Anybody else order from Varustaleka?

JanykShorrths

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Has anybody else ever ordered anything from Varusteleka? I couldn't find any other threads mentioning them. They're a Finnish military surplus store/brand. They carry all the usual surplussy gear like backpacks, mess kits, etc. with more of a focus on European armed forces. They also have their own in-house line of gear. Most of it seems fairly expensive, but there are a couple reasonably priced items.

I decided to check out one of their knives, a full tang puukko style fixed blade for $33. It's not the cheapest knife out there but I'm kind of obsessed with blades and it looked like a good cross between price and quality. So far I'm impressed. It seems like a pretty sweet value for the quality of steel used and how sturdy it is. This thing is a beast. The blade is super beefy, the handle is really comfy in my paws and it came ridiculously sharp. I don't worry about beating it up, and it's just a boring basic looking thing, not super flashy. Here's a crappy pic of it with a sheath I made and some wood shavings for stupid cutesy effect.

knife.jpg


I also tried out some hardware for modifying gear. A couple D rings, chord cincher thingies, etc. All of it was only $1 or $2 and seems really durable so far.

One downside is the shipping time. My stuff took about two weeks to arrive. Not terrible since it was coming from Finland but still, something to consider.

Has anybody else ordered anything from here? It seems like there could be other useful items to be had for reasonably cheap.
 
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Minky

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Ben's Backwoods also carry a good selection of knives and other bushcraft gear. I ordered a mora knife and a leather sheath from there. The sheath has a leather loop for a firesteel, very handy.
 
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JanykShorrths

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@Minky Yeah I tried some basic notches and batoned some branches up to about 3" and it seemed to work well. I'll have to check out Ben's Backwoods. I've got a Mora Companion myself and love it. I think it's about the best knife you can get for that price.

@A Simple Step Van Thanks man! It's definitely not perfect but my stitching is getting better.
 

dumpster harpy

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I actually just ordered a pair of boots and insoles from them.

I really like the site. Finnish humor abounds in the descriptions and reviews, and if you look around you can find what appear to be good deals on some very serious gear. I've never looked closely at Northern European surplus equipment, but Varusteleka changed that.

Edit: also I picked up a Mora Robust not too long ago and it is the bees knees
 
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Art101

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Love that site,prices are usually better then a lot of US sites and they have some interesting stuff.My main issue is sizing lol.
 

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