- Joined
- Mar 19, 2014
- Messages
- 631
Hello Fiddlebacks!
A few months back I purchased a beautiful patch knife from Case XX on the flea market. I jumped on it because it was a 1/8 tapered tang, something I've really been wanting to try. I wasn't sure about the patch knife because I generally like a drop or spear point. After discussions with necrolicious, kirkwood, and reviews from Phil [comprehensivist], I couldn't resist the allure of this highly esteemed blade.
Here's a photo of the knife from my fiddleback on the rocks submission:
Some specs, to start things off right!
Overall length: A touch over 7.25"
Blade length [Cutting edge only] : Right at 3.25"
Handle: Right around 4"
Width of handle from birds eye view: 5/8"
Weight: ~ 3 oz? It's insanely light. Lighter than my PM2.
Balance: A little bit handle heavy, even with the taper, but for the most part it's pretty close to that first set of pins [for Phil]
Handles: Black ash Burl? I always question what my wood handles are. Can anyone confirm this based on the pic?
Steel: Case said it was A2, but after using it stains up real fast and I'm second guessing that. I'm thinking O1 If anyone recognizes this knife and can clarify that one too it'd be helpful.
Stock: 1/8 Tapered Tang
Natural liners and blue pin stripes!
My first few months owning the knife I didn't use it very much. I wasn't sure if I would keep it and didn't want to beat it up and form a patina on it without knowing for sure I wanted it. I did notice the edge could use a little work, so I threw it on a fine ceramic stone for a touch up. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I scratched it. Maybe it was meant to be. I said " I guess I'm keeping it!"
I also had to find a sheath for it because it's so damn thin. A buddy made a nice little pouch for me and away I went.
My initial thoughts picking up the knife were about how beautiful it is. The scales and wood are gorgeous. Generally I like symmetry, and I have to admit, that the fact that the two sides of wood are drastically different does bother me. It does, however, give this knife a lot of character and soul. Each side is magnificent in its on way. I have grown to like it, but I'm still a snob and wish it was more matchy-matchy. All just small aesthetics though!
Another powerful impression was how nimble this knife is. It's light as a feather and really really thin thanks to that 1/8 tapered tang. Ergonomically, it seemed like it would be fine for small jobs according to its size. I think a knife like this is just meant for being a great utility piece.
After using it around the house on some small food prep, boxes, and other odds and ends, I decided it was time to take it on a proper tramp outdoors. My girlfriend and I had a 3 day cabin trip planned and I decided to carry it as my belt knife for the trip. I had a 4" blade in my pack as well in case I needed anything bigger, and a slipjoint and a hatchet, completing my own nessmuk trio on my person. In case you are interested, the trio included the patch knife, a gransfors wildlife hatchet, and a Gec #77.
We left off from Portland and made our way Northwest. We were heading toward Mt Saint Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. I haven't done a ton of exploring here yet, but enough to know it's an area I now love.
We were initially going to camp the entire weekend but it turns out that the weather forecast was not too pretty. We are rugged campers and don't mind a little rain, but we figured we could do more hiking during the days if we had a way to dry off by night. We ended up renting a nice cabin in the middle of nowhere which was just perfect.
Our cabin was near a few beautiful reservoirs, dozens of creeks and rivers, and of course, in the shadow of glorious Mt Saint Helens. I have seen it quite a number of times, but never this close. I tried very hard to get a good photo of it, but alas, I couldn't due to clouds, fog, and rain. I'll have to try again sometime soon for a better one.
On the first day of the weekend, we explored the terrain near the cabin.
The cabin was built on a piece of land preserved, but some of the areas around it have been heavily clear cut by logging industry. It's always a shame to see so many trees removed, but I understand the bigger picture and that industry must prevail in many circumstances for us to have the luxuries we have grown accustomed to. I still get a little bit sad though, given that nature provides so much for me in my personal life. Even after the removal of some of the natural forest on those logging hills, the scenery is still magnificent. I can never get enough of the fresh air and the expansive views. A good excuse to use a fiddleback ain't bad, either!
In the evening, I was able to do some food prep with the patch knife and make a fire outside the cabin. Before leaving, I sharpened the patch knife to a mirror on the edge pro and the stropped for a slightly convexed finish. It was incredibly dark and there wasn't much for light in the cabin, so I didn't get any good pictures at this point.The patch knife did really well with some of the veggies during prep. Mushrooms, onions, fruit, and especially cuts on a sirloin I had brought from home. The knife struggle on the raw sweet potatoes we had, but that is to be expected. I feel like only a very large, thin chef knife can excel in that task! During fire prep, I didn't heavily work the patch knife. I had an old dry xmas tree to burn and didn't need much assistance there, so I set out to work on another project. I started with a block of cedar and began making a bushcraft style spoon. I don't have much experience in whittling spoons and had always wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, the thin handle on the patch knife proved to be a bit too dainty after extensive carving. I wear a Large size glove and my hand got tired because I had to make a very tight fist to hold onto the thin knife. Additionally, the full flat-esque grind caused by my edge pro didn't excel at repeated wood carving. I ended up using my 4" blade for the remainder of the spoon project, but gained some valuable insight.
The next day we got to do some real hiking. The rain was dumping but that didn't stop us. We made our way through the trails and arrived at both Curly Creek Falls and Miller falls, both of which are very close to one another. The pictures don't do their beauty or size justice. These waterfalls are at least a hundred feet tall and just humbling.
In addition to testing out my patch knife, I also had a new fishing rod my girlfriend got me for Christmas. The water in the Lewis River was too rough to catch anything, but for the hell of it I casted out just to get out there. You never know, right? The rod worked very well, but at some point some of my line got knotted up. I'm glad I had my patch knife on my hip I was able to easily use the point of the knife to really get in there and fix up my tangle issues and cut some line when I needed to. Awesome.
Again that evening I performed light food prep with the patch and it did just fine. The rain slowed us down quite a bit for the rest of the trip, but I continued to carry my patch on my hip and look for opportunities to test it's prowess. On our way home, we crawled through a lava tube called the "Ape Caves." These are some of the longest in North America , spanning over 12,000 feet. Some of the caves are at least 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide at certain points. It's incredibly eerie, and you need a good flashlight to hike the entire way in the pitch black depths. The good news is that the caves sheltered us from the weather above.
The following morning, we made our way back to Portland and I had a few last chances to enjoy the outdoors. We stopped at a reservoir and enjoyed a small blast of sunshine that came through and made a big stew on my stove. Isn't it incredible how good food tastes when you are out on these trips?
The sun started to set, dinner was over, and adventure time came to a close.
After I got home, I decided I wanted to do this report on the knife. It was a good companion to me, and I definitely understand all the hype about it from the other members around here.
My thoughts aren't final, even though I used it for the whole weekend. I'm sure I'll learn more about this blade in time, but for now, it seems to be a solid companion. Especially this model in this configuration. It's just so light that I hardly noticed it was there. And it was very dependable to say the least. I see it doing extremely well in a utility type EDC role. You can do food prep. You can use it for light fire prep if you had to. I'd imagine you could skin small game as well if you were careful with the tip and made good use of that belly. I would not feel comfortable doing heavy fire prep with it, but in my opinion you don't buy a knife like this in this size for that purpose. You get this configuration so you can have a knife that can handle most things you'd expect but in comfort because of it's more portable size.
What I really like about the knife:
-aesthetics
-weight
-nimble in hand
-utilitarian handle shape
-numerous grip positions
-balanced
-good for penetrating into packages, breaking things up, light drilling
-great for fishing utility
What I did not like about the knife:
-uncomfortable after extended use given my hand size and the shape of the handle (and my own style and preferences)
-the upsweep/belly leading to the tip of the knife
Now, I'll have to explain myself on that last bullet point there, because I know for many users of this knife that this design character is one of their favorite parts. For me, that upsweep/belly makes the knife slightly more challenging to use. When I'm doing food prep, I have to hold the knife in such a way that as I transition toward the tip of the blade on a cut, I have to start to tilt the knife because the edge moves drastically in a different direction. I suppose that's just a matter of where I am starting my cuts and how I'm transitioning through the cut. But for me, it ends up making a lot of length of the blade unused. I either have to start near the guard and move into the cut and make a drastic angling motion, or start midway at that belly portion and ignore the first half of the blade. Anyways, everyone has different styles of how they use their tools, and obviously this one isn't a total deal breaker for me, just a personal preference. I still love this knife and find it to be a very useful contributor in my fixed blade rotation.
When I'll use it:
-Light hikes/ Day trips
-EDC fixed blade
-Around the house gardening
-Around the house food prep
-Package breakdown
Comparative analysis
I absolutely love the 3" blade class from Fiddleback Forge. There are many here to list, but from my reading around the forum and my personal uses, I'd consider the top contenders in the 3" category the Patch knife, the Bushcrafter jr, The Hiking Buddy, and the handy man, not necessarily in that order. I've owned all four, and off the bat I knew the bushcrafter jr was not for me because of my hand size. I gripped it and instantly realized the butt of it was uncomfortable because of that little curl at the end. The hiking buddy, as some of you may have seen from my last post, was absolutely incredible. It was nimble and lightweight, but sure in hand and proved effective for any task, including extended usage. As for the handyman, well, it is now my favorite fiddleback.It's a touch bulkier than both the patch knife and the hiking buddy, but seems to add a bit more security for me. I have one in 1/8 SFT Convex that is simply brilliant. It fits my hand in a way no other knife on this planet does. While it isn't as balanced as my hiking buddy and my patch knife, to me, that handle comfort is my biggest priority when it comes to knife preferences. I also just got a 3/32 scandiman which seems to have all the benefits and comfort of the 1/8 handyman, but more balance and lighter weight, so that may end up being my absolute favorite knife on planet earth. So where does the patch knife fit into all this? Well, I'd say that the straighter handle profile makes it a sure fit for just about anyone with any hand size. If you like a lot of belly on your blade shapes, and you want something that can really shine in a jack of all trades EDC role, the patch is going to be perfect for you. Also, if you want something a little bit more nimble, I'd say go with a hiking buddy or patch knife over a handyman. My favorite part about it is the grip I'm drawn into when using it. I take my thumb and pointer finger and just kind of squish it in between the top of the spine and just to the side of the guard, with the rest of my hand flowing into place. It allows me to really access my cuts quickly, a primary purpose of this design.
Overall, the patch knife is another stunning example of Andy's great designs and excellent execution by the whole crew. I'd highly recommend checking one it, and I can see why it is a top contender for many Fiddleback aficionados. I had an excellent weekend, and an awesome time testing out and getting to know this knife. I hope you guys enjoyed hearing about it and checking out some of the photos of what the beautiful Pacific Northwest has to offer for outdoor enthusiasts.
A few months back I purchased a beautiful patch knife from Case XX on the flea market. I jumped on it because it was a 1/8 tapered tang, something I've really been wanting to try. I wasn't sure about the patch knife because I generally like a drop or spear point. After discussions with necrolicious, kirkwood, and reviews from Phil [comprehensivist], I couldn't resist the allure of this highly esteemed blade.
Here's a photo of the knife from my fiddleback on the rocks submission:
Some specs, to start things off right!
Overall length: A touch over 7.25"
Blade length [Cutting edge only] : Right at 3.25"
Handle: Right around 4"
Width of handle from birds eye view: 5/8"
Weight: ~ 3 oz? It's insanely light. Lighter than my PM2.
Balance: A little bit handle heavy, even with the taper, but for the most part it's pretty close to that first set of pins [for Phil]
Handles: Black ash Burl? I always question what my wood handles are. Can anyone confirm this based on the pic?
Steel: Case said it was A2, but after using it stains up real fast and I'm second guessing that. I'm thinking O1 If anyone recognizes this knife and can clarify that one too it'd be helpful.
Stock: 1/8 Tapered Tang
Natural liners and blue pin stripes!
My first few months owning the knife I didn't use it very much. I wasn't sure if I would keep it and didn't want to beat it up and form a patina on it without knowing for sure I wanted it. I did notice the edge could use a little work, so I threw it on a fine ceramic stone for a touch up. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I scratched it. Maybe it was meant to be. I said " I guess I'm keeping it!"
I also had to find a sheath for it because it's so damn thin. A buddy made a nice little pouch for me and away I went.
My initial thoughts picking up the knife were about how beautiful it is. The scales and wood are gorgeous. Generally I like symmetry, and I have to admit, that the fact that the two sides of wood are drastically different does bother me. It does, however, give this knife a lot of character and soul. Each side is magnificent in its on way. I have grown to like it, but I'm still a snob and wish it was more matchy-matchy. All just small aesthetics though!
Another powerful impression was how nimble this knife is. It's light as a feather and really really thin thanks to that 1/8 tapered tang. Ergonomically, it seemed like it would be fine for small jobs according to its size. I think a knife like this is just meant for being a great utility piece.
After using it around the house on some small food prep, boxes, and other odds and ends, I decided it was time to take it on a proper tramp outdoors. My girlfriend and I had a 3 day cabin trip planned and I decided to carry it as my belt knife for the trip. I had a 4" blade in my pack as well in case I needed anything bigger, and a slipjoint and a hatchet, completing my own nessmuk trio on my person. In case you are interested, the trio included the patch knife, a gransfors wildlife hatchet, and a Gec #77.
We left off from Portland and made our way Northwest. We were heading toward Mt Saint Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. I haven't done a ton of exploring here yet, but enough to know it's an area I now love.
We were initially going to camp the entire weekend but it turns out that the weather forecast was not too pretty. We are rugged campers and don't mind a little rain, but we figured we could do more hiking during the days if we had a way to dry off by night. We ended up renting a nice cabin in the middle of nowhere which was just perfect.
Our cabin was near a few beautiful reservoirs, dozens of creeks and rivers, and of course, in the shadow of glorious Mt Saint Helens. I have seen it quite a number of times, but never this close. I tried very hard to get a good photo of it, but alas, I couldn't due to clouds, fog, and rain. I'll have to try again sometime soon for a better one.
On the first day of the weekend, we explored the terrain near the cabin.
The cabin was built on a piece of land preserved, but some of the areas around it have been heavily clear cut by logging industry. It's always a shame to see so many trees removed, but I understand the bigger picture and that industry must prevail in many circumstances for us to have the luxuries we have grown accustomed to. I still get a little bit sad though, given that nature provides so much for me in my personal life. Even after the removal of some of the natural forest on those logging hills, the scenery is still magnificent. I can never get enough of the fresh air and the expansive views. A good excuse to use a fiddleback ain't bad, either!
In the evening, I was able to do some food prep with the patch knife and make a fire outside the cabin. Before leaving, I sharpened the patch knife to a mirror on the edge pro and the stropped for a slightly convexed finish. It was incredibly dark and there wasn't much for light in the cabin, so I didn't get any good pictures at this point.The patch knife did really well with some of the veggies during prep. Mushrooms, onions, fruit, and especially cuts on a sirloin I had brought from home. The knife struggle on the raw sweet potatoes we had, but that is to be expected. I feel like only a very large, thin chef knife can excel in that task! During fire prep, I didn't heavily work the patch knife. I had an old dry xmas tree to burn and didn't need much assistance there, so I set out to work on another project. I started with a block of cedar and began making a bushcraft style spoon. I don't have much experience in whittling spoons and had always wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, the thin handle on the patch knife proved to be a bit too dainty after extensive carving. I wear a Large size glove and my hand got tired because I had to make a very tight fist to hold onto the thin knife. Additionally, the full flat-esque grind caused by my edge pro didn't excel at repeated wood carving. I ended up using my 4" blade for the remainder of the spoon project, but gained some valuable insight.
The next day we got to do some real hiking. The rain was dumping but that didn't stop us. We made our way through the trails and arrived at both Curly Creek Falls and Miller falls, both of which are very close to one another. The pictures don't do their beauty or size justice. These waterfalls are at least a hundred feet tall and just humbling.
In addition to testing out my patch knife, I also had a new fishing rod my girlfriend got me for Christmas. The water in the Lewis River was too rough to catch anything, but for the hell of it I casted out just to get out there. You never know, right? The rod worked very well, but at some point some of my line got knotted up. I'm glad I had my patch knife on my hip I was able to easily use the point of the knife to really get in there and fix up my tangle issues and cut some line when I needed to. Awesome.
Again that evening I performed light food prep with the patch and it did just fine. The rain slowed us down quite a bit for the rest of the trip, but I continued to carry my patch on my hip and look for opportunities to test it's prowess. On our way home, we crawled through a lava tube called the "Ape Caves." These are some of the longest in North America , spanning over 12,000 feet. Some of the caves are at least 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide at certain points. It's incredibly eerie, and you need a good flashlight to hike the entire way in the pitch black depths. The good news is that the caves sheltered us from the weather above.
The following morning, we made our way back to Portland and I had a few last chances to enjoy the outdoors. We stopped at a reservoir and enjoyed a small blast of sunshine that came through and made a big stew on my stove. Isn't it incredible how good food tastes when you are out on these trips?
The sun started to set, dinner was over, and adventure time came to a close.
After I got home, I decided I wanted to do this report on the knife. It was a good companion to me, and I definitely understand all the hype about it from the other members around here.
My thoughts aren't final, even though I used it for the whole weekend. I'm sure I'll learn more about this blade in time, but for now, it seems to be a solid companion. Especially this model in this configuration. It's just so light that I hardly noticed it was there. And it was very dependable to say the least. I see it doing extremely well in a utility type EDC role. You can do food prep. You can use it for light fire prep if you had to. I'd imagine you could skin small game as well if you were careful with the tip and made good use of that belly. I would not feel comfortable doing heavy fire prep with it, but in my opinion you don't buy a knife like this in this size for that purpose. You get this configuration so you can have a knife that can handle most things you'd expect but in comfort because of it's more portable size.
What I really like about the knife:
-aesthetics
-weight
-nimble in hand
-utilitarian handle shape
-numerous grip positions
-balanced
-good for penetrating into packages, breaking things up, light drilling
-great for fishing utility
What I did not like about the knife:
-uncomfortable after extended use given my hand size and the shape of the handle (and my own style and preferences)
-the upsweep/belly leading to the tip of the knife
Now, I'll have to explain myself on that last bullet point there, because I know for many users of this knife that this design character is one of their favorite parts. For me, that upsweep/belly makes the knife slightly more challenging to use. When I'm doing food prep, I have to hold the knife in such a way that as I transition toward the tip of the blade on a cut, I have to start to tilt the knife because the edge moves drastically in a different direction. I suppose that's just a matter of where I am starting my cuts and how I'm transitioning through the cut. But for me, it ends up making a lot of length of the blade unused. I either have to start near the guard and move into the cut and make a drastic angling motion, or start midway at that belly portion and ignore the first half of the blade. Anyways, everyone has different styles of how they use their tools, and obviously this one isn't a total deal breaker for me, just a personal preference. I still love this knife and find it to be a very useful contributor in my fixed blade rotation.
When I'll use it:
-Light hikes/ Day trips
-EDC fixed blade
-Around the house gardening
-Around the house food prep
-Package breakdown
Comparative analysis
I absolutely love the 3" blade class from Fiddleback Forge. There are many here to list, but from my reading around the forum and my personal uses, I'd consider the top contenders in the 3" category the Patch knife, the Bushcrafter jr, The Hiking Buddy, and the handy man, not necessarily in that order. I've owned all four, and off the bat I knew the bushcrafter jr was not for me because of my hand size. I gripped it and instantly realized the butt of it was uncomfortable because of that little curl at the end. The hiking buddy, as some of you may have seen from my last post, was absolutely incredible. It was nimble and lightweight, but sure in hand and proved effective for any task, including extended usage. As for the handyman, well, it is now my favorite fiddleback.It's a touch bulkier than both the patch knife and the hiking buddy, but seems to add a bit more security for me. I have one in 1/8 SFT Convex that is simply brilliant. It fits my hand in a way no other knife on this planet does. While it isn't as balanced as my hiking buddy and my patch knife, to me, that handle comfort is my biggest priority when it comes to knife preferences. I also just got a 3/32 scandiman which seems to have all the benefits and comfort of the 1/8 handyman, but more balance and lighter weight, so that may end up being my absolute favorite knife on planet earth. So where does the patch knife fit into all this? Well, I'd say that the straighter handle profile makes it a sure fit for just about anyone with any hand size. If you like a lot of belly on your blade shapes, and you want something that can really shine in a jack of all trades EDC role, the patch is going to be perfect for you. Also, if you want something a little bit more nimble, I'd say go with a hiking buddy or patch knife over a handyman. My favorite part about it is the grip I'm drawn into when using it. I take my thumb and pointer finger and just kind of squish it in between the top of the spine and just to the side of the guard, with the rest of my hand flowing into place. It allows me to really access my cuts quickly, a primary purpose of this design.
Overall, the patch knife is another stunning example of Andy's great designs and excellent execution by the whole crew. I'd highly recommend checking one it, and I can see why it is a top contender for many Fiddleback aficionados. I had an excellent weekend, and an awesome time testing out and getting to know this knife. I hope you guys enjoyed hearing about it and checking out some of the photos of what the beautiful Pacific Northwest has to offer for outdoor enthusiasts.
But like you, so far the Handy man is my favorite of the smaller models. I have one in tapered 1/8 and really like it in the edc role.
