The way you pronounce "Helle" and "Eggen" is good :-) keep it that way. I use some of Helle's tripple laminated knives myself, and this construction - and the beauty of them - makes them a joy to use.
I've been using an Eggen for over 20 years now. I've found the edge retention to be by far the best of any knife I own. I don't baton with it, Helle don't recommend that. It doesn't work well with a Ferro rod, that's down to the softer outer laminates of the blade, I just carry a short length of old hacksaw blade for that purpose instead. I hot-waxed the sheath on mine which has made it much tougher. If I lost mine I would definitely replace it, it's a firm favourite.
It’s a nice blade for sure. I don’t use my knives to strike ferro rods (except in video demos). I like carrying the Eggen when I know I won’t be using it for heavy bushcraft tasks. Think day hikes and a little food prep and campfire carving.
I also carry this knife, and it's truly beautiful and fully functional. my only complaint is the spine's too dull to use with a ferro rod, as are pretty much all the other scandi grind blades. You can also look at Ahti and Wood jewel knives as Helle's equals, plus they're quite a bit less expensive, and equally well made and sharp. I also carry an Ahti Metsa, which in Finnish, means "forest", and Wood Jewel has a combination ferro rod and knife as well. They're all great blades, made by people who use them every day.
I’ve been looking at the Ahti’s and they do look comparable. And, like you said a bit more affordable. I’ve been considering picking up a puukko from Tops for the 90 degree spine factor.
I agree the Mora’s come really sharp from the factory. I’ve got two of them. But in my experience all the knives from Scandinavian countries come really sharp!
I impulsed purchased this knife several years ago, from my local sportsmans. It was marked down to $70ish so I figured wth. And I...... Absolutely hate it. In the knifes defense, I only used it a few times, but I can't get over the ergonomics. Im a big guy, with large hands, given that this has such a thick grip, I thought I would love it. The finger choil, with that little wooden hook is far to small for my finger, so it creates that's really weird combination of being too thin up top, and far too thick in the middle. It is the perfect combination of poorly designed ergonomics. It feels as if someone worked to make this knife so damn uncomfortable. It forces my index and second finger down, making you slightly adjust your entire grip towards the butt, literally at the knifes widest point. With large hands, it's absolutely the worst. It gives this illusion it's much smaller in my hand, but when comparing it to like a mora, or literally most knives I own, the grip is actually much wider. The wooden hook jamming into the top of my finger, forcing me to squish my hand in, combined with the wide center is genuinely just the most uncomfortable knife I've ever held though. That, combined with an uneven grind, with the tip and bevel 1/3 of the blade width off center irritates me as well. Evidently most come off center, according to all of the reviews I've seen. The leather sheath is made well, but the leather is far too soft. Though I've only carried it 3 times, the sheath if more beat than 90% of my other knives. The thing gets gouged and torn apart but just looking at it. Which is not big deal, but if it's this beat up, when I've only carried it a few times, there's absolutely no way this thing will last. There's also no drain in the bottom of the leather sheath. Again, not big deal on a leather sheath, but this knifes claim to fame is to be a winter knife. The stick tang is supposed to prevent the handle from being overly cold in winter weather, the SS laminate for rust, wooden grip for warmth, etc, all of these things lend to a hard use *winter* knife, according to my packaging information. If it's a winter knife, it would of made sense to have some sort of drainage. The only thing it really has going for it is the aesthetic. My curly birch is really figured, and it looks great. Out of every knife I own, if I were to close my eyes and just grab, this would be the absolute last one I'd go for. If not for the bushcraft aesthetic, I would have tossed it a long time ago. Maybe I'll shave down the grip, but it just has too many faults for me to desire putting any effort into using it. Normally I'd never make a claim with a knife I've only used a few times. Personally I disagree you need to carry a knife for a year, because ultimately all that does is train you to adhere your body to conform with the knife, when it should be the other way around. Hell give me a sharpened butter knife for a year, and I could almost gurantee you'd get used to it. I shouldn't be required to put forth any effort to make s tool work. It's supposed to make my life easier, and conform to me. Glad you like yours, but I absolutely hate mine. Given it's wise to weight I'll probably just throw it in a pack to have an extra knife for an emergency.
I hear ya. I have quite a few fixed blades in my rotation (Mora, ESSE, Tops) so I don’t use mine on every outing to the woods. I have medium sized hands so I’ve had no issues with the fit. As far as the grind is concerned I have started enjoying a scandi with a secondary bevel. Just more durable but I can still make feathersticks. I really like the Helle and think the look is very traditional but it probably wouldn’t be my knife to end all knives. Been carrying that Tops puukko mostly lately and absolutely love it.
@@forestadventureswithscott8777 Mora's Spark is the only one that comes to mind that's purpose-made for the ferro rod. Even that Wood Jewel with the rod in the sheath has a special cutout on the blade for ferro use, but the spine's too rounded. All good knives though, there's just some limitations for each one.
The way you pronounce "Helle" and "Eggen" is good :-) keep it that way. I use some of Helle's tripple laminated knives myself, and this construction - and the beauty of them - makes them a joy to use.
Thanks! I felt like the pronunciation was right. I’m looking forward to collecting more of these beautiful knives.
Scandinavia is all about the knife axe combo
I would love to get a Gransfors someday!
I've been using an Eggen for over 20 years now. I've found the edge retention to be by far the best of any knife I own. I don't baton with it, Helle don't recommend that. It doesn't work well with a Ferro rod, that's down to the softer outer laminates of the blade, I just carry a short length of old hacksaw blade for that purpose instead. I hot-waxed the sheath on mine which has made it much tougher. If I lost mine I would definitely replace it, it's a firm favourite.
It’s a nice blade for sure. I don’t use my knives to strike ferro rods (except in video demos). I like carrying the Eggen when I know I won’t be using it for heavy bushcraft tasks. Think day hikes and a little food prep and campfire carving.
Cheers for the review I was wondering to spend out and get something nicer than the mora's I usually use....
I really enjoy the Helle Eggen. It’s a great ‘light duty’ bush knife.
I also carry this knife, and it's truly beautiful and fully functional. my only complaint is the spine's too dull to use with a ferro rod, as are pretty much all the other scandi grind blades. You can also look at Ahti and Wood jewel knives as Helle's equals, plus they're quite a bit less expensive, and equally well made and sharp. I also carry an Ahti Metsa, which in Finnish, means "forest", and Wood Jewel has a combination ferro rod and knife as well. They're all great blades, made by people who use them every day.
I’ve been looking at the Ahti’s and they do look comparable. And, like you said a bit more affordable. I’ve been considering picking up a puukko from Tops for the 90 degree spine factor.
no, haven't tried yet. I'll take a look, thanks!@@user-yi3ox8wy4k
Thanks for sharing it’s a nice knife but in my opinion for sharpness Mora comes tops however it’s a nice knife . Happy New Year
I agree the Mora’s come really sharp from the factory. I’ve got two of them. But in my experience all the knives from Scandinavian countries come really sharp!
I impulsed purchased this knife several years ago, from my local sportsmans. It was marked down to $70ish so I figured wth. And I...... Absolutely hate it. In the knifes defense, I only used it a few times, but I can't get over the ergonomics. Im a big guy, with large hands, given that this has such a thick grip, I thought I would love it. The finger choil, with that little wooden hook is far to small for my finger, so it creates that's really weird combination of being too thin up top, and far too thick in the middle. It is the perfect combination of poorly designed ergonomics. It feels as if someone worked to make this knife so damn uncomfortable. It forces my index and second finger down, making you slightly adjust your entire grip towards the butt, literally at the knifes widest point. With large hands, it's absolutely the worst. It gives this illusion it's much smaller in my hand, but when comparing it to like a mora, or literally most knives I own, the grip is actually much wider. The wooden hook jamming into the top of my finger, forcing me to squish my hand in, combined with the wide center is genuinely just the most uncomfortable knife I've ever held though. That, combined with an uneven grind, with the tip and bevel 1/3 of the blade width off center irritates me as well. Evidently most come off center, according to all of the reviews I've seen. The leather sheath is made well, but the leather is far too soft. Though I've only carried it 3 times, the sheath if more beat than 90% of my other knives. The thing gets gouged and torn apart but just looking at it. Which is not big deal, but if it's this beat up, when I've only carried it a few times, there's absolutely no way this thing will last. There's also no drain in the bottom of the leather sheath. Again, not big deal on a leather sheath, but this knifes claim to fame is to be a winter knife. The stick tang is supposed to prevent the handle from being overly cold in winter weather, the SS laminate for rust, wooden grip for warmth, etc, all of these things lend to a hard use *winter* knife, according to my packaging information. If it's a winter knife, it would of made sense to have some sort of drainage. The only thing it really has going for it is the aesthetic. My curly birch is really figured, and it looks great. Out of every knife I own, if I were to close my eyes and just grab, this would be the absolute last one I'd go for. If not for the bushcraft aesthetic, I would have tossed it a long time ago. Maybe I'll shave down the grip, but it just has too many faults for me to desire putting any effort into using it. Normally I'd never make a claim with a knife I've only used a few times. Personally I disagree you need to carry a knife for a year, because ultimately all that does is train you to adhere your body to conform with the knife, when it should be the other way around. Hell give me a sharpened butter knife for a year, and I could almost gurantee you'd get used to it. I shouldn't be required to put forth any effort to make s tool work. It's supposed to make my life easier, and conform to me. Glad you like yours, but I absolutely hate mine. Given it's wise to weight I'll probably just throw it in a pack to have an extra knife for an emergency.
I hear ya. I have quite a few fixed blades in my rotation (Mora, ESSE, Tops) so I don’t use mine on every outing to the woods. I have medium sized hands so I’ve had no issues with the fit. As far as the grind is concerned I have started enjoying a scandi with a secondary bevel. Just more durable but I can still make feathersticks. I really like the Helle and think the look is very traditional but it probably wouldn’t be my knife to end all knives. Been carrying that Tops puukko mostly lately and absolutely love it.
Mora knives come super sharp
@@Dreweldeenknives no doubt! I've got several and love them all.
Just subscribed.
Thanks for checking it out!
Thanks for the review. How would this compare to something like a Mora?
More expensive. I use my Mora knives way more than the Helle.
I saw your Beavercraft hatchet review. What hatchet did you carry prior to getting that?
Cheap Lowes hatchet. I also have a Fiskars splitting axe that I use for heavier work.
Can you use the spine to start fire on a ferro rod?
You can’t. Unless you grind it to 90degrees but I wouldn’t advise it as you would damage the triple laminate.
I see Helle now has the Eggen in a 12c27 Sandvick steel- so that might be be better for fire starting. Not sure if it is a sharp spine. Thanks
@@forestadventureswithscott8777 Mora's Spark is the only one that comes to mind that's purpose-made for the ferro rod. Even that Wood Jewel with the rod in the sheath has a special cutout on the blade for ferro use, but the spine's too rounded. All good knives though, there's just some limitations for each one.