Victorinox, Swiza, Wenger combination tool(can opener,screwdriver, cap opener and more)Wenger Alox with advertising..........

It is a bit difficult for me to know what time zone you are living in. Right now here, it is good morning. Jump up and down and reach for the sky, it is a new day!

To continue from yesterday about the Hunter pro model which is a very nice knife and the thickness on the blade is nice. It is the saber type edge and the secondary edge and also the complete design that makes this in my opinion best for hunting. That is because Victorinox made it to be such a knife and did it exceptionally well; yep that is how it goes.

The Scandi knives are very good for hunting too, it is just when continuing the yesterday talk it is worth mentioning. I do not hunt for anything else than fish. Not as much as before that said so I am not the guide for this without mentioning that I know where to ask if I have any question regarding hunting. I did discover that the Hunter pro is very good for safety because of the very secure grip and the very sharp edge that cut belts and webbing very easy.

The typical SAK got a precision blade and for the traditional EDC the 91mm category blade is the most versatile blade, it is iconic. Also other Brands like Wenger had the typical 85mm Category knives. This you know and also worth mentioning is the Swiza blade that is a continuation of this sphere of design and heritage. The Swiza blade is also modernized with a specific blade angle vs the handle. On the Victorinox knives and other for that matter you also find a small blade. At least usually because it depends on what model you have. Typically the extra small precision blades you find on models like the Popular, Secretary or also on slim Wenger knives you have extra precision at hand. Blades that can reach tight places and be a real safety factor actually because you reach into things.

Over the years you may have heard me talking about safety knives and the aspect of the Services Range, best today is to call it the liner-locking category because then everyone know what category it is. The aspect of professional Hunting models in this category can just as well become a number one rescue or safety tool. In the Services Range many individual 111mm liner locking models was made for different Services. This category was originally designed to be a tool for professional users. Today this category is large with most aspects of the Swiss Army Knife incorporated into them. Tools for Services must be made sturdier than normal because of several factors and reasons. There are different types of edge designs on the liner-locking category with combination edge, plain edge or tools with two separate locking blades that both carry one hand open feature. Also knives without one hand opening are on the market. One hand opening is part of the evolution on them. I am fascinated by combinations on the Swiss Army Knives because the different functions on a specific designated tool can be directed at the use for a service. Locking mechanism is very important for safety knives.

Fixed blade knives are wonderful for safety for many activities and folding knives or tools with locking mechanisms must be made really sturdy to be compared to a fixed blade. The advantage with SAKs and tools is that it can carry many functions and therefore enhance the safety aspect.

On this picture you see two traditional handle designs, Wenger and Victorinox and the Swiza in the middle. Two advertising SAKs. No relations to the Companies in the advertising, i just find them nice and they are on quality knives.

I am not one of the wilderness people that are any way near such an individual. It is truly inspiring and I understand that aspect very well. In just a few words I could sum my interest up with just having knives in the genetics. Yes, let`s go forward.

Ergonomics!

The 85mm or 91mm categories and the categories close to them got a type of ergonomics and handle design that is very iconic. It is a type of handle that can be used in any direction and grip with all the functions. The Swiza knife got a design that is worth looking into and it is a very good, well balanced and functional design. It is nice to look at and got quality too!

When we get to the larger categories like the 111mm knives we get a design that is made to be ergonomic and functional for larger functions. The next evolution on them got ergonomic handle and two-component handles that is more secure. You find the same on the Wenger 130mm and the Victorinox 130mm knives. I will not get into it here in this article or page, it is just to mention it and remind that you can find information on SAKhome.com with ergonomics. Victorinox, Wenger and Swiza use components and handle materials to increase the safety and comfort by using more slip resistant materials.

In my experience i learned that Masur Birch is the best material. I know some places Masur Birch and Curly Birch is the same while others make a difference between them. The best Masur Birch is the one from Finland with much structure in it. I see no change in the handles on any Helle knives I have from time and it is solid. Nice stuff! I have found some older material like Palisander that had shrunk a bit from other people’s use. I have restored them and the oil resurrected them and they are now in the same dimensions again.

The wood material I did some cutting on is most likely pine with much resin on it. This is a Nice fire-material in deed.