Never

This year, heritage Norwegian knifemaker Helle and Naturkompaniet have teamed up to create a beautiful heirloom knife that combines elements from across Scandinavian Culture. Developed by a joint team of designers at Helle and Naturkompaniet and made by craftsmen at Helle’s factory on the West Coast of Norway, the Never combines many of the high-end materials and techniques that have been used and perfected in Scandinavian knife making across time.

The handle has a classic Norwegian shape with an ample belly and small fingerguard for a comfortable experience when using the knife. The high-friction centerpiece made by stacked birch bark is complemented by a combination of Curly Birch, Dyed Green Leather and Reindeer Antler front and end pieces.

The blade features a highly polished laminate steel (H3LS) blade, with a high-carbon core and a flexible and highly stainless outer layer. The razor-sharp blade features a classic scandi-grind, meaning that it excels for most tasks you need a knife for outside. The brown leather sheath comes with a belt loop for outdoor carry, and features an embossed Helle/Naturkompaniet logo and white counter-stitching.

Never (which means birch bark in Norwegian and Swedish) is a fantastic material for handles, as it is natural, sustainable, water-repellent and anti-bacterial – and it comes with the added benefit of being high-friction, thus making a very comfortable and secure grip. The method used for stacking the birch bark in this knife is a new technique that creates unique and long-lasting surfaces with multiple layers of bark.