Best Scandinavian Knives to Choose from

Figuring out the best Scandinavian knives is a hard nut to crack these days. The struggle arises when you see almost similar-looking knives with huge price gaps. 

There’s also confusion as to which type of scandi knife is perfect for your situation. Yes, you guessed it right. Even if these are all Scandinavian knives, they are specialized for certain tasks. You might regret later if you just buy a knife specialized for skinning to do your wood batoning tasks. 

We know you’re struggling and here’s where we come into play!

For your ease, we’ve tried out the knives from 3 main categories to find out the best Scandinavian knives. And, we’ve come to a conclusion.

Not only that, we’ll also talk about the main categories of Scandinavian that are out there. We’ll also guide you as to which type of knife would be perfect for you.

So let’s not roam around the bush anymore. Let’s get straight to it then. 

Scandinavian Knife-What is It Actually?

To know about what a Scandinavian knife actually is, it’s important to know a bit about its origin.

Scandinavian knives represent the culture of the regions known as Scandinavia. Norway, Sweden and Finland are prominent among them. The knives made by them are unique to their culture and later got the name of Scandinavian knives.

So what is the specialty of Scandinavian Knives?

Scandinavian knives have a single bevel in their grind. This grind is known as the Scandinavian grind. The bevel starts from around the centre to the edge. This grind then goes all the way up to the tip of the knife. 

There are many other distinct features of a typical scandi knife. The sheath of the knife is usually made up of genuine leather. Apart from this, the handle of the knife is made of wood(especially birch wood). 

Coming to the blades, the blades are very compact in size. Usually between 3 to 5 inches. It can be either a full tang blade or a partial tang blade.

However, most manufacturers today don’t follow all these features. Some make differences in the blades, some have a different look, etc.

The only thing all manufacturers keep aligned is the grind. Other than that, handles are seen to be of polymer, walnut and other substances. Also, the sheath is not always seen to be of leather.

Purpose of Scandinavian Knives

Scandinavian knives were used for the purpose of hunting, gutting, skinning, and processing the animal. Well, all of these categories automatically fall under hunting an animal.

However, it’s not only hunting for which these knives were used. It’s also used for basic survival needs. These are categorized under bushcraft.

For instance, cutting logs of wood falls under survival tasks in the wild. It also includes cutting heavy knotted ropes or ropes of any sort. Imagine you are in the jungle all alone. 

A scandinavian knife will serve the purpose of every little task that needs to be done in the wild. It even includes prepping the food you just acquired. For instance, cutting meat.

Another thing that scandinavian knives are used for is the crafting of woods. There might even be some craftsmen reading this article right now.

Although it’s foolish to just carry a 5 inches blade when you are all alone in the jungle. But it doesn’t deny the purposes we mentioned above.

Types of Scandinavian Knives 

There aren’t exactly types of Scandinavian knives. But based on geographical area, it can be categorized. They have differences in their purpose and looks.

Norwegian Scandinavian knives

Norwegian Scandinavian knives are aesthetically more pleasing. These were carried as ornaments in the past for public figures. 

This explains their birch wooden handles. If you are looking into a Norwegian Scandinavian knife, it’s imperative that the handle is made of premium wood. This is the reason why these knives cost so much.  

These knives are also short-bladed and carry a single bevel. Norwegian knives are a successor of the Vikings. These knives can be used for hunting, farming and crafting.

The most prominent Norwegian Scandinavian knife makers are Helle and Brusletto.

Swedish Scandinavian Knives

The Swedish Scandinavian Knives are popularly known as Mora Knives. Mora is a district in Sweden. They made Swedish Puukko knives.

These knives are everything that you expect from a Scandinavian knife. They are known for their sharp edges. So due to their sharpness, hunting is the main purpose here. Through these knives, animals can be skinned, gutted, processed, and even field-dressed.

They make all of these look like cutting through butter.

The best part about these knives is the price they come in. They come at a pretty cheap price compared to others.

Another prominent feature of these knives is the handles. You saw that it’s a must for Norwegian knives to have wood as their handle. However, this is not the case here. Swedish Scandinavian knives are mostly seen to have polymers and other materials in the handles. Not wood per se.

Prominent Swedish Scandinavian knives are the Morakniv and the Fallkniven.

Finnish Scandinavian Knives

The Finnish Scandinavian knives are famous for the Puukko knives they make. It has a hidden tang with a single cutting edge that is curved. 

Swedish knives have a simple look to them. These are not as ornate as a typical Norwegian knife. These knives were mainly made for the purpose of hunting and gathering. 

Another feature of recent Finnish Knives is that they are made of stainless steel made of carbon.

Prominent Finnish Swedish Knives are the Kellam and the Puukkos.

Top 4 Scandinavian Knives for Hunting

Hunting is undoubtedly one of the major purposes for which scandinavian knives are used. When we talk about hunting, it also covers purposes like gutting, skinning, field dressing, and processing the animal.

We’ve come down to 4 Scandinavian knives which are specialized in this. Let’s take a look at their quick comparison below. 

Now that you’ve seen the quick comparison, let’s jump into their details.

Helle Alden Sandvik 12C27: More about The Product

The next thing I liked about this knife was the handle. It’s a curly birch wood handle and there’s a decent grip to it. There were no major slips of the hand towards the blade while in action.

However, the handle might feel a bit occupied by larger-handed people out there. But I still think it will do the job just fine. 

You can dress, process, skin even do butchery with this knife without breaking a sweat. This knife is also suitable for bushcraft. I mean yeah its main purpose is for hunting and gutting but this is an all-rounder for sure.

This is mainly a hunting knife but you can also have satisfactory results while cutting wood. The Scandi grind does a pretty good job cutting deep in the wood. 

Keep in mind that this is a semi-hand-made knife. So don’t expect every little detail to be perfect. If you’re into hunting, gutting and skinning and want a durable sharp knife, this is for you.

Room for Improvement

• The wood is cut slightly larger than the metal tang. So there’s a little gap in the knife butt.
• Due to being semi handmade, there is some asymmetry in the grinds. 

Kellam Puukko KLKPR4-BRK: More about The Product

You might be wondering why you should get this one leaving the first one? Well, the reason is the price range it comes with. It’s almost half the price of the previous knife with specialization in skinning. So, I guess you can make a choice now.

The handle of this knife is also curly birch wood. I liked how it felt in my hands. Compact and tactile!

One thing I noticed about this knife handle was that the end was a little sharp. I mean not that sharp but you can feel it while holding the knife.

The sheath was good. It gave me a kind of viking vibe to be honest, with the front edge being curved. It had a belt loop too which might come in handy.

Room For Improvement

• The end of the knife can be felt while held.

Gerber GE31: More About the Product

Now we have a knife set among us. You get a standard scandinavian knife and a bigger hooked knife for gutting. Well, I did have mixed feelings about this knife at first.

But later I found this combo to be useful.

The bigger knife works pretty well for gutting and field dressing. I personally used it for field dressing a white deer and it did the job well I must say.

The edges were sharp and precise. It had a consistent grind, unlike the previous product we mentioned. So, there was no need to sharpen it beforehand. 

The handle on this knife set is made up of rubber. Whereas, the handle in the previous products was made of birch wood. Well, we didn’t expect birch wood in this price range anyway.

However, the handle is bigger than the previous products. So, it’s a plus point for you guys out there with larger hands.

Remember I said earlier that this is a useful combo? The reason was, I felt a separate need for these 2 knives. How? Well, with the smaller ones, I skinned the deer. With the larger hooked one, I gutted and field-dressed the deer. 

So, both of their use is satisfactory to me.

But one downside I felt was the sheath the knife comes with. The smaller knife doesn’t fit perfectly in the sheath. You might need a different sheath.

Room for Improvement:

• The handle is made up of rubber. It doesn’t give that premium feel like Helle Alden Sandvik 12C27.
• The sheath doesn’t hold the smaller knife well.

BPS BS2FTS: More About the Product

There was some unevenness in the handle I would say. Not any major issue, but can be evened out with sandpaper. I gave it 10-15 minutes to even it according to my desired grip.

The knife comes with a genuine leather sheath. I think this is something worth appreciating. I had no complaints regarding the sheath.

It comes with a mirror finish carbon steel. Now I’m not saying this is a rust-free scandi knife. It will catch rust if you leave it unattended. Proper oiling can eradicate it from rusting.

So, if you’re on a budget and looking for a decent scandinavian knife, I do recommend this one.

Room For Improvement

• The handle is a bit uneven. Can be easily evened out with sandpaper.
• It’s decent for gutting. If gutting is an absolute necessity, go with Gerber GE31

Top 3 Scandinavian Knives for Bushcraft/Survival

Remember we said earlier that Scandinavian Knives fulfill other needs except hunting? Yeah, you guessed it right. This section is all about survival and bushcraft. Here we have for you the best scandinavian knives for camping, hiking, kitchen and more.

Now that we’ve seen the quick comparison, let’s dig a little deep.

Morakniv Bushcraft Survival: More About this Product

It’s boldly claimed to be anti-corrosive. Well, we evaluated that. It is indeed anti-corrosive. We kept it wet for a few days and there were no rusting issues.

However, I was a bit disappointed about it not being full tang. Well, what can I say? I do like full tang knives for a better balance. This, being a partial tang knife, was able to give a decent balance.

But apart from this, it held up its bargain as a perfect companion in camping, batoning, packing and even hunting.

Room For Improvement

• The sheath is not for left-handed people.
• Not full tang. Go with Morakniv Gerberg to have a full balance.

Morakniv Garberg: More About the Product

Coming back to the stainless-steel part, we tested it. And yeah, their claim is true. It had no signs of discoloration after extensive use. We used it with contact to water and after days, there were no rusting issues either. So, thumbs up on that.

I used the knife to cut soft hemlock, maple, alder and other woods. And I am satisfied with it. It does a good job of getting all the way through them without much effort.

The sheath was a little bit of an issue to me. Some light shakiness can make it fall out. 

There’s a finger guard in this knife which I liked the most. You can’t hurt your fingers while in action. I didn’t at least. So this is a plus point.

Room For Improvement

• The sheath is a bummer. Go with Morakniv Bushcraft Survival for a better sheath.

BPS HK1S: More About the Product

What this knife is truly good for our small survival tasks and food prep. You can easily cut through knots of ropes, sharpen your wooden weapons, etc. 

You can also use this knife to prep food in the wild. Slicing through meat is like butter here. So, you get a combo of managing small survival tasks and also food prepping in the woods.

The handle is made of walnut. I know it’s not per se “wood” but at least it’s not polymer or rubber. I think walnut added a premium feel to the knife. I personally had no issue with the handle being made of walnut.

Another good thing about this knife is its full tang. I had a good balance while using it. The sheath it comes with is made of genuine leather. I had no issue regarding the sheath.

Room For Improvement 

• Not for heavy batoning. Go with Morakniv Bushcraft for heavy batoning and wood works.

FAQs

What angle do you sharpen bushcraft knives?

Bushcraft knives have an angle of 25-35 degrees. This is because there needs to be more surface of the blade to make the cut. So greater the angle, the deeper the cut through woods and other stuff.

What angle is a Scandinavian grind?

A scandinavian grind is generally 22 or 23 degrees. It has a flat grind to it. There’s a single bevel of grind that leads up to the tip of the knife. Since scandinavian knives are mainly for processing and skinning, it doesn’t need that of a stronger grind. It explains why the angle is less compared to others.

Are Mora Knives True Scandi Grind?

Yes. Mora knives are true Scandi grinds. The edge is made of a single bevel. It goes all the way up to the tip of the knife. Mora knives are true Swedish knives. Anf Swedish knives have true scandi grind to them.

Bottom Words

That’s it for today folks. We really tried to make your decision-making a bit easier by sharing our own experiences.

You’ve seen how scandinavian knives, despite being all of scandi grind, serve different purposes. You need to figure out which type suits you the best.

Best of luck to you in choosing between the best Scandinavian knives. If you have any queries, do let us know in the comment section below.