Another example of this nomenclatural fuzziness is that of the word "Tanto". In the origins, the word Tanto referred to a category of long knife or short sword. Within the category historical examples are available with widely differing designs and blade profiles. However, starting in America around the 80's the word Tanto began to be applied in regards to a particular kind of knife blade profile, with the blade tip somewhat reminiscent of the design and function of the Katana tip. So now the word Tanto can refer to two clearly distinct albeit tenuously related concepts. Back to the Puukko, my understanding is like yours, that the word refers to a category of short belt knife. Certainly in the origins, as with the Japanese Tanto, there would have been a wider variety of personalised blade profiles and grinds, but the same construction methods were universally applied. So the first generation of Puukkos would most all have had stick tang construction for good reasons such as the availability of steel and the tools and available materials and methods of the period etc. However there would have been far less of an established tradition regarding the profile and grind of the blade than what we have today. Nowadays the global conception of a Puukko seems to refer more than anything to the blade profile (we might say Kochanski-esque) and of course the Scandi grind. My understanding is that the Scandi grind is actually a fairly recent development within the Puukko tradition! As is the use of synthetic handle materials, modern adhesives, stainless steels etc etc. This topic is now reminding me also of my investigations into what makes a Wharncliffe a Wharncliffe. I can think of perhaps five defining characteristics of a Wharncliffe, yet one or more might be in some way altered and the knife is still clearly a Wharncliffe if it's anything at all. On the other hand I do see plenty of knives that are claimed "Wharncliffe" whilst by my lights they clearly are not. I suggest we make a list of Puukko characteristics. • Sheath knife • Dimensions - 1 palm blade, 1 palm handle • Stick tang • Handle: natural materials • Blade profile: staight spine; cutting edge one long sweep. • Blade stock: forged carbon steel • Blade grind: Scandi • Application: multi-use woods knife • Finger guard: no Any more for any more?! Still, you might have a knife with only half of the above characteristics, which might get a Puukko pass - such as the knife I am making for you using a pinned hidden half tang, 7/8 palm blade, semi-stainless steel and a distally tapered Woodsman grind. :D
I think one of the key questions is can a full exposed tang knife be called a puukko? There are quite a few knife makers making them now. The name is all about marketing with companies like Za Pas. Also about describing the knife. I definitely think the ricaso on that knife isn't very puukko. Neither is the full tang. Thanks for the list Eric. Should maybe being made in Finland be on there?
@KuukkeliBushcraft it's really a bit of an arbitrary list - I forgot to put being made in Finland on there. But wait - I learned from OldForest Bushcraft that some traditional Finnish brand puukkos are being made in Lithuania! It's all a bit nebulous to me. I readily accept your take on the Za-Pas because you have handled a lot of knives which are unquestionably puukkos. The feel is very important. So if it doesn't feel like a puukko and it doesn't look like a puukko... Yeah, I suppose exposed tang is really a disqualifier. Unless it's tapered - that might get a "hybrid puukko" pass from me because it is an artisan feature that also regulates the balance of the knife without the visually deceptive structural sacrifice that is the skeleton tang, or shit-tang as JoeX puts it.
Eh, you are just artificially limited the classification on what you call a puukko. No real rerason to limit it to only natural material or no finger guard. And not to mention we would have to have a whole argument about whats considered a "scandi" and when is it a saber. Basically you are pissing in the wind trying to make rules for the classification. Its fluid and changes from person to person.
@@DemoMan-fq9zi Cool! I'm happy that you have engaged with my comment. It is a very long-winded comment, with a lot of noise. I think you may have lost the signal somewhat because I am not really limiting anything very much in principle. What I am trying to do is signal the reasons why someone might logically say "Puukko" instead of "small knife", "belt knife", "sheath knife", "bushcrafting knife" etc. If you think that the term Puukko can apply to any small sheath knife that's fine by me. Still it could be seen as a wasted opportunity to have a more precise nomenclature. It's about as easy to say "small knife" as it is to say Puukko, which is not an English expression. So if you're speaking English then why bother to say "Puukko" at all? - since you could just say "belt knife" or whatever English term and be understood also by people who don't know so much about knife terminology, or the Finnish language. I invite you to describe whatever you find to be the defining characteristics of a Puukko!
I liked knives and learned to use them at an early age. Me and my friends spent a lot of our time in the forest and low rocky hills in the outskirts of Gothenburg. Wel build all types of huts and made campfires for grilling sausages or other food. We carried very often a belt knife. As far as I can remember we only had some type of rat tang knives. It could have a bone handle, wooden handle or a birchbark handle. Full tang knives I came in contact with much later in life. Batoning was nothing we really did. We borrowed an axe if we should make a fire. Looking at the sami knives and knifes from Norway, Sweden and Finland they seems to be very similar. They very often had some type of scandi grind.However there was also other type of grinds. The sami people also often carried a chopper for cutting bigger pieces of meat and for cutting down smaller trees. There are very many knife makers in our countries and very often they make knifes that are very traditional. We have some more modern knife makers like Fällkniven, Helle, Casström, Brisa and of course Mora that today are making many different type of knives for a global market. We use different words in Norway, Sweden and Finland but they all mean folder, belt knife and chopper. I also own a BPS Aura. Great small knife which I now have used for some months. It doesn't look like a traditional Nordic knife but does that matter?
The Aura is a nice knife, it Dosn't matter that much what you call a knife,, the main thing is that it serves its purpose. When I was a kid we only had folders back in the UK. My freind had an axe and a bow saw, battoning was something I had never heard of. I think two of the reasons that we use folders more further south are, for one thing where I am from if someone sees you with a knife on your belt they think you are carrying it for the wrong reasons and also when it is cold folders really aren't great. Big gloves, cold hands ect. Opening it is one thing, but even getting it out of your pocket is another. I still don't think battoning is an entirely new thing here though. I think though battoning through large logs that someone has probably cut with a chainsaw may be a recent development. To be honest out in the forest you will find enough dead twigs to not have to batton at all. It does make a little more sense though if it is seriously wet or you have some fatwood. Swedish knives are definitely similar to Finnish ones. Thanks for watching mate and thank you very much for the comment. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks Chris, there could have been more nature. A lot of this was filmed indoors. Tried to do some filming yesterday outdoors. It was so windy 🤣. Soon going to be having issues with the dark too😂. The nights are getting longer. There will soon be no Day. Glad you liked the video mate.
Great video, thanks Tim! I almost thought you weren’t going to get around to the Roselli Carpenter, one of my favorite all-around blades and especially the handle. It feels so right in my hand. Which is also why I love the Roselli Bear Claw, same handle, shorter blade (Grandmother blade, I think) which I find better for fine carving as well as general light use. Also, many thanks to everyone’s comments, many great nomenclature points made. I’m learning a lot from this community!
Yes the handle on the carpenter is really something else. Perfect at least in my hand, so comfortable. It was in another video a couple of years ago. Probably time I made another one. I also like the blade size and shape. Been seeing some good disgussion in the comments so far. Trying to work my way through them. It takes a while as the better the comment in general the longer the reply😂. Hopefully will answer them all today. Thanks for watching mate.
Viva Puukko! I love these knives, especially the Predator. Great video and discussion of the topic. Glad Unni made an appearance at the end. Nice work. Is the BPS worth the money?
I think the BPS is well worth the money, both of them. Unni managed to sneak in there at the end. We are looking after the farm at the moment. Unni has found a squeaky dog toy. Driving me nuts. Thanks for watching Chris. Have a great weekend.
I think there's a noticeable difference between a traditional puukko and a modern puukko inspired design; both have their merits. 👍 Thanks for sharing about yours, you have a good collection of both kinds. 😊 Take care my friend and Cheers!
Thanks mate, I think there are definitely some puukkos in between modern and traditional and all traditional things were once modern. Mind you many of the older synthetic handled puukkos that I have from the 60s and 70s definitely can't be considered traditional or modern. I am not sure if the Modern puukko by Za pas can even be considered a puukko 😂. Trying to hard to define these things just causes confusion and videos that take over a week to answer the comments to😂
Interesting stuff mate! I guess like many subjects it’s open to interpretation by the individual. But all of the knives you shown look good usable, practical carry choices to me. Very best wishes 👍🏻👍🏻😎
People could argue about words all day 🤣. Something I am for some reason encouraging in this video. Quite interesting how knife manufacturers outside of Finland seem to have picked up on the word puukko, it's all about marketing really. The important thing is does it cut stuff good. Thanks for watching Andy.
I need to get out there and take some photos. It's really pretty out there at the moment. Thank you very much for stopping by Arielle. Great to hear from you.
I just like Nordic knives and most of my fixed blades are Nordic of one kind or another. You mentioned the Skookum Bush tool, i bought my Enzo because it reminded me of one. It's horses for courses really, been using a Marttiini most of this season because it's a beautiful carver but like you said, i wouldn't wail on it, have a Hultafors GK for that. A great selection of knives you have there, very nice!!
A Marttiini and a GK sounds like a good combo. I like my Terava Skrama for the tough stuff. Is it heavy but also very multifunctional. As you have seen I have quite a selection of smaller knives 😂. Thanks for watching mate. Hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Knife has one purpose only, and that is to cut. Cut, sharpen it and cut again. Sometimes baton and carve and that is all. Pukko or Bushcraft they are all welcome if they are capable of doing the job you need to do. Thanks for the video.
The human race loves to complicate things though don't we😂 is it a puukko? Is that a scandi or a sabre grind 😂. Some knives do cut better than others though. Thanks for watching the video mate.
I think a lot of people are too worried about what other people call their knives. When I think about these knives I think of the knives made by the Finnish natives so most of the knives shown in this video isn't what I think of. Tantos are another example of how confusing names are for some people. I have a tanto made in the style of the original ones. When I show it to some people they like to correct me and tell me it's not a real tanto. When I ask them what a real tanto is they normally bring up a Cold Steel tanto styled knife. LOL I don't really care what others call their knives or what they think about what I call mine. I can find plenty of things that are worthy of a heated debate, proper knife classifications is not one of them. Especially if it leads up to insults and angry arguments which will occasionally happen when it comes to knife discussions. Maybe the subject of knives should be added to the list of things that shouldn't be brought up like religion and politics for some people. LOL😊
Well if we can't talk about knives then that is a good bit of the content of my channel out of the window 😂. To my mind the Za pas is not a puukko, but I found the name interesting. At least it is not a puukko in the way the word is used outside of Finland (ie a Finnish knife). Of course, the name is a lot about marketing like so much nowadays. Of course if your knife serves its purpose it Dosn't matter what it is called, it's a tool. Thanks for watching mate and for joining in the conversation.
We have a silver smith here in Hetta who has half of his shop as a museum of tools from his family. Craftsmen going back generations. He has some really cool stuff in there. I couldn't compete with that 😂. Thanks for watching Travis
Interesting video. I have always been told dogs eat grass when their stomaches are upset. Perhaps that's why Unni is doing it. My good old dog Tip used to eat grass and then barf it up. But dogs will eat just about anything. Lol.
Yes I have heard about the upset stomach thing, I actually don't think it's that, she never eats enough to make her throw up. She also takes big bites out of anthills occasionally. I think she just likes to chomp on random things. When we were in the south of Lapland she caught a toad, thankfully she didn't chomp on him for very long. He tasted disgusting, I am sure she told her freinds "I wouldn't even feed that to a human" 😂. Thanks for watching mate.
Je ne comprends pas que vous n'entretenez pas vos lames carbone. Ce n'est pas compliqué et rapide à faire. Après utilisation bien essayer la lame et quelques gouttes d'huile.
For me, a puukko is a simple hand-made scandi ground straight back knife ,usually rat tang .with a birch or stacked handle, but as knives have developed now a days ,some can closely resemble one .great content, brother. God bless you 🙏. Lee
Thanks Lee, quite a lot of older puukkos don't really have what you would call a scandi grind. Maybe that could be the next video 😂. From is it a puukko to is it a scandi? Hopefully it Dosn't take me a week to get on top of the comments on that one. Thanks for watching mate. God bless and have a great weekend.
Well, Tim, thats a great discussion point and idea for a video. 👍🏻 I am of the camp that enjoys both traditional puukkos as well as the "modern variants." In fact, the only knives I am interested in anymore are what I loosely refer to as "puukkos". I love the straight-backed, scandi ground very plain micarta-handled puukkos (such as the Aura etc.). I also love the more traditional classic "puukkos". As an example, I own the smaller NKD Korpi with curly birch handles, and it looks just like a Tommi puukko, but with a full tang. I think it's amazing! Great video, mate! Well done. 🙂🇨🇦
Did I actually show the NKD Korpi on this video? I don't think I did. Certainly should have done. It's a really good knife. Puukkos is definitely where it's at 😂. Thank you very much for watching. Sorry it took a while to reply. This video got a lot of comments. Also quite a lot of long ones that merrited more than just a thanks for watching 😂 anyway thank you for watching. Hope you have a fantastic weekend, now that it is nearly weekend again 😂
The blue Marttiini also not made any more 🤣. Should be getting a Finn lite by BPS in the next couple of days. Very similar to the Aura but much cheaper. Thanks for watching mate.
A mix of everything 🤣. I have a whole playlist on the subject.th-cam.com/play/PLAI3hJPk1vWkNfMtEHE8cmpTiWp-LQ7Hp.html&si=xJZdgii2sjkRIkIq I also have taken to using ceramic rods quite a bit recently. Particularly on anything with a secondary bevel. Thanks for watching mate.
For me it's nothing but full tang knives. Rat tail knives are for spoon carvers, fishermen and hipsters. I've destroyed so many of them, from cheap market knives to Marttiini's. They not for bushcrafting. That's why now i have Jääkäripuukko 140... alongside with Skrama 240. One important point about handles: How does it feel and performs, when you hands are wet.
Well I am both a spoon carver and a fisherman 😂. I also like to carry more than one cutting tool. If I have an axe or my Skrama then a stick tang is fine for me. Even if I am carving a spoon, I want an axe too. Thanks for watching the video mate.
yeah weight matters :) ... When several years ago I saw Morakniv Lapplander 95 in shop I thought it's beautiful and bought it, but man it has so uncomfortable weight ... and yes it is also not a puukko ... for me puukko should look like Ahti Metsa :)
A small knife should be nimble in the hand and not at all cumbersome. The Finns really get it right with things like the Ahti Metsä. Thank you very much for watching mate. Have a great weekend.
An earlier comment hit it on the head, puukko has become a marketing term, much like bushcraft. What we call puukko today has never been fixed or set in concrete. The Sammi people developed a blade and shape that fit their environment best. Steel being rare and expensive meant you forged a rat tail tang, less metal used, lighter to carry. Birch handles, the best wood they had available. Simple. Above all, the puukko was and is a cutting tool, a slicing knife. Fish, moose, wood or whatever, it was used because it was all you had. For bigger jobs, the Leuko emerged and the axe was the main chopping tool. It wouldn’t surprise me if puukko wasn’t more of a slang word for a slicing or carving knife. I think we think too much into things!
I think outside of Finland puukko is definitely just a marketing term, whereas in Finland it is just a word. Also not exactly the only part of the world to use rat tailed tangs in their knives. Companies such as Za Pas, benchmade and Joker are definitely using it as a marketing term. The important thing however is does the knife serve it's function over what people want to call it. I do find marketing quite interesting though, the thought that goes into trying to make products appeal to people. Thank you very much for watching.
I see the Bps knives are keeping up in price, the one you shown is £58 in the uk, I have to say its the only one I've seen that looks decent, saying that I can get a marttiini knife cheaper and they are fantastic knives. As for the name puukko its getting a bit confusing isn't it, everyone seems to be jumping on the puukko bandwagon and in my opinion a puukko is a small traditional general purpose belt knife made in Finland, just my thoughts.😁👍🏻
Marttiini are great value for money. But BPS seem to be at least cheaper for full tang knives. Although as I said in the video, there are advantages of a stick tang. The Marttiini have the full tang Tundra, it's actually quite pricey. You can't beat a puukko really and your definition sounds pretty spot on to me mate. Thanks for watching.
I agree, 1095 would be a far better option. The steel is definitely not the strong point of these knives. I guess they are trying to keep the price down. Still 1066 is not that bad either. Thanks for watching mate.
I think that there is also a shift in mentality. If I understand it correctly, the older generations used to carry multiple blades and at least one puukkoo paired with a leuku. Today things are more revolved about 1 tool options even though most of us still pair multiple tools together.
The use of a leuku is more of just a Saaml thing. Over most of Finland and most Nordic countries people used axes. The whole one tool option thing I think is new. Thanks for watching buddy. Have a fantastic weekend.
Awesome video Tim! Aura is a finnish word that means a plow. I think its interesting that if you would ask a random Finn, no knife enthusiast or outdoors type he would immidiately know the difference of Puukko or Veitsi (finnish for knife). Puukko is ALWAYS an outdoors Belt knife, with preferably wooden handle, scandi grind etc. ect. Cheers!
Yes but for example your Brisa Nesmuk. If you were doing one of your videos (in English of course), you wouldn't describe it as a puukko would you? Even though it fits the description you just gave me and is even made in Finland. I am making things unnecessarily complicated 🤣. I think we know what puukko means to the international knife community. It's just a Finnish knife that looks like a Finnish knife🤣. Thanks for watching Ilaria. Hope you had a good weekend mate.
Good point with Nessmuk, I wouldnt describe it as puukko for sure! (Though still a random Finnish guy with no greater knowledge on knives etc. could actually call it a puukko). F.e a friend of mine just the other day who doesnt know anything about knives looked at my Bark River Gunny, and said thats a nice puukko. So a regular Joe in Finland puukko word can be used as general word for outdoor knife. But as soon as you get more in to it the difference become obvious.
if you dig into the scandinavian and russian and over the area knives back to vikings era they have changed design so many time i think puukko is just a marketing brand for bushcrafters and old timer nordic hunters i would say it doesnt matter just get a knife you like and fits your hand well there has been small knives big knives and weirdly shaped into every type you can imagine i like micarta over wood its soft but durable and feel warm in the hand and grippy when wet...cant say that about wood really and you can file and sand it to fit you hand just like wood...btw a knife i think you would like is swisstech in vg1 steel haltbar was the model name 49usd online...not that you actually need any more knives at this point hehe
I think puukko is just a Finnish word for a belt knife that the International knife community has adopted for any knife that looks remotely Finnish. Of course it is used for marketing and selling stuff. All names of all products have been thought out to sell as many as possible. I agree that micarta is far more practical than wood. The Haltbar looks great. Swisstec seems to be sold only by Walmart though. It is true that I probably don't need more knives. Thanks for stopping by. Great to hear from you as always.
I have understood that in order to call a knife as " puukko" it have to has a stick tang, wooden handle and scandi grind. Anything else and it's "just" a knife or "veitsi" in finnish.
@@sarthalion I actually think that to most Finns, puukko just means belt knife. Outside of Finland however it has come to mean a Finnish or Finnish style knife. People's definitions of words vary a lot though.
"Puukko" is pretty much the default word for every fixed blade knife that is carried in a sheath here in Finland. Word "Veitsi" (=Knife) is used for kitchen knives and maybe something that has more exotic or unconventional shape.
Also Mora's are considered to be Puukko.. but they're so common and iconic that many call them just "Mora". And pretty often that applies to Mora copies too, the brand name has almost became like a word for that kind of plastic handle Puukko. 😆
Thank you, basically a belt knife in Finland and a Finnish belt knife to the rest of the world, or at least the knife world. Thanks for the comment. Have a fantastic weekend mate.
I would love to try one. I was planning on getting a blade blank and doing the handle myself. The edge geometry is so different, I would love to see how it works. My experience of chisel grind knives in the past has always been good. Thanks for watching my freind.
I don't know about that. I recently came across a knife maker in Argentina (on Facebook, not in Argentina) who is pretty dedicated to making Finnish knives. His work looks more Finnish than a lot of stuff being made here in Finland. Maybe he is the exception to the rule😂. Thank you very much for watching the video mate.
yup, I thought Skookum bush tool as soon as you showed it...modern, traditional? I don't know the difference either LOL...nice collection of sharpys...luv the woods knife Hiker!...atvb...woods
The Woodsknife hiker is a real beauty. I am always glad to hear that people think the same as me with things like the similarity between the BPS and the bush tool. Means I am probably not just spouting nonsense 😂 so thanks for that. Cheers Woods, hope you are having a great weekend mate.
Another example of this nomenclatural fuzziness is that of the word "Tanto". In the origins, the word Tanto referred to a category of long knife or short sword. Within the category historical examples are available with widely differing designs and blade profiles. However, starting in America around the 80's the word Tanto began to be applied in regards to a particular kind of knife blade profile, with the blade tip somewhat reminiscent of the design and function of the Katana tip.
So now the word Tanto can refer to two clearly distinct albeit tenuously related concepts.
Back to the Puukko, my understanding is like yours, that the word refers to a category of short belt knife. Certainly in the origins, as with the Japanese Tanto, there would have been a wider variety of personalised blade profiles and grinds, but the same construction methods were universally applied. So the first generation of Puukkos would most all have had stick tang construction for good reasons such as the availability of steel and the tools and available materials and methods of the period etc. However there would have been far less of an established tradition regarding the profile and grind of the blade than what we have today.
Nowadays the global conception of a Puukko seems to refer more than anything to the blade profile (we might say Kochanski-esque) and of course the Scandi grind. My understanding is that the Scandi grind is actually a fairly recent development within the Puukko tradition! As is the use of synthetic handle materials, modern adhesives, stainless steels etc etc.
This topic is now reminding me also of my investigations into what makes a Wharncliffe a Wharncliffe. I can think of perhaps five defining characteristics of a Wharncliffe, yet one or more might be in some way altered and the knife is still clearly a Wharncliffe if it's anything at all. On the other hand I do see plenty of knives that are claimed "Wharncliffe" whilst by my lights they clearly are not.
I suggest we make a list of Puukko characteristics.
• Sheath knife
• Dimensions - 1 palm blade, 1 palm handle
• Stick tang
• Handle: natural materials
• Blade profile: staight spine; cutting edge one long sweep.
• Blade stock: forged carbon steel
• Blade grind: Scandi
• Application: multi-use woods knife
• Finger guard: no
Any more for any more?!
Still, you might have a knife with only half of the above characteristics, which might get a Puukko pass - such as the knife I am making for you using a pinned hidden half tang, 7/8 palm blade, semi-stainless steel and a distally tapered Woodsman grind.
:D
I think one of the key questions is can a full exposed tang knife be called a puukko?
There are quite a few knife makers making them now.
The name is all about marketing with companies like Za Pas. Also about describing the knife. I definitely think the ricaso on that knife isn't very puukko. Neither is the full tang.
Thanks for the list Eric. Should maybe being made in Finland be on there?
@KuukkeliBushcraft it's really a bit of an arbitrary list - I forgot to put being made in Finland on there. But wait - I learned from OldForest Bushcraft that some traditional Finnish brand puukkos are being made in Lithuania!
It's all a bit nebulous to me. I readily accept your take on the Za-Pas because you have handled a lot of knives which are unquestionably puukkos. The feel is very important. So if it doesn't feel like a puukko and it doesn't look like a puukko...
Yeah, I suppose exposed tang is really a disqualifier.
Unless it's tapered - that might get a "hybrid puukko" pass from me because it is an artisan feature that also regulates the balance of the knife without the visually deceptive structural sacrifice that is the skeleton tang, or shit-tang as JoeX puts it.
Eh, you are just artificially limited the classification on what you call a puukko. No real rerason to limit it to only natural material or no finger guard. And not to mention we would have to have a whole argument about whats considered a "scandi" and when is it a saber. Basically you are pissing in the wind trying to make rules for the classification. Its fluid and changes from person to person.
@@DemoMan-fq9zi Cool! I'm happy that you have engaged with my comment. It is a very long-winded comment, with a lot of noise. I think you may have lost the signal somewhat because I am not really limiting anything very much in principle. What I am trying to do is signal the reasons why someone might logically say "Puukko" instead of "small knife", "belt knife", "sheath knife", "bushcrafting knife" etc.
If you think that the term Puukko can apply to any small sheath knife that's fine by me. Still it could be seen as a wasted opportunity to have a more precise nomenclature. It's about as easy to say "small knife" as it is to say Puukko, which is not an English expression. So if you're speaking English then why bother to say "Puukko" at all? - since you could just say "belt knife" or whatever English term and be understood also by people who don't know so much about knife terminology, or the Finnish language.
I invite you to describe whatever you find to be the defining characteristics of a Puukko!
Looks like I forgot: The Dangler Sheath :D
I liked knives and learned to use them at an early age. Me and my friends spent a lot of our time in the forest and low rocky hills in the outskirts of Gothenburg. Wel build all types of huts and made campfires for grilling sausages or other food. We carried very often a belt knife. As far as I can remember we only had some type of rat tang knives. It could have a bone handle, wooden handle or a birchbark handle. Full tang knives I came in contact with much later in life. Batoning was nothing we really did. We borrowed an axe if we should make a fire. Looking at the sami knives and knifes from Norway, Sweden and Finland they seems to be very similar. They very often had some type of scandi grind.However there was also other type of grinds. The sami people also often carried a chopper for cutting bigger pieces of meat and for cutting down smaller trees. There are very many knife makers in our countries and very often they make knifes that are very traditional. We have some more modern knife makers like Fällkniven, Helle, Casström, Brisa and of course Mora that today are making many different type of knives for a global market. We use different words in Norway, Sweden and Finland but they all mean folder, belt knife and chopper. I also own a BPS Aura. Great small knife which I now have used for some months. It doesn't look like a traditional Nordic knife but does that matter?
The Aura is a nice knife, it Dosn't matter that much what you call a knife,, the main thing is that it serves its purpose.
When I was a kid we only had folders back in the UK. My freind had an axe and a bow saw, battoning was something I had never heard of. I think two of the reasons that we use folders more further south are, for one thing where I am from if someone sees you with a knife on your belt they think you are carrying it for the wrong reasons and also when it is cold folders really aren't great. Big gloves, cold hands ect. Opening it is one thing, but even getting it out of your pocket is another. I still don't think battoning is an entirely new thing here though. I think though battoning through large logs that someone has probably cut with a chainsaw may be a recent development. To be honest out in the forest you will find enough dead twigs to not have to batton at all. It does make a little more sense though if it is seriously wet or you have some fatwood.
Swedish knives are definitely similar to Finnish ones.
Thanks for watching mate and thank you very much for the comment. I enjoyed reading it.
Knives and Nature. Best kind of video.
Thanks Chris, there could have been more nature. A lot of this was filmed indoors. Tried to do some filming yesterday outdoors. It was so windy 🤣. Soon going to be having issues with the dark too😂. The nights are getting longer. There will soon be no Day.
Glad you liked the video mate.
Great video, thanks Tim! I almost thought you weren’t going to get around to the Roselli Carpenter, one of my favorite all-around blades and especially the handle. It feels so right in my hand. Which is also why I love the Roselli Bear Claw, same handle, shorter blade (Grandmother blade, I think) which I find better for fine carving as well as general light use.
Also, many thanks to everyone’s comments, many great nomenclature points made. I’m learning a lot from this community!
Yes the handle on the carpenter is really something else. Perfect at least in my hand, so comfortable. It was in another video a couple of years ago. Probably time I made another one.
I also like the blade size and shape.
Been seeing some good disgussion in the comments so far. Trying to work my way through them. It takes a while as the better the comment in general the longer the reply😂.
Hopefully will answer them all today.
Thanks for watching mate.
Good informational video, thanks for sharing, YAH bless !
Thank you very much Michael. Glad you liked the video. Thanks for stopping by and God bless you.
Hownmany knives/axes/machetes do you think you have total these days?
Oh God, I have no idea 😂. A few, possibly even more than I need.
Thanks for watching mate.
Viva Puukko! I love these knives, especially the Predator. Great video and discussion of the topic. Glad Unni made an appearance at the end. Nice work. Is the BPS worth the money?
I think the BPS is well worth the money, both of them. Unni managed to sneak in there at the end.
We are looking after the farm at the moment. Unni has found a squeaky dog toy. Driving me nuts.
Thanks for watching Chris. Have a great weekend.
I think there's a noticeable difference between a traditional puukko and a modern puukko inspired design; both have their merits. 👍 Thanks for sharing about yours, you have a good collection of both kinds. 😊 Take care my friend and Cheers!
Thanks mate, I think there are definitely some puukkos in between modern and traditional and all traditional things were once modern.
Mind you many of the older synthetic handled puukkos that I have from the 60s and 70s definitely can't be considered traditional or modern. I am not sure if the Modern puukko by Za pas can even be considered a puukko 😂. Trying to hard to define these things just causes confusion and videos that take over a week to answer the comments to😂
Interesting stuff mate! I guess like many subjects it’s open to interpretation by the individual. But all of the knives you shown look good usable, practical carry choices to me. Very best wishes 👍🏻👍🏻😎
People could argue about words all day 🤣. Something I am for some reason encouraging in this video. Quite interesting how knife manufacturers outside of Finland seem to have picked up on the word puukko, it's all about marketing really.
The important thing is does it cut stuff good.
Thanks for watching Andy.
Interesting discussion Tim. They are all great knives. Beautiful colors out there, awesome video. 👍🏻
I need to get out there and take some photos. It's really pretty out there at the moment.
Thank you very much for stopping by Arielle.
Great to hear from you.
I just like Nordic knives and most of my fixed blades are Nordic of one kind or another. You mentioned the Skookum Bush tool, i bought my Enzo because it reminded me of one. It's horses for courses really, been using a Marttiini most of this season because it's a beautiful carver but like you said, i wouldn't wail on it, have a Hultafors GK for that. A great selection of knives you have there, very nice!!
A Marttiini and a GK sounds like a good combo. I like my Terava Skrama for the tough stuff. Is it heavy but also very multifunctional.
As you have seen I have quite a selection of smaller knives 😂.
Thanks for watching mate. Hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Knife has one purpose only, and that is to cut. Cut, sharpen it and cut again. Sometimes baton and carve and that is all. Pukko or Bushcraft they are all welcome if they are capable of doing the job you need to do.
Thanks for the video.
The human race loves to complicate things though don't we😂 is it a puukko? Is that a scandi or a sabre grind 😂. Some knives do cut better than others though.
Thanks for watching the video mate.
I think a lot of people are too worried about what other people call their knives. When I think about these knives I think of the knives made by the Finnish natives so most of the knives shown in this video isn't what I think of.
Tantos are another example of how confusing names are for some people. I have a tanto made in the style of the original ones. When I show it to some people they like to correct me and tell me it's not a real tanto. When I ask them what a real tanto is they normally bring up a Cold Steel tanto styled knife. LOL
I don't really care what others call their knives or what they think about what I call mine. I can find plenty of things that are worthy of a heated debate, proper knife classifications is not one of them.
Especially if it leads up to insults and angry arguments which will occasionally happen when it comes to knife discussions. Maybe the subject of knives should be added to the list of things that shouldn't be brought up like religion and politics for some people. LOL😊
Well if we can't talk about knives then that is a good bit of the content of my channel out of the window 😂.
To my mind the Za pas is not a puukko, but I found the name interesting. At least it is not a puukko in the way the word is used outside of Finland (ie a Finnish knife). Of course, the name is a lot about marketing like so much nowadays.
Of course if your knife serves its purpose it Dosn't matter what it is called, it's a tool.
Thanks for watching mate and for joining in the conversation.
Bless Unni ! ..always on the mooch !! Some wonderful blades there Tim bro.. great review of them !!
Thanks Andy, Like Jimmy Unni is always mooching around somewhere in the video (well nearly always).
Have a great weekend mate.
So many fabulous knives my friend. You may have to open a knife museum Tim.
We have a silver smith here in Hetta who has half of his shop as a museum of tools from his family. Craftsmen going back generations. He has some really cool stuff in there. I couldn't compete with that 😂.
Thanks for watching Travis
Interesting video. I have always been told dogs eat grass when their stomaches are upset. Perhaps that's why Unni is doing it. My good old dog Tip used to eat grass and then barf it up. But dogs will eat just about anything. Lol.
Yes I have heard about the upset stomach thing, I actually don't think it's that, she never eats enough to make her throw up. She also takes big bites out of anthills occasionally. I think she just likes to chomp on random things. When we were in the south of Lapland she caught a toad, thankfully she didn't chomp on him for very long. He tasted disgusting, I am sure she told her freinds "I wouldn't even feed that to a human" 😂.
Thanks for watching mate.
Je ne comprends pas que vous n'entretenez pas vos lames carbone.
Ce n'est pas compliqué et rapide à faire.
Après utilisation bien essayer la lame et quelques gouttes d'huile.
For me, a puukko is a simple hand-made scandi ground straight back knife ,usually rat tang .with a birch or stacked handle, but as knives have developed now a days ,some can closely resemble one .great content, brother. God bless you 🙏. Lee
Thanks Lee, quite a lot of older puukkos don't really have what you would call a scandi grind. Maybe that could be the next video 😂. From is it a puukko to is it a scandi?
Hopefully it Dosn't take me a week to get on top of the comments on that one.
Thanks for watching mate. God bless and have a great weekend.
Well, Tim, thats a great discussion point and idea for a video. 👍🏻
I am of the camp that enjoys both traditional puukkos as well as the "modern variants." In fact, the only knives I am interested in anymore are what I loosely refer to as "puukkos". I love the straight-backed, scandi ground very plain micarta-handled puukkos (such as the Aura etc.). I also love the more traditional classic "puukkos". As an example, I own the smaller NKD Korpi with curly birch handles, and it looks just like a Tommi puukko, but with a full tang. I think it's amazing!
Great video, mate! Well done. 🙂🇨🇦
Did I actually show the NKD Korpi on this video? I don't think I did. Certainly should have done. It's a really good knife.
Puukkos is definitely where it's at 😂.
Thank you very much for watching. Sorry it took a while to reply. This video got a lot of comments. Also quite a lot of long ones that merrited more than just a thanks for watching 😂 anyway thank you for watching.
Hope you have a fantastic weekend, now that it is nearly weekend again 😂
@@KuukkeliBushcraft thanks Tim. Enjoy your weekend as well. Hi to Unni from Daisy!
I like that BPS Puukko. Limited run. All sold out. I hope they do a second run.❤❤❤🔪🔪🔪💯💯💯
That Blue Marttiini is Nice. 😂👍
The blue Marttiini also not made any more 🤣. Should be getting a Finn lite by BPS in the next couple of days. Very similar to the Aura but much cheaper.
Thanks for watching mate.
What do you use for a sharpening setup Tim? Water Stones!? Diamond? A Strop?
A mix of everything 🤣. I have a whole playlist on the subject.th-cam.com/play/PLAI3hJPk1vWkNfMtEHE8cmpTiWp-LQ7Hp.html&si=xJZdgii2sjkRIkIq
I also have taken to using ceramic rods quite a bit recently. Particularly on anything with a secondary bevel.
Thanks for watching mate.
Love the collection and great info.
Thanks Gruggs, hey this video is doing far better than I expected. Seems like the viewers like this kind of disgussion.
Thanks for watching mate.
@@KuukkeliBushcraft dude its all a love of blades!
For me it's nothing but full tang knives. Rat tail knives are for spoon carvers, fishermen and hipsters. I've destroyed so many of them, from cheap market knives to Marttiini's. They not for bushcrafting. That's why now i have Jääkäripuukko 140... alongside with Skrama 240.
One important point about handles: How does it feel and performs, when you hands are wet.
Well I am both a spoon carver and a fisherman 😂. I also like to carry more than one cutting tool. If I have an axe or my Skrama then a stick tang is fine for me. Even if I am carving a spoon, I want an axe too.
Thanks for watching the video mate.
Very nice. I like that BPS.
Yes it's a lovely little knife.
Thanks for watching mate.
yeah weight matters :) ... When several years ago I saw Morakniv Lapplander 95 in shop I thought it's beautiful and bought it, but man it has so uncomfortable weight ... and yes it is also not a puukko ... for me puukko should look like Ahti Metsa :)
A small knife should be nimble in the hand and not at all cumbersome. The Finns really get it right with things like the Ahti Metsä.
Thank you very much for watching mate.
Have a great weekend.
An earlier comment hit it on the head, puukko has become a marketing term, much like bushcraft. What we call puukko today has never been fixed or set in concrete. The Sammi people developed a blade and shape that fit their environment best. Steel being rare and expensive meant you forged a rat tail tang, less metal used, lighter to carry. Birch handles, the best wood they had available. Simple. Above all, the puukko was and is a cutting tool, a slicing knife. Fish, moose, wood or whatever, it was used because it was all you had. For bigger jobs, the Leuko emerged and the axe was the main chopping tool. It wouldn’t surprise me if puukko wasn’t more of a slang word for a slicing or carving knife. I think we think too much into things!
I think outside of Finland puukko is definitely just a marketing term, whereas in Finland it is just a word. Also not exactly the only part of the world to use rat tailed tangs in their knives.
Companies such as Za Pas, benchmade and Joker are definitely using it as a marketing term. The important thing however is does the knife serve it's function over what people want to call it.
I do find marketing quite interesting though, the thought that goes into trying to make products appeal to people.
Thank you very much for watching.
I see the Bps knives are keeping up in price, the one you shown is £58 in the uk, I have to say its the only one I've seen that looks decent, saying that I can get a marttiini knife cheaper and they are fantastic knives. As for the name puukko its getting a bit confusing isn't it, everyone seems to be jumping on the puukko bandwagon and in my opinion a puukko is a small traditional general purpose belt knife made in Finland, just my thoughts.😁👍🏻
Marttiini are great value for money. But BPS seem to be at least cheaper for full tang knives. Although as I said in the video, there are advantages of a stick tang. The Marttiini have the full tang Tundra, it's actually quite pricey.
You can't beat a puukko really and your definition sounds pretty spot on to me mate.
Thanks for watching.
The thing with bps knives is they are using 1066 steel, but they should be using 1095. Then they would be great
I agree, 1095 would be a far better option. The steel is definitely not the strong point of these knives. I guess they are trying to keep the price down. Still 1066 is not that bad either.
Thanks for watching mate.
I think that there is also a shift in mentality. If I understand it correctly, the older generations used to carry multiple blades and at least one puukkoo paired with a leuku. Today things are more revolved about 1 tool options even though most of us still pair multiple tools together.
The use of a leuku is more of just a Saaml thing. Over most of Finland and most Nordic countries people used axes. The whole one tool option thing I think is new.
Thanks for watching buddy.
Have a fantastic weekend.
What are the Native Fish for your Stream there Tim?
We have trout and grayling in the faster flowing water. Perch and pike in the slower water and Arctic Charr in the fells.
Awesome video Tim! Aura is a finnish word that means a plow.
I think its interesting that if you would ask a random Finn, no knife enthusiast or outdoors type he would immidiately know the difference of Puukko or Veitsi (finnish for knife). Puukko is ALWAYS an outdoors Belt knife, with preferably wooden handle, scandi grind etc. ect.
Cheers!
Yes but for example your Brisa Nesmuk. If you were doing one of your videos (in English of course), you wouldn't describe it as a puukko would you? Even though it fits the description you just gave me and is even made in Finland.
I am making things unnecessarily complicated 🤣. I think we know what puukko means to the international knife community. It's just a Finnish knife that looks like a Finnish knife🤣.
Thanks for watching Ilaria. Hope you had a good weekend mate.
Good point with Nessmuk, I wouldnt describe it as puukko for sure! (Though still a random Finnish guy with no greater knowledge on knives etc. could actually call it a puukko). F.e a friend of mine just the other day who doesnt know anything about knives looked at my Bark River Gunny, and said thats a nice puukko. So a regular Joe in Finland puukko word can be used as general word for outdoor knife. But as soon as you get more in to it the difference become obvious.
@OldForestBushcraft so my thoughts are in Finnish puukko means belt knife and to the international knife community, it means a Finnish belt knife.
@@KuukkeliBushcraft well thats very well put!👍
if you dig into the scandinavian and russian and over the area knives back to vikings era they have changed design so many time i think puukko is just a marketing brand for bushcrafters and old timer nordic hunters i would say it doesnt matter just get a knife you like and fits your hand well there has been small knives big knives and weirdly shaped into every type you can imagine i like micarta over wood its soft but durable and feel warm in the hand and grippy when wet...cant say that about wood really and you can file and sand it to fit you hand just like wood...btw a knife i think you would like is swisstech in vg1 steel haltbar was the model name 49usd online...not that you actually need any more knives at this point hehe
I think puukko is just a Finnish word for a belt knife that the International knife community has adopted for any knife that looks remotely Finnish. Of course it is used for marketing and selling stuff. All names of all products have been thought out to sell as many as possible.
I agree that micarta is far more practical than wood.
The Haltbar looks great.
Swisstec seems to be sold only by Walmart though. It is true that I probably don't need more knives.
Thanks for stopping by.
Great to hear from you as always.
@@KuukkeliBushcraft no swisstech has a website where you buy them
I have understood that in order to call a knife as " puukko" it have to has a stick tang, wooden handle and scandi grind. Anything else and it's "just" a knife or "veitsi" in finnish.
@@sarthalion I actually think that to most Finns, puukko just means belt knife. Outside of Finland however it has come to mean a Finnish or Finnish style knife. People's definitions of words vary a lot though.
@@KuukkeliBushcraft Yeah that's true actually. We basically use the word puukko for any belt knife :)
Great video, thank you!
Thank you for watching Chris. So many comments on this one. Sorry it took so long to get round to yours.
Great Videos .
Thank you very much Dave. Glad you are enjoying the content mate.
"Puukko" is pretty much the default word for every fixed blade knife that is carried in a sheath here in Finland. Word "Veitsi" (=Knife) is used for kitchen knives and maybe something that has more exotic or unconventional shape.
Also Mora's are considered to be Puukko.. but they're so common and iconic that many call them just "Mora". And pretty often that applies to Mora copies too, the brand name has almost became like a word for that kind of plastic handle Puukko. 😆
Thank you, basically a belt knife in Finland and a Finnish belt knife to the rest of the world, or at least the knife world.
Thanks for the comment.
Have a fantastic weekend mate.
I am sure I have heard another word (derived from puukko) for mora type knives. I can't remember what it was.
Great video. Have you tried any Yakut knives? I have 3 and I love them.
I would love to try one. I was planning on getting a blade blank and doing the handle myself.
The edge geometry is so different, I would love to see how it works. My experience of chisel grind knives in the past has always been good.
Thanks for watching my freind.
@@KuukkeliBushcraft ...When you get one make sure its a convexed one.
Only the Finns and the Sami know how to make puukkots.
I don't know about that. I recently came across a knife maker in Argentina (on Facebook, not in Argentina) who is pretty dedicated to making Finnish knives. His work looks more Finnish than a lot of stuff being made here in Finland. Maybe he is the exception to the rule😂.
Thank you very much for watching the video mate.
@@KuukkeliBushcraft Thanks for the info and watching your videos is a pleasure. 👍👍👍
yup, I thought Skookum bush tool as soon as you showed it...modern, traditional? I don't know the difference either LOL...nice collection of sharpys...luv the woods knife Hiker!...atvb...woods
The Woodsknife hiker is a real beauty. I am always glad to hear that people think the same as me with things like the similarity between the BPS and the bush tool. Means I am probably not just spouting nonsense 😂 so thanks for that.
Cheers Woods, hope you are having a great weekend mate.
Thanks.
Thank you for watching my freind. I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Brasil
Hola amigo. Thanks for watching.
Muito obrigado