Hasco's Fiddleback Mid Tech Hiking Buddy Pass Around Review

[hasco]

I am grateful to have gotten the chance to be a part of the Fiddleback mid tech Hiking Buddy pass around review. I had the hiking buddy for a total of about 10 days. I put it straight to use and was able to take it on a week long trip to a cabin in the Trinity Alps of California. I used it for a variety of tasks that I felt were suitable for a knife this size. Everything I did with it were normal things I might use a fixed blade edc for.

Here are the dimensions of the knife quoted from one of the retailers. It retails at several sites for $195.

Profile Name: Hiking Buddy
Handle Material: Black Canvas Micarta
Overall Length: 7.24 Inches (184mm)
Blade Length: 3.2 Inches (82mm)
Weight: 3.9oz
Thickness: 1/8" - Full Tang
Steel: S35VN


The packaging on the Hiking Buddy is very nice. Out of the box the finish looks excellent on this one.

The leather sheath it comes with secures the knife well. I held it upside down, gave it a good shake and it did not fall out.

The most important thing for me in a knife is the cutting edge. Knives are meant to cut and I like ones that cut easily and efficiently. I like a sharp edge that bites into wood with little effort. If I have to apply a lot of pressure for a knife to work, then I don't want it no matter how pretty or burly it is. The first thing I do when I get a knife is check for symmetry in fit and finish. Next, I like to cut some paper and see how sharp it is. This hiking buddy has been used by others in the pass around so it was not a reflection of how the knife came from the Forge, but it was sharp enough to cut paper without a problem. A couple passes on the strop and it performed even better. The blade tapers to a very fine edge which makes it very nice to cut with.

I enjoyed how the knife's edge bit into the wood and made feathersticks easily.

A great test for me to see how a knife cuts is to carve a notch for a bow drill. You have to remove enough wood that if I knife does not cut well, it will be a chore. The hiking buddy cut out the notch easily. Right away I was impressed with how it performed.

I think a small fixed blade like this should be able to perform a few food prep tasks in the kitchen and on trail. I used the hiking buddy for both. It sliced fruit and vegetables easily. I especially liked the fact that I could wash it in the sink with a sponge without worrying about rust or scratching the blade.

In order to really get to know a knife, I like to do a project that is going to take long enough to see how comfortable the knife is with extended use. I decided to make a spoon out of a piece of maple with the hiking buddy. One thing I noticed when I first picked the knife up is that the handle has a more "blocky" feel to it than the custom Fiddleback HB's I have owned. It gives it a more substantial feel in the hand which I like. On the other hand you can feel where the transition from the flat part of the handle to where it curves under as somewhat of a slight "edge". I learned from recently making a knife of my own, that if you can feel a transition like that, it could cause hot spots. Sure enough after extended use I did have a hot spot on my palm and a little one on my pinky. I have a scar on my pinky so that could have also been a part of it. Neither of them were that bad, but I definitely noticed them. This could also be a personal thing to my hands. I will say that in all the custom Fiddlebacks I have owned, I don't ever remember getting a hot spot. Andy's custom knives are know for their comfortable handles and for good reason.



Here is the spoon I made.

Making the spoon I was able to remove a lot of wood very easily.

It comes with a chamfered edge on the spine, which makes it very comfortable for double thumb push cuts.

In these two pictures you can see some slight handle transitions forming a little bit of what I will call an "edge". This "edge" did cause a few minor hot spots after extended work on the spoon.

You can see on my palm a hot spot from where that transition met my palm after working on the spoon. There is also a slight hot spot near the scar on my pinky. They were not dramatic, just noticeable.

Here is a picture of a custom hiking buddy's very smooth scales for comparison.

The mid tech's micarta scales have a texture to them. The texture provides a very nice grip, especially in wet conditions. I used it to clean a rainbow trout and this is where the textured scales and the S35VN steel really shined.

I like a knife with a nice tip for detail work. I wanted to test the tip so I made a small hole through a piece of seasoned California hazelnut. No problem at all for the HB.

I used a green piece of California hazelnut to make a quick figure four trap.

I think one of the most common uses of an edc is to open packages. The HB opened packages like a champ.

My Conclusion:

Overall, I really enjoyed using the mid tech Hiking Buddy. The only problem I had with it was some minor hot spots with extended use. The size of the blade is perfect for a lot of edc and bushcraft type tasks. The shape of the blade is really nice because it comes to a sharp point but also retains enough sweep if you needed to clean some small game. The smaller size definitely makes it a nice "hiking buddy" and I think it could handle mosts tasks you could throw at it while on a trip to the woods. The finish and steel make it really easy to take care of and the textured scales provide an excellent grip. After all the tasks I did with it, it could still cut paper and it was easy to quickly get even sharper on a strop. I think this would be a great knife to throw in a small survival pack, as a gift for friends or family, fishing knife, smaller bushcraft knife, or as a very dependable fixed blade edc that can do about anything. I was sad to send this one on its way. Thanks to Fiddleback Forge for letting me be a part of the fiddleback mid tech Hiking Buddy review pass around.

- Tod

 

[McVeyMac]

Very nice and thorough review hasco, and your pictures were great.

 

[Taja]

Very nice and thorough review hasco, and your pictures were great.

and trout impressive

if you would by it, do you consider to round up the scale a little with sand paper
I do not think it would be a problem?

 

[Tim the Wizard]

Very nice read. I learn alot from seeing your bushcraft skills in action.

 

[Mistwalker]

Very nice review Tod, I like the tasks you chose, and the way you put it all together. The trout made my mouth water.

Your opinions of the Hiking Buddy mirror my own. It is one of my favorite models. It's a shame about the slightly proud section of spine. Mine is not like that and I don't get any hot spots in my palm, but I know how many times a handle shifts in your hand when carving spoons and I get how that would do it.

and trout impressive

if you would by it, do you consider to round up the scale a little with sand paper
I do not think it would be a problem?

He would only have to do that if he just wanted to. I'm sure Andy would be glad to smooth that up.

 

[Hone]

Great review Hasco! I sure wish my trap and spoon making skills were as perfected as yours.

I have a midtech hiking buddy as well and it does not have any sharp edges along the spine. I am wondering since this knife has been passed around, could it be possible that someone has taken the scales off and put them back on? Scales can shift sometimes if you're not paying attention when screwing them back into place. Try loosening the screws and realigning the scales and see if the sharp edges go away.

 

[Bamboo]

Thank you Hasco! Looks like you put it through its paces quite well. That was a sweet looking trout you had for dinner too.

 

[Comprehensivist]

This is another fantastic review Tod. You are very thorough in your approach, both in analyzing the features of the knife itself and demonstrating its capabilities in most of the tasks that it would typically be used for. Your crystal clear photos and concise commentary about how it performs on the various tasks paint a clear picture of what a buyer of this knife can expect when they receive it.

I have a question about the small hot spots that you got on the spoon carving project. Using your photo below as a reference, were the hot spots caused by to transition “edge” you talked about where the smooth area meets the textured part of the handle, or where they caused by the edges around the chamfered bolt holes?

I agree with the others that have commented on your nice trout. The combination of tumbled S35VN and a textured handle will really excel in wet and slippery game and food prep roles versus the tool steel custom knives.

I chuckled a little when I saw the photo of the Shadetree burlap blanks. Now that you have ventured into knife making a little, I expected to scroll down and see that you had made some “Tod’s Custom Shop” burlap handles to dress up the knife before you sent it on the the next tester. Maybe next time. I am sure that you would have done a good job with that.

Thanks again Tod. Great review!!

Phil

 

[D.H.]

Really nice review, Tod. Glad to see you got to put the knife to good use while you had it.

 

[tac4me]

Great review!!! My concern looking at the mid-tech has always been about the feel, just by looking at the shapes and texture of the scales, I was concerned about just what you reported. That is the single reason I don't own one yet, otherwise I would have bought one long ago. I like the custom shop approach Andy is taking, but sharking for those feels like if I should just go the extra mile and get another full custom. It could just be be...maybe if an option was out there to purchase one with a spa treatment to improve the scales...get them into more hands, I don't know. For a mid-tech it just feels like it should be easier to get than by swimming with the sharks.
How about scale replacements that come with a square of sandpaper for the user to adjust it as needed? Like a mid-tech kit?

 

[D.H.]

My concern looking at the mid-tech has always been about the feel, just by looking at the shapes and texture of the scales, I was concerned about just what you reported. That is the single reason I don't own one yet, otherwise I would have bought one long ago.

I had this knife for the pass around just before Tod.

I will say this, I didn't have a chance to put the knife to use, much less for an extended project, but I really liked the scales.

They're textured and fill out the hand nicely. I think that this comes into play if, say, you're sweating heavily or handling slimy fish, and could use a little something extra to help make sure you keep a solid grip on the knife.

Looks like the trade off for that extra positive grip is the potential for hot spots when the knife is put to use for extended jobs.

Life's full of compromises I suppose... :uncomfortableness:

 

[catalystman80]

Great post as usual Tod. Carving out a spoon was an excellent idea of getting a feel for the long term use. Really like how you experimented with the knife in all many of the major bushcraft categories. Wonderful photos as well. :thumbup:

 

[VANCE]

There's not much I can say that hasn't been covered..... Fantastic review
Kudos

 

[hasco]

Very nice and thorough review hasco, and your pictures were great.

Thanks Walt! Good to see you on the forum!

and trout impressive

if you would by it, do you consider to round up the scale a little with sand paper
I do not think it would be a problem?

Thanks Taja! I do think you could round the scales a little bit with some sandpaper or a hand file if you wanted to.

Very nice read. I learn alot from seeing your bushcraft skills in action.

Thanks Vayu!

Very nice review Tod, I like the tasks you chose, and the way you put it all together. The trout made my mouth water.

Your opinions of the Hiking Buddy mirror my own. It is one of my favorite models. It's a shame about the slightly proud section of spine. Mine is not like that and I don't get any hot spots in my palm, but I know how many times a handle shifts in your hand when carving spoons and I get how that would do it.




He would only have to do that if he just wanted to. I'm sure Andy would be glad to smooth that up.

Thanks Brian! The hiking buddy has always been one of my favorite Fiddleback models. I wasn't very clear in my initial review, so I have edited it. I found a way to draw on the pics for clarification. The issue with the hot spots was from the scales and not from the spine. The finish where the scales meet the spine is perfect. I only experienced the hot spots after extended use and I could see how it might not create the same problem for different hands.

 

[hasco]

Great review Hasco! I sure wish my trap and spoon making skills were as perfected as yours.

I have a midtech hiking buddy as well and it does not have any sharp edges along the spine. I am wondering since this knife has been passed around, could it be possible that someone has taken the scales off and put them back on? Scales can shift sometimes if you're not paying attention when screwing them back into place. Try loosening the screws and realigning the scales and see if the sharp edges go away.

Thanks Hone! One benefit of working with kids in the woods is I get a chance to practice some of the basic skills over and over again. I am pretty much a beginner in the spoon world but I have made some of the basic deadfall traps a few times. I actually prefer the Paiute deadfall trap over the figure four because it is much more sensitive. The great thing about the figure four is it doesn't need any cordage and it is great for practicing certain cuts. You also have to line it up all the cuts well to get it to work. Getting a primitive trap set up and actually getting something with it is a whole other story though, especially when it is illegal to practice in most places.

I hope my edit clarifies the experience I was having was with the shape of the scales and not the spine.

Thank you Hasco! Looks like you put it through its paces quite well. That was a sweet looking trout you had for dinner too.

Thank you Ken and thanks for letting me have a chance to use it for a week! The trout was great, but that was breakfast!

 

[hasco]

Really nice review, Tod. Glad to see you got to put the knife to good use while you had it.

Thanks DH!

Great review!!! My concern looking at the mid-tech has always been about the feel, just by looking at the shapes and texture of the scales, I was concerned about just what you reported. That is the single reason I don't own one yet, otherwise I would have bought one long ago. I like the custom shop approach Andy is taking, but sharking for those feels like if I should just go the extra mile and get another full custom. It could just be be...maybe if an option was out there to purchase one with a spa treatment to improve the scales...get them into more hands, I don't know. For a mid-tech it just feels like it should be easier to get than by swimming with the sharks.
How about scale replacements that come with a square of sandpaper for the user to adjust it as needed? Like a mid-tech kit?

Thanks tac4me! The textured scales definitely excel in the wet and slipppery environments and the S35VN steel is great. I think that most folks are going to love the textured scales overall. The option of getting them with custom scales would be perfect for someone who is hesitant about the shape or feel of the scales. Getting one with the S35VN and custom scales would be great in my opinion. Having a hiking buddy in S35VN is really nice. If I owned the hiking buddy I reviewed, I might do a little sanding on the scales to smooth out the transition, but I might also just leave it. I used the knife quite a bit and really liked it. I think I would like a custom shadetree handle shaped by Andy on one would even better!

I had this knife for the pass around just before Tod.

I will say this, I didn't have a chance to put the knife to use, much less for an extended project, but I really liked the scales.

They're textured and fill out the hand nicely. I think that this comes into play if, say, you're sweating heavily or handling slimy fish, and could use a little something extra to help make sure you keep a solid grip on the knife.

Looks like the trade off for that extra positive grip is the potential for hot spots when the knife is put to use for extended jobs.

Life's full of compromises I suppose... :uncomfortableness:

I agree with you DH. The fullness of the handle is really nice in the hand and the texture gives it a very nice grip. I also agree that it is all about trade offs. At the price point you are getting an excellent knife that is going to excel in many ways. Since the Forge is offering this mid tech knife with custom scales, if you want the knife with different scales you can pay a little more and get that too!

Great post as usual Tod. Carving out a spoon was an excellent idea of getting a feel for the long term use. Really like how you experimented with the knife in all many of the major bushcraft categories. Wonderful photos as well. :thumbup:

Thanks Josh! I enjoyed using the knife in a variety of ways.

There's not much I can say that hasn't been covered..... Fantastic review
Kudos

Thanks Phillip! I was glad to get the chance to be a part of the review.

 

[hasco]

This is another fantastic review Tod. You are very thorough in your approach, both in analyzing the features of the knife itself and demonstrating its capabilities in most of the tasks that it would typically be used for. Your crystal clear photos and concise commentary about how it performs on the various tasks paint a clear picture of what a buyer of this knife can expect when they receive it.

I have a question about the small hot spots that you got on the spoon carving project. Using your photo below as a reference, were the hot spots caused by to transition “edge” you talked about where the smooth area meets the textured part of the handle, or where they caused by the edges around the chamfered bolt holes?

I agree with the others that have commented on your nice trout. The combination of tumbled S35VN and a textured handle will really excel in wet and slippery game and food prep roles versus the tool steel custom knives.

I chuckled a little when I saw the photo of the Shadetree burlap blanks. Now that you have ventured into knife making a little, I expected to scroll down and see that you had made some “Tod’s Custom Shop” burlap handles to dress up the knife before you sent it on the the next tester. Maybe next time. I am sure that you would have done a good job with that.

Thanks again Tod. Great review!!

Phil

Thanks for the nice comments Phil! Hopefully my edit with the highlights drawn in on the pictures made it more clear about the issue I was having with the scales. The area around the chamfered bolt holes is perfect. It was a great knife to use overall and it definitely excelled in the fishing environment.

I'm glad you noticed the shade tree pics. I added those in just for fun. That was my first order from them. It might be fun to try to make some shadetree scales for the hiking buddy, but I think I would rather get one of Andy's custom handled mid tech hiking buddies. I am already on the look out for one of those!

 

[thurin]

Great review Tod. Your tests ran the gamut. Really good pictures and information here. Thanks for including the details on the hotspots from the spoon making.

Off-topic question: when making the notch in the hearth, are you push cutting with your thumbs, batoning, etc?

 

[hasco]

Great review Tod. Your tests ran the gamut. Really good pictures and information here. Thanks for including the details on the hotspots from the spoon making.

Off-topic question: when making the notch in the hearth, are you push cutting with your thumbs, batoning, etc?

Thanks Nathan!

There are several ways that I make a notch and a few ways to also avoid the notch all together, like wrapping two sticks together or finding a y branch where the dust can collect in-between. I usually just use a combination of regular cuts and push cuts with my thumbs. You can definitely do it quickly batoning too. If you have a small saw like a silky with you that is the fastest way to do it and that is what I will do when preparing a bunch of sets for a class.

 

[calc]

Very nice review. Nice carving skills, too... really shows off its versatility.