Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
We make Scandinavian knives for the outdoors. Ever since 1932 Helle’s goal has been to make beautiful and functional tools that you can carry with pride and that will serve you right when needed.
Each knife is unique in its own way. The size and shape of the handle together with the size and shape of the blade combined. It all comes together as a working tool to fit your use. Start with the size to fit your hand and then the size of the blade. It is always best if you can visit a store that carry the knives so that you can feel the grip and pick the knife that fits you best.
The size of the handle is in many ways more important than the size of the blade. If you can’t go to a store to check to feel the size firsthand, measure your palm width and imagine that it needs to fit the size / length of the handle.
At Helle we are proud of our knowledge and use of natural materials such as wood, leather and steel. We also use other materials when we feel it adds to the function or capabilities of the knife. Reach more about each knife in the catalogue.
We use a number of different steel qualities. We have two versions of proprietary steels that are triple laminated. One with a stainless core and one with a carbon core. We also make knives with single-layer steel, mainly from SandvikTM. Check the specifications of each knife to know its exact steel.
Yes and No. It depends on the steel in the knife. The outer layers of the laminate steels are not sufficiently hard to work as a striker. All knives made with Sandvik 12C27 blades are hard enough to work with a fire steel, and most of our models have a 90 degree spine or are easy to shape to a 90 degree.
We prefer that you do not. Especially if the knife has a stick tang construction. Done right batoning can be done with most of our blades, but even with small mistakes it is easy to chip the edge, crack the handle or even break the blade. Either way it is important to know the limits of your knife and the fact that we don’t replace knives broken by batoning through our lifetime warranty.
We have developed a set of sharpening stones with the right grit size to work both at home and in the wild. Please read the section regarding maintenance for instructions.
The combination of different steel qualities offers the best of two worlds. Durability and sharpness. The surface steel allows us to use a high-quality core that offer a unique sharpness. The surface steel makes the knife more durable as it protects the core steel and means that the knife is not brittle and will not break as easily.
