Norwegian Knives from Brusletto
The Norwegians want their knives to look good, and work very well.
The patterns have been refined over the last thousand years or so, and tend
toward elegant, functional, simplicity. Most of the styles are very
traditional, and many will suit the reenactor very well.
Brusletto knives are made from high carbon stainless steel
(Sandvik 12C27) hardened to about 58 on the Rockwell "C" scale. .
They come in a variety of elegant, but traditional styles. Workmanship is very
good. Most of the sheaths have a molded plastic insert to protect the sheath and
owner. Unless otherwise noted, they come with a gift box.
Hunter
The Hunter is a large, but fairly light knife with an aluminum guard.
The 5 1/4" (13.5cm) blade is wide but thin (.089") for effective slicing. I understand this is a
very popular knife in Norway, where hunters often have to quarter and partially butcher their
game in the field.
The price is $85. Out of Stock
Bamse
The Bamse is another modern hunter. This time with both
guard and pommel of aluminum. The 12.5cm (4 3/4") blade is thicker than
the Hunter (.144"), and the knife has a solid feel.
The price is $95
The Bamse now comes with sheath that secures the knife with a snap, similar to the sheath
used on the Speider shown below. The handles are now olive wood.
Storbukken
The Storbukken ("Big Buck") is a big knife, with almost 6" of blade and 4 1/2" inches of
handle. The blade is about .152" thick. The handle is figured wood with an aluminum hilt. It weighs a bit less than 6 ounces
and has a nicely solid feel in the hand. The weight is forward for efficient chopping, and the knife would make a good camp
knife for clearing brush, building shelters, butchering game, etc. Yet it's not so large and heavy as
to be obnoxious on the belt. $99
Rypa
The Rypa is a smaller companion piece, designed for more delicate tasks. It has a scapel-like 2 1/2" blade of Sandvik 12C27 steel. It's about .140" thick. The nicely sculpted handle is about 4 1/8" long, and fits my average sized hand
very well. This would be an excellent knife for whittling, caping, or any other precision task. It's ideal for
skinning small game, but would be just enough for deer sized animals in skilled hands. It comes with a
well made sheath with a reinforcing band stamped with images of a ptarmigan like bird (similar to a grouse),
called a Rypa. The knife and sheath together weigh only 3 1/2 ounces and would almost
unnoticeable on the belt. I like this one. $93.
Falken
The Falken is still more modern looking with an aluminium ferrule/guard. The 9cm
(3 3/8") blade has a hollow grind and an upsweep that is well suited to skinning.
The price is $85. Out of Stolck
Nansen
The Nansen is a more traditional knife commemorating the great arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
Among
many other accomplishments, he founded the Norwegian Refugee Council, for which he was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The knife is a joint effort of Brusletto and the Council, and
a portion of the proceeds help support their work. If you're interested, there's
a short biography.
The knife itself has a rather wide 3 3/4" (9.5 cm.) blade with an etch of Mr.
Nansen's signature. The blade is about .096" thick, and is wide enough to grip with the fingers
when doing fine work with the point. The handle is curly birch in a very traditional style.
It's typical of knives used in the far North, where draw cuts are used almost exclusively due to
hands that are often gloved or numb with cold.
The sheath is also traditional, and hangs from a suspension thong. The price is $99
Norgeskniven
The Norgeskniven has the same blade in a more conventional setting. The handle is comfortable
in a variety of positions, and feels really good in my average sized hand. The sheath hangs from
a belt loop and there is a strap to engage a stud on the end of the pommel.
The blade is 3 3/4", and the length overall is 8". Current stock does not have the stamping on the sheath.
Price is $89 Out of Stock
Busletto-Kniven
The Brusletto-Kniven is a working knife. It has the same blade as the Nansen and Norgeskniven,
but with a plain birch handle rather than curly birch. The 4 1/4" handle is done in the style of
current Scandinavian custom knives, and gives excellent control.
The knife comes in a simple carton rather than the usual gift box.
It's quite a value at only $50. Out of Stock
Rognald
The Rognald is a stubby work knife. With a 7cm (2 1/2") blade and generously proportioned
handle of curly birch, this would make a great whittler or utility knife. It's named after Rognald Brussletto,
the farmer-knifemaker who founded the Brusletto business in 1886.
I suspect he would have liked it.
The price is $65.
Troll
The Troll is a very traditional style with an oval "barrel" shaped handle of
curly birch. I like this style of handle because it has just enough shape for
control of the knife, without restricting you to a single grip. This is an advantage for carving
and utility use. The stainless blade has the black heat treat finish left on the sides for a rustic
look. The sheath is nicely tooled brown cowhide with a reinforcing band at the top.
There is a stud on the pommel that engages a keeper strap on the sheath. The blade is
8cm (3 1/4") and the length overall is 7 1/4". The weight with the sheath is a bit less than
4 ounces. This one feels very good in my average sized hand. Current stock has plainer wood than the
one shown in the picture.
The price is $89 Out of Stock
Profileringskniv
This knife, with the awkward name, is a more basic version of the Troll.
It comes with a plainer birch handle, and the sheath has no tooling. There
is no gift box. Other than the lack of tooling on the sheath it's the same knife.
It's been discontinued, but I have a few left. Current stock has the black blade.
I like this one. It feels like a classic Mora but has much more style. $66.
Hallingskarvet
The Hallingskarvet is a small traditional knife named after a mountain in one of the Norwegian national parks.
The handle is only about 3 3/4" long, but feels good in my average sized hand. The blade has a graceful
clip, and is about 2 3/4" long, and .093" thick. This would make an excellent small utility knife, and would
work nicly as a neck knife. The sheath will accept 2" belts and has a plastic safety liner. It would also be
an interesting whittling knife. $45.
Brusletto Speider
"Speider" is Norwegian for "Scout", and this is one of the Norwegian Boy Scout
knives. The slightly upswept stainless blade is about 3 3/8" long, and a stout .135" thick. . The birch handle is
just inder 4" long and there is a stout guard to keep the fingers off the blade.
The sheath is heavy leather with a plastic liner. I particularly like the way the sheath is designed. It fastens with a snap,
but the wide flap is positioned just above the guard. This tends to retain the knife even if the snap is undone, unless
it's deliberately folded back. It solves the main problem I have with most snap style sheaths. I wish it was used more widely
for sheaths with snaps. The sheath has a sturdy belt loop that will accept belts up to about 1 3/4" wide.
The price is $45. Out of Stock
Fjord
The Fjord is designed for boating. The blade is short and wide at about 3 1/4" long and 1 1/4” wide.
The generously sized handle is mahogany with aluminum end caps. It has a finger cut out and laser cut
checkering for improved grip under wet and stressful conditions. Like most sailing knives, It has a lanyard
hole to help prevent loss at sea. The knife has a solid feel in the hand, but is quite lightweight at about
3 1/4 ounces. The sheath has a plastic insert and will take belts up to 2”. The knife is a bit over 7 3/4” overall,
and feels like a worker. The price is $129 Out of Stock
Fjel
The Fjel (mountain) is an upscale version with a curly birch handle. The knife has a solid feel in the hand, but is quite lightweight at about
3 1/4 ounces. The sheath has a plastic insert and will take belts up to 1 1/2s”. The knife is a bit over 7 3/4” overall,
and feels like a worker. The price is $129.
Sprettern
The Sprettern, or opening knife, is built on the same handle. It's sharpened on the top curve, and is used in
dressing and butchering large game. It's used not only in opening the body cavity, but in stripping the meat
from the bones. It has an advantage in that the cutting is done
from the flesh side of the hide, so the blade doesn't get plugged with fur as a gut hook
sometimes does. This style is becoming very popular in Scandinavia. The blade is about 4 1/2" long, and the
knife is about 9 3/4” overall. It's supplied with the typical sheath with belt loop. $77. Close out
$49
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