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Benchmade Unveils Scaled Up Sequel to the Puukko

April 3, 2020

Benchmade is releasing a beefier brother to its popular 200 Puukko model. Called the 202 Leuku, the new knife scales up the blade and handle to create a knife optimized for heavier outdoor chores.

Compared to its little sibling, the Leuku is a significantly larger proposition. Its blade runs out to 5.19 inches long – almost an inch and a half longer than the Puukko’s. Its drop point blade shape is very similar to that on the Puukko, but the extra length imparts more width and sweep, creating a subtle but distinct aesthetic difference. This length and shape situate the Leuku at the heavy duty end of the bushcrafting spectrum: chopping, hacking, and other high impact outdoors tasks all fall within the Leuku’s wheelhouse.

As they did on the Puukko, Benchmade chose 3V for this knife. 3V is a semi-stainless steel famous for its toughness and general impact resistance. Among the steels that Benchmade typically employs, it is the obvious choice for the rough and tumble chores the Leuku is made for. According to Benchmade, the 3V on the Leuku in particular benefits from a new heat treat that brings the hardness up to HRC 60 – 62, potentially imbuing it with a bit more edge retention.

The Leuku’s handle will be a familiar sight to any owner of the Puukko. It takes the barrelish shape of traditional Sami knives and modernizes it a bit, adding more defined curvature and a lanyard hole at the butt end. The Santoprene handle texturing is the same prehistoric scale pattern as on the Puukko. Unsurprisingly, the meatier blade and scaled up size mean the Leuku is heavier than the Puukko, weighing in at 5.31 oz. It comes with a leather sheath that includes a loop for a ferro rod.

This is the first new release from Benchmade since its flurry of SHOT Show models at the beginning of the year. It is also the first fixed blade release from the company since the debut of the Mini SOCP in July of 2019.

Benchmade says the Leuku will be available on April 29th.

Knife in Featured Image: Benchmade 202 Leuku

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