battle of the blades

[TPVT]

6 will enter, one will emerge victorious. fiddleback forge knives fight it out to be "the one".

... or something like that.

so, i decided several+ months ago that i "needed" a new knife and andy's knives caught my attention again (i have had the good fortune to try several in the past). there were a few models that i was interested in. eventually, i got to the point where i was like...you know what...i am just going to get the ones i have been considering, get them in hand, and decide which i like the best.

i want to be clear what this thread is. it is a a chance for me to use some of andy's knives and document my experience with them. that's all. i am in no way some knife expert, tester, etc. i'm sure many of you have more knife experience than i do. so again, this is just me using some knives and deciding which fits my needs best. YMMV.

some of you may have seen my post in the collections thread. so, i will double dip a bit and post a couple pics of "the contenders"....

T-B: bushfinger, kephart, kephart, gaucho, ke bushie, handyman

EDIT: here are some more details about the knives. the measurements are not from spec. they are my measurements. they are approximate.

BL=blade length*
HL=handle length
a '-' indicates "just under". a '+' indicates "just over"
*blade length was measured from where ricasso and handle meet

bushfinger:
Steel: 1/8" A2
BL: 4+"
HL: 4 3/4"
Height: 1.25"

kephart:
Steel: 1/8" A2
BL: 3 7/8"
HL: 4 3/4-"
Height: 1 1/16"
Note: the handle is noticeably thicker on this one compared to the one below

kephart:
Steel: 1/8" 80CRV2
BL: 4-"
HL: 4 3/4-"
Height: 1 1/8"

gaucho:
Steel: 3/32" A2 (i think)
BL: 4 1/8"
HL: 4 1/2"
Height: 1 1/8"

KE bushie:
Steel: 1/8" O1
BL: 3 5/8+"
HL: 4 5/8"
Height: 1 1/16"

handyman:
Steel: 1/8" A2 (i think)
BL: 3 1/4"
HL: 4 3/8"
Height: 1"

i started the journey tonight. i had a branch i lopped off over the weekend, and i was just bored enough that i started in on it.

it's funny. i had some pre-conceived notions of which knife(s) i would like best. initial tests proved that false. i will get back to that thought, but i will spend some more time with them first.

 

[TPVT]

so you'll notice that first "img" icon. that was supposed to be an embedded imgur video. i guess i'm not sure how to do that. so here is the direct link (if interested):
https://imgur.com/lHHNCQI

edit: oh strange... just noticing that the video shows on my phone, but it did not on my puter.

 

[Rufus Magnus]

TPVT,my prediction:KEPHART but don’t know which one lol.

 

[Warrior108]

TPVT,my prediction:KEPHART but don’t know which one lol.

My 1st guess is the bolstered Kephart and the 2nd guess is the KEB

 

[Fiddleback]

This is very interesting to me for a few reasons. Firstly. Great set, and thank you for your support. Second you have chosen several of the full sized bushcraft group, which is nice. Finally, you have three steels in the group. Those are A2, 80CRV2 and 01. Wondering what your opinion of those will be. Great thread. Thanks for taking the time!

 

[TPVT]

This is very interesting to me for a few reasons. Firstly. Great set, and thank you for your support. Second you have chosen several of the full sized bushcraft group, which is nice. Finally, you have three steels in the group. Those are A2, 80CRV2 and 01. Wondering what your opinion of those will be. Great thread. Thanks for taking the time!

thanks andy. and i thought about this last night. if i am going to treat this thread like a review (even if i use that term loosely), i should give more detail on the knives. i will do that later.

it’s funny you mention about the steels... i was going to add a disclaimer that i am no steel "aficionado". this might be blasphemous to some, but honestly, i’ve never noticed much of a difference with steels in my own personal usage. though, i do admit that i tend to stay away from "super steels". most of the knives i own (or have owned) are high carbon tool steels (1095, O1, A2, D2). 80CRV2 is new to me, so i am curious about that one myself.

quite simply, a sharp knife has always cut for me. but i am not skinning out an elk (i.e. a task that might require edge retention). i am usually pretty good about just touching up edges when i need to. but since you mentioned it, i will try to pay closer attention. maybe i’ll have a “cardboard test”.

suggestions are welcome

 

[lmalterna]

I admire your method and will watch with interest. I am a buy-it-try-it guy as well.

But I lack the control- I buy 6, I end up wanting to keep 4. End up in debt that should have gone away had I sold 5 like I was supposed to. Looking forward to your selection.

My money is on the KEB.

Bill

 

[TPVT]

TPVT,my prediction:KEPHART but don’t know which one lol.

My 1st guess is the bolstered Kephart and the 2nd guess is the KEB

so, this is how i felt going in. i tend to prefer a short-height blade with not a ton of belly (think puukko). so the kephart and ke bushie seemed to be likely candidates. but, in just that small test of cutting down branches, i found that was not the case.

 

[TPVT]

I admire your method and will watch with interest. I am a buy-it-try-it guy as well.

But I lack the control- I buy 6, I end up wanting to keep 4. End up in debt that should have gone away had I sold 5 like I was supposed to. Looking forward to your selection.

My money is on the KEB.

Bill

lol. thanks. and, this is also my fear.

 

[Fiddleback]

Trusty ole Bushfinger cannot be discounted!

 

[TPVT]

Trusty ole Bushfinger cannot be discounted!

ding ding ding! not to ruin the suspense, but this was the one i found i preferred (for this task). it's funny, per what i look for in a knife (see above), i felt this one would be lower on my list. i found i really enjoyed the BF and the handyman for this task. but, those are also the two i have had the longest, so maybe i was somehow subconsciously swayed?? (shruggy emoji guy)

now, in fairness, i will take some more time to ensure that "all things are equal", or at least as much as i can do in my highly non-scientific testing method. what i mean is that i will inspect/test the edges to make sure they are at equivalent "sharpness". i did make sure they were all sharp, but no real comparison between them all. i certainly don't want to come away with a model preference just because i was a dubba and didn't sharpen another model well enough ... know what i mean?

 

[Rufus Magnus]

You fbf bushcrafters awe me... being from the NJ ‘burbs I’m no bushcrafter, but I love Andy’s knives. Metallurgy is a mystery to me. Having consistently sharp-edged blades that will retain itself with minimal resharpening is important to me, even though I’m a self-taught sharpener. I think the cardboard test will be very important. I’m also partial to the Puukko, in fact it was my first fixed blade, small knife purchase.

 

[Mistwalker]

Very cool cool! It's nice to see this. I've never tried them all side by side, but I love all these models for different reasons and have tried them all out extensively individually over the years.

I really do love the Guacho, aesthetically, for food prep, and even general utility, but not so much for bushcraft tasks. The cutting edge immediately slanting up going away from the handle seems to cause it to try to slice out of power cuts in hard woods like oak and cherry, and that is fatiguing to my wrist if doing much of it.

The KEB has excellent ergos and a very utilitarian blade shape and I love the narrow (not tall) blade profile. But doesn't have enough of a speed bump between the handle and edge for me to feel as comfortable with it as a primary knife as I do with some of the others.

I love the Handyman for EDC, day hiking and general utility, but it's a little bit on the small side for long term use in heavy bushcraft / primitive living cutting making things for me personally.

I love the Bushfinger as an all arounder. It's really hard to beat.

But for Bushcraft / primitive living type uses I still prefer the Kephart. I love how the palm swell on Andy's Kephart offers a really secure purchase me in push and pull cuts even when fatigued. That combined with the narrow-ish blade, below-center spear point, and area of the edge at the plunge line and an inch or so out being more inline with the center line of the handle and not immediately angling up and away from the handle just works well for me and in my style of use. It is significantly more comfortable, efficient, and less fatiguing for me over all in long term uses. I like the slight guard when cutting heavy duty fishing line and tough cords also. And it's also great as at general utility user for me as well. But like you said, everyone's mileage will vary based on their own uses.

 

[TPVT]

Very cool cool! It's nice to see this. I've never tried them all side by side, but I love all these models for different reasons and have tried them all out extensively individually over the years. I really do love the Guacho, aesthetically, for food prep, and even general utility, but not so much for bushcraft tasks. The cutting edge immediately slanting up going away from the handle seems to cause it to try to slice out of power cuts in hard woods like oak and cherry, and that is fatiguing to my wrist if doing much of it. The KEB has excellent ergos and a very utilitarian blade shape and I love the narrow (not tall) blade profile. But doesn't have enough of a speed bump between the handle and edge for me to feel as comfortable with it as a primary knife as I do with some of the others. I love the Handyman for EDC, day hiking and general utility, but it's a little bit on the small side for long term use in heavy bushcraft / primitive living cutting making things for me personally. I love the Bushfinger as an all arounder. It's really hard to beat But for Bushcraft / primitive living type uses I still prefer the Kephart. I love how the palm swell on Andy's Kephart offers a really secure purchase me in push and pull cuts even when fatigued. That combined with the narrow-ish blade, below-center spear point, and area of the edge at the plunge line and an inch or so out being more inline with the center line of the handle and not immediately angling up and away from the handle just works well for me and in my style of use. It is significantly more comfortable, efficient, and less fatiguing for me over all in long term uses. I like the slight guard when cutting heavy duty fishing line and tough cords also. And it's also great as at general utility user for me as well. But like you said, everyone's mileage will vary based on their own uses.

thanks for checking in brian. in fact, i read several of your reviews (and others) prior to buying. they helped me form some initial opinions on which models may work best for me.

but, i guess that's really what i am doing here.... testing whether those preformed opinions actually hold true with my real-life usage (emphasis on "my")... theoretical vs practical knowledge i suppose.

the gaucho is lowest on my list for now. interesting feedback on the blade "wandering" with power cuts. i didn't necessarily notice, but now i am going to pay attention. i love the blade profile, but the handle is simply not big enough for me to be comfortable with extended bushcraft-y type tasks (if my preliminary test holds true, that is). it is great in the kitchen (as you say) as a utility/petty type knife, though i would prefer the handle to be slightly extended.

speaking of which (so far), i really dig the handle of the KEB, and i personally do not have a problem with the slight guard; though, in fairness, i have not used it with the handle slick with rain, blood or other. i love the handyman so was really excited to try what looked to be its big brother in the KEB.

as i said in my first note, my "pre-conveived notion" was that i expected i would prefer the kephart....so much so that i bought two! on paper, it definitely looks likes one that would really suit me well... really, for all the reasons you mentioned. and, i have used the kephart before and did a similar experiment years ago. i remember liking it the best. go figure. that is why i want to make sure that all edges are similar prior to my next "test".

i am looking forward to using all of these more. they are all a pleasure in different ways. i am just trying to discover those ways that are closest to my use-cases, if you know what i mean.

 

[TPVT]

you know, what i just said about testing the kephart above got me thinking. i was fairly sure i posted that experience here. yup! 7 years ago.

gosh that kephart is gorgeous. i looove OD over nat canvas.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/hwf...ephart-and-recluse-content-pic-heavy.1063855/

 

[Mistwalker]

thanks for checking in brian. in fact, i read several of your reviews (and others) prior to buying. they helped me form some initial opinions on which models may work best for me.

but, i guess that's really what i am doing here.... testing whether those preformed opinions actually hold true with my real-life usage (emphasis on "my")... theoretical vs practical knowledge i suppose.

the gaucho is lowest on my list for now. interesting feedback on the blade "wandering" with power cuts. i didn't necessarily notice, but now i am going to pay attention. i love the blade profile, but the handle is simply not big enough for me to be comfortable with extended bushcraft-y type tasks (if my preliminary test holds true, that is). it is great in the kitchen (as you say) as a utility/petty type knife, though i would prefer the handle to be slightly extended.

speaking of which (so far), i really dig the handle of the KEB, and i personally do not have a problem with the slight guard; though, in fairness, i have not used it with the handle slick with rain, blood or other. i love the handyman so was really excited to try what looked to be its big brother in the KEB.

as i said in my first note, my "pre-conveived notion" was that i expected i would prefer the kephart....so much so that i bought two! on paper, it definitely looks likes one that would really suit me well... really, for all the reasons you mentioned. and, i have used the kephart before and did a similar experiment years ago. i remember liking it the best. go figure. that is why i want to make sure that all edges are similar prior to my next "test".

i am looking forward to using all of these more. they are all a pleasure in different ways. i am just trying to discover those ways that are closest to my use-cases, if you know what i mean.

Yeah I get all of that. My problem with the speedbump on the KEB handle didn't develop until I was dealing with a couple of feet of snow on the ground in Michigan. Though blood may have had a similar effect in game processing. I was working on a skills article and had the KEB in one hand and pieces of bark in the other. I needed to put the knife down for a minute, but the sheath was inaccessible at the time. So I just stuck it in the deed tree I was getting the bark from and my gloved hand slid past the speed bump. It didn't hurt me, and it barely even sliced the glove, but it was a learning experience for me, and as much as I LOVE the ergos of the KEB handle, that model was removed from my field knives from then on. But as we've each said, different strokes for different folks.

 

[TPVT]

Yeah I get all of that. My problem with the speedbump on the KEB handle didn't develop until I was dealing with a couple of feet of snow on the ground in Michigan. Though blood may have had a similar effect in game processing. I was working on a skills article and had the KEB in one hand and pieces of bark in the other. I needed to put the knife down for a minute, but the sheath was inaccessible at the time. So I just stuck it in the deed tree I was getting the bark from and my gloved hand slid past the speed bump. It didn't hurt me, and it barely even sliced the glove, but it was a learning experience for me, and as much as I LOVE the ergos of the KEB handle, that model was removed from my field knives from then on. But as we've each said, different strokes for different folks.

yikes. yup, that would certainly get my attention. that could have ended poorly. glad it didn't.

 

[Mistwalker]

yikes. yup, that would certainly get my attention. that could have ended poorly. glad it didn't.

So am I. I had my first aid kit in my pack as always, but my truck was over a mile away through the deep snow, and home was another 20 something miles on frozen roads.

 

[TPVT]

So am I. I had my first aid kit in my pack as always, but my truck was over a mile away through the deep snow, and home was another 20 something miles on frozen roads.

i just literally made a whince-y face.

 

[TPVT]

EDIT: i added some knife info to the OP