The Outdoorsman Limited

Outdoor Products for Outdoors Men and Women

Helle Norwegian Knives

Helle Fabrikker is situated in Holmedal, a small village by a Norwegian fjord. Here Nature, and a love of the outdoors, is a part of everyday life. This has been the home of Helle Knives since the brothers Sigmund and Steinar Helle started their business in 1932.

The wild mountainsides and open sea are the inspiration for these robust knives. Much has changed since Steinar Helle cycled over the mountains to Oslo to sell his knives. But one thing that has not is an uncompromising insistence on quality.

This love of outdoor life, combined with the Scandinavian sense of quality and elegant functionality, define Helle knives. Each Helle knife undergoes up to sixty hand operations and inspections, and each knife leaves the factory fully sharpened and ready to work. The result is a knife worthy to be passed down to a son or daughter.

These knives are not to be confused with "factory-made" knives that are usually produced in big volumes, on automated high-production machinery. At Helle, each knife is essentially hand crafted by experienced and dedicated cutlers. Each blade is individually ground by hand to achieve a shaving-sharp edge. Knife handles of carefully selected Arctic Curly Birch and "aged wood" are precisely shaped, and finished to a hand rubbed patina. Each handle fits the hand comfortably, and has it's own distinctive grain and figure, making your Helle knife "one of a kind".

Helle takes as much pride in the crafting of their handsome sheaths as they do in their knives. Fine leathers, of the quality used in the manufacture of saddles, are vegetable tanned and dyed to strict quality control standards. After forming and stitching, the finished sheath is hand rubbed with harness maker's oil to produce a luster, and protect against stains and moisture.

Helle Earth Knife

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The Helle Earth is part of a new series done in a contemporary style. The laminated stainless blade is about 3 1/2" long, 1 1/8" wide and 1/8" thick. The 4 1/2" handle is sized for medium or large hands. Unlike most Helle knives, it comes with a snap style sheath. The sheath will accept belts up to about 1 7/8".

Helle Wind Knife

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The Helle Wind is another contemporary style. The laminated stainless blade is about 3 1/8" long, 1 1/8" wide and .106" thick. The 4 1/2" handle is gracefully curved to match the slightly trailing point blade. It's sized for medium or slightly larger hands and there is a blace rubber but cap. The sheath comes with a snap style closure and will accept belts up to about 1 3/4". This one feels very good in my hand, and I like the fact that the point is in line with the center-line of the handle.

Helle Fire Knife

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The Fire is the first full tang Helle. The blade is of laminated stainless steel blade is about 2 5/8" long, 1 1/4" wide, and .117" thick. The one piece handle wraps around the lower part of the tang, while the full tang is visable on the upper surface of the handle. There is a lanyard hole, and the knife is supplied with a carabiner clip to attach it to your pack, etc. The stout blade has the typical working shape of farm and shipboard knives. It's supplied with a clip style sheath. The sheath does not have any means for attachment to the belt.

Helle Varg Knife

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The Varg is a neat personal knife combining traditional and modern elements. The laminated stainless blade is just over 3". It has a clipped profile that provides an acute point as well as some curve for a light skinning chores. It would make an excellent small game knife. The handle is about 4 1/4" long and is shaped to provide a solid grip. It also comes with a snap style sheath.

Helle Futura Knife

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The Futura is an upscale model with a stylish grip that offers good control without the hindrance of a guard. The laminated stainless blade is just over 4" long and .126" thick. Tthe knife is about 8 3/4" overall. There is a snap style sheath.

Helle Jegermester Knife

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The Jegermester is intended for the butchering of big game. It has a wide, but thin (about .125") blade of 5 1/4". The handle is substantial, but still feels good in my average sized hand.

Helle Kvernstein Knife

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Kvernstein means "mill stone" in Norwegian, and the name is taken from the stone pommel. The stone comes from a quarry near the Helle factory that has provided mill stones for over a thousand years. This is combined with leather spacers, reindeer antler and curly birch in an attractive handle that fits my average sized hand very well indeed. The highly polished 3 1/2" blade is shaped and sized for all around use. The sheath is stamped with the image of a quern, the hand powered grain mill once common on Norwegian farms. This would make an elegant but useful utility knife.

Helle Eggen Knife

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The Helle-Eggen is a stout utility knife with a wide 3 7/8" blade of laminated stainless steel. The substantial curly birch handle is 4" long and shaped to form a finger guard. It feels really solid in the hand and is comfortable for both medium and large hands.

Helle Brakar Knife

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The BraKar is a new model. It has a composite handle of Curly Birch, Rosewood and leather. The grip is shaped to provide a slight guard. The laminated stainless blade is just over five inches long and the knife is about ten inches overall. This is a large knife for Scandinavia, and would be useful for butchering as well as general camp chores.

Blade Length: 5", Overall Length: 10"

Helle Folkekniven Knife

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The Folkekniven is a neat little utility knife with a 9 cm. stainless (non-laminated) blade and a flat curly birch handle. The simple pouch sheath accepts belts up to 1 1/2". (Blade is 3 3/8", length overall is 7 5/8".)

Helle Trofe Knife

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The Trophy is new, and well named. The handle is an attractive composite of curly birch, antler and leather. The laminated stainless blade is about 3 1/2" long, and the knife is almost 8" overall. There is a leather sheath with a metal reinforcing band, and a safety tab that engages the stud on the pommel. The antler adds weight to the handle and the knife feels like a solid worker.

Helle Fjellkniven Knive

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The Fjelkniven is a nicely finished all purpose belt knife. The highly polished 4" blade is laminated stainless steel. The comfortable grip is shaped to keep your hand off the blade. I rather like this one.

Helle Godbit Knife

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The Godbit is a modern design incorporating plastic in the handle. The blade is almost 4" long, and the handle is generously sized for large hands. Supplied with laminated stainless blade and snap style leather sheath.

Blade Length: 4" - Overall Length: 8.5"

Helle Lappland Knife

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The Lappland is the all-purpose camp knife of the Sami people. They use it for everything from butchering reindeer to preparing shelter and fire. This is a big knife with a 8 1/2" stainless blade (not laminated). It weighs about 10 1/4 ounces without the sheath. The blade is fairly thin (.116") for effective slicing. There is no gift box available from Helle for this large knife.

Helle Symfoni Knife

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The Symfoni is an attractive utility and hunting knife with a spacer of reindeer antler where the blade joins the handle. The highly polished 3 1/3" blade is laminated stainless steel, about .108" thick. It has a slightly dropped point. The 4 1/2" handle provides a substantial grip. It comes with a simple, but elegant, sheath embossed with the image of a campfire. I like this one!

Helle Harding Knife

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The Harding is an American style drop point hunter with a Norwegian accent. It has a composite handle of rosewood, curly birch and leather, and a 4" laminated stainless steel blade. The sturdy deep sheath has the Nordic style keeper strap, which engages a stud on the pommel. This helps prevent loss while keeping the knife instantly available. A really fine looking knife with an excellent feel.

Helle Safari Knife

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With it's stout 4 3/4" blade and substantial guard, the Safari looks as if it might have been influenced by the American knifemaker and author Ed Fowler (it was actually designed by Gunnar Lothe). It's a big knife, but the lack of pommel and use of aluminum for the guard keeps the weight down to a quick and handy level. For those who like a fairly big knife with a guard, this is an excellent choice. Supplied with laminated stainless steel and a snap type leather sheath. (Blade is 4 3/4", length overall is 9 1/2".)

Helle Odel Knife

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Odel has a meaning similar to heirloom, and the name fits well. This is a handy all purpose knife that is well worth passing down the generations. The laminated stainless blade is about 3 5/8" (9cm). The handle is built up from birch, antler and leather, and is deeply contoured for positive control. This knife feels very good in my medium sized hand. I would recommend this knife for medium or smaller hands. Length overall is about 8". Of course it comes with a sturdy leather sheath of the deep Nordic style.

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