Fiskars Puukko

U

UnknownVT

Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
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Another knife that I bought at a closeout many years ago.

I really like the puukko design.

This Fiskars puukko isn't exactly a collector's quality knife - but I really like the size, shape and sheath.

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8 1/2" overall length, 4" blade, polymer handle and the bolster and end cap look like "brass" but I suspect it might be "brass plating" on some sheet metal
(or is that spelt with an "i"? :D :p )
Formed "traditional" leather tube sheath, with plastic blade insert/liner.

One of the things that many will say about puukkos is that they are Sharp with a capital "S".

Mine is literally hair-popping sharp - it's almost as if I only have the show the hair the edge and it pops off. One might note this is a stainless steel blade.

Does anyone know what stainless steel is being used?
 
I have a Normark knife that is very simular to that. I'm pretty sure it was made by Fiskars for Normark. It's one of my favorite knives for butchering game and large fish.
 
Originally posted by x39
I have a Normark knife that is very simular to that. I'm pretty sure it was made by Fiskars for Normark.
Click to expand...

I have this "Puukko" styled knife that I bought many years ago (~1982?) - before I knew too much about knives.
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{EDIT 6/9/03 2:24PM EST - added another pic to better show handle shape}

I bought it because it was cheap and I really liked the shape and the tube sheath - even if it was cheap plastic.

It's a "Falcon" - as marked on the handle
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I thought (perhaps was told) it was made by Normark, but the blade is stamped:
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"KJ"(?) Stainless Mora Sweden

I think Normark is in Finland?

However, doing some minimal net research I have found several listing of a Normark - Falcon fillet knife - with a very similar handle and exactly the same sort of handle markings.

I carried this knife when I did Field Archery regularly (14 printed animal targets at varying distances between 10 to 60 yards set in woodlands).

The tip used to be a bit more pointed - I put a kink/bend in the tip when digging an arrow field point out of a tree - so I re-ground/re-shaped the tip.

The blade near the edge also show score marks as I used to sharpen the knife with one of those nasty pull-through metal V-shaped sharpeners.

The fact that the knife survived all that abuse shows that it is pretty resiliant for a budget knife.
 
So what makes these knives a "Pukko?" Is that just a Finnish word for knife, or is it an accepted knife industry term for this shape blade/handle/sheath or what?

Also, UnknownVT- I have that exact knife too! I also boutgh it in the 80's! Small world.
Cheers
 
At one time, at least according to research I had done at one time, Fiskars, Gerber, Normark and Rapala were either all owned by one parent company, or all associated one way, or something like that.
 
Originally posted by UltraSteele
So what makes these knives a "Pukko?" Is that just a Finnish word for knife, or is it an accepted knife industry term for this shape blade/handle/sheath or what?

Also, UnknownVT- I have that exact knife too! I also boutgh it in the 80's! Small world.
Click to expand...

UltraSteele,

I'm not sure what makes it a "Puukko" -
Most probably the shape/handle/tube-sheath combination
But I guess it has to be Finnish to be a real one,
since it is a Finn word.


BTW - I bought my Falcon in England.

Also that digging experience taught me an important thing about knife handling.

I was obviously pushing hard on the knife into the tree - when I noticed how easy it would be to slip my tightly gripping hand on to the blade.........

My first thoughts were that the knife was deficient in not having a prominent hand-guard.... others agree, huh?

Not so, it was deficient understanding on knife usage -

I learnt quickly how to "palm" the handle - ie: using the palm to push on the butt of the knife - then there would be absolutley no danger of the hand slipping off the handle on to the blade - whether there's a hand-guard or not.
 
Well, I got mine out and while the handle is marked "Normark", the blade is etched "Fiskars". I bought mine in the early seventies at a sporting goods store in Northern Virginia. It's been around the block, but still an excellent knife. I wish I could post a picture of it, but my digital camera is out of comission after taking a hard fall.
 
Originally posted by x39
Well, I got mine out and while the handle is marked "Normark", the blade is etched "Fiskars". I bought mine in the early seventies at a sporting goods store in Northern Virginia. It's been around the block, but still an excellent knife.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks x39 - perhaps you can please describe the Normark on the handle? Because when I first saw my Fiskars puukko I kind of thought it looked like the typical Normark house style.....

The sheath - does yours have something other than the crowned "F"?

Thanks,
 
I will describe the knife and sheath as well as I can. The handle is about 4 1/2" long, the blade is 4 7/8" long, for a total length of 9 3/8". The handle is of a black synthetic material, hard to the feel and somewhat glossy, both ends are capped with brass. The handle is embossed "Normark", in white letters with a red lion between the letters "r" and "m". The blade has a slightly upswept point, with a flat grind, very reminiscent of the typical Finnish puukko in profile. It is .145" thick, and 3/4" wide near the handle. It is marked with the crowned "F", "Fiskars Finland" ,and "stainless steel" . The sheath is nearly identical to the yours in outward appearance, however, where yours has the crowned "F", mine has a rampant lion, with "Normark" beneath it, and a triangle beneath that. Near the throat of the sheath, it has a crowned "F". The back of the sheath is stamped "Made in Finland" "c. (copyright)N CORP 1967". I hope this is helpful to you.
 
Originally posted by x39
The handle is about 4 1/2" long, the blade is 4 7/8" long, for a total length of 9 3/8".
<snip>The blade has a slightly upswept point, with a flat grind, very reminiscent of the typical Finnish puukko in profile. It is .145" thick, and 3/4" wide near the handle.
<snip> The sheath is nearly identical to the yours in outward appearance, however, where yours has the crowned "F", mine has a rampant lion, with "Normark" beneath it
Click to expand...

x39,

Thank you so much for the great detailed description.

Mine is a smaller version at 4" blade and 8 1/2" overall length -
yours probably is in proportion (larger) - so still looks like mine in the picture?

My blade stock is thinner at just over ~2mm, or about ~3/32", although it is still about 3/4" wide near the handle.

My sheath has no other markings than shown in the picture.

The end cap has a relief stamped crowned "F".

Thanks,
 
Originally posted by UnknownVT
- so still looks like mine in the picture?
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Well, due to the fact that my knife is longer yet still the same width as your's, mine has slimmer, more pointy proportions. The handle on mine may have a bit more contour for the fingers than your's, but it's hard to say for sure, as the image you posted appears somewhat dark in that area. It also appears that on your knife, the blade bevel stops a short way before the handle, leaving somewhat of a choil. On mine, it is beveled all the way to the handle.
 
Originally posted by x39
The handle on mine may have a bit more contour for the fingers than your's, but it's hard to say for sure, as the image you posted appears somewhat dark in that area.
Click to expand...

Here's another pic that hopefully shows the handle shape better:
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I did the scan of the otherside of the knife,
as well as the back of the sheath.
 
Not quite one envisions for an outdoor, cold weather knife - tiny blade, sabre grind, no guards, no fancy grips and a "strange looking sheath" ... But hey, it works and works well. Also, you're right, they seem to know all about edge geometry and the "zero-edge."

A lot of stainless Scandinavian blades seem to be made of 12C27 which is similar to 440B. I'm not sure if this is what your knife has. I have several such blades in a carbon steel which seems like L-6 (maybe). It has something along the lines of 0.7% carbon and some other elements in it. I can't find the details (lost) and the chemical composition of Scandinavian blades is often hard to find. he carbon steel blades were absolutely amazing cutters. Jason.
 
Originally posted by UltraSteele
So what makes these knives a "Pukko?" Is that just a Finnish word for knife, or is it an accepted knife industry term for this shape blade/handle/sheath or what?
Cheers
Click to expand...

Puukko is indeed a Finnish word for a knife. It seems to have spread among the enthusiasts as a general depiction for this kind of knife.

Traditionally a Puukko
is a knife with a wooden handle (pine, birch, etc) with no finger guard, the blade being approximately the same length as the handle. The sheath is made of an animal hide, preferably reindeer.

Among the more well known makers are Marttiini and Fiskars.

Cheers,

ruuvari
 
UnknownVT- the handle of my knife seems to be a bit thinner in proportion to the overall dimensions of the knife than yours. The curves for the fingers on mine are also a bit more defined, or deeper.
 
UnknownVT, the knives with the black plastic handle marked "Falcon", are mora knives made by the company KJ Eriksson. To my knowledge Normark doesn't make any knives themselves, but sell knives under their brand name but manufaktured by other companies.

/Bjorn
 
UnkownVT- that's a handsome little knife. I have somewhat of a collection of puukkos, Norwegian "tollekniver", and Nordic knives in general. I've always liked the simple lines and sharp edges. Being of Norwegian descent, there were a lot of them around when I grew up as well.
 
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