Bushfinger, still the king of the Fiddlebacks

I'm a big fan of my Production Bushfinger, and it's definitely made me want to look for one in thinner stock. The 5/32" S35VN of the Production model is bulletproof, and I have no doubt that it would prove incredibly useful in The Great Outdoors. For day-to-day kitchen/house use, though, I think a 3/32" (maybe even TT 1/8") Bushfinger would be redonkulously capable.
 
I really like reading about your comparisons, how you guys use your knives and especially seeing pictures!! all of the above are beautiful knives. They have tugged at your knife addiction in one way or the other (why you own them). Just this year, as some of you know, I've been buying up many of Andy's knives and even Allen's to add to my collection (Abe, I still owe you some pics LOL). I've had little time to try all the different ones I have BUT when I pull them out, look at them, handle them I have a very difficult time figuring out which I like best! I will say recently I have been working around the property with a Bushfinger (production model) and it gets the job done.
Bottom line aren't they all the best knives you could own? They are functional, tough and look oh so good!!!
 
Sonnydaze said:
...I am looking for a nice ~3 1/4 inch with a thin slicing blade (cuts an apple), perhaps like that 3/32" thick blade, shown in a previous post above... to be carried in a leather cross-draw belt sheath. . .
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I have a Hiking Buddy that was reground by Josh at REK because I messed up the bevels during sharpening. He reground the blade a little thinner so he could re-establish the bevels the way I like 'em. It's a really great slicer and still plenty tough. I usually carry it in a leather crossdraw sheath that Rick Lowe made for me.
20170808_085648.jpg 20170808_085759.jpg
 
My favorite configuration for everything 4" and below is 1/8" w a tapered tang.
 
Fiddleback said:
My favorite configuration for everything 4" and below is 1/8" w a tapered tang.
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Well, Duh.

Hop to!

:D



[I've landed on 1/8" TT as my favorite steel configuration across your models as well. None of mine exceed 4", so we're talking about the same patterns, or at least the same size range.]

So, why do you not TAPER ALL THE SUB-4" 1/8" THINGS?

[(Honest question.)]

~ P.
 
pertinux said:
Well, Duh.

Hop to!

:D



[I've landed on 1/8" TT as my favorite steel configuration across your models as well. None of mine exceed 4", so we're talking about the same patterns, or at least the same size range.]

So, why do you not TAPER ALL THE SUB-4" 1/8" THINGS?

[(Honest question.)]

~ P.
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Easy. Because half our market doesn't prefer tapered tangs. Roughly. We still make them both ways because of demand.
 
Fiddleback said:
Easy. Because half our market doesn't prefer tapered tangs. Roughly. We still make them both ways because of demand.
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Hunh. This is actually something I've wondered about for some time now, if people choose SFT on purpose (vs., being happy with a given SFT knife just because that's how it was made and it's all-over great, not because they wouldn't rather have had TT all things considered).

--> What do those who prefer SFT see as the advantages over TT?

(Thanks!)

~ P.
 
Fiddleback said:
Easy. Because half our market doesn't prefer tapered tangs. Roughly. We still make them both ways because of demand.
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Don't like TT ? Now that's just crazy talk.

I am kidding of course, and know it's personal preference.

Still, my inner voices are whispering "craaaazy talk" and "3/32 TT would be super sweet" lol
 
Nbrackett said:
Just to be honest I don't notice it enough on a smaller blade to justify the $40 up-charge. Again, personal preference.
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Same for me. I like the look but probably couldn't tell the difference in hand, without looking. Interesting experiment though if I could find two identical knives other than the tang. My guess is handle material makes as much, if not more, difference to weight and balance on the smaller, 1/8" stock knives.

Of course realize that I am the guy who gives that puzzled look at my wine glass after hearing someone else describe what I should be tasting. I guess I just lack a certain sense of nuance. ;)
 
I have always felt dubious about whether the weight/balance difference is really detectable. Especially with that difference swimming around with the plethora of other 'handmade' variance factors going on from knife to knife. I resisted doing tapered tangs for a long time because of this doubt. The look cannot be doubted. They look cool. Maybe this forum crowd of very practiced knife handlers can feel a difference. But in general, I'm lucky if an end user can re-sharpen a knife. The balance difference IMO is lost on most of the knife world. Hell, I always wait to see if a non-forum person even notices the tang when I hand one to local or family people. Usually it is not detected. Occasionally, they'll turn their head sideways and say, "I wonder how you did that."
 
[QUOTE="heat_treat, post: 17364874, member: 411716 My guess is handle material makes as much, if not more, difference to weight and balance on the smaller, 1/8" stock knives.[/QUOTE]


This is accurate. Also how extreme the taper is. Combine a very thin taper and a lightweight handle material like wood or stuff from shadetree and there is a noticeable difference in hand. Or to me at least.
 
dalefuller said:
I have a Hiking Buddy that was reground by Josh at REK It's a really great slicer and still plenty tough. I usually carry it in a leather crossdraw sheath that Rick Lowe made for me.
View attachment 746697 View attachment 746699
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Yes? YES? That would save me a lot of time and trouble sending one to Josh and finding a cross-draw belt-sheath... I've been talking with Josh for several wks now about something along this line...
It looks like a very nice rig... thanx for showing it...
So far, I've been thinking about a suitable Fiddleback, a Survive 3.5, a Carothers EDC, a Bradford3G and a Hinderer Flashpoint as possible starting points.
If I can find a 3/32" suitable knife on the Friday Fiddleback sale, that would give me a nice starting point. I've owned a lot of nice fixed blades, but never a Fiddleback...yet.
don
 
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Fiddleback said:
I have always felt dubious about whether the weight/balance difference is really detectable. Especially with that difference swimming around with the plethora of other 'handmade' variance factors going on from knife to knife. I resisted doing tapered tangs for a long time because of this doubt. The look cannot be doubted. They look cool. Maybe this forum crowd of very practiced knife handlers can feel a difference. But in general, I'm lucky if an end user can re-sharpen a knife. The balance difference IMO is lost on most of the knife world. Hell, I always wait to see if a non-forum person even notices the tang when I hand one to local or family people. Usually it is not detected. Occasionally, they'll turn their head sideways and say, "I wonder how you did that."
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This makes a LOT of sense. I can still remember the angst of forking over a massive $125 for a Benchmade Stryker at a knife/gun show - my first "real" knife purchase. And I can remember after having bought many many flat ground knives when I thoroughly messed up a custom knife trying to apply a flat ground sharpening technique to a convex edge with a deep hollow grind behind it. I thought I knew a lot about sharpening and it was a huge light bulb moment what I discovered the world was not flat and I actually knew very little about sharpening in the grand scheme of things. Holy cow, then I came upon something called stropping. :)

That being said, there are undoubtedly many people out there oblivious to aspects such as balance and tapered vs full tang and so forth. And based on preference, a person might like a fat handle and a full tang so there is more weight towards the back.


Anyway, this thread is great and kind of all over the map with subject matter so let me add this pic so my addition here is still kind of on-topic. ;)


DeadpoolRubyBushfinger-vi.jpg
 
I really like a thin blade, especially shorter blades 4.5" and shorter. A 1/8" thick Bushfinger would be awesome!!
 
Those are some beautiful knives. I think the Bushfinger is one of my favorite Fiddlebacks.
 
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