Helle GT Review 2010/10/02
The Helle GT is a larger hunting style knife with a stunning
handle and sheath. It also comes with a handy finger guard. Let's see
what it's like out in the woods.
Design
One of the most important features of any knife is its handle. The Helle
GT does not disappoint and it’s a pleasure to hold the 4.5 inches of
Curly Birch that make up the handle. It’s smooth and fits the hand
perfectly. The guard comes out just enough to protect your finger but
not too far as to get in the way. You can see the tapered (rat tail)
tang poking out from the butt of the knife. I would have preferred a
full tang and surly for the size of the blade Helle have used here it
would have made more sense. A tapered tang is still not a bad thing
when in the right hands and Helle know how to make excellent knives.
However if you are going to be splitting wood for the fire or shelter
building then you should look for a full tang knife.
Blade
The blade is slightly longer than the average bushcraft knife and at 5
inches it’s no subtle knife. However this extra length will allow you to
split wood, and construct things slightly easier than shorter
alternatives. It’s made of Helle’s Triple Laminated Stainless Steel, no
complaints here either, very corrosion resistant and holds a fine edge.
A reservation about the Helle GT is its
balance in the hand. Even though the knife is wonderful to actually
grasp in the hand as soon as you relax your grip the blade becomes very
top heavy. It then tends to want to fall out of your hand! This
naturally happens with most knives, my Fjellbekk certainly does the
same. With the Helle GT the problem is worse as the blade is
longer and the tang not thick enough to balance it. This really makes me
worried about using the knife.
