His and her's Fiddlebacks.

[Joe Duder]

I joined Bladeforums less than a year ago. I became a member to learn more about blades and steels, as well as get my paws on some Fiddlebacks. I purchased a Hunter variant in Osage orange with 3/16" 01. I call it my poor-mans Woodsman. The first time I held it, I was hooked. I've been collecting knives since I was a kid, but this was the first time I had ever owned or held a piece of such quality. My hunter gets lots of love. I must say it is babied. I'm not a big patina fan, so when I notice a patina forming I clean it away.

I've been married for almost ten years. My wife is the best friend I've ever had. She doesn't nag, we "hardly" argue, she's not a material girl by any means, and she never asks me for anything (too good to be true, right?). She's made little comments here and there about my knives and how she likes them. So I decided to purchase one for her 35th birthday. I didn't want to buy her just any knife, I want my wife to have the best, so I said, she's getting a fiddleback. We spent a couple of minutes looking at different variants and scales. She really liked the Kepharts I showed her and once she took notice of the double mint handle configuration she instantly said "That's the one."


She just received it in the mail from Andy a couple of days ago and she loves it. It fits in her palm like it was made for her small hands, yet it still manages to feel great in my big meat hooks. I think her's is the nicer of our Fiddlebacks. It's kinda funny when your wife is packin' a better blade than you. But she's a darn good woman and she deserves the very best.

I wonder if when Andy started making knives, he thought- One day, Men will be buying my blades for their wives...

From the wife and I, thank you Mr. Roy.

Duder.

 

[VANCE]

ive offered to buy my wife her own so she will quit using mine..thus far it has'nt worked



edit...
i think yall are both winners...2 fantastic looking knives

 

[Joe Duder]

ive offered to buy my wife her own so she will quit using mine..thus far it has'nt worked



edit...
i think yall are both winners...2 fantastic looking knives

I grew tired of seeing her with my beat up Mora whenever we did outdoor activities. Moras are nice, don't get me wrong, I just wanted to see her with one of Andy's pieces.

Thanks for the "edit..." comment.

 

[thurin]

That's cool Duder! Sounds like you have a great wife that deserves that sweet looking Doublemint!

 

[Taonari]

I loved reading that post. I smiled because it sounds just like my wife. She knows I am hooked on knives and is very understanding. You have a wonderful wife and companion and you bought her a fine tool and gift.

I bought a Hiking Buddy for my wife last week and told her about it after I ordered it and she is super excited to get it. My Kephart I bought from the week before just came in and the handle feels like it was made for me personally. Andy puts a lot of thought on the handle and ergonomics.

Your wife deserves the best and you have good taste. I hope your wife's Kephart serves her well as we all know it will. Thanks to Andy for putting so much thought into his knives. He takes pride in his work and I feel proud to use his knives.

 

[Joe Duder]

I loved reading that post. I smiled because it sounds just like my wife. She knows I am hooked on knives and is very understanding. You have a wonderful wife and companion and you bought her a fine tool and gift.

I bought a Hiking Buddy for my wife last week and told her about it after I ordered it and she is super excited to get it. My Kephart I bought from the week before just came in and the handle feels like it was made for me personally. Andy puts a lot of thought on the handle and ergonomics.

Your wife deserves the best and you have good taste. I hope your wife's Kephart serves her well as we all know it will. Thanks to Andy for putting so much thought into his knives. He takes pride in his work and I feel proud to use his knives.

Thanks for the heart warming comments. I'm blessed. Or I did something right in a past life, either way, life is really good.

Thanks for the comment Thurin. She does deserve the very best.

If anybody cares to post pics of their wife's fiddleback, they're more than welcome to. I should change the thread title to "My wife's fiddleback thread".

 

[NoFair]

Beautiful knives! Great wife too

My wife doesn't want one

She prefer to borrow whichever one is on my belt. Even made her a full height convex in damascus with slim olivewood (which I thought she liked) handles, but she doesn't carry it. My daughter loves it though so no worries. The only knife she carries regularly is a Spyderco Delica (she has 4 or 5) because it doesn't have to be carried in a sheath on her belt (which she doesn't like using). She is quite handy with both chainsaw and axe and loves being outdoors just as much as I do so I'm blessed in other ways.

 

[Mistwalker]

That is really cool man, awesome having a wife that appreciates the quality of a well made knife. My wife has a Hiking Buddy, and her is also the nicest (or at least the prettiest) of the Fiddlebacks here too.

 

[Joe Duder]

Beautiful knives! Great wife too

My wife doesn't want one

She prefer to borrow whichever one is on my belt. Even made her a full height convex in damascus with slim olivewood (which I thought she liked) handles, but she doesn't carry it. My daughter loves it though so no worries. The only knife she carries regularly is a Spyderco Delica (she has 4 or 5) because it doesn't have to be carried in a sheath on her belt (which she doesn't like using). She is quite handy with both chainsaw and axe and loves being outdoors just as much as I do so I'm blessed in other ways.

The wife and I used to camp and hike a lot. Then we decided to have children and that put a damper on the outdoors activities. The little ones are getting to that age were we, as a family, can start doing those activities again and not have to carry them. I'm really looking forward to learning and teaching the family self reliance/bush skills. I think it's important for them to know. I want to be able to say that my wife is handy with a chainsaw and axe too.:thumbup:

 

[Joe Duder]

That is really cool man, awesome having a wife that appreciates the quality of a well made knife. My wife has a Hiking Buddy, and her is also the nicest (or at least the prettiest) of the Fiddlebacks here too.

Is your wife's hiking buddy the bluish bolstered wood with SS pins? If so, that's probably the nicest hiking buddy I've seen. It's gonna be hard to top that one.

 

[NoFair]

The wife and I used to camp and hike a lot. Then we decided to have children and that put a damper on the outdoors activities. The little ones are getting to that age were we, as a family, can start doing those activities again and not have to carry them. I'm really looking forward to learning and teaching the family self reliance/bush skills. I think it's important for them to know. I want to be able to say that my wife is handy with a chainsaw and axe too.:thumbup:

One day she will love you when you give her a Stihl MS362 for Christmas

The youngest is 17 months old so he hikes in this:

 

[schmittie]

Nice Joe! I really think the female fiddleback line is just starting to take off. I'm on the lookout for the right ladyfinger for my lady.

 

[Joe Duder]

I'm on the lookout for the right ladyfinger for my lady.

The bad thing about Andy's blades are- Though they're made for tough use, they all manage to stay elegant and "sexy". This makes it very hard to choose which variant to go with. Even when you do decide on a model, now you have the trouble of deciding which flavor scales you want. I've literally pulled hair out trying to decide which fiddleback to choose.

Once in a while, my wife and I play Lotto. I always have a joke when we check the numbers. I always say, "If we win, I'm gonna post- I'll take them all Andy on the next Fiddleback Friday". What? One can dream...

 

[TPVT]

The wife and I used to camp and hike a lot. Then we decided to have children and that put a damper on the outdoors activities. The little ones are getting to that age were we, as a family, can start doing those activities again and not have to carry them. I'm really looking forward to learning and teaching the family self reliance/bush skills. I think it's important for them to know. I want to be able to say that my wife is handy with a chainsaw and axe too.:thumbup:

Hey Joe. Your first post was great, but i am commenting on this one. ^ my kids are older, but i remember the feeling that you speak of. i.e. when the wee nippers get old enough that you can actually take them out and show them the wild world. good on you man. and thanks for the smile. :thumbup:

 

[Joe Duder]

Hey Joe. Your first post was great, but i am commenting on this one. ^ my kids are older, but i remember the feeling that you speak of. i.e. when the wee nippers get old enough that you can actually take them out and show them the wild world. good on you man. and thanks for the smile. :thumbup:

Thanks TPVT. I'm looking forward to showing them the wild world.

 

[Mistwalker]

Is your wife's hiking buddy the bluish bolstered wood with SS pins? If so, that's probably the nicest hiking buddy I've seen. It's gonna be hard to top that one.

Yep, that would be the one, the one in the pic I started the Tuesday thread with. It was the nicest one I had seen to date at the time I picked it up at Blade. I didn't even know Lisa thought anything about it, other than it was pretty because it was blue... till she about blew a fuse when I was going to sell it to fund the purchase of a convex one a couple of years ago. It's been hers ever since. I haven't seen Andy do another one like it yet, so I'm glad she hung on to it.

 

[Philip L]

Yep, that would be the one, the one in the pic I started the Tuesday thread with. It was the nicest one I had seen to date at the time I picked it up at Blade. I didn't even know Lisa thought anything about it, other than it was pretty because it was blue... till she about blew a fuse when I was going to sell it to fund the purchase of a convex one a couple of years ago. It's been hers ever since. I haven't seen Andy do another one like it yet, so I'm glad she hung on to it.

Mist, I second the "that's the prettiest hiking buddy" comment. Don't ever sell that knife, pardner...it's a total keeper.

 

[tjswarbrick]

Joe, that's awesome.
You described my wife to a "T" until you got to the part about knives.
I've let her use a bunch of mine, and offered to get her one of her own. She has friends who carry colored SAK Classics. I've offered her one of mine (blue, red or black, or I'd buy another just for her) - she's not interested. The only blade I own she thinks is "pretty" is the buckeye EnZo Trapper in my avatar. Last week, she asked me to move it because it's "too low" (in the garage, above my workbench.) It's still much harder for kids to access than anything we have in the kitchen...
She has no use for my gorgeous maple KE Bushie, though my 8 year seems to think it'll be HERS when she's old enough. (Not likely!)
I would LOVE to the wife a doublemint HB or LF, but she just wouldn't have it. So good on ya!
I'm going to keep working on her, though.

 

[Joe Duder]

I would LOVE to the wife a doublemint HB or LF, but she just wouldn't have it. So good on ya!
I'm going to keep working on her, though.

It took me over 15 years.

 

[RobKevlar]

Very Nice!