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© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved

Jan Steffen

  • Helle Knives
  • Knife maker
  • Holmedal, Bergen, Norway
  • Master Artisan
Jan Steffen Knife maker
Contact
Norwegian, English, German
Hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00 - 15:00
Phone:
+47 57733500
© All rights reserved

A family passion

  • • The Helle factory is located in a remote village in Norway
  • • The company's first knife was the traditional tollekniv
  • • All its designs are rooted in Scandinavian culture

The hand and the machine should work together, and knives should be both functional and aesthetically beautiful: ever since 1932 this has been the philosophy of Helle, a family business which today is a well known brand in Norway and abroad. Current owners Svein-Erik Helle and Jan Steffen are the third generation in the family, continuing the work of their ancestors. Jan was fortunate enough to learn from a real master, his grandfather Sigmund, who mastered some 45 manual steps that go into the making of a knife. A metals engineer who started out as a welder, Jan decided to work for the oil industry before returning to Helle almost ten years ago.

Read the full interview

Works

  • Helle© Camilla Nielsen
  • Helle©Anthony Awaken
  • ©Helle
  • Helle©Roman Kahler
Photo: Helle© Camilla Nielsen
Arv with kuksa

Arv (Norwegian for “heritage”) is a contemporary take on the traditional Scandinavian knife. The stacked handle is a combination of Helle’s preferred materials – curly birch, leather and stag horn – and the blade is made of mirror-polished laminated stainless steel. The knife comes with a brown leather sheath. A kuksa is a wooden Nordic drinking cup traditionally made of carved birch burl.”

Length 10.4 cm
Length 8.7 cm
Length 8.7 cm

Photo: Helle©Anthony Awaken
Bleja, with autumn gloves

This sturdy knife has a stainless-steel mechanism so that the laminated stainless-steel blade can be folded into the curly birch handle, enabling it to fit safely in your pocket. The knife comes with a brown leather sheath.

Length 11.7 cm
Length 8.5 cm
Length 8.5 cm

Photo: ©Helle
Nying, with sheath

Nying is a timeless piece, a Helle classic. Designed by Tor Indergaard in 1977, it features a stocky, curly birch handle and a short laminated stainless-steel blade, making it excellent for carving. The leather sheath features a cut-out in a traditional Norwegian pattern.

Length 9 cm
Length 7 cm
Length 7 cm

Photo: Helle©Roman Kahler
Trofé in snowfall

Trofé (“trophy”) contrasts dark and light materials that Helle has worked with for over 80 years. The drop-point, triple-laminated stainless-steel blade makes it excel at a variety of cutting tasks. The curved handle combines darkened oak, leather inlets, stag horn and curly birch. The knife comes with a brown leather sheath.

Length 111 cm
Length 927 cm
Length 927 cm

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