In the modern world it’s not practical for most of us to carry a belt knife on an everyday basis. I’ve been asked for a folding knife that would function like a Scandinavian utility knife for every day chores. I think these are good candidates. They're made in Eskilstuna, Sweden by EKA. EKA has been making knives since 1874. The blades are stainless Sandvik 12C27 hardened to 57 - 59 Rc for good edge retention. The edges are ground to an included angle of ~40 degrees for a good compromise between keenness and durability.
The EKA Compact is a simple folding knife for lightweight carry. The Sandvik
stainless blade is
about 2 1/4" long and .075" thick. The knife is about 3 1/2" closed. The handles are plastic with a brass lined lanyard hole.
I currently have Blue, Yellow, and Black. . It weighs a bit less than 1 1/2 ounces and is light enough to carry on your keychain,
but large enough for a decent grip. The price is only $15.
The Swede-38 is jsut a bit larger.. It has a 4" blue plastic handle, with stainless liners.
The stainless blade is about 3 1/8" long, 9/16" wide and .093" thick. It weighs about 2 3/4 ounces. $25
.
The Swede-38 Carbon is similar, but has a carbon blade for those who prefer it. .
The black plastic handle is about 4" long with brass liners.
The carbon steel blade is about 3 1/8" long, 9/16" wide and .095" thick.
The blade has been coated to help prevent rust. $27
Swede-88; The Swede-88 is a lockback folder in the tradition
of Scandinavian work knives, with a short sturdy blade and a full sized handle. The blade is
2 3/4" (70 mm) long and .065" thick. The handle is 4 1/8". It's very light, and a sample went about 2 1/4 ounces. The handle is a single piece of Babinga wood. This is one of the
most popular folders in the EKA line.
Swede-88 Oak; The Swede-88 Oak is the same knife with an oak handle.
I think they are quite attractive. $39.
The Swede-Masur is a variation with a handle of oil finished Masur birch. This is the tradtional wood for
premium Scandinavian knives. It's lighter in color than cocobola, and often has a striking grain. $49.
The Swede-S8 is another varaition, intended for heavier duty. The blade and back spring are thicker
at .104" (2.7 mm), and it locks up very solidly. It's a bit heavier as well, at just under 3 ounces. It's supplied
with a neatly made leather belt sheath. This model has been discontinued, but some have surfaced in the werehouse. $77.
The Swede-60 is a bit lighter in the pocket at about 4 ounces. The slender
stainless blade is about 3 5/8" long and .104" thick. This one has the blade release about a third of the way back
so you can close the blade with one hand, by pressing the release and folding the blade against your leg or
some other surface. There is a lanyard loop that can be folded into the handle when not in use. The handle
is Bubina wood with hidden brass liners. About 4 1/2" closed, it weighs about 4 1/4 onces. $38.
The Nordic T8 is a heavy duty folder. The 3 1/8" blade
is about .1" thick. The lock is released by depressing the lanyard tab so the back of
the knife is smooth. It comes with brass liners and checkered Bubinga wood scales.
About 4 3/4" long closed, it weighes about 5 1/4 ounces. Supplied with a leather belt
pouch in a presentation gift box, the price is $95.
#JoF-7; The stock number stands for “Jaktmarker och Fiskevatten”,
which is a Swedish hunting and fishing magazine similar to Field and Stream in the US. The
knife a result of a collaboration of the magazine staff and the EKA designers. The blade is
just over 7 cm long (2 3/4") and has about 3 inches of cutting edge. It's about 1/8" (.127")
thick There is a shallow cutout on the back of the blade as a guide for the index finger when using the knife with the edge
up for opening a large animal. The handle feels quite good in my average sized hand. It's
shaped to help keep your hand from moving forward without the nuisance of a guard.
The tang extends the length of the 4 1/4" cocobola handle but is only exposed on the
upper side for user comfort. The pouch style sheath holds the knife
securely without the nuisance of a keeper strap, and the belt loop will accept belts up to 2". This is a knife designed for experienced hunters by
experienced hunters. $89.
#JoF-7 Masur; is an upscale version with a Masur (curly) birch
handle. $99.
#W11; This is a stout wilderness knife with a 4 3/8" blade, 1 1/8" wide and
.150" (more than an eighth of an inch) thick. The tang extends the length
of the 4 1/2" cocobola handle. The handle is well shaped so you can apply maximum pressure to the blade. The pouch style sheath holds the knife securely, and the belt loop will accept
belts up to 2". It's very different than most of the Nordic knives I carry, but I have to admit it has a solid feel and gives a great sense of confidence. This is a knife that will take a lot a abuse without failing. $109
#S11; This is a stout wilderness or hunting knife. The blade
has a gut hook, and is about 4 1/4" long, 1 1/8" wide and .155" thick. The tang extends the length of the 4 1/2" cocobola handle.
The handle is well shaped so you can apply maximum pressure to the blade. The pouch
style sheath holds the knife securely, and the belt loop will accept belts up to 2". It's very
different than most of the Nordic knives I carry, but I have to admit it has a very solid feel
and gives a great sense of confidence. This is a knife that will take a lot a abuse without failing. $105.
#H8; Here's a shorter version with a 3 1/8" drop point blade,
7 1/4" overall. It has the same blade thickness (.150"), so it's really stout. This one has an interesting grind.
The main bevel runs from the edge to the spine of the blade, with only a slight secondary bevel. This
allows a thick blade while retaining good slicing characteristics. The tang
extends the length of the 4" cocobola handle. The handle is well shaped so you can apply
maximum pressure to the blade. The pouch style sheath holds the knife securely, and the belt loop
will accept belts up to 2". 
#A-10; The “Allround” is an all-purpose bushcraft knife. Again,
the full tang extends the length of the babinga handle, but is only exposed on the upper side
for user comfort. The Sandvik stainless blade is a bit over 4” long, 1 1/8” wide and .153” thick.
It’s a bit straighter than the W11 blade. The neatly crafted sheath partly enfolds and
protects the handle, and has a snap retainer. The belt loop will accept belts up to about 2 3/4”. The knife and sheath weigh almost 8 1/2 ounces. $85
#A-10 Masur; is an upscale version of the "Allround" with a
handle of Masur (curly) birch. $110.
The Folding Fillet Knife is handy for fishermen who prefer a knife in the
pocket rather than on the belt. The one piece Babinga handle is about 6 1/4" long. The locking blade is
about 5 1/8" long, 11/16" (.7") wide, and .06" thick. Despite it's substantial size, it only weighs 2 1/2
ounces. $35.
The Folding Combi Saw is quite a cleaver piece of kit. It comes with three blades, an
aggressive bow saw blade for wood, a blade for bone, and a long hacksaw blade for metal. The blades not in use
fold into the aluminum frame, and there are no loose parts to get lost. The saw folds into a package 17” long, 2 1/2” wide, and 3/4”
thick. It weighs just under 13 ounces. The trim is orange so you can find it in the bush. $34.
Leather Sheaths; for those who prefer to carry their folder on the belt.
These are heavy weight full grain leather with snap fasteners. Supplied in a gift box, there are three sizes;
Elk Skin Sheath; for those who prefer to carry their folder on the belt. The elkskin sheaths are lighter in weight and dyed a rich brown. For knives up to about
4". $19.
EKA Nylon Sheath; for those who prefer to carry their folder on the belt.
It will take a knife up to about 5 1/2" long, and closes with a Velcro fastener. $5.
Nylon Sheath; this is a generic Nylon sheath.
It will take a knife up to about 4 1/2" long, and closes with a Velcro fastener. It takes the
#88 very comfortably, and will just take the #60. $3.
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