Finnish Market Kuksa(s)

Martti

Full Member
Mar 12, 2011
919
18
Finland
Although I am a firm supporter of hand-crafted traditional kuksa(s), a more readily and cheaper option might be necessary during some times and for some persons. For this purpose I have made a brief summary of mass produced kuksa models sold in various Finnish marketplaces and shops. All of the models I review here are made out of beech and not birch, although the country of origin is not mentioned in any of the descriptions that come with the product. The size of the kuksa is also roughly the same in all of the brands.

I shall start with the most expensive one, made by "MCM". It comes with a carabiner and a leather loop for securing. There are two different models, one with and one without a bone plate at the top. The quality of the wood is consisted and the growth rings are c. 3-4 mm apart. The retail price ranges from 13 to 16 euro per piece.

MCM_kuksa.jpg


Kuksa made by Otso Outdoor is very similar to the one by "MCM", but costs only 5 to 6 euro with a leather loop and a carabiner. However, the quality is not that great compared to the "MCM", as the growth rings are much wider apart, c. 5-6 mm. This will most likely have an effect to the number of cracks the product will develope in a long run. Depending the number of kuksa available in the store, there might be one or two kuksa that are of better quality and quite close to "MCM". Look for these.

Otso_kuksa.jpg


Third I have reviewed "Aurora Borealis" brand only sold by Motonet retail store. There are two type of models sold, one with a two hole handle and one with more traditional handle. The wood seems to be pre-treated with a varnish as it is much darker in colour than the other brands using the same species of wood. The surface is quite rough and needs to be sanded before use. The price is the cheapest one of the three, 4.95€ for the two-hole kuksa and 4.30€ for the smaller one.

Motonet2hole_kuksa.jpg


Motonet_traditional_kuksa.jpg
 

fishfish

Full Member
Jul 29, 2007
2,352
5
52
wiltshire
jeez,knocked out in china? nice review but the kupilka is better than all of those and ime no fan of that one either!lol guess the only way is to make one.
 

Nonsuch

Life Member
Sep 19, 2008
1,862
1
Scotland, looking at mountains
I have had a load of these market and supermarket kuksas, bought on my various visits to Finland, and given to friends. They are great. You would have to use them for a very long time for them to rot. Sure they are made in China etc but then so is nearly all your outdoor gear as well - Terra Nova etc.

Although I have a "real" kuksa as well, my favourite user is the Kupilka.
 
Apr 7, 2013
3
0
Florida, USA
I bought a kuksa online from Amazon Marketplace. This was the #016 model with two finger holes, from the Nordic Art Store. It was shipped from Estonia, and cost me around $30 USD. There was no card or brochure attached or included, although there was a leather thong looped through one of the holes. I was under the impression it was made from alder. I had not thought to measure the growth rings before, but I just checked it out and found they vary from about 1.5mm to about 4mm. The kuksa does appear to be mass produced, but for all that it seems well made.

I had no idea these were so widely available in northern Europe. I though it was sort of a specialty item. Too bad the bushcraft suppliers in the USA have not discovered and started importing them, but there's always Amazon...

Grys Baard
 
Nov 14, 2013
9
0
Helsinki
Here in Helsinki you will pay around 35-55 euro for a genuine kuksa, the difference in price will be the addition of some carved antler. If they are very cheap they will not be made in Finland with Finnish wood as nothing in this country is cheap, you pay for quality here and that's what you get, on the whole.
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
I got a kuksa for Valentine's day from my wife, purchased from Militarymart. She paid £10 for it, as it is on sale. Hand carved certainly, as it is not regular at all. The finish leaves a lot to be desired, and like the one above it seems to have been varnished. I like it because she bought it for me, and its crookedness is sort of appealing, but I'm going to sand it down and finish it properly.

Link here: http://www.militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=1399
 

Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I got a kuksa for Valentine's day from my wife, purchased from Militarymart. She paid £10 for it, as it is on sale. Hand carved certainly, as it is not regular at all. The finish leaves a lot to be desired, and like the one above it seems to have been varnished. I like it because she bought it for me, and its crookedness is sort of appealing, but I'm going to sand it down and finish it properly.

Link here: http://www.militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=1399

Mmmm nice ... just off to buy meself one as a spare :)
 

MarkinLondon

Nomad
May 17, 2013
325
1
Bedfordshire
I was considering a Kupilka (the part-plastic version) of the all-wood Kuksa. I see them on a few websites for £17 or so…. From what I've read, the Kupilka is hot in your hands, while the all-wood Kuksa isn't; but the Kupilka doesn't have the cracking & weeping issues that the Kuksa has. My sense is also that the Kupilka is lighter. There's also a big difference in price, unless you get the Nordic Art Kuksas on Amazon. They both also seem very small.

I have to say that I haven't purchased either yet, but I'd like to, and while I generally prefer the wooden Kuksa, the Kupilka seems like the winner from a functional standpoint. Has anyone really used these yet? How to they compare in weight to a single or double-wall stainless mug? Hauling a chunk of wood can't be light, but neither can a steel mug (that burns lips) be.
 

quietone

Full Member
May 29, 2011
821
93
Wales
I have the kupilka, I like it a lot. Its warm in the hands, which is welcome on cold starts. Its light too.
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vy4ymu3a.jpg
beserany.jpg
 

Martti

Full Member
Mar 12, 2011
919
18
Finland
I see them on a few websites for £17 or so….

The cheapest price I have seen in Finland for the Kupilka 21 is 15 € or £13. However, this is still around three times more expensive than the Otso Outdoor one I reviewed earlier.

From what I've read, the Kupilka is hot in your hands, while the all-wood Kuksa isn't; but the Kupilka doesn't have the cracking & weeping issues that the Kuksa has.

Based on the nature of the material used, a Kupilka should be a bit more dense than a kuksa of same size made out of all-natural materials.
 

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