Comprehensivist
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2008
- Messages
- 3,197
Part 1 of 6
The end of October marked the one year anniversary of my first Fiddleback Friday purchase and the start of my education on sharking here. I want to contribute something to celebrate this milestone.
Since my last post in this thread was over six months ago, I decided that an update is in order. I have learned a lot over that time and my collection has changed considerably as I have zeroed in on what I like and why. My goal with this post is to show the objective data that I use to help understand why I like one specific knife over another similar one and what features I am looking for on my next one. I hope that at least some of this data is useful to you to make more informed decision(s) on what you want to acquire. I don’t have a sample of every model, so the data is limited to what I currently have. Eighteen knives are discussed here. A few are repeats from my prior post with new photos and insights. Out of the eighteen, two are Hiking Buddies and four are Bushcrafters. Even though that limits the variety of models somewhat, I believe that it provides valuable comparison data about how variations in the same model impact the weight and balance of the finished knife so that you can look for the those features that are most important to your personal preference(s).
Since each knife is handmade, there will be slight or significant variations from knife to knife, even if they are the same model from the same batch. Some features will remain relatively constant like the basic outline of the blank and blade & handle lengths on a given model. Other features like steel thickness, grind height, weight, handle width, and/or balance point will have more noticeable variation(s) from knife to knife. By measuring a lot of objective data on each knife and making comparisons with others, I have been able to draw some new conclusions that were not apparent to me before. I have a better cognitive understanding of why some knives “feel” better to me than others. That in turn makes my future acquisition decisions more logically focused rather than emotionally driven, which leads to less “catch & release” purchase regrets.
I am using the same basic data reporting structure as my prior post plus a couple of new measurement categories; “circumference @ palmswell” and “distance from front of handle to palmswell.” I think these categories add useful reference points for people with various hand sizes. With the exception of steel thickness, all the measurements are shown to three decimal points for consistency. In addition to the measurement data and balance point photos, I have included some overlay photos with one knife stacked on top of another. I find these useful at times to make observations and comparisons between models. They also provide some sense of scale.
In the big picture, no one feature alone is going to make or break a purchase decision for me. Everyone will have a preference toward a favorite feature that will carry more weight in their decision making process. Everyone has unique preferences and there are no wrong answers here. My main preference is still for a certain kind of balance. I personally like my field knives to have a neutral balance, meaning between the index finger and thumb at forward end of the grip. Using the front pair of pins on Andy’s knives as a reference point, I put a premium on smaller 3” knives that balance closer to the pins, medium 4” knives at the pins, and larger 5” knives forward of the pins.
When I score a new knife, I copy and paste the description to the bottom of an excel spreadsheet to start my record keeping process. I also set up a measurement worksheet to fill out when I receive the knife.
I use the Fiddleback packaging twine to help measure the circumference.
3” Models:
(Top to Bottom: Hiking Buddy “Ruby”, Patch Knife, Hiking Buddy “Bacon”, F2 “Fish & Fowl”, & Runt)
Runt:
Notes:
The Runt is the smallest knife in Andy’s line-up. It is very popular and always sells out quickly on Fridays or dealers’ shelves when they pop-up. It is a three finger utility knife. I got the opportunity use thurin’s Runt for a while as part of our “Trio Exchange” thread. That knife surprised me in a positive way because it had a thick contoured handle that provided excellent control for its size. I tried to purchase my own Runt for several months after that and finally scored this Evergreen one. This one is substantially thinner in the handle width.
Here is the link to the “Trio Exchange” thread where I discussed my impressions of the Runt if you would like more background.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1206786-Trio-Exchange?highlight=Trio+Exchange
FF Lot Info: 2014 0919 01
OAL: 5.230"
Blade Length: 2.000"
Handle Length: 3.230"
Steel & Thickness: 1/8" O-1 Tool Steel
Tang Type: SFT (“skeletonized full tang”
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Shadetree Evergreen burlap “Commando” (i.e. no liners) with black pins
Weight (oz.): 2.3 ounces
Blade Height @ Ricasso: .915"
Handle Width @ Palmswell: .490"
Handle Height @ Palmswell: .905"
Circumference @ Palmswell: 2.550”
Distance Front of Handle to Palmswell: 1.675”
Balance Point: .550” Behind Front Pins
Here is the Runt on top of a Hiking Buddy for size comparison.
The end of October marked the one year anniversary of my first Fiddleback Friday purchase and the start of my education on sharking here. I want to contribute something to celebrate this milestone.
Since my last post in this thread was over six months ago, I decided that an update is in order. I have learned a lot over that time and my collection has changed considerably as I have zeroed in on what I like and why. My goal with this post is to show the objective data that I use to help understand why I like one specific knife over another similar one and what features I am looking for on my next one. I hope that at least some of this data is useful to you to make more informed decision(s) on what you want to acquire. I don’t have a sample of every model, so the data is limited to what I currently have. Eighteen knives are discussed here. A few are repeats from my prior post with new photos and insights. Out of the eighteen, two are Hiking Buddies and four are Bushcrafters. Even though that limits the variety of models somewhat, I believe that it provides valuable comparison data about how variations in the same model impact the weight and balance of the finished knife so that you can look for the those features that are most important to your personal preference(s).
Since each knife is handmade, there will be slight or significant variations from knife to knife, even if they are the same model from the same batch. Some features will remain relatively constant like the basic outline of the blank and blade & handle lengths on a given model. Other features like steel thickness, grind height, weight, handle width, and/or balance point will have more noticeable variation(s) from knife to knife. By measuring a lot of objective data on each knife and making comparisons with others, I have been able to draw some new conclusions that were not apparent to me before. I have a better cognitive understanding of why some knives “feel” better to me than others. That in turn makes my future acquisition decisions more logically focused rather than emotionally driven, which leads to less “catch & release” purchase regrets.
I am using the same basic data reporting structure as my prior post plus a couple of new measurement categories; “circumference @ palmswell” and “distance from front of handle to palmswell.” I think these categories add useful reference points for people with various hand sizes. With the exception of steel thickness, all the measurements are shown to three decimal points for consistency. In addition to the measurement data and balance point photos, I have included some overlay photos with one knife stacked on top of another. I find these useful at times to make observations and comparisons between models. They also provide some sense of scale.
In the big picture, no one feature alone is going to make or break a purchase decision for me. Everyone will have a preference toward a favorite feature that will carry more weight in their decision making process. Everyone has unique preferences and there are no wrong answers here. My main preference is still for a certain kind of balance. I personally like my field knives to have a neutral balance, meaning between the index finger and thumb at forward end of the grip. Using the front pair of pins on Andy’s knives as a reference point, I put a premium on smaller 3” knives that balance closer to the pins, medium 4” knives at the pins, and larger 5” knives forward of the pins.
When I score a new knife, I copy and paste the description to the bottom of an excel spreadsheet to start my record keeping process. I also set up a measurement worksheet to fill out when I receive the knife.
I use the Fiddleback packaging twine to help measure the circumference.
3” Models:
(Top to Bottom: Hiking Buddy “Ruby”, Patch Knife, Hiking Buddy “Bacon”, F2 “Fish & Fowl”, & Runt)
Runt:
Notes:
The Runt is the smallest knife in Andy’s line-up. It is very popular and always sells out quickly on Fridays or dealers’ shelves when they pop-up. It is a three finger utility knife. I got the opportunity use thurin’s Runt for a while as part of our “Trio Exchange” thread. That knife surprised me in a positive way because it had a thick contoured handle that provided excellent control for its size. I tried to purchase my own Runt for several months after that and finally scored this Evergreen one. This one is substantially thinner in the handle width.
Here is the link to the “Trio Exchange” thread where I discussed my impressions of the Runt if you would like more background.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1206786-Trio-Exchange?highlight=Trio+Exchange
FF Lot Info: 2014 0919 01
OAL: 5.230"
Blade Length: 2.000"
Handle Length: 3.230"
Steel & Thickness: 1/8" O-1 Tool Steel
Tang Type: SFT (“skeletonized full tang”
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Shadetree Evergreen burlap “Commando” (i.e. no liners) with black pins
Weight (oz.): 2.3 ounces
Blade Height @ Ricasso: .915"
Handle Width @ Palmswell: .490"
Handle Height @ Palmswell: .905"
Circumference @ Palmswell: 2.550”
Distance Front of Handle to Palmswell: 1.675”
Balance Point: .550” Behind Front Pins
Here is the Runt on top of a Hiking Buddy for size comparison.
Thanks wise guy!