Leuku Review

Comprehensivist

Comprehensivist

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Aug 23, 2008
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This is my first formal review of a Fiddleback knife. I want to give you my observations of this new model to help you decide if you want one of these the next time that it is offered.

If you have read any of my other posts on the forum here, you already know that I am a big fan of the Shadetree Phenolics burlap handle material. I am also a fan of 5” blades on field knives. Most people prefer 4” blades as their sweet spot. I find that 5” blades are a little more versatile to me without getting too cumbersome. I was excited to get this knife that has both of these features.

Note: All of the photos were taken with an older cheap pocket-size Nikon SLR, so don’t expect magazine quality photos.

I am going to break down my review into specific sections to hopefully make it a little easier to read.

Background info from Fiddleback Friday 3/28/14:


Andy’s intro comments: New Model – This knife is a larger version of the Recluse. I’m calling it the Fiddleback Leukko. The blade on this knife is 5” long and the handle is 4.5” long.

2014 0328 015 – Fiddleback Leukko, Ruby Burlap from the best !Shadetree Phenolics! Over black g10 with a white g10 pinstripe, SFT Tang, Convex on 5/32” thick 3D Spalted 01 steel

Andy’s photo:



Thurin posted this comment about the name of the knife: “That Leukko (Leuku and Puukko combined?) is a great new model.” Andy replied: “I'm glad y'all like it. That knife was Ken's idea. I just misspelled the name though Thurin. It wasn't a design thing. LOL.”

Based on these comments (and mistwalker's reply below) i will assume that future ones will be called the “Leuku.”

Actual Specs:


Overall..............9-1/2” OAL
Blade length.......4-7/8”
Steel..................5/32” O-1 Tool Steel
Tang Type.........SFT (“skeletonized full tang”)
Grind.................High-saber convex with small secondary bevel edge
Handle material...Shadetree Ruby burlap with thin black & white G10 liners
Weight...............7.0 oz.
Blade height @ ricasso………1.180”
Handle width @ palmswell….0.865”
Handle height @ palmswell…1.180”

Comparison Photos:


Sometimes a single knife photo gives me an imagined or distorted impression of its size. It could be the camera angle or lighting that causes me to think it is bigger or smaller than it really is. That happened to me with this Leuku. I thought that it looked bigger than it really is (think Duke size) on first glance that Friday when I posted my “I’ll take it” reply. Studying the photo again later with the tape measure for reference, I could better visualize the actual size. The hyper-fast Friday feeding frenzy does not favor careful study of photos and descriptions before making your buying decision(s). If I had spent more time studying the photos that day, somebody else would be writing this review.

In order to help you better visualize the size of this knife, I like doing group photos. Following are a couple of photos of the Leuku with some other Fiddleback models that you may have experience with for reference. The best comparison that I have for size is the Big Sneaky. They are almost the same overall length and blade length.


(Top to bottom: Woodsman, Big Sneaky, Leuku, & Kephart)



(Left to right: Camp Knife, Big Sneaky, Bushcrafter, Leuku, & Sneaky Pete)




Balance:


Knife balance is a subjective and personal subject. Short-bladed knives will always be handle-heavy by nature. On medium size knives (5”-7”), I like a neutral or center-balanced weight distribution when I am holding it all the way forward on the grip. This Leuku balances halfway in-between the first and second sets of pins. I consider that good, but not ideal for my personal bias. This is the area where tapered tangs really offer a benefit. Besides looking cool, tapered tangs move the balance point forward just enough to make a difference to me. If I could change one thing about this particular Leuku, I would definitely prefer a tapered tang.

To emphasize what I am talking about, here are some photos of the balance of the Leuku with SVT versus my Big Sneaky with a tapered tang:

Leuku Balance Point:



Big Sneaky Balance Point:



Food Prep:


The Leuku is designed as a field knife, not a kitchen knife. That of course doesn’t mean it can’t be used in the kitchen. I used to cut up some peppers and onions for the grill to go along with chicken that we were having for dinner. That is the type of food I make when I am camping, so I thought that is was appropriate. This Leuku performed admirably in this role.














I love the steam rising from the chicken over the blade in this photo!





Outdoors / Wood Stuff:


I used the knife a little in the backyard to peel bark, split branches for kindling, do a couple of notches, etc. There is nothing too fancy here that you haven’t seen before. When I go hiking & camping, I typically baton just enough 1” to 2” diameter branches to make kindling for one or two fires. The 5” blade length on the Leuku gives you enough room so that you don’t have to crowd the handle against the wood you are splitting and still have enough blade out front to strike with the baton.





My best girl Jessie (a.k.a. “J-Dog”) keeping me company.



















Conclusion:

I want to offer my compliments to Ken & Andy for the design and execution of this knife. It is definitely a strong versatile candidate for being the “one” for those of you who are inclined to be minimalist in your knife needs. I definitely recommend this knife if you have a chance to get one on a Friday. If you find one with a tapered tang and your favorite handle material, jump on it! I seldom buy two of the same knife, but if one comes up with a tapered tang and G10 Tuxedo or Maroon micarta, I will be very tempted to challenge the other Sharks for it.


I will hold a reserved spot for future updates on this knife in use. I hope that you have found this review useful in determining if this model is right for you.

Phil

P.S. – Jessie is admiring the knife and daydreaming about our next outing already…

 
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Nice review. Thanks for all the info an pics.

Jessie looks like a wise, good dog and companion.
 
Great review Phil! Very informative and lots of great pics. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.
 
Hey Phil, great review. Thanks. That caught my attention that Friday as well, but if memory serves, I was after bigger fish that Friday. But the additional length of a Recluse is really what caught my attention. I carry the Recluse a lot on weekends and working around the property. A very useful design IMO, but you are correct, the additional blade length will come in handy for light batoning. Your pictures are just fine, especially of J Dog. She looks like a fine, loyal companion.
 
Thank you for taking the time to do a review and include photos. I may give this knife some attention in the future if more make it out of the shop, right now I've got the Woodsman on my mind as I prefer that pointier blade shape. Some great knives you have there in those comparison photos.
 
That was a nice review and for me personally, I liked that you included some comparison to other models pictures. One thing, I would have liked to have seen a Hunter put in the mix with the comparison.
 
Great review Phil! Full of info and the pics are awesome. Thanks for doing it. It's good to see it put through it's paces, both in the kitchen and field. I also appreciate seeing the balance point comparison. My only tapered tang on a big knife is the Camp Nessie who's unique shape makes it hard to compare.

And thanks for making me drool over all the Shadetree. I'm going to be like J-Dog and just stare at them and daydream. Jessie sure looks like a good companion.

A Leuku/Leukko is in my future I hope. A great traditional design given the Fiddleback makeover.
 
Yep, I feel compelled to reiterate my original statement the day this knife popped up in the Friday post... "crap, now I have to have a Leuku!" And it's ok to just call it a Leuku man, Andy said he just misspelled it in the post :) > Very nice review man, thanks for posting it! I love all the different angles, the colors, and the audience lol. I love the profile of that model very much, and thank you for posting the balance. I will definitely being trying for a tapered tang model myself.
 
Joe Duder, MajorD, McVeyMac, Bush.Hascker, bonafide, Vance, Dcaggie06, dcycleman, thurin & mistwalker,

Thanks for the supportive comments. You guys have posted many photos and comments that have been helpful to me on this forum, so I wanted to contribute something back.

Jessie also gives you all big woof and wagging tail for the nice acknowledgements. Her philosophy of life is that strangers are just friends that she hasn't met yet. "J-Dog" is wise, friendly, and loving. She is my best buddy no matter what we are doing.

bonafide - I don't have a Hunter. That would be a good like size knife to compare to the Leuku.

mistwalker - After doing this review, I have a new respect for all the work you put into your thorough reviews and photos. I also edited my original post to formally change the name of the knife to "Leuku" after re-thinking the intent of Andy's comment. Thanks for recommending that correction.

Thanks,

Phil
 
Phil,
As others have stated, great review -- the Leuku looks to be a really nice, mid-duty, all purpose field knife! Your reviews & pics were very insightful and provided some additional detail into the overall design and feature set of the knife. Nice work and be sure to get j-dog some treats for her assistance with the review ;).
 
Comprehensivist said:
mistwalker - After doing this review, I have a new respect for all the work you put into your thorough reviews and photos. I also edited my original post to formally change the name of the knife to "Leuku" after re-thinking the intent of Andy's comment. Thanks for recommending that correction.

Thanks,

Phil
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Eh, when I started doing the reviews about seven or eight years ago, the hosting sites weren't as crowded or as complicated as they are now, I've just tried to grow with them and am used to it. I do field research and development for a few companies that make outdoor gear, so the photographic work is a habit anyway, as well as a labor of love, especially with Andy's knives. The copy/pasting of the codes has gotten more complicated these days, so I don't do reviews with 80+ photos as often as I once did. The image limit per post is forty images, so usually I try to stay within that these days, and sometimes with the right shots even less.

You did an awesome job man, your review has everything a good review needs, good shots of the knife from different angles, good in-hand shots, and good shots in common and reasonable uses, as well as great comparison shots. Looking at the specs and the photos again, I can see how the balance on the Leuku is not as handle heavy as my old full tang Hunter, so I really won't mind an SFT 5/32 blade in the right handle material, but I really am spoiled to the balance of the tapered tang models. You should post some pics and the specs in the models thread later when you have time.
 
Thanks Comp!

Excellent write up & photo's. That chicken and peppers dish looks delicious! I'll have to show this to my wife while I plead & beg for more knives!
 
kevroo said:
Thanks Comp!

Excellent write up & photo's. That chicken and peppers dish looks delicious! I'll have to show this to my wife while I plead & beg for more knives!
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LOL, I could probably single handedly cut up every onion, pepper, piece of celery, piece of meat and make enough kindling to start fires to cook it all within the tri-county area, and do it all without having to sharpen one knife. When one gets dull, just put it down and pick up another. And I will still want a Fiddleback come Friday. Funny how that works.
 
I also own the Leuku and have enjoyed using it this summer. My only complaint about the knife is it does not have a squared spine for effective fero rod use. I think that's s design flaw for this knife since it's meant to be a woods beater.
 
E the B said:
I also own the Leuku and have enjoyed using it this summer. My only complaint about the knife is it does not have a squared spine for effective fero rod use. I think that's s design flaw for this knife since it's meant to be a woods beater.
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I respectfully disagree. The rounded edges make for a more user-friendly experience in the other 99% of the "woods beating" roles. I also think that using the spine of the knife, especially one as large as the leak is a tad bit dangerous. Not saying it can't be done carefully, but I think there are better ways to scrape a ferro rod. However, I probably am a little biased in the scraper thing.
 
swonut said:
I respectfully disagree. The rounded edges make for a more user-friendly experience in the other 99% of the "woods beating" roles. I also think that using the spine of the knife, especially one as large as the leak is a tad bit dangerous. Not saying it can't be done carefully, but I think there are better ways to scrape a ferro rod. However, I probably am a little biased in the scraper thing.
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I agree, I much prefer to keep a dedicated striker with my rod, and use the knife for knife stuff :)

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