Fiiddleback Forge Kepart: A Non-Traditional Interpretation (photo heavy post)

Shaw Blades said:
Man that was nice of Andy, good guy. Great pictures as well. Thanks for sharing.
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Andy is a great guy. But if I worded something wrong and you're thinking Andy was the one who gifted me the knife he didn't. Even if Andy were for whatever reason inclined to gift me a knife, he knows all too well from our previous conversations that light colored handles worry me because of all of the organic materials I work with and my fear of staining and ruining a light colored handle. Two years ago at Blade I really wanted one of his Hiking Buddy models with a convex grind, but the only ones on the table with convex grinds had white linen handles or black palm. I am unfamiliar with black palm, and the white terrified me so I bought one with a scandi grind that had dyed blue box elder burl. After using this one a while I learned my fears may have been unfounded and wonder if I shouldn't have just gotten the white linen. But then my wife, whose favorite color is blue, wouldn't have gotten her first Fiddleback. And having your wife love one of your favorite knife maker's work almost as much as you do is a priceless thing :)
 
I scanned the post and commented. Like most Americans I guess I read only the headlines. I was going to go back and edit my post but then your post would have been left orphaned. I will rephrase, "Man that was nice of your friend, what a great guy."

:thumbup:
 
Shaw Blades said:
I scanned the post and commented. Like most Americans I guess I read only the headlines. I was going to go back and edit my post but then your post would have been left orphaned. I will rephrase, "Man that was nice of your friend, what a great guy."

:thumbup:
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No worries man, just clarifying. And thanks for not leaving me orphaned. Thank you, and yes he really is a great guy!
 
YO Mist, Friggin' Savage photos my friend.


And I think that most of us here will agree that Andy makes Friggin' Savage cutting tools.




Big Mike
 
Big Mike said:
YO Mist, Friggin' Savage photos my friend.


And I think that most of us here will agree that Andy makes Friggin' Savage cutting tools.




Big Mike
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Thanks for the compliments Mike, I'm glad you liked them. And yes, Andy makes some amazing knives. I just snagged one of my grails in this weeks batch so more photos to come in the future :)
 
Thanks for turning my attention to the Kephart. lo and behold Andy has released one in 1/8 convex and in Ebony wood too (my favourite!):)

Now the wait!
 
avoidspam said:
Thanks for turning my attention to the Kephart. lo and behold Andy has released one in 1/8 convex and in Ebony wood too (my favourite!):)

Now the wait!
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I saw that one, it is a beautiful knife! When Andy does his convex grind on the 1/8 it makes for an incredible slicing ability. I'd be be curious what the weight is on that one. With it being 1/8. a convex grind, and a tapered tang it is probably a god bit lighter than mine. Great for longer hikes with a pack, and it's a heck of a design for bushcraft.
 
Great write up:) You won't find many knives better than a Fiddleback. You won't find many men better than Andy. Fantastic product, even better guy.

My Woodsman is my "from my cold dead hand" knife.
 
Ohhh, I see Mist is probably gonna make me spend more money. Thanks yet again Mist! :grumpy:;):D

Great pics and eval as always! :thumbup:
 
What a great review Mistwalker! I have read all of your reviews, no one leaved me disappointed!

The Fiddleback Kephart seems to be a great knife for bushcraft, hope to put my hands on one of it in future!! :)

Alfredo
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Great write up:) You won't find many knives better than a Fiddleback. You won't find many men better than Andy. Fantastic product, even better guy.

My Woodsman is my "from my cold dead hand" knife.
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Thanks man, just snagged my 6th one in this weeks batch and I agree. Great knives made by a great guy.


rpn said:
Ohhh, I see Mist is probably gonna make me spend more money. Thanks yet again Mist! :grumpy:;):D

Great pics and eval as always! :thumbup:
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That's cool man, blame it on me, I've had years of practice with everything being my fault :D Thanks man, glade you enjoyed the review!


martineden said:
What a great review Mistwalker! I have read all of your reviews, no one leaved me disappointed!

The Fiddleback Kephart seems to be a great knife for bushcraft, hope to put my hands on one of it in future!! :)

Alfredo
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Thanks Alfredo, I'm glad you've liked the reviews!

I am really digging Andy's Kephart as a bushcraft knife. I have similar shaped blades that led me to this blade profile preference for bushcraft and woods work but they are all scandi ground. The convex grind gives me a finer tip for more detailed work, and man this handle is really something. I hope you get the chance to check one out.

Brian
 
Thank you for the great review, and pictures. My Fiddleback Forge Kephart will be here in a couple day, and I can't wait!!!
 
knifehunt said:
Thank you for the great review, and pictures. My Fiddleback Forge Kephart will be here in a couple day, and I can't wait!!!
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Thanks man, I'm glad you liked the post. And cool, I hope you like the knife. I love the blade geometry, and this is my favorite of Andy's handles so far.
 
Up from below, sorry to revive an old thread, but too much good info here.

As always, great photos, nice review of a beautiful knife. Great geometry, just thick enough, but not too thick, it just works.

Nice sheath as well.

Oddly in a shift for me, I'm liking these translucent G10 orange and jade handles I have seen on these.

Great review!
 
LostViking said:
Up from below, sorry to revive an old thread, but too much good info here.

As always, great photos, nice review of a beautiful knife. Great geometry, just thick enough, but not too thick, it just works.

Nice sheath as well.

Oddly in a shift for me, I'm liking these translucent G10 orange and jade handles I have seen on these.

Great review!
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Sorry man, I was moving at the time you posted this, I was offline for a bit. Thanks for your compliments. To me Andy's Kephart design, non-traditional though it may be, is as of yet my favorite bushcraft knife so far. It just handles those types of tasks perfectly for me, and is amazingly comfortable in the process. I have found myself liking a couple of them, a departure for me also.
 
I'm a huge fan of Fiddleback Forge. I've never owned one, but every time I see one I just feel like I need to more and more. Your Kephart is no exception.

I've really been thinking about edc'ing a fixed blade in place of a folder. I'm not sure how comfortable one would be getting in and out of a car and things like that. I'm not worried about how it might look to the public and it's perfectly legal here.

Absolutely *love* the way FF does their handles and your example may be my favorite thus far.
 
Strigamort said:
I'm a huge fan of Fiddleback Forge. I've never owned one, but every time I see one I just feel like I need to more and more. Your Kephart is no exception.

I've really been thinking about edc'ing a fixed blade in place of a folder. I'm not sure how comfortable one would be getting in and out of a car and things like that. I'm not worried about how it might look to the public and it's perfectly legal here.

Absolutely *love* the way FF does their handles and your example may be my favorite thus far.
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You will not be disappointed. Andy pays close attention to detail. His knives are pretty much perfect. The only problem you'll have, is knowing which variant and which flavor scales to go with.

A nice custom dangler sheath would take care of the whole in and out of the car thing. It will ride lower than normal, but IMO, it makes it a lot easier to draw your blade.
 
Strigamort said:
I'm a huge fan of Fiddleback Forge. I've never owned one, but every time I see one I just feel like I need to more and more. Your Kephart is no exception.

I've really been thinking about edc'ing a fixed blade in place of a folder. I'm not sure how comfortable one would be getting in and out of a car and things like that. I'm not worried about how it might look to the public and it's perfectly legal here.

Absolutely *love* the way FF does their handles and your example may be my favorite thus far.
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Yeah, Andy does some really nice knives. It all depends on a lot of factors really...vehicle type, body type, belt type and location etc. I am a large guy, I live in a rural area, and I edc one of Andy's Recluses. I have no issues in and out of my truck and I drive a ford ranger. Andy's handles are phenomenal, I can whittle with this Kephart for an hour before I know it.


Chewy1 said:
Wow. Don't know which is better, the pics or the knife. Nice post.
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Thanks man, glad you like the photos. The knife is really sweet.
 
Thanks for the reply, and advice.

I'm a thin tall guy, always wear a regular 1.25" leather belt and I drive an f150, although it's an svt so the seats are bolstered like a sports car.

I'll look for some pics of a sheath like you describe. :)
 
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