Finnish Knives from Roselli
There are few places in the world where knives are more central to the
daily life and culture than Finland. The national epic myth,
the Kalevala, contains a story of the first 'smith,
and to many people the Puukko is synonymous with Scandinavian knife.
Heimo Roselli
"The arctic climate of Northern Finland makes its own demands on day-to-day living. The most
important tool there is the "Puukko", The Knife. It must carve and cut well. For the blade, only the
finest quality carbon steel is acceptable, steel which the smith will forge into a keen tool. For the
handle, attractive, seasoned curly birch. This noble tool grows in beauty the more you use it and
before you know it, you'll have fallen in love with it."
"Mastersmith Heimo Roselli refuses to build anything non-functional or unnecessary into his
knives. Each knife is the embodiment of the demands of the merciless Northland.
The unessential is detrimental."
This was taken from the Roselli catalog, and about says it all. These knives are all function and
no polish, but have a beauty of their own. The blades are forged to shape in dies, then finished by hand.
The upper sides of the blades still have the forge scale, and the bevels are ground cleanly to the edge
with little or no secondary bevel. They are very sharp and ready to work.
The steel is Krupp W75 with a carbon content of .7 - .8%, and they are
hardened to HRC 59 - 62. They are unique among the knives I carry in that they
are forged rather than ground to shape.
New from Roselli is the UHC (Ultra High Carbon) line. This is a proprietary steel
with a carbon content of 1.5 - 2.0%. It is hardened to HRC of 64 - 66 and is
said to hold an edge twice as long as the already excellent regular line.
However they are made, Roselli knives have a very classic minimalist style.
The knives are supplied with stout leather sheaths in the Scandinavian tradition.
They take much of the handle, and there are no snaps or straps to fool with.
This not only makes the knife instantly available, but also helps prevent loss.
The sheaths are lined with plastic to protect the knife and user.
The Roselli Hunter
#R100; The Roselli Hunter is stout all-around hunting and wilderness knife.
The blade is about 3 3/4" long and about 1/8" thick. The generous handle
is about 4 3/4" long. $97
The Roselli Hunter in UHC
#R200; The Roselli Hunter is stout all-around hunting and wilderness knife.
The blade is about 3 3/4" long and about 1/8" thick. The generous handle
is about 4 3/4" long. In UHC steel the price is $135
Out of Stock
The Roselli Hunter in UHC, Special Blade Length
#R200L; The longer blade length was requested by Russian customers, and this
version has been nicknamed the "Kamchatka Moose Hunter" by
Roselli staff. The blade is about 5 1/2" long, 1 1/8" wide, and 1/8" thick. The generous handle
is about 4 7/8" long with a diameter sized for average or
slightly larger hands,. It's still fairly light in the hand and wouldn't be tireing to use for long
sessions of game processing. .
The knife and sheath weight just 7 1/2 ounces.
In UHC steel the price is $169
The Roselli Opening Knife
#R161; The Roselli Opening Knife is the European version of a gut hook.
Since the edge cuts from the inside out, it doesn't get clogged with fur.
It's also useful for removing the flesh from legs, etc. The blade is about 3" long
and 1/8" thick. $79.
The Carpenter's Knife
R110; The classic puukko style with a narrow 3 1/4" blade. The blade is a
stout 1/8" thick, and shaped for fine work. This one feels really good to me,
and is the one I bought for myself before I became a dealer in Roselli knives.
The 4" handle is a bit smaller in diameter than the others, and this allows for
more finesse in use. It feels very good in my small to average sized hand.
The knife and sheath weigh just over 4 ounces.
The price is $79
The Carpenter's Knife in UHC Steel
R210; The Carpenter's knife done up in UHC steel. This would be quite the
knife for general carving and green woodworking. It comes with a dark
stained handle and sheath for $115 Out of stock, but on order
The Bear Claw in UHC Steel
R231; The Bear Claw combines a pointy 2 1/4" blade in UHC steel with the 4"
handle of the carpenter. It's a really serious woodcarving or detail knife.$85
The Little Carpenter
#R140; The Little Carpenter is intended as a first knife for children. It's sized for smaller
hands with a handle 3 3/4" long. The handle has a bit of a guard to help keep fingers
off the blade. The blade is just 2' long, and has a completely blunt point. The point
can be sharpened later if the child’s skills indicate it’s safe to do so. A leather sheath
is provided. $59
MAKE SURE TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO
USE A KNIFE. NEVER TAKE YOUR EYES OFF A CHILD WITH A KNIFE IN HIS OR HER HANDS.
RAGWEED FORGE MAKES NO CLAIMS AS TO THE SAFETY OF THIS OR ANY OTHER KNIFE.
Remember the edge is still sharp!
The Grandmother
R130; The Grandmother is a handy pocket sized knife for fine tasks and
craftwork. The blade is about 2 1/4" long, and the handle about 3 1/2".
The small size makes it particularly suitable for those with small hands.
In addition to being useful for woodcarving, it would make a nice paring knife.$59
The Grandfather's Knife with Wood Sheath
#R121; A stout 3" working blade in a wonderful curly birch and reindeer fur sheath.
This would make a great skinner or an excellent knife for the medieval
barbarian reenactor. Actually it would make an excellent knife for most
anyone. It's about 7" overall, and the generously sized handle is easy to grip when the hands
are cold or stiff. The price of the Grandfather in the wood sheath is $119
The Grandfather's Knife with Plain Sheath
#R120; This is the same knife in a stout leather sheath with a plastic liner.
The price is $85
The UHC Grandfather's Knife
R220; And once again for those folks who plan on doing a LOT of skinning,
the same knife in UHC steel and dark stained leather sheath. $125
The Roselli Leuku
#R150; The Roselli Leuku is a big knife. The leuku is the camp knife is of the
Saami (Laplander) people. It's used for everything from building shelters and
gathering firewood to butchering reindeer. This one has over 7" of blade and
5" of handle. The blade is a heavy 3/16" (.2" or 5 mm) thick, 1 3/8" wide, with
the balance forward for efficient chopping. The knife and sheath weight just under a pound. $145
The Roselli 5" Leuku
#R151; The Roselli 5" Leuku is still a handful. The oversized handle would
be best used by those with large hands. The leuku is the camp knife is of the
Saami (Laplander) people. It's used for everything from building shelters and
gathering firewood to butchering reindeer. This one has about 5" of blade and
almost 5" of handle. The blade is a stout 3/16" (.2" or 5 mm) thick. $140
The Roselli Bigfish
#R255; You would need a really big fish to require a knife like this. The blade is
about 8 1/4" long, 1 1/4" wide, and only .061" (1.5mm) thick. The handle is 4 7/8" long.
Despite the size, it's light and handy at just under 4 ounces. It's supplied with a belt sheath, but would be
just as much at home in the kitchen of a serious chief. Done in Roselli's UHC steel, the price is $163.
The Roselli Minnow
#R256; The Minnow is quite a bit smaller. The UHC blade is about 4 3/4" long, 13/16" wide, and only .039" thick.
The knife weighs only 1 3/4 ounces. Even with the birch handle it's said to float, although I didn't try it.
Again, it's supplied with a sheath, but would be a great food prep knife. $135
The Roselli LittleCook
#R700; The LittleCook is handy for chopping and dicing. The wide blade can be used to scoop the
chopped vegtables into the pot. The carbon steel blade is about 5 3/8" long, 2 3/8" wide at the base,
and .119" thick. The knife weighs about 6 ounces and comes with a wood storage block. $88
The Roselli Japanese Cook's Knife
#R710; The Japanese Cook's Knife is similar, but the blade is a bit longer and narrower. Again, the wide blade
can be used to scoop the chopped vegtables into the pot. The carbon steel blade is about 6 3/4" long,
a bit less than 1 3/4" wide, and .119" thick. The knife weighs about 5 3/4 ounces and comes with a wood
storage block. $91
The UHC Cook's Knife
#R755; The UHC Cook's Knife has a blade a bit over 8" long and only .060" thick. The handle is about 5"
long. The knife weighs only 6 1/4 ounces, and wouldn't be tiring to use for long periods. This would be
a good all around kitchen knife for the particular chef. It's supplied with a wood storage block for $189. Out of Stock
The UHC Kitchen Knife
#R756; The UHC Kitchen Knife also has a blade a bit over 8" long and .060" thick. The blade is narrower
however, and is only 1 1/4" wide. The handle is about 5"
long. The knife weighs about 5 1/4 ounces, and wouldn't be tiring to use for long periods. This would be
a good all around kitchen knife for the chef who prefers a narrower blade.
It's supplied with a wood storage block for $163
The UHC Fillet Knife
#R757; The UHC Fillet Knife has a 7 " blade that is about 7/8" wide and .052" thick. it has a bit of flex,
but not as much as the Minnow shown above. Despite the blade
length and full tang, the knife weighs only 4 1/2 ounces. . The handle is about 5"
long. It's supplied with a wood storage block for $163.
The UHC Root Crop Knife
#R758; The UHC Root Crop Knife is a prep knife with a handy 4" blade, about .038" thick. It has the full size
handle of the others, and weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. It's supplied with a wood storage block for $130.
The Roselli Ulu
#R740; The Ulu is the knife of the Inuit or Eskimo. It's used for skinning and butchering game, food preparation, making garments, and anything else that requires a sharp edge. The pattern goes back many centuries.
Like the Leukus, the Roselli Ulu is built much more heavily than similar items
from other makers. The blade is about .135" thick, or more than an eighth of an
inch. It's 7" wide and 4 3/4" tall. This is not your average kitchen chopper.
The blade is about 5" wide, and it's about 4 3/4" tall with the handle. It comes
with a storage block to protect the blade. $111 Out of Stock
The Roselli Garlic Knife
#R770; The Garlic Knife is made for cutting garlic cloves, but would make an excellent detail carving knife.
It would be ideal for the "carved engraving" often seen on wooden spoons and other kitchen artifacts.
The carbon steel blade is about 1 1/8" long, about 5/8" wide, and .071" thick. The hadle is about 4 3/4" long.
The knife weighs less than an ounce. It's supplied with a small cutting board and leather blade guard. $49
The Roselli Hatchet
#R860; The Roselli Hatchet is a modern multi-task tool. Besides functioning in
the usual way as a chopping tool, the thick wedge
shape of the blade makes
it unusually efficient for splitting with minimal chance of the blade getting
caught in the wood. The cut out in the blade, combined with the rounded form
of the head behind the cutout, make it easy to get your hand behind the edge
for shaving and carving. It can also be used to skin and dismember large game.
The stout edge is better able to stand up to bone and cartilage than the usual
thinner edge. I would expect this comes at some cost in chopping efficiency,
but most users seem pleased with the performance. There is even a small
hammer face on the back for pounding nails or tent pegs. The handle is about
14" long and the cutting edge is about 3 1/2". It's supplied with
a stout leather belt sheath. The whole outfit is quite light with a sample weighing
about 1 pound, 12 ounces including the sheath. The price is $97 Out of Stock
A replacement sheath is available for $16.
A replacement handle is available for $11.
The Roselli Axe
#R850; The Roselli Axe is the same head mounted on an 18" handle. The extra
length increases leverage, gives the option if using both hands for increased
power. Interestingly, two samples I tested weighed the same 1 pound, 12 ounces
as the shorter hatchet. I suppose there was a difference in wood density.
The price of the Axe is $99 Out of Stock
A replacement sheath is available for $16.
A replacement handle is available for $11. Out of stock
Roselli Blades are also available separately.
Shipping and handling is $6 per order (not per item) anywhere in the US.
Standard shipping is by Priority Mail, so please give me your mailing address, not your
UPS address. The $6 doesn't actually cover the cost in many cases, but it's
easy to calculate, and is my way of saying "thank you".
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county, I can calculate it for you, but you should expect it to be added. This applies only
to orders shipped to addresses within New York State.
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encrypted secure order form. If you prefer, you can FAX your order to
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are buying, and where to send it. Please include your e-mail
address.
If you don't have a FAX, you can call 716-731-3715. If your
timing is good, you can just speak to me and give me the order. If I'm not in
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If instant gratification is unavailable, you can always send a Postal
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Ragweed Forge
PO Box 326
Sanborn, NY 14132
The Postal Snail may be slow, but he's faithful and discreet. Checks may
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Everything on the page should be on hand and ready to ship. However some
items may be short supply, so if you are ordering by mail, you might want to
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(ragnar@ragweedforge.com).
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