Iisakki: Jarvenpaa Aito Puukko

[Wayland]

It's no good, I've had a hankering for one of these for a while now and it's just not going away.

Anyone got one? What do you think of it? Any good?

If anyone has one they want to swap or trade I'd be very interested. Bark handle or leather, I like them both.

Not too worried about the sheath, I'd probably make a different one anyway.

 

[Kepis]

I used to have one, i traded it off years ago, very poor quality i thought, the grind was further to the left than Red Ken was

 

[Wayland]

I just like the short blade and the handle shape. It reminds me of a Frosts Sloyd which I think is a great work knife.

 

[Kepis]

That's what originally attracted me to it, bought one and then regretted it, i could have been unlucky i guess, i was quite disappointed in the overall quality of it though

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I was mulling one of these over the other day... Nothing but praise form real user feedback. For the price, it sounds a steal.

http://www.heinnie.com/product.asp?...&strPageHistory=search&numSearchStartRecord=1

 

[Barn Owl]

Had one and wish I'd kept it.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I had one of these and traded it to Blackfeather a few months ago. Good little knife I could get it extremely sharp and held it pretty well. Sheath is a little poor though.

 

[Martti]

Anyone got one? What do you think of it? Any good?

Iisakki Järvenpää was perhaps the best quality factory when it came to making a puukko for decades but in Finnish circles it is very well known that the quality has lowered greatly since the War. Marttiini is a better choice if you want to have a factory puukko but even better would be ordering a handmade from one of the smiths. Marttiini Ilves 132, also known as Lynx knife 132, costs roughly half of the price you would pay for Iisakki and it is very close to the model chosen by the Finnish Defence Forces for its official puukko during the 1950s.

 

[Karl5]

Got one with the bark handle.
The handle is great. Warm and grippy even in the most wet or cold weather/situation.
The blade shape is fantastic, but the steel is a bit so-so. A bit too soft for my taste, and the factory grind was not the best.
The sheath is a bit cheap.
Overall I like the knife, soft steel and all, and use it a fair bit.
I'd definitely buy this knife again.

/ Karl

 

[Frederick89]

I'm with Martti: go custom and get exactly what you want.

If you don't want to wait that much you can ask Arto Ronkainen that makes rather good knives with no waiting list. 3 mm thick blades, 0,8% C steel, 64 HRC claimed. Not really custom made, but nice quality.
http://www.apr-tuote.com/english.html
http://www.britishblades.com/forums...r-scandi-knife-maker&highlight=arto+ronkainen

My vote goes anyway to smith Pasi Hurttila. He made me a birch bark knife and it's probably my best fixed blade so far.
http://www.hurttilanpaja.suntuubi.com/?cat=10

He was and is a user of bark handed knives and has put some light changing to his construction style: thicker, higher and untapered tangs in order to avoid the handle benting that might occur with stacked layers and bit "fatter" handles and blades.
This is in the opposite direction of the current trend of finnish makers that goes slimmer and thinner every time more, but it's a fact that a slightly bigger handle is more confortable for prolonged use.

Birch bark grips like G-10 while feeling like velvet, it's waterproof (really), durable, strong and always warm.

 

[Wayland]

Thank you,

I rather like the look of this fellow. I'll have to look into this one I think.

 

[Frederick89]

You're welcome. If you think to carve really a lot I suggest you also to concider the rhombic section of Tommi styled knives. Compared to a flat blade with same bevel hight a rhombic section gives both more bite and more accuracy in finer works. This drawing was published also on finnish knife forum Puukkosivut.


I have tried 37 scandinavian knives, including a carver from Svante Djärv (the same ones sold by Woodlore) and I have to say that the rhombic section is really another world.

 

[Robbi]

Wayland, check these out first.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83310&highlight=

 

[Martti]

I have tried 37 scandinavian knives, including a carver from Svante Djärv (the same ones sold by Woodlore) and I have to say that the rhombic section is really another world.

Actually rhombic was far the most common blade profile in puukkos during the 19th century when most of the museum examples were collected. Although curly birch handle was more common, rhombic blade combined with birch bark handle can be seen by some as a match made in heaven.

 

[Frederick89]

Although curly birch handle was more common, rhombic blade combined with birch bark handle can be seen by some as a match made in heaven.

You said it!

Robbi, stached leather can shrink and age with use and changing of temperature etc. Birch bark is almost inert.

 

[Robbi]

Ah, thanks for that, useful bit of info

 

[mrcairney]

Oops, never mind!

 

[sargey]

It's no good, I've had a hankering for one of these for a while now and it's just not going away.

Anyone got one? What do you think of it? Any good?

If anyone has one they want to swap or trade I'd be very interested. Bark handle or leather, I like them both.

Not too worried about the sheath, I'd probably make a different one anyway.

no, no swapping or selling. but you are quite welcome to take mine out for a test drive if you like. pm me a snail mail address and i'll try to get it in the post.

cheers, and.

 

[Quill]

I have one and like it. No problems with it. The sheath looks nice but it is a bit thin. I do not carve with mine. Didn't buy it as a carving knife. Cleaning fish, game or cutting up vegetables it does great. Makes tent pegs and other small projects fine. It is in this group.

 

[forestwalker]

It should be fairly easy to make one...