Hella Dokka Knife

The “Dokka” is the first folding knife that Helle have ever produced.  With their 80-odd years of knife-making experience to call on, Helle seem to have made their first folder a success that has a very recognisable Helle look; it uses the top quality steel and curly birch that perform so well, and is, all in all, a very attractive and useful general-purpose knife.

Features and Fittings

Measuring approx 4.5” (117mm) long x 1.5” (35mm) wide closed and weighing about 130g, the Helle Dokka folding knife comes in a good quality belt pouch cut from one piece of 2.5mm thick leather.  The integral belt loop is riveted to make the loop, but the rivet is well set and should not scratch the knife scales, while the press stud closed retaining strap is equally smoothly fitted on the review sample and the whole pouch, which measures approx. 5” (127mm) x 2” (50mm) x 1.5” (38mm) and weighs about 40g, looks clean and functionally smart and is strongly made.

The knife itself has a triple laminated steel blade, tough 18/8 stainless steel outer layers to protect a high carbon core of about 2.7mm thickness 3.5” (84mm) long and 1” (25mm) wide.  The blade has a “drop point” shape and a “Scandi” grind, comes with a mirror finish and has a shallow nail mark for ease of opening.

The 4.5” (117mm) long handle is made from curly birch (the review sample handle was not the most figured I have seen, but is still attractive) and sports a classic lock back and integral steel liners.

The butt of the handle features a brass lanyard tube, while the blade pivot has a screwdriver slot to allow adjustment of the “stiffness” of opening, closing and closed blade retention.  The shaping of the handle gives a very positive grip and provides quite a pronounced “guard”.  Although the edges of the scales are quite square, I found them comfortable for even prolonged use, though some people may be happier to round them off a little with sandpaper.

The fit and finish on the knife was all of a very good standard and the Dokka folding knife has proved a joy to use.

Usage

The Dokka may not be my first choice for game or food preparation, this is because a folder with a wooden handle is not the easiest to keep hygienically clean.  However, as a general purpose folding knife it proves an excellent tool.  The edge retention of the triple laminate steel is excellent and it is not difficult to sharpen once it dulls.  I found no rolling or chipping of the edge, despite putting the knife to some heavy work, and the knife was handy enough to perform well at a bit of “wood spirit” carving and other fine cutting tasks.

I have used a fair few of the Helle Knife range over the years and have found them almost universally good.  The new knife in the range, although being the first folding knife, is no exception, and the Helle Dokka Folding Knife should fit in well and prove a very popular part of the range.

The Helle Dokka Folding Knife costs round £119.95 and comes with a use and care leaflet, linen polishing cloth and a lifetime warranty.