
Karesuando Knives,
tradition and culture from the arctic taiga.
These knives are produced in Karesuando, Sweden, located far north of the Arctic
Circle. They have their origins in the hostile Arctic climate. The raw
materials are taken from the surrounding country. Leather, horn and bone
from the reindeer, and curly-grained birch, are the main components.
I'm really impressed with these knives. They have a wonderful feel in the
hand. The wood is finished to a satiny smoothness I usually associate with
careful hand sanding. The finish gives a better grip than a shiny surface,
but doesn't raise blisters when working hard. The blades are well ground and
sharpened. The shapes and sizes are ideal for all-around utility use. You can
tell that these are knives made by folks who use knives. I'm very glad that
I'm selling these, because if I saw them for sale by someone else, I'd have
to buy some. I found myself looking for excuses to handle the knives while
working up the catalog. Each comes with a stout sheath of the deep pouch
style. There are no straps or snaps to fumble with when removing or
replacing the knife. Where indicated, there is a plastic insert to protect
the sheath and the user.
For the technically minded, the stainless blades are 12C27, and the carbon blades are Uddeholm steel #1770 (0.7% C, 0.3% Si, 0.5% Mn). Both are
hardened to 57 on the Rockwell C scale. This gives an excellent balance
of edge-holding and ease of sharpening.
Click on the image for an enlarged view of the knife and its
sheath.
#3515, The "Rävan Special" (Fox) is one of the ones that feels so good to me.
The handle has just enough shape to give control without restricting you to
one grip. The curly birch handle is a bit over 4". There is just the
suggestion of a finger guard. All of these are handmade knives, and the
handles may vary up to a 1/4" or so. If you have a preference, let me know.
The blade is 3 15/16" long
(10 cm.), 13/16" wide and .100" thick. It comes with a dark brown sheath
with a belt strap rather than a thong. The sheath accepts belts up to about
1 1/2", and has a plastic liner.
Out of Stock
#3520, The Örnen (Eagle) is a more traditional version. The handle is shaped more in the
Saami tradition. The carbon steel blade is just under 4" and about .1" thick. The
sheath swings from a thong in the fashion of the far North. The handle
gives excellent control for the draw cuts favored when the hands are gloved
or numbed with cold. It's about 4 1/4" long, and the knife is about 8 1/4" overall.
$59. Out of Stock
#3516, The Rävan (Fox) is also in the tradition of the far North. It comes with a Sandvik Stainless
blade about 4" long, 7/8" wide and .127" (~1/8") thick. The handle has an attractive antler spacer and pommel cap. It’s shaped to provide just a hint of a guard to keep your fingers off the blade. It fits my average sized hand very well. The dark brown sheath hangs from the traditional twisted thong. $69. Out of stock
#3524, The Ripan (Ptarmigan) has an attractive handle of alternating spacers of
reindeer antler and curly birch. The handle is about 4 3/8" (11 cm) long and very comfortabe in the hand.
The Sandvik stainless blade is 3 7/8" (10 cm.). The picture shows a sheath of natural
colored leather, but current stock comes with a dark brown sheath. $93.
#3506, The Vildmark (Wilderness) is done in the style of current Scandinavian custom knives. The handle
has a finger cutout, and just enough guard to keep your hand off the blade. It's well shaped for positive
control in my medium sized hand. The Sandvik stainless blade is 3 1/4" long, 13/16" wide, and about
.127" thick. It comes with a medium weight sheath with a belt loop that will take belts up to about
1 1/2" wide. The knife and sheath weigh about 5 ounces. The price is $59.
#3507, The Älgen (Elk) Special has a Sandvik Stainless blade 3 1/4" long, 7/8" wide, .128"
thick. The 3 3/4" handle has an antler spacer with just a bit of shape to keep your finger from
moving forward. It comes with a traditional sheath that hangs from a thong in natural color leather.
This one feels good to me. $64. Out of Stock
#3532, The Älgen (Elk) is very similar, but has a 3 1/4" carbon steel blade.. The 4" handle has the same
antler spacer, and no finger guard. It comes with a traditional sheath that dangles from a thong
in dark brown leather. The price is $64.
#3533, The Bocken (Buck) is just a bit smaller, with a Sandvik stainless blade
about 3 1/8" long, 13/16" wide, and .128" thick. The handle has the same
curly birch, antler spacer and brass finger guard, and is about 3 3/4" long.
It's a very comfortable knife for those with smaller hands.
It also comes with a heavy weight sheath for $85.
#3513, The Järven (Wolverine) is of the more traditional Sammi style. It has the
typical pronounced flair to the wide, flat pommel. The handle
is an assembly of reindeer horn and curly birch, and is about 4 1/4".
The Sandvik stainless blade is 3 7/8" (10 cm.). The sheath is a has
a leather top section with a curly birch base. There is an insert of reindeer
horn down the front of the sheath which is engraved with an attractive
design. These are done by hand and will vary somewhat. It's altogether
a very nice package. Current stock has dark brown leather rather than the natural
colored leather in the picture. The price is $99.
#3525, The Splitting knife is the European version of a gut hook. Because it cuts from the
flesh side of the hide it doesn't clog with fur. It's also useful for boning and similar chores.
The blade is sharpened on the upper surface and has a blunt point. The blade is about 4"
long with about 2 1/2" the upper edge sharpened. The handle is built up from antler and
curly birch. $89.

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