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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Fiddleback Forge Knives Woodsman Passaround
- Thread starter tonym
- Start date
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- Dec 13, 2005
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I haven't even read this whole thing yet (I'm grabbing a beer to sit down and really take my time), but holy hell you've got some great pics man! What camera do you use? I'm thinking of getting a new one to replace my ancient one.
And thanks for running this Andy, I love a chance to see reviews like all of these (not to mention the chance to play with a sweet blade
).
And thanks for running this Andy, I love a chance to see reviews like all of these (not to mention the chance to play with a sweet blade
).
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 6,105
Great job on that one man, really in depth. And, again, some really great pics. FB is gonna have to put up a 'user pic' section on his website. 
I'm very glad you were able to do so much with your hand still in rough shape. Oh, re: the flames on the bandage, did you miss my ' blue flame sock' thread in WSS?
I'm very glad you were able to do so much with your hand still in rough shape. Oh, re: the flames on the bandage, did you miss my ' blue flame sock' thread in WSS? 
mtnfolk mike
Basic Member
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- Mar 21, 2006
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- 10,040
man.. another great review... nice job Jeff....:thumbup: that was very through and in depth... awesome pics too... this knife sure is getting a work out...
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2005
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Another great review with wonderfull pics by Jeff!!! Great job man. I enjoy reading your stuff, you have a way of spinning out words that make it really enjoyable to read.
That knife is so gorgeous. I cant wait for my turn....
That knife is so gorgeous. I cant wait for my turn....
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2008
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- 1,093
Thanks, guys. Everything I have had a chance to read/see so far looks damned good too. I only got so far but am glad I did not read any of them before doing mine. For one thing, I was not influenced by others' observations and, two, I would have re-shot all my pics after seeing some of the stuff you guys posted.
I noticed HD liked the Woodsman as a "chopper" but I didn't feel like it was suited to that use. I believe that my observations and conclusions could have been influenced by the diffculties I had in hanging onto it with the bandage and weak fingers,..... OK, and I may be a bit apprehensive about letting one get away from me right now.
Not to prattle on and garner sympathy, but I think it says a lot about the handling qualities about the Woodsman that my temporary impairment did not seem to be an issue. I think that it probably was, it's just that the handling qualities were good enough that I was able to manage the chosen tasks.
I noticed HD liked the Woodsman as a "chopper" but I didn't feel like it was suited to that use. I believe that my observations and conclusions could have been influenced by the diffculties I had in hanging onto it with the bandage and weak fingers,..... OK, and I may be a bit apprehensive about letting one get away from me right now.
Not to prattle on and garner sympathy, but I think it says a lot about the handling qualities about the Woodsman that my temporary impairment did not seem to be an issue. I think that it probably was, it's just that the handling qualities were good enough that I was able to manage the chosen tasks.
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- Nov 14, 2005
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That makes alot of sense Jeff. You cant help but think that influanced your review, and also what you were able to do with the knife. However, you did seem to get some use out of it, and your review was excellant!!
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THAT is a very good point and it speaks well of the knife's handling characteristics. Until I read HD's comments, I though I was doing pretty well. The "waist" near the butt lets you hang on with your pinky and ring fingers while using the others to assist in other tasks while cutting or to reposition the knife. I like the fuller "waist" up front - where the web of your hand puts the most pressure on the handle. The "swelled belly" in between, (and in conjunction with) the "waists" provides "traction" to keep the knife under control in a loose grip and comfort when "muscling" the knife. The curves on that handle are more than art.
The Woodsman will be in the mail in the morning and the next "lucky contestant" has been PM'd DC/Ins. number.
I have to go back and read the rest of the reviews now.
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2008
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- 9,491
Hey Fellas, As you may know someone dropped out of the passaround and the spot was quickly filled.
I have this knife shipping geographically as I feel it will move faster and also save people a few pennies since they will be shipping to people pretty close by.
Thankfully the new participant (Orrey45) lives around the same area of the man that dropped out. The shipping order has only 1 minor change. TexasTony will be moving up 1 spot. Everyone else remains in the same position.
J Williams will have the new list and replace the old before he ships it out.
Again thanks for your participation, we look forward to your pics and thoughts of this knife.
I have this knife shipping geographically as I feel it will move faster and also save people a few pennies since they will be shipping to people pretty close by.
Thankfully the new participant (Orrey45) lives around the same area of the man that dropped out. The shipping order has only 1 minor change. TexasTony will be moving up 1 spot. Everyone else remains in the same position.
J Williams will have the new list and replace the old before he ships it out.
Again thanks for your participation, we look forward to your pics and thoughts of this knife.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 6,105
You do a good job MC'ing these things, Tony. :thumbup:
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- Oct 19, 2005
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- 19,748
MC TonyM and the Fiddleback Posse.
LOL.
Couldn't resist.
LOL.
Couldn't resist.
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- Nov 14, 2005
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- 11,135
Got the list printed out and in my file cabinet. Good to go.:thumbup:
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- Dec 11, 2006
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- 1,659
Hey all,
This knife tried to get delivered yesterday, but nobody was here to sign for it. So I picked it up from the PO today. Will be playing with it and doing the review this weekend, and will then send it out.
Just wanted to let everyone know where the knife was at.
B
This knife tried to get delivered yesterday, but nobody was here to sign for it. So I picked it up from the PO today. Will be playing with it and doing the review this weekend, and will then send it out.
Just wanted to let everyone know where the knife was at.
B
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2006
- Messages
- 1,659
What a weekend for a review!!! Its freakin COLD!!!
I was pretty pumped. I picked the knife up from the PO on Friday. I have Monday off of work, and knew that USPS was not running that day either. So, I was pretty pumped to have a long weekend with the Woodsman.
Friday had temps in the single digits with a good wind. Saturday dumped about a foot of snow on us and had cold temps to boot. Between shoveling and other stuff, I did not get any time with it. Sunday, was supposed to be our warm day, reaching the teens. So, I dedicated that day to taking the kiddies ice fishing.
So, here we are Monday. It is cold again, but not too bad. There will be no barehanded pictures in this review.
Initial Impressions
Like Jeff H, I am very much a 4 knife kind of guy. In fact, it is a bit sickening to know the amount of steel that has went through my hands, and I no longer have. I have had several battle mistresses, Dog Fathers, Camp Tramps, Ratweilers, and more, only to come to the conclusion that bigger knives are not for me!
So, I was quite interested in trying out something that I would not normally buy. And that is a slightly larger knife.
First off is the blade shape. I am a big fan of having the tip pretty much centerline in the handle. I dont do enough dedicating skinning to have the tip otherwise, and I find that having it in the center works best for the things I do most. One big bonus right there!
The blade shape reminds me a big of a chefs knife but on steroids because of the thickness : ) Another positive thing because I love to cook! Whether it is in the kitchen, or in the woods, cooking is one thing that I am really into. Therefore, I spend a lot of time with a chefs knife in my hand : ) I was looking forward to the familiar feel. Plus, I tend to use my belt knife a whole lot in food prep, as I tend to not want to take extra stuff along with me in the woods.
Jeff H did an excellent job of stating the specs, so I am not going to repeat that again.
The knife arrived very sharp! However, I did still pass it over some leather and compound before starting to use it.
Here are some non-use pictures of the knife.
Is this handle hot sex or what! This is really it for me. I have a smaller Fiddlback, and the handle size is proportionally smaller. But, this one is larger, and really, really suits me. Personally, I think this is the way the handle should feel regardless of blade length. This handle on a 4 blade would be heaven for me!
To Be Continued.....
I was pretty pumped. I picked the knife up from the PO on Friday. I have Monday off of work, and knew that USPS was not running that day either. So, I was pretty pumped to have a long weekend with the Woodsman.
Friday had temps in the single digits with a good wind. Saturday dumped about a foot of snow on us and had cold temps to boot. Between shoveling and other stuff, I did not get any time with it. Sunday, was supposed to be our warm day, reaching the teens. So, I dedicated that day to taking the kiddies ice fishing.
So, here we are Monday. It is cold again, but not too bad. There will be no barehanded pictures in this review.
Initial Impressions
Like Jeff H, I am very much a 4 knife kind of guy. In fact, it is a bit sickening to know the amount of steel that has went through my hands, and I no longer have. I have had several battle mistresses, Dog Fathers, Camp Tramps, Ratweilers, and more, only to come to the conclusion that bigger knives are not for me!
So, I was quite interested in trying out something that I would not normally buy. And that is a slightly larger knife.
First off is the blade shape. I am a big fan of having the tip pretty much centerline in the handle. I dont do enough dedicating skinning to have the tip otherwise, and I find that having it in the center works best for the things I do most. One big bonus right there!
The blade shape reminds me a big of a chefs knife but on steroids because of the thickness : ) Another positive thing because I love to cook! Whether it is in the kitchen, or in the woods, cooking is one thing that I am really into. Therefore, I spend a lot of time with a chefs knife in my hand : ) I was looking forward to the familiar feel. Plus, I tend to use my belt knife a whole lot in food prep, as I tend to not want to take extra stuff along with me in the woods.
Jeff H did an excellent job of stating the specs, so I am not going to repeat that again.
The knife arrived very sharp! However, I did still pass it over some leather and compound before starting to use it.
Here are some non-use pictures of the knife.
Is this handle hot sex or what! This is really it for me. I have a smaller Fiddlback, and the handle size is proportionally smaller. But, this one is larger, and really, really suits me. Personally, I think this is the way the handle should feel regardless of blade length. This handle on a 4 blade would be heaven for me!
To Be Continued.....
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- Dec 11, 2006
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- 1,659
Lets get to the action.
When it gets colder, like Jeff H, I like my knife on a baldric as well. In fact, it was Jeff H who helped me figured out how to make my baldric. You may not be able to see it here, but the sheath is very well suited for baldric carry. I really like open top sheaths for this.
I figured I wanted to do something bushcrafty to start. However, my postage stamp lot is pretty picked clean of materials. However, I was able to make a simple peg, which at least gives me a feel of how this knife handles the more typical tasks I would do.
Sharpening the point.
This barely classifies as batoning. But on a lot of notches, I like a slightly slanted face. It is very easy to achieve this by resting the knife and giving it a couple love taps with a baton.
The carving portion.
The final notch.
Cutting off the peg from the rest of the stick.
Finishing off the end.
I want to pause here to comment on the handle shape. I love the way the forward portion of the scales are on this knife, but I am a bit torn as well. I have recently become very fond of holding the knife is the reverse chest grip (or whatever you call it). It can be hard to tell with my huge glove on. However, I find that this grip can offer a lot of power for short cutting strokes, but can also be used to really do some finesse cuts. If there was one thing I would consider changing on this knife, it would be to perhaps taper the forward portion of the scales.
Finished peg.
To Be Continued Again.....
When it gets colder, like Jeff H, I like my knife on a baldric as well. In fact, it was Jeff H who helped me figured out how to make my baldric. You may not be able to see it here, but the sheath is very well suited for baldric carry. I really like open top sheaths for this.
I figured I wanted to do something bushcrafty to start. However, my postage stamp lot is pretty picked clean of materials. However, I was able to make a simple peg, which at least gives me a feel of how this knife handles the more typical tasks I would do.
Sharpening the point.
This barely classifies as batoning. But on a lot of notches, I like a slightly slanted face. It is very easy to achieve this by resting the knife and giving it a couple love taps with a baton.
The carving portion.
The final notch.
Cutting off the peg from the rest of the stick.
Finishing off the end.
I want to pause here to comment on the handle shape. I love the way the forward portion of the scales are on this knife, but I am a bit torn as well. I have recently become very fond of holding the knife is the reverse chest grip (or whatever you call it). It can be hard to tell with my huge glove on. However, I find that this grip can offer a lot of power for short cutting strokes, but can also be used to really do some finesse cuts. If there was one thing I would consider changing on this knife, it would be to perhaps taper the forward portion of the scales.
Finished peg.
To Be Continued Again.....
Last edited:
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- Dec 11, 2006
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- 1,659
On to fire.
I am not a huge batoning person. However, it seems to be a must do when trying out any new knife. So today, I have some frozen oak, and some frozen elm. Neither are the easiest to play with.
First up is the oak.
Now the elm.
You can tell it is not the cleanest grain stuff.
Enough kinding for my fire.
As I started the fire, I quickly realized I was going to need a lot more smaller pieces. So, I did quite a bit more batoning of very fine pieces, as I needed them to get the fire going. But, I did not take pictures of that.
Batoning summary: The knife did extremely well, as I would expect. I have to admit, that the little extra blade length (which I am not normally accustomed to) came in very handy. Because of the thickness, and the geometry of the grind, I never did bother to check the edge as I went. I knew it would be fine, even with the knots I was coming across. As I cleaned it up for the next reviewer, I noted that the edge was indeed perfect.
To Be Continued Again......
I am not a huge batoning person. However, it seems to be a must do when trying out any new knife. So today, I have some frozen oak, and some frozen elm. Neither are the easiest to play with.
First up is the oak.
Now the elm.
You can tell it is not the cleanest grain stuff.
Enough kinding for my fire.
As I started the fire, I quickly realized I was going to need a lot more smaller pieces. So, I did quite a bit more batoning of very fine pieces, as I needed them to get the fire going. But, I did not take pictures of that.
Batoning summary: The knife did extremely well, as I would expect. I have to admit, that the little extra blade length (which I am not normally accustomed to) came in very handy. Because of the thickness, and the geometry of the grind, I never did bother to check the edge as I went. I knew it would be fine, even with the knots I was coming across. As I cleaned it up for the next reviewer, I noted that the edge was indeed perfect.
To Be Continued Again......
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- Dec 11, 2006
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- 1,659
Oak and elm are not good woods for doing fuzz sticks, IMO. And my crappy work shows it here. But, I wanted to do some to get a feel for cutting with the knife.
I used an age old method for starting my fire. It involved a mechanical striker (steel wheel and flint) and some lighter fluid. It has been called by some a zippo. Hey ..give me a break ..its cold!!!!
Fire started.
As it the fire burned, I figured it was time for some hot chocolate. Not coffee, not tea, hot chocolate : )
I also noted that the woodsman had no issue opening my package of foo-foo hot chocolate!
Water is almost done now.
Mission accomplished.
My use of this knife was by no means extensive. But, I did get to play enough with it to get a good feel for it. Here is the knife after my use, before cleaning it up for the next person.
I really enjoyed using this knife, and the comfort of the handle really means a lot for me. While I generally like the 4 size knife, I can really appreciate the extra length of this one, and would have no problem putting it near the very top of my list for most often used knives.
Please feel free to ask any questions. There was a ton of comments that I really wanted to make, but it seems my review was already getting long winded, so I cut it short. I just would like to say, thank you for giving me the chance to play with this knife.
Brian
I used an age old method for starting my fire. It involved a mechanical striker (steel wheel and flint) and some lighter fluid. It has been called by some a zippo. Hey ..give me a break ..its cold!!!!
Fire started.
As it the fire burned, I figured it was time for some hot chocolate. Not coffee, not tea, hot chocolate : )
I also noted that the woodsman had no issue opening my package of foo-foo hot chocolate!
Water is almost done now.
Mission accomplished.
My use of this knife was by no means extensive. But, I did get to play enough with it to get a good feel for it. Here is the knife after my use, before cleaning it up for the next person.
I really enjoyed using this knife, and the comfort of the handle really means a lot for me. While I generally like the 4 size knife, I can really appreciate the extra length of this one, and would have no problem putting it near the very top of my list for most often used knives.
Please feel free to ask any questions. There was a ton of comments that I really wanted to make, but it seems my review was already getting long winded, so I cut it short. I just would like to say, thank you for giving me the chance to play with this knife.
Brian