Comparison of 4" Bushcrafting Spearpoints

[thurin]

I love the 4" spearpoints that Andy and crew put out, and happen to have 3 of them in scandi grind now, so I thought it'd be good to do a quick comparison. I'm missing a Sneaky Pete and hope to have one at some point - I'm taking donations... . So for now, here's a comparison of the other 3 that I'd classify as 4" Bushcrafting Spearpoints. Please let me know if I missed another design.

Kephart, Arete, KE Bushie

Handle Comparison:

There are different things that I like about each of them. All of this is purely subjective and some of these would only apply if you have big hands, so take that into consideration.

Starting with the Kephart: The more pronounced bulge in the bottom of the handle makes it really easy to lock in my index finger and feel really secure in the grip. However, the pointy butt means that it cuts into the palm of my hand since it overhangs the end of the knife.

Arete: This is the one I've used to most of these three, as it's very comfortable to me. The rounded butt means my hand can hang off the edge without it cutting in. The gentle swell is comfortable, but doesn't give as secure a grip as the Kephart.

KE Bushie: Haven't had much time to play with it yet, but as I've been sitting around holding it I would say that it combines some of the good attributes of the above two. Very comfortable handle with the rounded butt. The pronounced beak gives good lock in with certain grip positions. In other grips, the beak hits the wrong spot and requires adjusting the grip to be comfortable.

Blade Comparison:

Kephart: pointy, pointy, pointy. I really like this profile and find it excels at fine woodworking. You might look at it and think it's too pointy to be used hard. I'd beg to differ. Don't trust my word on it though. Do yourself a favor and read mistwalker's quintessential review here.

Arete: In my opinion, this shape is truer to the "Kephart" legacy than it's Fiddleback namesake. Another good profile shape with a little more straight edge before the curve than the Kephart. Also great for working in wood. As I mentioned above, I love this blade and have used it a lot. It was part of my standard camp trio last summer with a hatchet and folder. Checkout Tal's (the guy who designed it) review here.

KE Bushie: Lots more belly on the KE Bushie than the other two. Almost enough that this could possibly be classified as a Drop Point instead of a Spear Point. I've already admitted that I haven't used it much yet, so I suggest you take a look at mistwalker's review here. (don't let anyone tell you scandi's can be used hard).

I'm hoping to spend some quality time with the KE Bushie and give it a proper review in the future.

The main reason I love these knives, especially in a scandi grind, is how well they work on wood. Granted, I don't use them hard, but they do see quite a bit of action on the front porch while I unwind and as camp knives processing firewood.

Getting Dirty Shots:

Glamour Shot:

Finally, since I don't have any action shots of the KE Bushie yet, I'll leave you with this pic which explains why I don't do in hand comparisons. First, who wants to look at my hands. Second, somewhere in there is a knife with a 4" blade with a 4.5" handle.

I'll add more shots as I have them.

Let me know if I can provide any other views or info.

 

[xxwjtxx]

Nathan,
Awesome review -- among all of Andy's knives, I too enjoy the spear point designs the most. For me (a non-hunter... although i do love meat!), I don't always require the belly provided by the BF or hunter and prefer the pointier attributes of a solid SP blade for general bushcraft use. In my own testing, I have found the SP to be a great do-it-all SP design that has the added benefits of an ergonomic handle, so for what its worth, I think you'd like that profile!

Cheers,

Will

 

[velosa]

Thanks Nathan, I always love your comparison pics and overviews. Very helpful! I also love seeing those SCANDIS!

As you well know, I'm the exact opposite of most Fiddlebackers, I've never owned a convex grind, only scandis. However, if I'm lucky enough to win your GAW, I'd be willing to give convex a shot!

 

[Bb6288]

My Scandi SP with Lacewood handle.

 

[Kirkwood]

Nice review and pics Nathan! I took this pic for another purpose when I received the Arete. But it shows a comparison of the Arete next to Andy's 4" "bushcraft tactical" spearpoint.

 

[Comprehensivist]

I recently ordered a sheath for my Sneaky Pete from bonafide. He didn’t have this model for a pattern, so he asked me how the blade compares to the Bushfinger. I took a series of pictures with the two knives side-by-side and one on top of the other. What I discovered is that the curve and shape of the cutting edge is identical. The Sneaky Pete has slightly more of a drop point. That is a good thing in my opinion.

I know that the Bushfinger is Andy’s flagship model and everybody’s darling around here. I have had three and they are a great all-around design. With that said, I realized that I prefer the handle of the Sneaky Pete over the Bushfinger. After doing this photo comparison, I sold off my remaining Bushfingers to focus on the handle configurations that work better for me in this size range.

Your preference(s) may vary and there are no wrong answers here.

Phil

 

[xxwjtxx]

I know that the Bushfinger is Andy’s flagship model and everybody’s darling around here. I have had three and they are a great all-around design. With that said, I realized that I prefer the handle of the Sneaky Pete over the Bushfinger. After doing this photo comparison, I sold off my remaining Bushfingers to focus on the handle configurations that work better for me in this size range.

Your preference(s) may vary and there are no wrong answers here.

Phil

Couldn't have put it better myself Phil

 

[xxwjtxx]

Nice review and pics Nathan! I took this pic for another purpose when I received the Arete. But it shows a comparison of the Arete next to Andy's 4" "bushcraft tactical" spearpoint.

Dude,
That is a NICE Arete; gotta love cornflower blue!

 

[emoney2277]

Can I ask, how does the ladyfingers feel in hand to those of you with average to larger size hands (I wear a size 8). The design has been calling me but the handle looks a little slimmer and can't decide how it would fit in my hand. Any thoughts?

 

[thurin]

Some analysis of the handle shapes that you see here:

There are different things that I like about each of them. All of this is purely subjective and some of these would only apply if you have big hands, so take that into consideration.

Starting with the Kephart: The more pronounced bulge in the bottom of the handle makes it really easy to lock in my index finger and feel really secure in the grip. However, the pointy butt means that it cuts into the palm of my hand since it overhangs the end of the knife.

Arete: This is the one I've used to most of these three, as it's very comfortable to me. The rounded butt means my hand can hang off the edge without it cutting in. The gentle swell is comfortable, but doesn't give as secure a grip as the Kephart.

KE Bushie: Haven't had much time to play with it yet, but as I've been sitting around holding it I would say that it combines some of the good attributes of the above two. Very comfortable handle with the rounded butt. The pronounced beak gives good lock in with certain grip positions. In other grips, the beak hits the wrong spot and requires adjusting the grip to be comfortable.

 

[NoFair]

Nice comparison pics.

Didn't realize the handle on the Sneaky were shorter than on the Bushfinger, it will probably be a bit short for me then.

 

[thurin]

Nathan,
Awesome review -- among all of Andy's knives, I too enjoy the spear point designs the most. For me (a non-hunter... although i do love meat!), I don't always require the belly provided by the BF or hunter and prefer the pointier attributes of a solid SP blade for general bushcraft use. In my own testing, I have found the SP to be a great do-it-all SP design that has the added benefits of an ergonomic handle, so for what its worth, I think you'd like that profile!

Cheers,

Will

Thanks Will. I really do want a Sneaky Pete at some point soon. The more "tactical" look of it turned me off initially, but the handle looks super comfy.

Thanks Nathan, I always love your comparison pics and overviews. Very helpful! I also love seeing those SCANDIS!

As you well know, I'm the exact opposite of most Fiddlebackers, I've never owned a convex grind, only scandis. However, if I'm lucky enough to win your GAW, I'd be willing to give convex a shot!

Thanks Velosa. Good luck in the GAW. You'll have to pick up a convex at some point. They're great, just like the scandis.

My Scandi SP with Lacewood handle.

Gorgeous SP Bb! And in a scandi. That's got to be rare. Thanks for sharing it.

Nice review and pics Nathan! I took this pic for another purpose when I received the Arete. But it shows a comparison of the Arete next to Andy's 4" "bushcraft tactical" spearpoint.

Thanks for the comparison pic Kirkwood!

I recently ordered a sheath for my Sneaky Pete from bonafide. He didn’t have this model for a pattern, so he asked me how the blade compares to the Bushfinger. I took a series of pictures with the two knives side-by-side and one on top of the other. What I discovered is that the curve and shape of the cutting edge is identical. The Sneaky Pete has slightly more of a drop point. That is a good thing in my opinion.

I know that the Bushfinger is Andy’s flagship model and everybody’s darling around here. I have had three and they are a great all-around design. With that said, I realized that I prefer the handle of the Sneaky Pete over the Bushfinger. After doing this photo comparison, I sold off my remaining Bushfingers to focus on the handle configurations that work better for me in this size range.

Your preference(s) may vary and there are no wrong answers here.

Phil

Thanks for the details and comparo Phil. That's the great thing about all the models Fiddleback puts out: each of us can find the sweet spot.

I'm holding off until I have 1 of every model to pick mine. At least that's how I justify it.

 

[catalystman80]

Thanks for the post Nathan! Very interesting, I'd love to see a pic of the three knives from the top of the spine as well (just wondering how much they taper towards the tip).

 

[thurin]

Thanks for the post Nathan! Very interesting, I'd love to see a pic of the three knives from the top of the spine as well (just wondering how much they taper towards the tip).

You're Welcome Josh. With the scandi grinds, they're flat without taper until you hit the scandi at the tip. I'll post a pic tomorrow hopefully to show what I mean.

 

[catalystman80]

You're Welcome Josh. With the scandi grinds, they're flat without taper until you hit the scandi at the tip. I'll post a pic tomorrow hopefully to show what I mean.

Cool that's what it seemed like from the cutting side, thanks for confirming!

 

[thurin]

Some analysis of the blades themselves as seen in the below picture:

Kephart: pointy, pointy, pointy. I really like this profile and find it excels at fine woodworking. You might look at it and think it's too pointy to be used hard. I'd beg to differ. Don't trust my word on it though. Do yourself a favor and read mistwalker's quintessential review here.

Arete: In my opinion, this shape is truer to the "Kephart" legacy than it's Fiddleback namesake. Another good profile shape with a little more straight edge before the curve than the Kephart. Also great for working in wood. As I mentioned above, I love this blade and have used it a lot. It was part of my standard camp trio last summer with a hatchet and folder. Checkout Tal's (the guy who designed it) review here.

KE Bushie: Lots more belly on the KE Bushie than the other two. Almost enough that this could possibly be classified as a Drop Point instead of a Spear Point. I've already admitted that I haven't used it much yet, so I suggest you take a look at mistwalker's review here. (don't let anyone tell you scandi's can be used hard).

I'm hoping to spend some quality time with the KE Bushie and give it a proper review in the future.

 

[thurin]

And as always, I have to give a shout-out to MAW for his comparison threads. Everyone owes it to themselves to bookmark it and refer to it whenever they want Fiddleback comparison info.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/997579-Fiddleback-Forge-Comparison-Photos-Round-Three-(PIC-Heavy)

 

[Skystorm]

Excellent review! I know I am in the 2% around here on this but I really like scandi grinds and wish there were a few more of them offered. My Kephart scandi is my favorite Fiddleback

 

[FeralGentleman]

Great post. Having both an Asp and SP, I'm really scanning the market/Fridays hard now for a Kephart. I've handled knives similar in profile to the Arete, but I really want to try the more acute point on Andy's Kephart. It looks like a top contender for the perfect woods knife.

 

[Mistwalker]

Very nice Thurin, and thanks for the mention my friend! Glad to see you are getting to check out a KE Bushie, I'll be trying out an Arete soon

Good to see these models compared. During the cold months I like having something with a little belly just in case I do go for larger game, but the rest of the year spear points are my favorite. Plus, I prefer small game, fish, and fowl personally so seldom need a deep sweeping belly. The KE Bushie gives me a little belly, but still has the pointiness I really like in all other applications.

I am, and have stated this several time, not the world's biggest scandi fan. Primarily because for me to get the full functionality I need from a blade in my life and knife use, the blade has to be really thin, and flex in a blade is something that just annoys the crap out of me

I have had a few scandis made by Andy, and they can definitely be worked hard,

Where scandis in 1/8 (and I prefer 5/32 blades for me personally and that would just NEVER work for me in a scandi) fail in performace for me is here. Never underestimate the importance of cheese to me It is one of my favorite foods, as well as one of my favorite slicing tests