Anyone use a puukko?

[peacemaker45]

Does anyone have any experience using a puukko as a hunting or general back country knife? I've never played with one, but the idea suggested itself to me, that it might be fitting to use the traditional Finnish knife as an accompaniment to my new Finnish rifle.

 

[zhyla]

My Finnish-descent coworker uses one as a general utility knife (yardwork, etc). He says it's pretty useful, though he mainly enjoys the cultural aspect of it.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've got a bunch of them. The blades tend to be small and razor sharp and the grips tend to be large. Ragweed Forge has a bunch of top quality ones. They're handy if you're wearing winter gloves, but you do have to be careful as they don't have a safety crossguard.

 

[mdauben]

Ragweed Forge has a bunch of top quality ones.

Another recomendation for RF! My only complaint is that they sometimes have trouble keeping things in stock, probably due to the import process. I've always been a fan of 3 - 4 inch knives with generously sized handles for most outdoor tasks. As such, the puukko is just about perfect IMO.

 

[PRM]

Yes, I have had extensive experience with the Puukko knives, and all positive. I bought the Wild Bear from Cloudberry Market before deploying to Afghanistan in 2009-2010. It is one of the best all around belt knives I have ever owned. I carried and used it extensively as a cutting tool on deployment. Additionally, I have used it as a woods and camp knife since returning home. It's a basic all around utility/hunting knife that holds and edge extremely well. The only upgrades I made was to have a traditional American style belt sheath made for it. Also, the knife does not have a guard, so I dished out the finger groove a little on mine to give a more secure grip.


http://www.cloudberrymarket.com/servlet/the-463/wild-bear-knife,-bear/Detail

 

[Sam Cade]

Does anyone have any experience using a puukko as a hunting or general back country knife?

Various Moras and such are pretty common as hunting knives locally.

Most common "hunting" knife in my home county seems to be 4" Rapala branded, Marttiini manufactured fillet knives.

 

[Piraticalbob]

I have several: Martiinis, Järvenpää, and Roselli. Traditional puuko come without guards, as has been mentioned, but several makers offer them with guards. They're great for light utility chores and cleaning game/fish. If you need something a little sturdier, the larger leuku of the Lap reindeer herders will do nicely, and most of the puuko makers offer one or two of these.

Of the three brands I've tried I've really been impressed with the Roselli, which is one of their UHC (ultra high carbon) knives.

 

[MikeJackmin]

I have read that the lack of a guard is to facilitate using the knife in a variety of grips. I was cautious using a puukko-style knife at first, but I found I didn't miss the guard at all. FWIW, it was a Mora #1, not really a puukko but sort of in the same spirit.

I like this video (I try to ignore the music at the beginning): at around 2:15 or so he illustrates a side grip, followed by a push cut. You can see how a guard might get in the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s16uOV1IsV4

Puukkos and Bushcraft knives tend to be thick and narrow, which makes them strong but tends to limit their ability as slicers. Getting a thin slice of of an apple is not so easy, but they are great for working a piece of wood into a useful shape.

BTW if you want a blade for efficient and guilt-free batoning, check out the farrier's knife on this same page.

 

[Kingcreek]

I've used a Roselli carpenters knife for years as a general purpose belt knife. I got it from Ragnar at ragweed forge and highly recommend him. I love the handle size and style and the lack of a guard is not an issue for me. The oversize handle makes it safer and more ergonomic than most knives. Mine is not the UHC but is excellent hand forged high carbon steel that takes a wicked sharp edge and touches up easily.

 

[craftsman]

Mat,

No, but I saw a few at the Easton Knifeshow this past weekend. Didn't know that is what they were called. http://www.paknifeshow.com/

 

[mdauben]

Does anyone have any experience using a puukko as a hunting or general back country knife?

Hundreds of generations of Finnish hunters and outdoorsmen?