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Typically talking, when contemplating a viable knife for bushcraft antics, you don’t often contemplate a folding knife. In any case, a part of the bushcraft life is splitting kindling to make a fireplace. That’s simply not one thing you’d contemplate doing with a folding knife — often.
However generally a folding knife comes alongside that’s constructed for severe use and abuse like a fixed-blade knife. Say, a knife with a chrome steel blade and Scandi grind that meets or exceeds the calls for of adventurous, outdoorsy people in Norway — people who spend a number of time in forests and on mountains, surviving with their knives. If these people advocate a folding knife for bushcraft, we’d all be remiss to disregard them.
The Helle Bleja is that folding knife.
At almost 8 inches lengthy with a 3.35-inch blade, the Bleja falls throughout the normal measurement necessities of a bushcraft blade. Its triple-laminated stainless-steel (H3LS) has a stellar Scandi grind and Helle’s trademark curly birch deal with scales.
Should you shook your head on the phrase “folding,” or frowned on the stainless-steel blade on a bushcraft knife, you must take the subsequent couple of minutes to learn this evaluate and develop your minds. This gained’t harm a bit!
In brief: At $225, the Helle Bleja represents an funding. However it’s the sort of knife that may do every thing you need it to after which some. Should you get uninterested in it, you’ll be able to move it on to your youngsters. And for those who don’t, you could be buried with it, as a result of it can final that lengthy. Moreover, the Bleja hails from an outdated tradition recognized for troll searching. That has to imply one thing.
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OAL
7.90” -
Blade size
3.35” -
Blade metal
H3LSS (Triple Laminated Stainless Metal) -
Blade form
Drop level -
Sheath
Leather-based -
Weight
6.6 oz.
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Helle’s proprietary stainless-steel -
Curly Birch handles scales -
Scandi Grind
Helle Bleja Assessment
Bushcraft Blade Metal
Earlier than I dive into the nitty gritty, I need to take a second to speak a couple of long-debated matter with bushcraft knife metal. The overall consensus is that carbon metal, being softer and fewer prone to cracking, is the best metal for a bushcraft knife. It’s believed that stainless-steel, being more durable, can’t stand as much as the calls for of bushcraft and can inevitably chip, crack, shatter, and fail.
Whereas I can’t equivocally dismiss this principle as incorrect, the reality is that it’s extra of a case-by-case situation. The fashionable knife world is full of metal that has been reconfigured and rebaked to be the better of the very best. We’re seeing increasingly bushcraft knives comprised of stainless steels, like S35VN and Magnacut, whereas tried-and-true carbon steels, like 1095 and 440C, are more and more left on the shelf to rust.
The metal used within the Bleja has been employed by Helle because the Nineteen Sixties. H3LS is robust, sturdy, corrosion-resistant, and abrasion-resistant. It additionally holds an unbelievable edge and is simple to sharpen. Additionally, opposite to folklore, it may be used to throw some severe sparks with a Ferro rod.
No, flint doesn’t work nice with stainless-steel, however Ferrocerium does simply nice. Should you’re nonetheless counting on flint, inform your pal Daniel Boone I mentioned “hiya.” It’s 2023; get with this system.
To set the document straight, the precise carbon or stainless-steel will meet or exceed your expectations in a bushcraft knife. The important thing advantage of stainless-steel is that it gained’t rust.
Design & Options
The Helle Bleja is comprised of an superior mixture of H3LSS triple-laminated stainless-steel and curly birch deal with scales. The Bleja additionally makes use of stainless-steel liners for construction and has a lock-back lock mechanism within the backbone. This may preserve the blade locked in place in even essentially the most demanding conditions.
H3LS stainless-steel is a proprietary metal made by Helle that has been used for greater than 50 years. It encompasses a high-carbon core and a delicate, stainless outer layer. This outer layer is versatile, which makes it much less more likely to chip, crack, or shatter. Plus, H3LS could be honed to close razor sharpness. It’ll additionally maintain an awesome blade edge whereas remaining simple to sharpen when the time comes.
The Bleja doesn’t have a pocket clip, but it surely does include a handcrafted leather-based sheath for carry. Additionally vital to notice, the Bleja requires two fingers to open. This owes to its tight tolerances, which give it structural energy that rivals a fixed-blade knife. There’s no thumb gap, thumb stud, or flipper tab. Of their place is a nail nick on the blade.
First Impressions of the Helle Bleja
I’ll be the primary to confess that it’s sort of bizarre utilizing a folding knife in bushcraft conditions. Then I feel again to all of the outdated carving and whittling knives my grandfather used across the farm. All of these have been folding knives. All of them took a beating every day. And, importantly, they have been all comprised of carbon metal and have lengthy misplaced their authentic blade profiles attributable to hasty sharpening.
That mentioned, the Bleja is huge and heavy and I simply know I can beat it up. Based mostly on its composition, it ought to carry out phenomenally in all circumstances at the entire duties to which I might topic it.
The one factor I’m involved about is the truth that I’ll by no means have the ability to open this knife with gloves on. Nail nicks in knife blades are old fashioned. They’ve their place and usually signify the previous. They’re good to see on dressier knives, however a ache within the ass on utility knives.
Both approach, when the Bleja locks up, it’s locked in place. Lock-back locks are removed from frequent as of late, however they’re arduous to beat. Though they do make me cautious of batoning with the Bleja, as I don’t need the lock to pop if I hit the backbone. This concern by no means arises with crossbar locks, however a lock again depends on being pushed down, as a substitute of pulled again to have interaction and disengage.
Within the Subject
To satisfy this fear head on, the very first thing I did with the Bleja was baton with it. I actually wished to get that sorted and out of the best way. Surprisingly, I didn’t have points I feared when batoning. However I might advocate avoiding it as a result of though I do know what I’m doing, it might be a fluke.
If something, I like to recommend limiting your self to not more than three hits on the backbone to get it seated, after which flip the wooden and knife over and strike the highest of the wooden. As soon as the knife seats, flip the log over once more and alternate hits between the entrance of the blade, and behind the wooden over the pivot.
Past that, I couldn’t discover something the Bleja couldn’t do for me within the woods. Its Scandi grind made it nice for meals prep. Being stainless, it was additionally very simple to scrub in order that I didn’t have any wooden guts and goop on the blade once I sliced by peppers and onions.
Minor Gripes
My one gripe with the Bleja rests with its sheath (and it’s the identical gripe I’ve with nearly each leather-based sheath available on the market at the moment). It’s right-hand carry solely. I’ve educated myself through the years to maintain my knife on my proper facet and switch it to my left hand, so that is removed from a deal-breaker. However I wished to make my fellow lefties conscious of the state of affairs.
Additionally, I like to recommend you resist the urge to loosen the pivot screw in hopes of accelerating the fluidity of the opening/closing of the knife. The Bleja isn’t meant to be quick; it’s meant to be sturdy and sturdy. Should you really feel the necessity to get a bit of extra fluidity out of the pivot, use a few of your favourite, food-grade lubricant and shoot a few drops across the pivot.
Conclusion
That is the second time I’ve reviewed the Helle Bleja. I first examined this knife in 2017, and I wished to see if something had modified in my method or opinions. I discover that the timelessness of its building displays in its efficiency through the years.
That mentioned, I’m not positive that I might choose a folding knife as my first selection for a bushcraft journey, however this Helle can deal with it. It’s very well made and might take the abuse you throw at it.
It’s additionally good to have a look at; I took a bit of additional delight in cleansing it up once I was performed utilizing it for this evaluate. I like to recommend utilizing a really mild quantity of olive oil on a rag to maintain the deal with scales conditioned. It’d simply be me, however I would like this knife to be right here for some time.
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