So the mail lady finally came. A little late, but who would want to be out in this weather. It actually arrive a "business" day early. The WAS "Shark" was suppose be here Tuesday. There is enough water in my yard it could have swam here.
Man all I can say is it is way better in hand to me. If anyone is biased it would be me since I originally designed it on paper, but Allen is phenomenal at making this thing come to life. I put the knife on my drawing here at the house and it matched within about 1/16" in length difference. I would attribute this to final grinding and shaping. The real deal gives tangibility to a simple thought on paper. I always wanted a "mini-Bushfinger" in SS. Never could find anything that could fill that role. Guess this is one way to get it.
I'm sure a lot of you have seen the pics either here in the WAS forum or in the Allen's "new model" thread in the Fiddleback forum. I will post a pic here of the new "prize" possession next to my Bushfinger for context.
Later I can provide a real use opinion, but for now my first impression is quite positive. Fair to a true review or first impression the only lacking quality for me would be its not a tapered tang. I did not request or indicate tapered tang because of the smaller size, but my hand is familiar with my tapered tang Bushfinger. Also maybe just a touch more handle length, say 1/8" or 5/32" would make a 4 finger grip more natural. Anyone with larger than average hands may not find a 4 finger grip possible or comfortable. For me I can utilize both a 4 or 3 finger grip. Adds a bit of dexterity with the 3 finger grip and more secured grip with 4.
I must say I love the swedge. Not too "tacticool" but adds a touch of flare. Makes the spine profile quite attractive. I know it makes the tip more delicate, but for me it's a suitable loss for the overall appeal.
The scales Allen had chose from are amazing. I just wanted blue. The two tone is superb and the contrasting pins just add to the overall appearance. I like that Allen vertically centered the trinity pins as my rendition had them lower.
I live in SW Louisiana (near where Andy is originally from) and carbon steel, while popular, takes a beating from the salty atmosphere and salt/brackish water. This is my first custom fixed blade in SS and CPM154 is quite the workhorse SS. Couldn't be more pleased with that aspect.
On to the pants, sheath or scabbard; whichever you prefer. I delayed receiving this knife to have Bud (Bonafide: JouFuu) make a sheath for the new jewel. Since the Shark is a new model, Bud needed the knife to model. Luckily he is a Fiddleback Shark himself and had a knife to pick-up. Bud took the knife and crafted the scabbard at my request. It too is quite amazing. I really like the size, weight, and especially then "alpha wolf" tooling. I'm a big working dog enthusiast so the K-9 relation appeals to me. The lighter stitching provides a two tone looks and shows off the straight lines. The retention and Bud's belt loop design is such that it can be confidently carried in the vertical or horizontal position. I plan to use both as I will EDC this knife at times.
Together the package is pretty much my "grail" when it comes to smaller fixed blades. This is a knife of special origin and I don't intend to part with it.
Thank you Allen (WAS Knives) and Bud (JouFuu Leather) for your craftsmanship. You both have great talent and produced one hell of a package. I'm sure you both will have continued success with products such as these. I would also like to thank Andy with Fiddleback forge for turning me on to quality hand made fixed blades and mentoring Allen in the craft. Without Fiddleback I may never have known of Allen and WAS knives. My best to you all!
