Helle Dokka Knife

The Helle Dokka is a classic, all-purpose folding knife, and the first folder Helle has ever designed and produced. It’s 4.5” closed and with the 3.5”, triple-laminated blade deployed it is 7 7/8” in length when open. Eye catching is the Curly Birch wood handle, which is a bit of a Helle trademark. However, strength is maintained inside by integrated steel liners to reinforce the design.

NICK OF TIME

I was surprised at the fact that the blade is deployed by a single thumb nick but on looking at the design of the handle I’d wager it would have been quite a compromise to use thumb studs for opening. Then again, it isn’t claimed to be a one-handed opener. The blade shows a classic clip point layout and uses a mid-positioned, lock back mechanism, which is simple and effective.

With a blade thickness of 2.7mm and weighing a mere 130g the Dokka is a wonderful knife to use. It sits in the hand perfectly with a drop down forefinger stop being set just at the right position for handle and knife to work in perfect harmony. The Dokka comes with a high quality leather pouch with press stud overflap and a generous belt loop!

I’ve become so fascinated with these knives that I looked into the origin of the handle wood.

Apparently Curly Birch (Betula pendula var. Carelica) is sought after as a material for this job, but is also apparently quite a rarity. So much so that there’s a Finnish Curly Birch Society!

IN DEMAND

Due to its rarity and decorativeness, Curly Birch has been considered a valuable and interesting speciality and therefore, when in demand, it fetches a higher price than any other Finnish tree species. Also from the morphological, physiological and genetical point of view, the phenomenon of ‘curly’ graininess has long attracted the attention of wood carvers and in demand of course for manufacturing knife handles. To many that may seem irrelevant but yet again illustrates that our natural resources are not never-ending.

Getting back to the Dokka you can’t help not to be impressed by the ergonomic design that has it handle so wonderfully well. A handmade knife from the world renowned company of A/S Helle Fabrikker of Norway is always a ‘cut above’ the rest. The special triple-laminated stainless steel blade is made of high alloy steel which gives it a lasting, razor-sharp edge, but as the harder layer cannot exclude rust or breakage. The addition of an extra two layers of tough stainless steel (18/8) is applied to protect the blade against breakage and corrosion.

Helle strives to handcraft wonderful yet practical knives for the hunter and in that respect I feel they’ve achieved it with the Dokka.