Comprehensivist
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2008
- Messages
- 3,052
Intro:
2016 has been an active year for new designs coming out of Fiddleback Forge both in the handmade category and several more models added to the mid-tech production line-up.
Early in the year Andy introduced the Wingman, Renegade, and Maverick to the line-up. My first impression of these designs was that they didnt appeal to me visually with their top & bottom palm swell bumps and bent looking handles. Ill be the first to admit that looks can be deceiving at times. Unfortunately for most of us who dont live close enough to the Fiddleback shop to stop by and feel them first hand, that is all we have to go by.
There is no substitute for having a knife in hand to determine if it works for you or not. Most folks here go through a buy & try learning phase to determine what models and features they like best, then later sell or trade the others to fund more of what works best for them. That used to be easier to do efficiently than it is in todays slower market. With that consideration in mind, it is more important than ever to gather as much information as possible up front to make wise purchasing decisions.
Luckily for me, I have developed some great friendships on this forum that have made the discovery and research process easier for me because these people are willing to lend me their personal knives to evaluate and write about. That is how I got to try the Wingman as part of Phillip's (M4Super90) pass-around in March. In April, Andy was gracious enough to lend me his personal Maverick to check out to see
how these designs worked with a larger handle. I wrote my thoughts about the Maverick in this thread.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...leback-Maverick?highlight=Fiddleback+Maverick
In short, I came away impressed with the handle design on the Maverick. That feeling was further reinforced after I got to check out Andys personal Drop Point Maverick at the Blade Show. That was an impressive knife that he later featured in his family camping trip thread. I prefer the DPM blade option over the original trailing point design. I have since been on the lookout for a Drop Point Maverick in the right steel and handle configuration.
A couple of weeks ago Andy introduced the Bush Hermit. While there is no shortage of 4" blade bushcraft style knives to choose from these days, something about this design quickly caught my interest. From the early stand alone photos, it looked to me like the Bush Hermit has a taller and longer handle than the Fiddleback Bushcrafter which has long been my favorite model in this size category. I quickly sent off a PM to the shop ask for more information on how these two models compare.
When I saw that my good friend Peter (prom52) scored a Bush Hermit from the first batch, I sent him a PM to congratulate him on the score. Since I know that he also owns a Drop Point Maverick, I asked him which model he likes better and why. It was a little too early for him to make that determination yet, but he said he will keep me posted. I wanted his opinion because Peter knows my taste in Fiddlebacks as well as anyone. When I asked him which model he thought I would like better, his response was an offer to send me both knives to figure it out on my own. I couldnt turn down a generous offer like that.
Here are Peters two beautiful knives that I will be discussing here. An Osage Bush Hermit and Afzelia Burl Drop Point Maverick:
What follows are my impressions of both knives with a lot of comparison photos to other models too. I like to use comparison photos because they provide a reference point to models you may have and they also serve to point out subtle differences in design that may be significant to making their next Fiddleback purchase decision.
Specifications & Reference Photos:
Note: The length measurements referenced below use the top front edge of the handles as a starting point. That means handle length is from that location to the farthest point rearward and blade length is from there to the tip. Please bear in mind that these hand made knives and the measurements are based on a sample size of one. Some variation in handle thickness and/or contouring should be expected on each knife produced.
Bush Hermit:
OAL: 8.757
Blade Length: 4.120
Handle Length: 4.637
Steel & Thickness: .122 A2
Tang Type: Tapered
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Osage over natural & white pinstripes
Weight: 5.1 ounces
Blade Height @ Plunge Line: 1.310
Handle Measurements @ Front: 1.133 High, .780 Wide, & 3.421 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Palmswell: 1.251 High, .814 Wide, & 3.716 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Back: 1.056 High, .762 Wide, & 3.254 Circumference
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Center of Palmswell: 2.342
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Balance Point: .985
Drop Point Maverick:
OAL: 8.215
Blade Length: 3.854
Handle Length: 4.361
Steel & Thickness: .116 A2
Tang Type: Tapered
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Afzelia Burl over natural & white pinstripes
Weight: 4.6 ounces
Blade Height @ Plunge Line: 1.160
Handle Measurements @ Front: 1.175 High, .728 Wide, & 3.310 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Palmswell: 1.314 High, .799 Wide, & 3.815 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Back: 1.120 High, .745 Wide, & 3.279 Circumference
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Center of Palmswell: 1.894
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Balance Point: 1.016
Comparison Photos & Observations:
Andys profile designs are always a series of curved lines that flow together to create an ergonomic sense of balance that has to be felt to be really appreciated. I have added a straight line here to help you visualize what I am talking about. I love how the tip of the blades align with the centerline of the handles. That is part of what makes them a joy to work with on many tasks.
This back-to-back photo shows the distinct difference in handle design between these two models. The BH is a more traditional handle shape compared to the compound curves on the DPM.
In this edge-to-edge view lined up on the back edge of the guards, you will notice that center of the palm swell on the DPM sits further forward on the handle than the BH. Even considering the difference in handle lengths, the palm swell position on the BH is more perfectly centered than the DPM.
2016 has been an active year for new designs coming out of Fiddleback Forge both in the handmade category and several more models added to the mid-tech production line-up.
Early in the year Andy introduced the Wingman, Renegade, and Maverick to the line-up. My first impression of these designs was that they didnt appeal to me visually with their top & bottom palm swell bumps and bent looking handles. Ill be the first to admit that looks can be deceiving at times. Unfortunately for most of us who dont live close enough to the Fiddleback shop to stop by and feel them first hand, that is all we have to go by.
There is no substitute for having a knife in hand to determine if it works for you or not. Most folks here go through a buy & try learning phase to determine what models and features they like best, then later sell or trade the others to fund more of what works best for them. That used to be easier to do efficiently than it is in todays slower market. With that consideration in mind, it is more important than ever to gather as much information as possible up front to make wise purchasing decisions.
Luckily for me, I have developed some great friendships on this forum that have made the discovery and research process easier for me because these people are willing to lend me their personal knives to evaluate and write about. That is how I got to try the Wingman as part of Phillip's (M4Super90) pass-around in March. In April, Andy was gracious enough to lend me his personal Maverick to check out to see
how these designs worked with a larger handle. I wrote my thoughts about the Maverick in this thread.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...leback-Maverick?highlight=Fiddleback+Maverick
In short, I came away impressed with the handle design on the Maverick. That feeling was further reinforced after I got to check out Andys personal Drop Point Maverick at the Blade Show. That was an impressive knife that he later featured in his family camping trip thread. I prefer the DPM blade option over the original trailing point design. I have since been on the lookout for a Drop Point Maverick in the right steel and handle configuration.
A couple of weeks ago Andy introduced the Bush Hermit. While there is no shortage of 4" blade bushcraft style knives to choose from these days, something about this design quickly caught my interest. From the early stand alone photos, it looked to me like the Bush Hermit has a taller and longer handle than the Fiddleback Bushcrafter which has long been my favorite model in this size category. I quickly sent off a PM to the shop ask for more information on how these two models compare.
When I saw that my good friend Peter (prom52) scored a Bush Hermit from the first batch, I sent him a PM to congratulate him on the score. Since I know that he also owns a Drop Point Maverick, I asked him which model he likes better and why. It was a little too early for him to make that determination yet, but he said he will keep me posted. I wanted his opinion because Peter knows my taste in Fiddlebacks as well as anyone. When I asked him which model he thought I would like better, his response was an offer to send me both knives to figure it out on my own. I couldnt turn down a generous offer like that.
Here are Peters two beautiful knives that I will be discussing here. An Osage Bush Hermit and Afzelia Burl Drop Point Maverick:
What follows are my impressions of both knives with a lot of comparison photos to other models too. I like to use comparison photos because they provide a reference point to models you may have and they also serve to point out subtle differences in design that may be significant to making their next Fiddleback purchase decision.
Specifications & Reference Photos:
Note: The length measurements referenced below use the top front edge of the handles as a starting point. That means handle length is from that location to the farthest point rearward and blade length is from there to the tip. Please bear in mind that these hand made knives and the measurements are based on a sample size of one. Some variation in handle thickness and/or contouring should be expected on each knife produced.
Bush Hermit:
OAL: 8.757
Blade Length: 4.120
Handle Length: 4.637
Steel & Thickness: .122 A2
Tang Type: Tapered
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Osage over natural & white pinstripes
Weight: 5.1 ounces
Blade Height @ Plunge Line: 1.310
Handle Measurements @ Front: 1.133 High, .780 Wide, & 3.421 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Palmswell: 1.251 High, .814 Wide, & 3.716 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Back: 1.056 High, .762 Wide, & 3.254 Circumference
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Center of Palmswell: 2.342
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Balance Point: .985
Drop Point Maverick:
OAL: 8.215
Blade Length: 3.854
Handle Length: 4.361
Steel & Thickness: .116 A2
Tang Type: Tapered
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Afzelia Burl over natural & white pinstripes
Weight: 4.6 ounces
Blade Height @ Plunge Line: 1.160
Handle Measurements @ Front: 1.175 High, .728 Wide, & 3.310 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Palmswell: 1.314 High, .799 Wide, & 3.815 Circumference
Handle Measurements @ Back: 1.120 High, .745 Wide, & 3.279 Circumference
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Center of Palmswell: 1.894
Distance from Front Edge of Handle to Balance Point: 1.016
Comparison Photos & Observations:
Andys profile designs are always a series of curved lines that flow together to create an ergonomic sense of balance that has to be felt to be really appreciated. I have added a straight line here to help you visualize what I am talking about. I love how the tip of the blades align with the centerline of the handles. That is part of what makes them a joy to work with on many tasks.
This back-to-back photo shows the distinct difference in handle design between these two models. The BH is a more traditional handle shape compared to the compound curves on the DPM.
In this edge-to-edge view lined up on the back edge of the guards, you will notice that center of the palm swell on the DPM sits further forward on the handle than the BH. Even considering the difference in handle lengths, the palm swell position on the BH is more perfectly centered than the DPM.
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