Collecting iron and steel: The norsmen (“vikings” was a job not a people) would burn peetmoss and collect the iron beeds in the ashes. Once enough beeds were collected tools could be made. I think this process was called smelting
One of the best reviews I've seen on the Sami Stromeng knife I been using the KS8 Old Fashion for a few years now and it goes with me on my back-packing and camping trips here in Colorado. Well done and thanks for sharing.
The velcro tabbed sheath is only due to the military version having the fingure guard to protect the hand with stabbing motions. Given the military version a aftermarket kydex would be better suited but less traditional in appearance
Nice review. Thank you. About twelve years ago I visited Norway for a hiking trip from Alta to Karasjok and back. I visited the knife makers store, but decided after much thinking back and forth on it agaiinst buying a leuku. I thought I had enough knives and my backpack was heavy enough. Later I regreted this and still do. I shall get me this or an Eräpuu one soon, though. Cheers.
Really appreciate this. Great presentation of how amazing of a wilderness tool this is. I'm Norwegian, but not Saami, but I've always greatly enjoyed and respected these knives in my outdoor activities. The only remark I have is that the fresh birch would have been cut through significantly faster with a sharper blade and more precise hits :)
I couldn’t help but wonder if a looser style “machete “ grip would be useful with this knife. I grew up with a machete so allowing it to move in my hand so the blade is actually going faster than my arm with a bit of a flick (probably not the best choice of words, but it’s early and I’m still on my first mug of tea!) just before the blade impacts is a natural choice. Keeping a “death grip” on it also tends to speed up hotspots on your hand and transmit more vibration up your arm. You could use either grip you showed in a looser style stroke without loosing control of your blade!
Yeah that is how i use big knives using the "leuku grip" he talked about where you only hold the knife from the pommel end. I dont grip it very tightly, and i just sort of flick the blade instead of going hard, and that flare thing in leukus pommel gives really secure grip even that way. The grip is just to extend, and give more leverage for the knife since they are still kinda short choppers for machete work. But also when i use the handle in conventional way i really kinda hold it loose mainly with thumb, and pointer finger
Theres a practical reason for the leuku's handle being wide like that, it is so that when your fingers get stiff from the cold you can still grip the handle.
Very nice. I have several Finnish Marttiini which work well and are easy to sharpen and maintain, but if I get the opportunity to come to Norway again I will look out for one of these 👍
I love my marttiinis almost too much to use but they are made to be used so i will it only adds character, and they are special enough to pay to put new edges on if need be in the future. Nothing like having a nice one of a kind knife
Great history of the knife and its uses by the people in your part of the world. I liked the outdoor footage where you show what the knife was used for in the Scandinavian forests....cheers and hello from the UK 🇬🇧 😀 😄
Where did you get your Stromeng leuku? I’ve never seen one with birch that beautiful and it looks like it’s dyed darker too. I have three (a 9”, 5” and 8” and they all have plain handles. My 8” is an older on about 30-40 years old and it has a nice thick sheath.
Got it as a birthday gift, but it was bought directly at their walk-in store in Karasjok! I'm not exactly sure of there's any specific reason why mine has a darker handle, but it could just be that was the material they had at the time.
Where did you get your Stromeng leuku, the handle is so beautiful! Most all I’ve ever seen are very plain birch. Yours looks older by the patina on the wood, but your birch is very nicely figured.
I got it as a gift many years ago, from someone who bought it directly at Strømeng's walk-in store in Karasjok. No idea why mine is like that, and I suspect it's just a very nice batch of birch they used.
@@Thomachii think you’re right, the prettiest ones seem to be sold locally, and the plainer ones are sold to distributors etc. Yours is definitely a beauty though. Mine is old and the handle is still varnished with a thick leather sheath that’s completely soaked through with some kind of oil. I have an 8” model, mine has a fairly shiny finish on the blade unfortunately, so I might give it a patina. I also have an 9” new one that I bought about 10 years ago but the leather in the sheath is much thinner and flimsy, the handle isn’t varnished anymore and the blade is slightly wider towards the tip and slightly curved towards the edge, not a particularly attractive shape and I prefer the older straight ones. Love the video!
Having visited Scandanavia many decades ago, I recall being on a tour, and that one theory on the history of the knives is that they were possibly sourced through active trading.
Holding the knife towards the end of the handle to let it swing with maximum speed is the reason why the handle bevels out at the end, so it won't slip out of your hands when cutting a tree down.
In the area of Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi, simple furnaces for iron production have been found that can be dated to just before or around Christ. It is assumed that when they became suppliers of sought-after resources, the Sámi gave up their production (iron and ceramics) in return for receiving corresponding products in return. (Samenes historie fram til 1750 av Hansen og Olsen, 2004, side 110/History of the Sami up to 1750 by Hansen and Olsen, 2004, page 110). I myself have a good knowledge of Sami's history, and I would not consider it unlikely that they could order products according to their own needs.
Ooooh that's super interesting! I was not aware of the finds in Rovaniemi, I'm gonna have to read more on this. I've been looking into getting the book you referenced for a while now, but circumstances have prevented me. Now I really need to get it. Thank you for the amazing citation
@@Thomachi The book is an absolute must for anyone interested in older Sami history. It is very thorough, full of references and interesting information.
How did you get such a beautiful handle on your Stromeng Leuku? I have several and they’re all very plain. Maybe because yours is older. I’ve always wanted an “Old Fashioned” 8” Leuku, but the older ones have much thicker sheath leather and it seems better quality birch too!
The year may have something to do with it. I got this as a gift many years ago from someone who bought it at Strømengs walk-in store in Karasjok, and maybe they had a batch of particularly good birch handles.
Har ikke satt håndtaket inn med olje, men mulig det har mørknet over de snart 14 årene jeg har hatt den. Virker som den eksakte fargen varierer litt fra kniv til kniv med disse.
@@Thomachi Jo, de varierer vel litt, men har aldri sett en strømeng med så mye spill i treverket. De pleier å være helt uten "flammer" som eg har sett, slik øvre halvdel er på din. Og de som er "blånert" svarte, som din, har jo helt lyst grått skaft. Likte veldig godt looken med varm flammebjørk og sort blad på en strømeng :D
It is a very Viking type of blade. Is that an original Isak Strømeng? Very nice piece, rumour is that he made the blades in his first decades of manufacturing from big truck springs. They were a lot better quality than when he went commercial on his brand.
Thanks! This is most likely not made by Isak, as this knife came to me in 2008, 20 years after he retired. Still it's a very good knife, but it'd be cool to compare with an older example at some point.
this is a KS7 "Old Fashioned" with a blackened high carbon blade and tar-stained handle. The standard models are not stainless, they are also the same high carbon steel hardened to rockwell 59, just sold "In the white" so to speak.. no blackening or tar. My KS9 is that way.
I am Sea Sami, and have never heard the term Leuku used in Norway, at least not in Finnmark. I guess it's a Finnish term. I have Sami speakers in my family, and if it had been a term in use I would have known it. Those who speak Sami often use Sami words for typical Sami objects of use, also when they speak Norwegian.
@@historyouuu3495 Sami language consists of a large proportion of unknown origin. Whether a word is common in the two languages or not depends entirely on whether the word has its origin in the common linguistic heritage with Finnish or in the unknown part. Linguists believe that these are remnants of languages spoken in the area before the Indo-European languages arrived, and remnants of the language exist in both Norwegian and Swedish, so you are wrong. Sami has common linguistic features with Norwegian and Swedish. True, to a much lesser extent than with Finnish, but they exist. Just look at the words "big knife", which is "stor kniv" in Norwegian and "stuorra niibi" in Northern Sami. The word for big is completely different from the Finnish word, but quite similar to the Norwegian and Swedish word.
In the area of Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi, simple furnaces for iron production have been found that can be dated to just before or around Christ. It is assumed that when they became suppliers of sought-after resources, the Sámi gave up their production (iron and ceramics) in return for receiving corresponding products in return. (Samenes historie fram til 1750 av Hansen og Olsen, 2004, side 110/History of the Sami up to 1750 by Hansen and Olsen, 2004, page 110). I myself have a good knowledge of Sami's history, and I would not consider it unlikely that they could order products according to their own needs.
![Скандинавское Мачете - ЛЕУКУ. Универсальный нож! [Knife Story]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LjTMQt9yagM/mqdefault.jpg)
"Nordic Bowie knife" best description I've heard yet
If you take a look at the earliest bowie knife examples, you can see quite a lot of simmilarities in the overall design!
With my small puukko, I find that flap at the end of the sheath usefull for grabing the sheath while I pull the knife out.
i have a 80 year old strømeng knife that was purchased by my great grandfather still going strong with the original blade
Wow that is awesome, keep good care of it and oil the Handle :)
Collecting iron and steel:
The norsmen (“vikings” was a job not a people) would burn peetmoss and collect the iron beeds in the ashes. Once enough beeds were collected tools could be made. I think this process was called smelting
After owning a couple they are amazing, and the sharpness is incredible, and the one of a kind traditional feel is unbeatable
30 years ago i lost my marttiini knife and still feel shamed. There is no forgiving to man who loses a knife.
Maybe someone found it and it saved their life?
I was thinking the same.@@southernstacker7315
One of the best reviews I've seen on the Sami Stromeng knife I been using the KS8 Old Fashion for a few years now and it goes with me on my back-packing and camping trips here in Colorado. Well done and thanks for sharing.
Personally I leant towards the KS8 special forces version. Serves me excellent for just about anything I need it for outdoors
The velcro tabbed sheath is only due to the military version having the fingure guard to protect the hand with stabbing motions. Given the military version a aftermarket kydex would be better suited but less traditional in appearance
Nice review. Thank you. About twelve years ago I visited Norway for a hiking trip from Alta to Karasjok and back. I visited the knife makers store, but decided after much thinking back and forth on it agaiinst buying a leuku. I thought I had enough knives and my backpack was heavy enough. Later I regreted this and still do. I shall get me this or an Eräpuu one soon, though. Cheers.
Really appreciate this. Great presentation of how amazing of a wilderness tool this is. I'm Norwegian, but not Saami, but I've always greatly enjoyed and respected these knives in my outdoor activities. The only remark I have is that the fresh birch would have been cut through significantly faster with a sharper blade and more precise hits :)
I'm going to try making one of these.
It's so beautiful, wonderful history.
I assume that the opening was designed to allow any moisture to evaporate, rather than trapped in scabbard. Seeing that the top is so tight
I've owned this knife for years. This was a great review, very insightful.
I couldn’t help but wonder if a looser style “machete “ grip would be useful with this knife. I grew up with a machete so allowing it to move in my hand so the blade is actually going faster than my arm with a bit of a flick (probably not the best choice of words, but it’s early and I’m still on my first mug of tea!) just before the blade impacts is a natural choice. Keeping a “death grip” on it also tends to speed up hotspots on your hand and transmit more vibration up your arm. You could use either grip you showed in a looser style stroke without loosing control of your blade!
Yeah that is how i use big knives using the "leuku grip" he talked about where you only hold the knife from the pommel end. I dont grip it very tightly, and i just sort of flick the blade instead of going hard, and that flare thing in leukus pommel gives really secure grip even that way. The grip is just to extend, and give more leverage for the knife since they are still kinda short choppers for machete work. But also when i use the handle in conventional way i really kinda hold it loose mainly with thumb, and pointer finger
Theres a practical reason for the leuku's handle being wide like that, it is so that when your fingers get stiff from the cold you can still grip the handle.
They are ery good field knives. Great all rounder!
👍 Excellent review and history.
Very nice.
I have several Finnish Marttiini which work well and are easy to sharpen and maintain, but if I get the opportunity to come to Norway again I will look out for one of these 👍
I love my marttiinis almost too much to use but they are made to be used so i will it only adds character, and they are special enough to pay to put new edges on if need be in the future. Nothing like having a nice one of a kind knife
Excellent knife and history knowledge
Great history of the knife and its uses by the people in your part of the world. I liked the outdoor footage where you show what the knife was used for in the Scandinavian forests....cheers and hello from the UK 🇬🇧 😀 😄
Where did you get your Stromeng leuku? I’ve never seen one with birch that beautiful and it looks like it’s dyed darker too. I have three (a 9”, 5” and 8” and they all have plain handles. My 8” is an older on about 30-40 years old and it has a nice thick sheath.
Got it as a birthday gift, but it was bought directly at their walk-in store in Karasjok!
I'm not exactly sure of there's any specific reason why mine has a darker handle, but it could just be that was the material they had at the time.
Where did you get your Stromeng leuku, the handle is so beautiful! Most all I’ve ever seen are very plain birch. Yours looks older by the patina on the wood, but your birch is very nicely figured.
I got it as a gift many years ago, from someone who bought it directly at Strømeng's walk-in store in Karasjok.
No idea why mine is like that, and I suspect it's just a very nice batch of birch they used.
@@Thomachii think you’re right, the prettiest ones seem to be sold locally, and the plainer ones are sold to distributors etc. Yours is definitely a beauty though.
Mine is old and the handle is still varnished with a thick leather sheath that’s completely soaked through with some kind of oil. I have an 8” model, mine has a fairly shiny finish on the blade unfortunately, so I might give it a patina. I also have an 9” new one that I bought about 10 years ago but the leather in the sheath is much thinner and flimsy, the handle isn’t varnished anymore and the blade is slightly wider towards the tip and slightly curved towards the edge, not a particularly attractive shape and I prefer the older straight ones. Love the video!
The most perfect bushcraft, camping, survival knife design ever created.
Do they make them little bit thicker? Perhaps like 4 mm ? 🤔 Great knife anyway. Thanks 👍🙂
Don't think so. In my opinion having it thicker would make it overall less practical (Even if it would make it a better chopper)
Having visited Scandanavia many decades ago, I recall being on a tour, and that one theory on the history of the knives is that they were possibly sourced through active trading.
Indeed, that is the most likely origin of these knives. But because of a lack of written sources it's hard to be 100% certain.
Holding the knife towards the end of the handle to let it swing with maximum speed is the reason why the handle bevels out at the end, so it won't slip out of your hands when cutting a tree down.
You Are very lucky with the wood on your knife! Mine looks like taken from a bromstick
Hei, veldig interesant. Angrer på at jeg ikke kjøpte en samekniv da jeg var i forsvaret. Men det er aldri for sent. Hvordan anorakk brukete du ute?
Det er en reproduksjon av Britisk vindanorakk fra krigen dager. Finfin sak når kulda setter inn.
@@Thomachi ser beldig bra ut også. 😁 Merke?
@@EngleVanISteen Silvermans! Der jeg kjøpte den
In the area of Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi, simple furnaces for iron production have been found that can be dated to just before or around Christ. It is assumed that when they became suppliers of sought-after resources, the Sámi gave up their production (iron and ceramics) in return for receiving corresponding products in return. (Samenes historie fram til 1750 av Hansen og Olsen, 2004, side 110/History of the Sami up to 1750 by Hansen and Olsen, 2004, page 110). I myself have a good knowledge of Sami's history, and I would not consider it unlikely that they could order products according to their own needs.
Ooooh that's super interesting! I was not aware of the finds in Rovaniemi, I'm gonna have to read more on this.
I've been looking into getting the book you referenced for a while now, but circumstances have prevented me. Now I really need to get it.
Thank you for the amazing citation
@@Thomachi
The book is an absolute must for anyone interested in older Sami history. It is very thorough, full of references and interesting information.
How did you get such a beautiful handle on your Stromeng Leuku? I have several and they’re all very plain. Maybe because yours is older. I’ve always wanted an “Old Fashioned” 8” Leuku, but the older ones have much thicker sheath leather and it seems better quality birch too!
The year may have something to do with it. I got this as a gift many years ago from someone who bought it at Strømengs walk-in store in Karasjok, and maybe they had a batch of particularly good birch handles.
Har du pussa med og olja håndtaket på en old fashion eller er det en spesialbestilling med flammebjørkskaft?
Har ikke satt håndtaket inn med olje, men mulig det har mørknet over de snart 14 årene jeg har hatt den.
Virker som den eksakte fargen varierer litt fra kniv til kniv med disse.
@@Thomachi Jo, de varierer vel litt, men har aldri sett en strømeng med så mye spill i treverket. De pleier å være helt uten "flammer" som eg har sett, slik øvre halvdel er på din. Og de som er "blånert" svarte, som din, har jo helt lyst grått skaft. Likte veldig godt looken med varm flammebjørk og sort blad på en strømeng :D
It is a very Viking type of blade. Is that an original Isak Strømeng? Very nice piece, rumour is that he made the blades in his first decades of manufacturing from big truck springs. They were a lot better quality than when he went commercial on his brand.
Thanks! This is most likely not made by Isak, as this knife came to me in 2008, 20 years after he retired. Still it's a very good knife, but it'd be cool to compare with an older example at some point.
Vehicle springs are hardly of superior quality steel. They greatly risk stress fractures as well.
It's definitely a good knife but due to the size I can't imagine which of my activities (boar skinning, fishing, camping) it would be useful for.
this is a KS7 "Old Fashioned" with a blackened high carbon blade and tar-stained handle. The standard models are not stainless, they are also the same high carbon steel hardened to rockwell 59, just sold "In the white" so to speak.. no blackening or tar. My KS9 is that way.
I have one. Though not as big as yours. Made in Finland.
the thang is not welded but struck ''Klink'' in the back holding the knife together.
Viking knifes from Russia look very much like sami knifes right down to style of the sheath.
no hay tanto para mostrar y no mostró el encaste de la hoja con el cabo!!!
Who else is here after watching Sisu?
Its sharpening makes the edge too fragile which is basically a useless knife especially at 3mm thickness.
You are totally wrong the Sámi have beet talented metallurgist for 5000 years it goesval the way bavk to a knife made in the bronze age
Is that the knife SISU stuck through the Nazis head?
It is called a Leuku.
Same thing, different names
It's Leuku. " Saami knife" is BS.
I am Sea Sami, and have never heard the term Leuku used in Norway, at least not in Finnmark. I guess it's a Finnish term. I have Sami speakers in my family, and if it had been a term in use I would have known it. Those who speak Sami often use Sami words for typical Sami objects of use, also when they speak Norwegian.
@@ahkkariq7406 Finnish and Saamenkielet are from same root. We are relatives from ancient past... But Norwegians and Swedish are not.
@@historyouuu3495
Sami language consists of a large proportion of unknown origin. Whether a word is common in the two languages or not depends entirely on whether the word has its origin in the common linguistic heritage with Finnish or in the unknown part. Linguists believe that these are remnants of languages spoken in the area before the Indo-European languages arrived, and remnants of the language exist in both Norwegian and Swedish, so you are wrong. Sami has common linguistic features with Norwegian and Swedish. True, to a much lesser extent than with Finnish, but they exist. Just look at the words "big knife", which is "stor kniv" in Norwegian and "stuorra niibi" in Northern Sami. The word for big is completely different from the Finnish word, but quite similar to the Norwegian and Swedish word.
My helle lapplander is juet about identical
we Saamis probably used maybe wood or reindeer horns to make our knifes
In the area of Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi, simple furnaces for iron production have been found that can be dated to just before or around Christ. It is assumed that when they became suppliers of sought-after resources, the Sámi gave up their production (iron and ceramics) in return for receiving corresponding products in return. (Samenes historie fram til 1750 av Hansen og Olsen, 2004, side 110/History of the Sami up to 1750 by Hansen and Olsen, 2004, page 110). I myself have a good knowledge of Sami's history, and I would not consider it unlikely that they could order products according to their own needs.