In the modern world it’s not practical for most of us to carry a belt knife on an everyday basis. I’ve been asked for a folding knife that would function like a Scandinavian utility knife for every day chores. I think these are good candidates. They're made in Eskilstuna, Sweden by EKA. EKA has been making knives since 1874. The blades are stainless Sandvik 12C27 hardened to 57 - 59 Rc for good edge retention. The edges are ground to an included angle of ~40 degrees for a good compromise between keenness and durability.
The EKA Classic; a slim elegant knife with gold plating and detailed enamel
designs on both sides. One side has the Swedish Royal Coat of Arms flanked with a Viking dragon
design, and the other has a dragon design. It's barely 3/16' thick and 2 7/8" long closed. There is
a 1 3/4" main blade, nail file and bottle opener/screw driver blade. It weighs about 1 1/2 ounces with the
fitted leather sheath. $69.
Swede-88; The Swede-88 is a lockback folder in the tradition
of Scandinavian work knives, with a short sturdy blade and a full sized handle. The blade is
2 3/4" (70 mm) long and .065" thick. The handle is 4 1/8". It's very light, and a sample went about 2 1/4 ounces. The handle is a single piece of Babinga wood. This is one of the
most popular folders in the EKA line. The price is only $29.
Swede-88 Oak; The Swede-88 Oak is the same knife with an oak handle. The price is $31.
The Swede-88 Masur is a variation with a handle of oil finished Masur birch. This is the tradtional wood for
premium Scandinavian knives. It's lighter in color than cocobola or oak, and often has a striking grain. $49.
The Swede-82 is a stout lockback with a blade about 3 1/2" long,
.108" thick and an inch wide. the lock is released by depressing the lanyard tab, so the back of
the knife is smooth for a comfortable grip. It comes with brass liners and Bubina wood scales.
About 5" long closed, it weighes about 5 1/4 ounces. The price is 
The Swede-92 is the same knife with rubber handles for improved grip.
I don't think it looks as nice, but it's more practical if your hands are wet or slippery.
About 4 1/2" long closed, it weighes a bit less than 5 ounces. The price is $37.
The Swede-60 is a bit lighter in the pocket at about 4 ounces. The slender
stainless blade is about 3 5/8" long and .104" thick. This one has the blade release about a third of the way back
so you can close the blade with one hand, by pressing the release and folding the blade against your leg or
some other surface. There is a lanyard loop that can be folded into the handle when not in use. The handle
is Bubina wood with hidden brass liners. About 4 1/2" closed, it weighs about 4 1/4 onces. $38.
The Swede-60 Plastic Handle is the same knife with a stainless steel blade and
white plastic handle. The plastic version weighs about 4 1/4 ounces. Since plastic is cheaper than wood
the price is $29. 
The Swede-90; Here's a handy pocket knife in the tradition of a Scout knife. It has a 2 7/8' spear point blade, a stout corkscrew. and a combination
bottle opener and screw driver. The length closed is 4 1/8", and it comes with Babinga scales, brass liners and adjustable blade tension. This one is a lot less bulky in the
pocket, and weights about 2 1/2 ounces. $32.
The Swede-38 even less bulky. It has a 4" blue plastic handle, with stainless liners.
The stainless blade is about 3 1/8" long, 9/16" wide and .093" thick. It weighs about 2 3/4 ounces. $19.
The EKA Compact is a simple folding knife for lightweight carry. The Sandvik
stainless blade is
about 2 1/4" long and .075" thick. The knife is about 3 1/2" closed. The handles are plastic, and come in black, yellow, bright red or dark blue. There is a brass lined lanyard hole. It weighs a bit less than 1 1/2
ounces. It's light enough to carry on your keychain, but large enough for a decent grip. The price is only $12. Please specify color preference.
The Nordic T8 is a heavy duty folder. The 3 1/8" blade
is about .1" thick. The lock is released by depressing the lanyard tab so the back of
the knife is smooth. It comes with brass liners and checkered Bubinga wood scales.
About 4 3/4" long closed, it weighes about 5 1/4 ounces. Supplied with a leather belt
pouch in a presentation gift box, the price is $95.
EKA Kombi; #E-8, This is an inovative knife for the dedicated hunter. The blade
pivots in the center. One end is a clipped skinning blade and the other
end is a "sprettern" or opening knife. 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. This style
of gut hook is becoming quite popular in Scandinavia. Because of the direction of force for each blade no
lock is needed, although the amount of friction can be adjusted with the grip screws. It comes with a cordura
sheath, and will fit the sheath with either blade extended. The skinning blade is about 3 1/8" long, 7/8" wide, and
.125" (1/8") thick. The opening blade is about 3 1/8" long with about 2" of sharpened edge. The handle is rubber
with brass liners for a secure grip when the hands are slippery. The knife has a very solid feel and weighs about
4 3/4" ounces. It comes in a gift box for $79.
Outdoor Edge SwingBlade; The Swing Blade is the result of a collaboration between Outdoor Edge president David Bloch, EKA Knives of Sweden, and professional Swedish hunter Thomas Ekberg. This version features a button lock to secure the blade in either position. The main blade about 3 ½” long, 1” wide, and .121” thick. The gutting blade is about 3 ¼” long with 2 ½” of cutting edge and a non-slip thumb notch. The blade is made of AUS-8 stainless steel and heat treated to 57 – 58 on the Rockwell C scale. The Rubberized Kraton® handle ensures a positive, non-slip grip, even when wet.
The grip feels very comfortable in my average sized hand. $58, made in China.
#W11; This is a stout wilderness knife with a 4 3/8" blade, 1 1/8" wide and
.150" (more than an eighth of an inch) thick. The tang extends the length
of the 4 1/2" cocobola handle. The handle is well shaped so you can apply maximum pressure to the blade. The pouch style sheath holds the knife securely, and the belt loop will accept
belts up to 2". It's very different than most of the Nordic knives I carry, but I have to admit it has a solid feel and gives a great sense of confidence. This is a knife that will take a lot a abuse without failing.
#S11; This is a stout wilderness or hunting knife. The blade
has a gut hook, and is about 4 1/4" long, 1 1/8" wide and .155" thick. The tang extends the length of the 4 1/2" cocobola handle.
The handle is well shaped so you can apply maximum pressure to the blade. The pouch
style sheath holds the knife securely, and the belt loop will accept belts up to 2". It's very
different than most of the Nordic knives I carry, but I have to admit it has a very solid feel
and gives a great sense of confidence. This is a knife that will take a lot a abuse without failing. $105.
#H8; Here's a shorter version with a 3 1/8" drop point blade,
7 1/4" overall. It has the same blade thickness (.150"), so it's really stout. This one has an interesting grind.
The main bevel runs from the edge to the spine of the blade, with only a slight secondary bevel. This
allows a thick blade while retaining good slicing characteristics. The tang
extends the length of the 4" cocobola handle. The handle is well shaped so you can apply
maximum pressure to the blade. The pouch style sheath holds the knife securely, and the belt loop
will accept belts up to 2". $99.
#A-10; The “Allround” is an all-purpose bushcraft knife. Again,
the full tang extends the length of the babinga handle, but is only exposed on the upper side
for user comfort. The Sandvik stainless blade is a bit over 4” long, 1 1/8” wide and .153” thick.
It’s a bit straighter than the W11 blade. The neatly crafted sheath partly enfolds and
protects the handle, and has a snap retainer. The belt loop will accept belts up to about 2 3/4”. The knife and sheath weigh almost 8 1/2 ounces. $85
#A-10 Masur; is an upscale version of the "Allround" with a
handle of Masur (curly) birch. $110.
#JoF-7; The stock number stands for “Jaktmarker och Fiskevatten”,
which is a Swedish hunting and fishing magazine similar to Field and Stream in the US. The
knife a result of a collaboration of the magazine staff and the EKA designers. The blade is
just over 7 cm long (2 3/4") and has about 3 inches of cutting edge. It's about 1/8" (.127")
thick There is a shallow cutout on the back of the blade as a guide for the index finger when using the knife with the edge
up for opening a large animal. The handle feels quite good in my average sized hand. It's
shaped to help keep your hand from moving forward without the nuisance of a guard.
The tang extends the length of the 4 1/4" cocobola handle but is only exposed on the upper side for user comfort. The pouch style sheath holds the knife
securely, and the belt loop will accept belts up to 2". This is a knife designed for hunters by
experienced hunters. $89.
#JoF-7 Masur; is an upscale version with a Masur (curly) birch
handle. $99.
Leather Sheaths; for those who prefer to carry their folder on the belt.
These are heavy weight full grain leather with snap fasteners. Supplied in a gift box, there are three sizes;
Elk Skin Sheath; for those who prefer to carry their folder on the belt. The elkskin sheaths are lighter in weight and dyed a rich brown. For knives up to about
3 1/2". $19.
EKA Nylon Sheath; for those who prefer to carry their folder on the belt.
It will take a knife up to 4 1/2" long, and closes with a Velcro fastener. $5.
Nylon Sheath; this is a generic Nylon sheath.
It will take a knife up to about 4 1/2" long, and closes with a Velcro fastener. It takes the
#88 very comfortably, and will just take the #60. $3.
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