A few months ago, I bought a Helle Fjellkniven to be my bushcrafting/outdoor knife. Over the past few months, however, I found out that the scandi grind on the knife isn't really my thing, which results in me pushing the knife harder than it is supposed to. Because it is a very pretty knife, I don't want to abuse it too much, so I decided to look for another knife for outdoor use, and keep the Helle for special occasions.
My criteria were simple... the knife had to have a convex grind, a full-tang construction and about the same size as the Helle. Browsing the web showed me many wonderful knives that matched the criteria, but they were all way over my budget. After some searching I finally found a good knife that, with its € 100,- price tag, fits decently within my budget and matches all my criteria: The Fällkniven F1
Fällkniven is a Swedish company, but the steel for their knives is manufactured in Japan by a company called Takefu Special Steel. Just like the Helle, this knife also has a laminated steel. The majority of the knife is made from 420J2, which is a relatively soft but very tough steel, and the cutting portion of the knife is made from a very hard, but relatively brittle, steel called VG10. So by combining the VG10 and 420J2, the knife is very durable and keeps an edge very well.
The knife has a full-tang construction, which basically means that the metal of the knife retains its full thickness through the whole length of the handle, which makes the knife very tough. The knife has a convex grind with a secondary micro-bevel with a V-edge. If you don't know what it all means, don't worry; it means that the knife is very sharp and will cut very smoothly.
The blade is about 97mm (or 3,8") long and the steel is 4mm thick; so it's nice and beefy, but not too beefy. It weighs about 150 grams, which is actually a good bit lighter than my Victorinox Workchamp. The handle is made from some kind of synthetic material. It feels a bit rubbery, but it's very solid and appears very durable too. The knife comes with a simple, slim and functional sheath which is made from a synthetic material called "Zytel", and fits absolutely perfectly in my EDC bag.
In conclusion, the Fällkniven F1 seems to be a very nice knife and gets very good reviews; and I can't wait to use it outdoor