FIELD TEST

To see if Varusteleka's Terava knife would live up to its description, I took it high up into the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, an unrelenting and harsh environment, to test its abilities. 

Batoning

To test the batoning capability of the Terava, I selected a piece of very twisted Cottonwood and split it into kindling.

Again -- no problem. 

Finally, the Dutch duo hammered the knife sideways into a log and then the big guy, who is built like a viking, stood on the blade and BOUNCED on it to try and break it. I dropped him a question in the comments section and he revealed that it was a Terävä Jääkäripuukko 140, carbon (140 for short).

I really liked the look of it, so I ordered one.

Sticking to simplicity is often wise, but a surprising number of manufacturers somehow manage to botch their sheaths up completely.

Personally, and depending on what pack I am using, I carry it either in or inside of the side pockets of my backpack, or sometimes inside of the pack. In the video, they tried to destroy a knife with a name that was most certainly NOT easy to remember - the "Terava Jaakaripuukko" (try pronouncing that with your friends at your next bushcraft gathering!).

Although they cut well enough for a survival knife, they are definitely not great for fine carving tasks. When I finally got the chance to make these ideas into a real life knife it was simple, everything was thought out:

The recipe:

• A long, gently formed handle that would give great hitting power for long swings, this would be the knives primary function.
• As a secondary function I wanted the handle to also offer a good grip for detailed work.
• Simple and strong construction, full tang and moulded rubber grip.

After a few drawing we got to work with Laurin Metalli, one of the biggest named in the Finnish puukko and blade industry [the same blade manufacturer as for the Peltonen Sissipuukko].

No gaps, or slipping, yet changing grip was smooth without the tacky feeling that sometimes comes with rubber grips.

The full tang extends out to end of the handle in a loop configuration that allows a lanyard to be attached should you choose. The rest of the blade, however, is sharpened at 32°, which gives a less keen, but more durable edge, designed for heavy chopping.

Having tried this quite a bit I can comfortable say that it works surprisingly well, even if the sharpening is a bit trickier due to this.

The Terävä Skrama can quite comfortably chop pine branches about 5cm / 2in thick in a single cut, even at straight angle.

the Finn-Savotta factory in Estonia. Although it's a Scandi grind, from a splitting perspective, the way the Terava is ground is similar to the SRK's Sabre grind which helps to wedge the wood open as it passes through the log.