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cybrok

Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
4,741
Hi guys.

I havn't been really active on the forums in the last months, even years, but I did not lose my (freaky) passion for nice blades.

In 2009, I bought my first custom knife. A Fiddleback. Well I bought a few customs over the years, but I really am unlucky. I had 2 refunds because I never had the knife in my hands, the last one recently.

If you look back in 2009, I got this knife:

jcblc100_0823-vi.jpg


Andy referred to it as badass, I referred to it as sexy. But that is another story. No, not really, there's nothing more to say about that.

In another post I mentioned the nessie as "my first Fiddleback", which Andy liked.

So I curently am looking for a new bushcraft knife. Checked a few posts, then I heard that voice in my head:

CYBROK!
tumblr_l96b01l36p1qdhmifo1_500.jpg

Y U NO GET ANOTHER FIDDLEBACK!

IT'S THE MOST COMFORTABLE KNIFE YOU EVER HELD!

The voice in my head is right, it always is.

Soooo I need your help. A few new models appeared since the last time I was here. I ask for your help so I can chose between:
- KE Bushie
- Bushcrafter
- Bushfinger
- Ladyfinger

If it can help, I have small hands, the small nessie fits perfectly. I should get a "in hand" pic.

So Andy:
- Do you still take custom orders?
- Can you grow a beard now?

:D
 
I saw MAW's post to visually compare the models. Thanks for that.

Good thing is when I got the nessie, I was a broke engineering student who had to save for months for that blade. Now I am a graduated engineer :D
 
Hi cybrok,

Here are the ones I have on hand currently, though the Hunter leaves today, and the Ladyfinger isn't technically mine yet...

Top to bottom: (and right to left)

Camp Knife
Hunter
Kephart
Bushfinger (prototype)
Ladyfinger
Hiking Buddy
Bushboot

DSC_5510.jpg


DSC_5521.jpg


My favorite for bushcrafting so far is the Kephart, the white handled knife, but I have medium sized hands so I might suggest a tapered tang version of it for smaller hands. Though I have never tried the Bushcrafter, and I need to try a production Bushfinger still...as well as a Recluse and an Arete. Also, the Hiking Buddy makes a fair bushcraft knife as well.

Here is a review I did of mine

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Traditional-Interpretation-(photo-heavy-post)


The KE Bushie is a great bushcraft knife as well, I had one but gifted it to a friend in the UK

Here is a review I did of it,

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/834134-New-Scandi-from-Fiddleback-Forge
 
As a fellow small handed bush enthusiast, I'll say that I've never had a knife fit in hand the way the ladyfinger does. But, per Andy's description of it on the company page, I can't see making that my primary bush knife. That's a slicing / meat processing blade. I'm building a sheath for it for my fishing gear as I'd take that over any filet I've used.

If you want a heavy bushcrafter, I have a bushfinger that's super nice (and still fits my mitts well.) Mine's got the spalted steel with a scandi grind and it looks just MEAN when you are out working with it. Mine's in 1/8th and that's my only gripe...I'd love to find one in 5/32 (or even 3/16 if Andy makes a batch that thick). I like to feel a little bit of heft in a bush blade. Give's it purpose.


As far as Andy's custom orders I'm not sure he's taking any anymore (though others can attest to that much better than I). His new business model (which I'm a giant fan of) is that he releases a batch of knives every week on this forum....known as 'Fiddleback fridays'. We all fight to the death to see who get's first pick. The one's that don't sell seem to make their way over to a couple resellers of his work: knivesshipfree.com, the-knife-connection.com, arizonacustomknives
 
solid4ever said:
As far as Andy's custom orders I'm not sure he's taking any anymore (though others can attest to that much better than I).
Click to expand...

[video=youtube;b0fF-GsupYQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fF-GsupYQ[/video]

I have a few smaller bushcraft knives that would fit in a Nessmuk type kit (best Nessie I could find, Ontario RAT3, Izula). I want a knife for when I want to travel light (when I don't want to carry a big blade and a small knife). So in the 4-4.5" blade length. I want something tough enough to baton if I need to.
 
I don't definitively know if Andy takes custom requests or not anymore so please don't take it as gospel. I just see no evidence of it here in the forums anymore. It seems his current business model is he makes a batch for friday, 80 - 90% of them sell here, the remaining few he ships off elsewhere. Check out those reseller sites though. I found out about Andy's work through poking around on the-knife-connection.com They have 15 or 20 of his knives out there at any given time. My first fiddleback I got from them, a Cocobolo convex Kephart. I got a sheath and a custom cocobolo firesteel from them too. Nice set up. It was so gorgeous though I couldn't bring myself to beat it up so I bought a bushfinger from them also and use that one as my work knife and the Kephart is on display.

I think the bushfinger is the way to go man. It's my favorite outdoor knife right now and it takes a beating real well.

Of course now the questions are: Thickness, grind, scales choice, spalted or not, tapered or not....
 
I hope he works like Himalayan Imports: Yangdu was postings her deals of the day, but took custom orders on the side sometimes.

Keep a knife unused? Now that is something we'll have to agree to disagree ;)
 
cybrok said:
Keep a knife unused? Now that is something we'll have to agree to disagree ;)
Click to expand...


Haha. I know I know. But it fits PERFECTLY in my display case. It goes real well with my Marlin 1895, my Ruger Vaquero, and my grandfather's tomahawk.
 
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