Roselli Carpenter - R110 Review

Roselli Carpnter feels just right in the hand

A superb general purpose back country knife suitable for all basic camp tasks - basic food prep, cutting cordage  / plaster and will excel at whittling everything from tent pegs to spatula's. These knives will also step up to the plate in an emergency situation to split down modestly sized wood to expose dry wood for fire starting or to use to size kindling for a portable backpacking wood burning stove. The knife also excells at feather sticks and can take on larger wood crafting duties such as temporary shelter building and so on within reason.

It was a picture of a Roselli Carpenter similar to the one I have taken above that started my journey into an appreciation of this classic style of knife. Similar knives to these have been used for generations by Northern Scandinavian peoples such as the Sami reindeer herders.

Here's the shocker - The weight of  these knives is actually 'less' than my Swiss Army knife and only 20g more than my Ettrick single blade pocket knife.

That is not to say the parting of my ways from a SAK or my Ettrick for that matter would be easy. The SAK has a number of tools which I regularly use - scissors in particular and the can opener gets occasional use, and the Ettrick excels at small whittling tasks.

Before finally purchasing this knife I looked at many similar knives by Ahti, Roselli, Helle, Lapin, Tommi, Kellam and others. All these Scandinavian manufacturers produce traditionally inspired designs which cover the two basic traditional designs - big knives for chopping / splitting duties - and small knives which do the detail carpentry, food prep and dressing of game. The larger knives are termed 'Leuku' and the smaller ones, (smaller being a relative term) are called 'Puukko'. I was in the market for a Puukko.

As a regular trail walker I wanted a modestly sized fixed blade knife, light in weight, to be carried alongside a multi-tool or Swiss Army knife.  I was specifically looking for a general purpose knife that could provide service both in the camp kitchen and for general camp duties, that could be sharpened easily and would hold an edge for a long time. Also a tool able to step up to the plate in a survival or emergency situation should the need arise.

For the odd occasions that I had needed a larger knife in the past, I had carried a kitchen knife such as the Victorinox Rabbit knife from the cutlery drawer at home alongside my pocket knife. Knives such as these perform well for food prep and paring but do not carve / whittle wood very well and are supplied without a sheath so carrying them around is not really very convenient. I have also owned and used classic style Mora knives in the past which are great - but once I had seen the Carpenter.... 

Few would disagree that this knife has an aesthetic appeal - from any angle this knife has the appearance of a small work of art. I also liked the rustic look of a tool which is designed to be used. Although the design is created by Roselli himself a self taught knife maker from Finland, his design is clearly inspired by the style of knife that has been used by the Northern Indigenous peoples of Europe for centuries - the Puukko.  Interestingly the Roselli Carpenter knife has evolved over time, Earlier models do look slightly different to the current model. Roselli also offers a variety of steels for the blade - standard or UHC, which stands for Ultra High Carbon. Mine is the standard hardness as I suspect it will be easier to field sharpen. 

The Handle:

As with many knives from the Nordic countries the blade is inserted into an ergonomic handle usually of curly arctic birch, as with the Carpenter, or a similar wood. Inevitably this arrangement is not likely to be as strong as a full tang bushcraft knife for use say as a pry bar, or for batoning wood . On the other hand the blend of less metal and more wood leads to a considerably lighter and more comfortable and dextrous knife that is still adequately strong for general purposes. The handle of this knife for my medium sized hands feels perfect. In fact I have never held a knife that felt so right in the hand, with no metal touching my hand anywhere. This knife unbelievably weighs no more than my Swiss Army Climber, yet still manages to feel absolutely solid. The other thing of note is the lack of a finger guard.  This means that the knife will not be suitable for a stabbing type action, if this matters to you. On the other hand it leads to a very controllable blade with a super comfortable grip when carving. With appropriate use your finger is not likely to be nicked by the blade, indeed I have not so far cut myself or come anywhere near. The curly birch feels warm to the touch and grips really well, especially when damp or wet. All four fingers are easily accommodated in a variety of hand grips. Extended knife use does not leave any hot spots for me.  

The Blade:

From the super sharp fine pointed tip, the blade has a sharply curved belly which then leads to a straight edge which runs up to the handle. The standard blade is forged from 58C carbon steel and is 3mm thick at the spine, tapering to a fine point at the tip. Roselli has put a typical Scandinavian grind onto the blade which is very easy to sharpen either by sharpening the full bevel to a perfect and true zero Scandi grind for the ultimate razor edge or by placing a secondary bevel which creates a strong edge for general use. The knife arrives with a very slight secondary bevel. The overall length of the blade is 80mm.  The steel blade although of fine high quality steel has been left with the forge marks and black finish so looks very rustic. Personally I really like this but this may not appeal to everyone.

Personally I would prefer slightly more of a drop point along the spine towards the tip which would bring the point slightly lower to create the ultimate carving knife for me.  This is more of a preference of my own than a criticism however as this may detract the knife form its other general purpose duties. 

So How does the knife perform in use?

The main use of a knife on the trail for me at least is slicing salami's, chorizo and other cooked meats, dicing shallots to pep up my trail rations, chopping garlic, slicing up apples and other fruit and the occasional wild edible. It also needs to open food packaging and act as a knife as in knife and fork - in my case knife and spork. It also needs to cut cordage, and plaster and repair tape and may be used occasionally for prepping line caught mackerel and also for whittling tent pegs, toggles, small chopping boards, rough spatulas and splitting down small kindling for a portable wood stove. So how does it perform? 

I was expecting the knife to easily dispatch these duties, but in actual fact the knife is not fantastic at 'all ' these functions. Of course no knife can be perfect at everything. This is no fault of the manufacture or quality of the knife, but is more of a factor to do with the scandi grind which acts like a spitting wedge when say halving an onion. However, it will take very fine slices from the edge of say an onion, if you angle the knife so that the grind edge sits flush with the direction of cut.  It chops garlic easily and is a dream to peel vegetables with - its just so comfortable. Acting as a regular knife as in knife and spork it also peforms well  - look out plastic plates if you use them! it will score deep marks in them. Food packets are very easily sliced open. 

The next most likely use is that of a utility knife for cutting say plaster, cord, rope, bandage and the like. The knife performs here as a knife through butter, super sharp and effortless. 

Whittling and Carving duties. Needless to say this knife is perfect for these sorts of camp duties as per its name  - the 'Carpenter' - replacement tent pegs or whatever else takes your fancy are yours within moments with the right skills. I am more than happy to make pegs with either green or even seasoned wood from the forest floor with this knife. The knife can be sharpened to a very fine cutting edge, so I would take knife safety very seriously indeed. 

Can it split firewood? Inevitably this question seems to be the thing that defines a suitable knife for back country 'survival' use for many. The answer is 'yes it will within reason'  - The knife is sturdy and the blade is long enough for say up to 5cm diameter logs. However, I do not intend using this knife for this function myself. I do not believe  a push tang knife is really designed to be used with a baton and if this is your 'main' priority from a knife maybe look more to a full tang full on heavy duty bushcraft knife. On the other hand I think in all other regards this knife is better suited to camp duty than what we now call a bushcraft knife. For the heavier chopping jobs the Sami would have presumably deployed the Leuku. If regular chopping is needed maybe consider one of the Leuku knives?  Roselli makes an attractive traditionally inspired Leuku, which is still super light compared to say carrying an axe. 

Cutting meat and gutting fish:

Super sharp nimble blade, I have opened up mackerel and have had great control of the initial cut due to the super sharp point and razor blade edge. The lack of  a finger guard could be an issue if you were cutting deep inside a large animal carcass but this is not an issue for me with the odd fish. Roselli does produce a dedicated hunting knife with a sort of finger guard worked into the handle and a slightly more clipped blade tip. I have sharpened my Carpenter to a zero bevel, so any contact with bone could roll the edge. I could easily put a secondary bevel back on the knife if I were using the knife for regular game prep. Main issue for me though is that carbon steel is prone to tarnishing and rust around sea water, and the sheath is prone to damp. So the knife will do the job, but consideration needs to be made to the grind and maintaining the knife correctly by ensuring it is dried and oiled after use. This is not a knife that will live well in a damp fishing box. Also there exists the tiniest of gaps around where the blade inserts into the handle which will be very hard to clean say dried blood from. 

Sheath:

The carpenter is supplied with a vegetable tanned leather sheath which appears very Nordic and traditional. It may not appeal to everyone's taste but personally I really like it. The sheath could be worn on the belt, 38mm max belt width, but I generally will stow such a knife inside my pack when on the move, especially anywhere near civilization. Technically this knife is not a UK legal carry unless you have good reason for doing so. Most likely carrying a camping knife on the trail whilst carrying and using camping gear would be OK, effectively its the kitchen knife and camp knife, but its probably best to not have it on show anywhere that may create the wrong impression. Also be mindful when travelling on public transport, especially using the underground or indeed anywhere a bag search could occur. There are laws which cover 'concealment' and 'intent'.

The knife is very light for its size and a leather thong or paracord around the neck and through the sheath loops would make this knife a great neck knife around camp. The tanned leather picks up dirt and stains easily due to its pale colour. I intend to rub some bees wax or fat into the leather in time. There is a plastic tip liner which slightly catches the knife tip if you mis-align it when placing the knife in the sheath. Not a biggie but careful insertion is required. The sheath is a tight fit on the knife handle and I have not been concerned about the knife coming out. It does not 'click' to fit, it relies on friction to stay put. 

Conclusion: 

Overall I am super happy with this knife which I purchased for £60.00 from Lamnia Finland.  Not a cheap purchase when you consider that you could have 3 or 4 Mora knives for the the price of this one. However I do not intend buying another Puukko in this life so in the fullness of time I am sure this will still represent great value. I was kept well informed during the delivery process and everything went smoothly. If you need a comfortable great looking camp knife and like the traditional carbon steel rusticity and provenance then look no further. This is what Roselli says about his designs:

"Smith Heimo Roselli refuses to build any non-functional or unnecessary attributes in his knives. The unessential is detrimental"

I agree that Heimo Roselli has acheived his aims here and has produced a very practical light weight tool that is a joy to hold and will perform its intended function without fuss. If you need to Baton wood consider the Roselli Leuku, if you need the choil / finger guard consider the Roselli Hunter - however both are heavier.

The main advantage of this knife the Scandinavian grind and fairly thick solid blade also provides its disadvantage - the knife splits food when halving rather than slicing through the middle of things like apples or onions. This is a concern only if you prefer a dedicated camp cooking knife and you are not too worried about other duties. A full flat grind can be better at slicing and dicing.  A knife such as the Enzo necker 70 flat grind may suit you better. On the other hand for a general purpose knife which is a joy to use and handle with wood and that can also perform all the other main camp tasks then the Carpenter by Roselli may be a hard one to beat. As an added bonus, if I were stuck out in a wilderness setting and I had to create a quick shelter, split down some modest kindling and make a fish trap, digging stick or improvise fishing gear then I would feel very secure with this knife in hand.

Some other great light weight small sheath knives with an historic or other pedigree to consider:

Mora/ Frosts - Great blades in high quality carbon or stainless, budget looking plastic handles and sheaths are not to my taste, although no doubt very ergonomic and in many respects very practical. The classic range however is still supplied with the original red ochre colored wooden handles which appeal to me.  Models such as the classic 2/0 make a great buy. 

Enzo - In particular the Necker 70 - Half the cost of the Roselli in kit form and available in full flat grind or scandi grind depending upon your preference. Although smaller it finishes up about the same weight as the Roselli as it has a full tang, so may be a better choice for splitting wood for kindling in Scandi grind or better at slicing and dicing in full flat grind. Also available in stainless or carbon. 

Grohmann- Bird and Trout - Great looking Canadian full tang knife similar price point to Roselli Carpenter here in the UK. Choice of grind, ergonomic handle and option of stainless steel which would make this great if you Canoe or Sail as well as Hike. They also produce a dedicated boat / yacht knife. The sheaths look to be very high quality and comes in many styles to suit.

A Wright & Sons - Green River knife - A traditional all purpose basic camp knife modeled on the 'trapper' knives supplied to the Canadian fur traders back in the day,  a knife then with an historic pedigree - this time from an English cutler from Sheffield England. Excellent price point for the quality and super light in weight for something so adaptable. Also available with a shorter clipped point blade called a boating knife, it would work brilliantly for opening up freshly caught fish, as well as cutting cordage and food prep,

Thank you as always for reading

Way of the Backpacker.