Does anyone have a Skrama?

G

GREENJACKET

Joined
Feb 23, 2000
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1,363
Anyone in the USA have one? They are made in Finland, I have one and love it. They look like this:
IMGP7440.jpg
 
One man in family has one. Seems like well made knife, but I am not fan of the extended handle. Apples and oranges. I do like the company that makes them though. :)
 
A.L. said:
One man in family has one. Seems like well made knife, but I am not fan of the extended handle. Apples and oranges. I do like the company that makes them though. :)
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One of the great things about this forum is the different preferences. The extended handle is honestly a big part of what draws me to it. Choke back for great chopping leverage, choke up for normal knife tasks or carving.
 
I really like the form of that one. I could totally go for a 5"-bladed one with a Kydex sheath.
 
It comes in at 1.2lbs and carries a keen edge making it a cutter rather than chipper. The hand and half handle is brilliant. Choked forward it has an almost neutral balance for controlled finer work. It even has a short keener grind near the grip for choked use. A parang held mid shaft can have a neutral balance too but not exactly comfortable. The Skrama is clever and has real versatility. I'm a fan.
So many big blades are all weight forward and difficult to control even when choked up, well if they allow a choked up grip. The Skrama chop power is dependent on where along the handle its held. It can do a fast whip chop when held at the end.
 
GREENJACKET said:
It comes in at 1.2lbs and carries a keen edge making it a cutter rather than chipper. The hand and half handle is brilliant. Choked forward it has an almost neutral balance for controlled finer work. It even has a short keener grind near the grip for choked use. A parang held mid shaft can have a neutral balance too but not exactly comfortable. The Skrama is clever and has real versatility. I'm a fan.
So many big blades are all weight forward and difficult to control even when choked up, well if they allow a choked up grip. The Skrama chop power is dependent on where along the handle its held. It can do a fast whip chop when held at the end.
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It honestly seems like a very nice compromise between a heavy machete and large knife.
 
I like to think of it as the intelligent man's golock. About the same weight, so not exactly heavy. Made by Fins, who know a bit about working in the woods, the Skrama is stiff enough for European wood unlike so many machetes (no horrid vibrations). Its for cutting stakes and poles for a camp rather than construction beams for house building.
It complements an axe as well as a small knife. They all benefit when matched with a saw (I like Silky saw).

Anyhow, this is the only place I know of to get one. Yes, they can export out and as a company seem to go the extra mile. (I have nothing to do with them).:
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/terava-skrama-bush-knife-carbon-steel/28025

Skramas are not expensive considering what you get and steel used.

(Its been a while since I've written anything on this forum, but I do think the Skrama is that good it should get a wider audience).
 
When I look at this knife I think FortyTwoBlades. I'd love it if he got one in hand and did a review. I'd love it more if he became a distributor for them stateside.
 
They basically took the standard short brush axe and made it pointy. Which is good of you want something pointy. The downside is you don't have that safety head.

It will compare favorably to similarly sized blades from other makers. Not having an exposed metal tang means you get less shock and cold transfer in use.

It's strictly a weekend warrior tool though... hand tools are no longer used in forrestry work.
 
my conversion calculator says 74.00 US + shipping.....it's interesting but I'd sure prefer it with a full tang and bolt on scales.... just not a fan of those overmolded rubber handles for woods tools....in my experience they tend to work loose or split out.
 
Its a large camp blade instead of a camp hatchet. Its not a replacement for a proper axe which for me starts with a GB Small Forest Axe. More of a bushwhacker for cutting sticks, stakes and rubbish out the way. And it works as a whittler too. Problem with most bushwhackers they are either redressed machetes which twang, or huge over built knives which get far too front heavy. The only European Forest machete that works that I know of is the no longer made Blackjack Marauder II (top in my picture); the rest are far too thin. And a big Battle Mistress or Esee Junglas just doesn't work for me, nor do kukris which I think are best left with Gurkhas who grew up with them. I have forestry equipment, or have a man who does (well his stuff has tracks and hydraulics), but this Skrama is a pack knife before having to resort to an axe thats twice the weight. Weekend Warrior, sure a bit, but I think its a bit better than that. Its not a breeze block breaker, its for cutting woody things.

The tang is very near a full tang, the over-moulded grips are excellent and as the tang goes all the way through then unlikely to work loose. If they were to go, split, which I doubt, then just wrap cord round to size until you can make something better. Finland's cold, they know how to make knives; can't think they would make something bad.

Everything about this Skrama is practical; even the finish is enough without going overboard. Its a work tool so going to get mucky. The money is in the steel (80CrV2, 59 HRC), handle material, whats needed and not much more. Its keen and not a blunt billhook. It does it for me.
I am sure someone could make a superior one at three times the price. If they did they mustn't lose the critical balance point that makes this tool work so effectively. I just think they have it just about perfect as is.
Gives a nice clean cut:
IMGP7461.jpg
 
Honestly, I don't know if you're familiar with Chris Tanner and his Jessica-X, but this strikes me as the same kind of concept, but done right (no offense to Mr. Tanner.) A knife that comes in at a reasonable weight, can chop well enough, clear brush well enough and do fine carving and camp knife tasks well enough to get by.

I definitely wouldn't want to try to fell a tree or split multiple cords of wood with it, and I'd definitely pair it with a smaller blade, but it seems very handy and versatile.
 
I have not seen one of those, thank you for posting.

The knife looks very useful, it would be interesting to be able to put one to use.

best

mqqn
 
I was unclear. It's a GOOD knife if you want a knife that size.

When I say weekend warrior I mean it was literally designed for playing Rambo in the woods. The designer having finished his military service wanted something bigger than the classic puukko/leuku for building firing positions and camp tasks. And there is nothing wrong with that. :)

I think the old finnish brush axes played a part in the design evolution. So the hand and a half grip has an established history of being a good idea.
P6267435.JPG
 
Insipid Moniker said:
When I look at this knife I think FortyTwoBlades. I'd love it if he got one in hand and did a review. I'd love it more if he became a distributor for them stateside.
Click to expand...

I'm familiar with the tool and have some questions regarding the balance and harmonics of it that could only be answered by actually playing with one. I like tools with extended handles, but this isn't quite the approach I'd take if designing a tool for this role myself. As a result, some of the unseen qualities of it would need assessing since there's only so much even an experienced eye can get from images/video alone. :)
 
Yes, it does have a take on both the hand and half billhook and also the single hand Golock. The neutral forward grip gives it a real advantage. Its a practical work tool.

Recently, the choice for a pack blade has been either the "big" knife, or big jungle blade such as an over built parang, kukri, or machete. Big Knife like a Survive Knives GSO10 or bigger. Big Jungle tool as done by Condor. Both styles to me get unwieldily and too front forward; they are dedicated tools with limited application though can be forced to do more at a push. Well the Skrama is an original take and does a lot better than what I've come to expect from the usual stuff offered. It fits in my pack, or attached to my belt when required.

Anyhow, I just wanted to see if this concept tool had found its way to the USA. If not then anyone going to the trouble of getting one is I think going to have something interesting... revelation. You have the heads up on it now. You will either love it or find reason to find it wanting. I like what it does.
 
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