Helle Knives

These handmade knives are from the world renowned company of A/S Helle Fabrikker of Norway. Helle knives use their own very special triple laminated stainless steel blades. Used for all knives in the Helle range, the ‘core’ of the blade is made of high carbon steel which gives it a lasting, razor-sharp edge, but is brittle. To protect the superb qualities of the core they add two layers of tough stainless steel (18/8) to protect the blade against breakage and corrosion, while the high carbon core provides you with a superb cutting edge. This triple laminated stainless steel is unique to the full tang blades.

The sheath holding any knife may be different in its configuration but is strong, functional and attractive all being manufactured from specially tanned leather, and treated with saddle grease for increased lustre and durability. 

Fire

The first of our three examples is the Fire model full tang knife. The blade on this model is unique in the fact it shows a much longer top side and shorter lower cutting edge due to handle design. This one piece handle wraps around the lower part of the tang leaving it only visible on the upper surface of the handle protecting your fingers when used in cold or inclement weather. The stout deep blade has the typical working shape of farm and shipboard knives. An unusual but handy addition is at the rear of the knife is a heavy-duty carabineer clip attached through a hole in the tang. The sheath, like most others has a snap fasten down retaining strap and belt loop. The wood used for the handle is curly birch with a quite remarkable finish and you can’t help but be immediately drawn to its highly attractive yet practical look.

Harding

Our second model is the Harding, a traditional styled barrel handle hunting knife but with a big difference. The exquisite looking handle is made from curly birch and walnut separated by layers of leather. It has a full length tang. It comes with an embossed leather sheath with a handle butt retainer. The wood shows a front lower finger stop and matching design aluminium spacer set before the long slim clip point blade. A knife you will certainly treasure for its unique appearance and properties of balance and assured hold.

Helle GT

The final model is the Helle GT and is the largest knife here, but the lack of pommel and the clever use of aluminum for the guard help reduce the weight. It’s an excellent choice for those who like a larger clip point knife with a substantial and nicely designed finger guard so your fingers won’t slip forward if using it to cut downwards or when needing to cut up and away.

Conclusion

I had a varied selection of Helle knifes to choose from for this gear test and the standout features are all have razor sharp edges, that really do retain their cutting edge and are highly individualistic crafted fixed blades. GM