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- Mar 19, 2007
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Fiddleback Arete - Scandi and Convex Review:
Specs - Scandi:
Overall Length: 8.405
Blade Length: 3.934
Edge Length: 3.867
Handle Length: 4.471
Steel Type: 01 - as forged flats.
Blade Thickness: 0.125
Blade Height 1.100
Grind Height: 0.306
Handle Thickness at Ricasso: 0.762
Handle Thickness at Palm Swell: 0.957
Handle Thickness at Butt: 1.013
Specs - Convex:
Overall Length: 8.405
Blade Length: 3.936
Edge Length: 3.775
Handle Length: 4.509
Steel Type: 01 - Proprietary "3d Spalting".
Blade Thickness: 0.125
Blade Height 1.051
Grind Height: 0.716
Handle Thickness at Ricasso: 0.764
Handle Thickness at Palm Swell: 0.855
Handle Thickness at Butt: 0.875
Disclaimer:
I designed this knife, with the help and input of others, on the Fiddleback Forum board. If you want to see the entire process, from begining to end - check it out here.
The short of it, though, is that I drew up this knife:
Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge (he has a subforum here) made it happen. He sent me a prototype and we made changes - and then it was a done deal. This knife became part of Andy's lineup quickly there after - and a few of them have been seen in the wild.
Packaging:
Andy always ships his knives in USPS Priority boxes wrapped in very thick brown paper folded and rolled well to protect the knife - The blade being protected with folded cardboard. He ties the package with jute twine and sticks one of his business cards under the twine. The presentation is very simple - but one of those touches you tend to remember. Usually there is a little swag in the box too - a Fiddleback Can holder - or some other little promotional item he has.
Fit and Finish:
There is a bit of a difference between Andy's first Arete (the one I own - besides the prototype) and the convex Arete that I recieved from him about a year and 1/2 later. Andy has always been a wiz with his handles. He combines woods - combines woods with man made materials - and combines man made materials - all to great effect. The original Arete came with stainless pins - the Arete's made now use Micarta or Mosaic pins in the handles. Both leave a distinctly different look - but both look awesome.
My Scandi is a black linered, bulrap micarta base with Osage orange on top. My Scandi has a 1/8th inch black canvas micarta base with the front inch and a half (near the ricossa) in black canvas micarta with the rest being natural canvas micarta. It has 5 micarta pins put in the handle for a very subtle yet dramatic effect.
Both blades have Andy's signature bulls eye lanyard tube in the butt that is comprised of two stainless tubes and one micarta tube sandwiched together.
The fit and finish on Andy's handles are exquisite. The wood never has any burn marks around the pins and the pins are never proud of the wood. The wood comes highly sanded and finished. I never has any issue or qualms about his handles they are perfectly done in my opinion.
In terms of the blade, Andy's plunge lines have always been good - but lately - he has become robotic. My convex edge looking down the blade edge looks identical on both sides. Andy has always used a jig with his scandi edges and I think it is a little easier to make the plunge lines and grind lines even - with a free hand convex - you have to have a steady hand and a lot of experience to make the edges look as clean as these do on my knives.
Fiddleback Scandi Arete next to a Dan Koster Bushcrafter in CPM 154.
I have two wishes for Andy's future work: 1) Take the grind to a higher grit and get rid of some of the deeper grind marks left in the steel. This has gotten better of the years - but I still wish for a more matte finish on my blades from the maker rather than needing to take these out by hand. 2) Do a full convex edge. Andy tends to do a convex blade and then put a secondary micro bevel on the blade to sharpen it. Especially when dealing with a convex blade - I want a full convex blade and edge - so when I get one of Andy's knifes - I have to take out the stones and set my edge back to fully convex and then bring the finish to my liking. This can take a few hours to get totally right (have I mentioned I am anal?) and I enjoy doing it in the long run - but when buying a custom knife - ir should come very well finished. This is not to say Andy;s work is rough by any means -just my opinion on what could be improved.
Original Sharpening:
Andy used 01 on both of these knives and his heat treat is right on. I have owned my Scandi for over two years and done my best to to punish it - without so much as a chip or a rolled edge. Generally a quick push on the 4000 grit Japanese stone and a stropping after a long weekend is all that is needed.
However, as mentioned above - the grind was a little low grit for my tastes - so I brought out the freshly lapped Japanese water stones and set to work. In a short amount of time I progressed through the 800, 1200, and 4000 stones and was on to the strop. The 01 is a joy to sharpen and takes and holds and edge with ease.
When I received my convex arete I set to work with a JRE strop bat covered with 600, 800, 1500, and 2000 grit sandpapers as I set my initial edge. I took out the micro bevel and set the knife to a full convex. Then using small peices of sandpapers I polished the full blade to a high shine. Again, this process doesn't take me too long and once it is done - I merely need to sharpen the knives to keep them "my way". I like this process as it sort of makes the knife 'mine'.
Blade Design and Geometry:
When I designed the blade for the Arete, I wanted a leaf blade design so that I could easily choke up on the knife when doing fine work - and a spear point for drilling and fine work. I wanted a minimal guard that would allow me to know how I was holding the knife in low light conditions but didn't hinder me from handling the blade as well. Andy delivered all of this and the knife is exactly to specs as designed.
The Scandi Arete - is a spear point, leaf blade, scandi grind. There isn't much to say here. Andy set a great original bevel and I have done nothing to change that bevel. The spine of the knife comes very square to strike a firesteel.
Fiddleback Scandi next to a Koyote Scandivex
The Convex convex - is a spear point, leaf blade - sabre ground convex blade with the grind starting about 3/4's of the way up the blade. This spine is very square as well.
One thing should be mentioned about the finish on the Convex version. This finish Andy calls '3d Spalting'. Andy does stock removal for his blades and does not forge his own steel - so if you look at the finish on the Scandi - it is 'as forged'. Andy has started adding this spalting to his work. It makes for a very cool effect and almost looks hand forged. The spalting is deep and will not simply wear off like a patina. You have the choice when buying his work to get this spalting or not - but I really like the 'as forged look' or the '3D spalted' look - and it adds a layer of protection to the blade. This part is corrosion resistant and I don't have to worry so much about wiping down the blade perfectly when storing.
Balance
The balance on both knives are slightly behind where the first finger would rest and I find it to be a well balanced knife - not butt or tip heavy.
Handle Design:
When I designed the handle for the Arete I wanted a mildly contoured handle with a fat butt (to help in slippery conditions) and a tapered handle near the Ricossa that allowed for choking up. I had a lot of help from TonyM and others on the Fiddleback boards to get my handle just right - and I was very pleased with the result. Andy didn't have as small enough wheel at the time to get the handle exactly to spec - but I am very happy with what I have in my hands. I think it was a matter of what I envisioned would not have been as good in reality.
Sheaths:
I made my own sheaths for these knives. 8-10 ounce leather from Wickett and Craig. 3/8th inch welt, double stitched, belt loop and removable Dangler.
Overall Feelings:
This is nearly cheating. I designed the knife to fit my hands, picked an awesome maker to do the knife and had a lot of help from good people along the way. Of course I love the knives. But - I will say - when others have used them - they found the design, fit and finsih, blade geometry, and execution to be great as well. There are many other Arete's out there - and many favorable reviews - but I am very proud to rarely see one come up for sale on this board.
TF
Specs - Scandi:
Overall Length: 8.405
Blade Length: 3.934
Edge Length: 3.867
Handle Length: 4.471
Steel Type: 01 - as forged flats.
Blade Thickness: 0.125
Blade Height 1.100
Grind Height: 0.306
Handle Thickness at Ricasso: 0.762
Handle Thickness at Palm Swell: 0.957
Handle Thickness at Butt: 1.013
Specs - Convex:
Overall Length: 8.405
Blade Length: 3.936
Edge Length: 3.775
Handle Length: 4.509
Steel Type: 01 - Proprietary "3d Spalting".
Blade Thickness: 0.125
Blade Height 1.051
Grind Height: 0.716
Handle Thickness at Ricasso: 0.764
Handle Thickness at Palm Swell: 0.855
Handle Thickness at Butt: 0.875
Disclaimer:
I designed this knife, with the help and input of others, on the Fiddleback Forum board. If you want to see the entire process, from begining to end - check it out here.
The short of it, though, is that I drew up this knife:
Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge (he has a subforum here) made it happen. He sent me a prototype and we made changes - and then it was a done deal. This knife became part of Andy's lineup quickly there after - and a few of them have been seen in the wild.
Packaging:
Andy always ships his knives in USPS Priority boxes wrapped in very thick brown paper folded and rolled well to protect the knife - The blade being protected with folded cardboard. He ties the package with jute twine and sticks one of his business cards under the twine. The presentation is very simple - but one of those touches you tend to remember. Usually there is a little swag in the box too - a Fiddleback Can holder - or some other little promotional item he has.
Fit and Finish:
There is a bit of a difference between Andy's first Arete (the one I own - besides the prototype) and the convex Arete that I recieved from him about a year and 1/2 later. Andy has always been a wiz with his handles. He combines woods - combines woods with man made materials - and combines man made materials - all to great effect. The original Arete came with stainless pins - the Arete's made now use Micarta or Mosaic pins in the handles. Both leave a distinctly different look - but both look awesome.
My Scandi is a black linered, bulrap micarta base with Osage orange on top. My Scandi has a 1/8th inch black canvas micarta base with the front inch and a half (near the ricossa) in black canvas micarta with the rest being natural canvas micarta. It has 5 micarta pins put in the handle for a very subtle yet dramatic effect.
Both blades have Andy's signature bulls eye lanyard tube in the butt that is comprised of two stainless tubes and one micarta tube sandwiched together.
The fit and finish on Andy's handles are exquisite. The wood never has any burn marks around the pins and the pins are never proud of the wood. The wood comes highly sanded and finished. I never has any issue or qualms about his handles they are perfectly done in my opinion.
In terms of the blade, Andy's plunge lines have always been good - but lately - he has become robotic. My convex edge looking down the blade edge looks identical on both sides. Andy has always used a jig with his scandi edges and I think it is a little easier to make the plunge lines and grind lines even - with a free hand convex - you have to have a steady hand and a lot of experience to make the edges look as clean as these do on my knives.
Fiddleback Scandi Arete next to a Dan Koster Bushcrafter in CPM 154.
I have two wishes for Andy's future work: 1) Take the grind to a higher grit and get rid of some of the deeper grind marks left in the steel. This has gotten better of the years - but I still wish for a more matte finish on my blades from the maker rather than needing to take these out by hand. 2) Do a full convex edge. Andy tends to do a convex blade and then put a secondary micro bevel on the blade to sharpen it. Especially when dealing with a convex blade - I want a full convex blade and edge - so when I get one of Andy's knifes - I have to take out the stones and set my edge back to fully convex and then bring the finish to my liking. This can take a few hours to get totally right (have I mentioned I am anal?) and I enjoy doing it in the long run - but when buying a custom knife - ir should come very well finished. This is not to say Andy;s work is rough by any means -just my opinion on what could be improved.
Original Sharpening:
Andy used 01 on both of these knives and his heat treat is right on. I have owned my Scandi for over two years and done my best to to punish it - without so much as a chip or a rolled edge. Generally a quick push on the 4000 grit Japanese stone and a stropping after a long weekend is all that is needed.
However, as mentioned above - the grind was a little low grit for my tastes - so I brought out the freshly lapped Japanese water stones and set to work. In a short amount of time I progressed through the 800, 1200, and 4000 stones and was on to the strop. The 01 is a joy to sharpen and takes and holds and edge with ease.
When I received my convex arete I set to work with a JRE strop bat covered with 600, 800, 1500, and 2000 grit sandpapers as I set my initial edge. I took out the micro bevel and set the knife to a full convex. Then using small peices of sandpapers I polished the full blade to a high shine. Again, this process doesn't take me too long and once it is done - I merely need to sharpen the knives to keep them "my way". I like this process as it sort of makes the knife 'mine'.
Blade Design and Geometry:
When I designed the blade for the Arete, I wanted a leaf blade design so that I could easily choke up on the knife when doing fine work - and a spear point for drilling and fine work. I wanted a minimal guard that would allow me to know how I was holding the knife in low light conditions but didn't hinder me from handling the blade as well. Andy delivered all of this and the knife is exactly to specs as designed.
The Scandi Arete - is a spear point, leaf blade, scandi grind. There isn't much to say here. Andy set a great original bevel and I have done nothing to change that bevel. The spine of the knife comes very square to strike a firesteel.
Fiddleback Scandi next to a Koyote Scandivex
The Convex convex - is a spear point, leaf blade - sabre ground convex blade with the grind starting about 3/4's of the way up the blade. This spine is very square as well.
One thing should be mentioned about the finish on the Convex version. This finish Andy calls '3d Spalting'. Andy does stock removal for his blades and does not forge his own steel - so if you look at the finish on the Scandi - it is 'as forged'. Andy has started adding this spalting to his work. It makes for a very cool effect and almost looks hand forged. The spalting is deep and will not simply wear off like a patina. You have the choice when buying his work to get this spalting or not - but I really like the 'as forged look' or the '3D spalted' look - and it adds a layer of protection to the blade. This part is corrosion resistant and I don't have to worry so much about wiping down the blade perfectly when storing.
Balance
The balance on both knives are slightly behind where the first finger would rest and I find it to be a well balanced knife - not butt or tip heavy.
Handle Design:
When I designed the handle for the Arete I wanted a mildly contoured handle with a fat butt (to help in slippery conditions) and a tapered handle near the Ricossa that allowed for choking up. I had a lot of help from TonyM and others on the Fiddleback boards to get my handle just right - and I was very pleased with the result. Andy didn't have as small enough wheel at the time to get the handle exactly to spec - but I am very happy with what I have in my hands. I think it was a matter of what I envisioned would not have been as good in reality.
Sheaths:
I made my own sheaths for these knives. 8-10 ounce leather from Wickett and Craig. 3/8th inch welt, double stitched, belt loop and removable Dangler.
Overall Feelings:
This is nearly cheating. I designed the knife to fit my hands, picked an awesome maker to do the knife and had a lot of help from good people along the way. Of course I love the knives. But - I will say - when others have used them - they found the design, fit and finsih, blade geometry, and execution to be great as well. There are many other Arete's out there - and many favorable reviews - but I am very proud to rarely see one come up for sale on this board.
TF
