And.. The title of "My Ultimate Fiddleback of 2017" goes to...

bear71

bear71

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Jun 17, 2013
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Thought this might be fun to have an end of year awards thread to see which Fiddleback Forge knife we have all appreciated this year. Your personal winner could be the knife you have used the most, a knife that has surprised you, a knife that has become a favorite or a knife that is just plain, freakin' beautiful - up to you. I'll get the ball rolling with my top 3.

3..In 3rd place is my 12" machete. A perennial favorite, living in rural Philippines I use it everyday.

2.. Runner up is my EDCII. OK, its Osage which helps but in 1/8" O1 this knife has kept a Hiking Buddy out of my rotation for a while now - that is no mean feat.

Without further ado I can announce with pleasure my personal Fiddleback of 2017 is...

1.. LEUKU - 1/8" A2 SFT, Terra-cotta burlap scales.
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Purchased from a dealer a couple of years ago, this knife has proved to be exceptionally practical. The steel stock, grind and edge geometry are perfect for the blade length. The burlap handles are grippy and the handle contours fit my hand like a glove.
much like the EDCII has vied with the HB as my 3" EDC, this Leuku has regularly kept a Kephart off my belt - and i freakin' love Kepharts!

OK, enough waffle, your turns..
 
Sweet thread Jules. I may do the same. I would love to see more pics from the Philippines. I want to vacation there on one of the smaller remote islands. I was going to pm you on fb about this. It would be a bonus having pics of you using and carrying your blades. Thanks, Bob
 
This always gets tweaked a bit throughout the year. There are many makers who’s work I love and carry. However we have more Fiddlebacks in this house than any other brand of knife. I’m a knife fanatic but also a user. I really don’t own any blade that I wouldnt use, ok my Spake Puukko which is the only exception. If I doesn’t get time out of the tool chest, then it goes on to another home. I don’t really own very many doubles except this year’s winner.

Well here’s my 2017 picks....

#3) 3/32” KE Bushie in rosewood. This particular one is fairly new to me. However it’s the best one I’ve owned and is a keeper. Has great balance when carving, and kitchen food duties. Which is really important for me.

#2) Pro-Kephart. For a while this was my most carried tool. Still my favorite handle shape with the full, grippy, squared micarta scales. Wish it had just a bit more belly and less drop at the tip, more like a Handyman or KEB. Maybe the best all-environment tool available. If you don’t have one of these, you’re really missing out on a nice tool.

#1) 3/32” Handyman. This has been my most carried, photographed and used tool in my whole knife collection. I love this model so much I just purchased a new puppy from Abe in ironwood. It may take the passenger seat more in 2018 than my box elder one. This knife has a lot of the features and designs of the KE Bushie but in a smaller EDC package. Get this in a 3/32” and you have a highly useful slicing machine. This box elder one has been to the Florida coast, Missouri ozarks, Georgia hill country, Smoky Mountains, and the high desert canyons of Nevada. Has held a sweet edge and done about every task very well.



 
This was my first year with Fiddleback, and I was fortunate enough to handle a BCJr, Pro-Bushfinger, Minimuk, Stubbymuk, and Neckmuk. Only the Minimuk and Neckmuk survived the year here. The BCJr was incredible to hold, honestly, but the 1/8" steel was just too much for me. It was a similar story for the Pro-Fanger, as well, and the Stubbymuk hit a weird spot for me between the Mini- and Neckmuk.

Every time I use the Neckmuk, I'm reminded of how much I love the handle shape and length, but I always seem to think of what blade shape/length I would prefer.

The Minimuk, while not huge, is still too large for me to actually carry, so it is relegated strictly to food duty. Every time I use it for food duty, I remember how much I love that endless belly. I adore the Rustic Wrap handle, as well. Do I think that thinner stock would perform better in the kitchen? Absolutely. Do I think it wouldn't look as good in thinner stock? Absolutely.

So, with that being said, my Fiddleback of the Year is the Rustic Wrap Minimuk.

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It's funny that my first Fiddleback is still my favorite.
 
That's a really nice piece, Wurrwolf. For one, the shape and profile are not too far off Andy's original "old school Nessmuk" design:

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Two, you are using it quite in line with its philosophy of design - George Washington Sears (the eponymous bushcrafter) used his fixed blade knife for camp food prep and eating, among other tasks like skinning, when needed.

Lastly, the rustic wrap variety takes a cue from Rick Marchand's work at Wildertools.

Therefore, this minimuk is really a blend of 3 different craftsman's work, George, Andy, and Rick, in what one might argue is a simple and action-biased version of a very popular knife.
 
I only learned about Fiddleback Forge just after Blade Show 2017 and during that process found this subforum. I really must thank everyone here for being so welcoming and helpful. You are all terrific people, and I'm blessed to have become part of the Fiddleback Family. And I absolutely must thank Fiddleback Fiddleback for making the Fiddleback Forge phenomenon possible in the first place and for continuing to grow the products, keep things interesting for your fans and share your craft and vision through others.

Looking through my collection, it's tough to say what I'd call my "Ultimate Fiddleback of 2017". That's akin to choosing a favorite, and my most appropriate response to that is what someone else here said... the one with the bullseye... except I like the Fiddlebacks without a bullseye too; the pro Kephart was the model that started my Fiddleback addiction.

There are two models that surprised me though.

The first was the Bushboot. With its curved handle, I didn't expect it to feel as comfortable to hold as I found it to be. In my hand and in a thumb-on-spine grip, that curve just locks the knife in.

The second was the Lil' Lady. I was unexplainably drawn to this model, yet conflicted every time it came up. I'm a proponent of a knife allowing multiple grips, and the Lil' Lady's pointy butt makes a reverse grip with thumb over the butt and edge outward very uncomfortable. I finally gave in and am glad I did. Once in hand, the point of the pointedness became apparent: it provides a more substantial hold in a standard, forward grip with overall less of a handle. All the praise given to this model is justified, in my opinion, and it has, at least for now, displaced my beloved Esquire as my EDC knife.

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Hard for me to prioritize this by any one single "ultimate Fiddleback", so I will just put it this way :)

As with the last five years that I have had it, the Woodsman has been had the title of "Most Used"...due to the crossover of being used so much in the kitchen also, as well as in my woods wandering.

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Because of all of the many images it conjures, and there are a great many of them from old memories to new concepts, the Lonestar has been the most inspiring.

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Due to many factors... part of which has been my being much more urban this year with the injured leg, and then also as my chosen cutting tool of accompaniment on a very deeply spiritual quest during a major crisis of faith this past year, the Esquire has definitely been the most carried.

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That said, the Midtech Kephart has been involved in several aquatic projects and experiments this past year, was the knife i chose to for the piece on primitive trapping I did for American Survival Guide, and will be used in some of the field research Alayna and I will be doing in Florida later this year for a couple of the books I am currently writing.

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This one is easy for me. This the only Fiddleback I bought in 2017. Not because I haven't been tempted on more than one occasion but simply because it is going to be hard to top it for my uses in this size range. I have taken it hiking, camping, fishing and use it quite a bit on a cutting board in the kitchen. The handle fits me wonderfully and the taller, 3/32" blade slices extremely well. On "paper" I prefer my hiking buddy (which I still like a lot and find gorgeous) but when push comes to shove, the lady finger seems to be the one I grab first. I like the longer blade length and the weight difference is a mere .7 oz. (hiking buddy is 1/8").

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My Grandma passed away in 2017 at the age of 100 and on the day she passed, I happened to be offered this one. It seemed an appropriate one to grab given they both had age in common. I also carried this one to ring in the New Year.

Besides that, how much better does it get than a 3/32 Bog Oak Hiking Buddy? :D:thumbsup:

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I would have to say the mid tech duke was my biggest surprise of 2017. I had never been called to the duke, but the midtech duke has earned a place in my backpack as a definite bring along. It is very light weight and capable as well as having good corrosion resistance.

 
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