Comprehensivist
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2008
- Messages
- 3,250
After reading the great reviews and comments of the Monarch by Will (xxwjtxx) and Brian (mistwalker), I knew that I had to get one. It seemed like the ideal combination of blade shape, length, and height along with a taller but shorter handle than some of my favorite models.
Here are my thoughts and experiences with this model so far:
Left-hand view of the knife as new:
Bottom view to show the handle contours:
Top to bottom: Hiking Buddy, Monarch, Bushcrafter
The Monarch does a nice job of splitting the size difference between the two. I like the pointier spear point on the Monarch along with the taller blade and handle versus the Hiking Buddy.
The Monarch has an old-fashioned Coke bottle type handle shape that has a narrower waist below the center palm swell, then flares out at the pommel end.
Here is the Hiking Buddy stacked on top of the Monarch to show the difference in blade height.
Here is another stacked view to show the differences in handle height between the Hiking Buddy and the Monarch.
Here are a couple of shots of the Monarch over the Bushcrafter to show the difference in pommel shapes. Notice the Bushcrafters continuous flowing curve versus the angular corners and square edges on the Monarch.
Here are the similar views with the Hiking Buddy. The handle on the Monarch is noticeably taller and more angular at the pommel than the Hiking Buddy.
What I discovered in comparing these knives is that the Monarch seems well designed for this grip because the sharp corner on the pommel locks in tight at the joint of my thumb. Since I seldom if ever use that grip, that feature is not important to me.
On one of the grip holds that I do use regularly, the sharp corners on the pommel are a big negative to me because they dig into my palm. If the handle was longer, I might not notice. Unfortunately, due to the compactness of the handle length (which I like a lot), Those sharp corners a noticeable problem for me.
Normally, when a particular Fiddleback knife doesnt feel subjectively right or do it for me, I quietly move it on to the next happy customer. Because there is so much that I like about the Monarch, I was faced with a dilemma about what to do with this knife. I want to keep this knife as a primary user, so I decided to take the unprecedented step of modifying the pommel. Sacrilege it may be on a $300+ knife, but I want my tools to fit me and be comfortable and efficient in any way I need to use them.
I decided to modify the top part of the pommel into a round butt. Here is another photo to showing the difference between the round butt on the Hiking Buddy over the angular shape of the Monarch.
I traced out a before and after sketch of the desired handle modification. I taped up the blade and most of the handle to protect me and most of the knife from any accidental damage. I took the knife (along with goggles and a respirator) to the aerospace machine shop where I work. Even though I am not a professional machinist or grinder myself, I managed to accomplish the basic shaping I wanted on a 1 x 60 belt grinder. From there, it was back home to my garage for more shaping, sanding, and polishing.
Here are a couple of in-process photos in between sanding steps.
I compared the finished modification to the curves on my initial plan sketch and it came out pretty close.
Here are some after modification photos.
Here is an after modification in-hand shot. The round butt is more comfortable to me and it no longer digs into my palm in this grip.
Here is an end view of the modification.
Ill close out with a hasco shot looking through the bullseye.
I am very happy with the way this modification turned out. This knife is now a personalized tool for me. It fills a niche in my collection that I didnt know that I had and it is definitely a keeper. I still love my Bushcrafter and Arete, but the Monarch is just about the optimal size user for me.
Even though I like the way my project turned out, I must caution you that there are a number of major pitfalls to consider before you think of modifying your knife, including:
1) You may injure yourself in the process.
2) You will void your Fiddleback warranty.
3) Your will seriously lower your resale or trade value.
4) You may not have the skill, equipment, and/or patience to do this and yield a good result.
5) You may FUBAR your expensive knife and regret it for all time.
6) You will make Andy question your sanity for messing with his design.
I shared this project for information purposes only. I didnt take this project lightly at all. Modifying Fiddleback knives is not a thread topic that you will see very often at all because they are so well designed and handcrafted to start with.
Let me know what you think. Good, bad, or indifferent.
Thanks,
Phil
Here are my thoughts and experiences with this model so far:
Left-hand view of the knife as new:
Bottom view to show the handle contours:
Top to bottom: Hiking Buddy, Monarch, Bushcrafter
The Monarch does a nice job of splitting the size difference between the two. I like the pointier spear point on the Monarch along with the taller blade and handle versus the Hiking Buddy.
The Monarch has an old-fashioned Coke bottle type handle shape that has a narrower waist below the center palm swell, then flares out at the pommel end.
Here is the Hiking Buddy stacked on top of the Monarch to show the difference in blade height.
Here is another stacked view to show the differences in handle height between the Hiking Buddy and the Monarch.
Here are a couple of shots of the Monarch over the Bushcrafter to show the difference in pommel shapes. Notice the Bushcrafters continuous flowing curve versus the angular corners and square edges on the Monarch.
Here are the similar views with the Hiking Buddy. The handle on the Monarch is noticeably taller and more angular at the pommel than the Hiking Buddy.
What I discovered in comparing these knives is that the Monarch seems well designed for this grip because the sharp corner on the pommel locks in tight at the joint of my thumb. Since I seldom if ever use that grip, that feature is not important to me.
On one of the grip holds that I do use regularly, the sharp corners on the pommel are a big negative to me because they dig into my palm. If the handle was longer, I might not notice. Unfortunately, due to the compactness of the handle length (which I like a lot), Those sharp corners a noticeable problem for me.
Normally, when a particular Fiddleback knife doesnt feel subjectively right or do it for me, I quietly move it on to the next happy customer. Because there is so much that I like about the Monarch, I was faced with a dilemma about what to do with this knife. I want to keep this knife as a primary user, so I decided to take the unprecedented step of modifying the pommel. Sacrilege it may be on a $300+ knife, but I want my tools to fit me and be comfortable and efficient in any way I need to use them.
I decided to modify the top part of the pommel into a round butt. Here is another photo to showing the difference between the round butt on the Hiking Buddy over the angular shape of the Monarch.
I traced out a before and after sketch of the desired handle modification. I taped up the blade and most of the handle to protect me and most of the knife from any accidental damage. I took the knife (along with goggles and a respirator) to the aerospace machine shop where I work. Even though I am not a professional machinist or grinder myself, I managed to accomplish the basic shaping I wanted on a 1 x 60 belt grinder. From there, it was back home to my garage for more shaping, sanding, and polishing.
Here are a couple of in-process photos in between sanding steps.
I compared the finished modification to the curves on my initial plan sketch and it came out pretty close.
Here are some after modification photos.
Here is an after modification in-hand shot. The round butt is more comfortable to me and it no longer digs into my palm in this grip.
Here is an end view of the modification.
Ill close out with a hasco shot looking through the bullseye.
I am very happy with the way this modification turned out. This knife is now a personalized tool for me. It fills a niche in my collection that I didnt know that I had and it is definitely a keeper. I still love my Bushcrafter and Arete, but the Monarch is just about the optimal size user for me.
Even though I like the way my project turned out, I must caution you that there are a number of major pitfalls to consider before you think of modifying your knife, including:
1) You may injure yourself in the process.
2) You will void your Fiddleback warranty.
3) Your will seriously lower your resale or trade value.
4) You may not have the skill, equipment, and/or patience to do this and yield a good result.
5) You may FUBAR your expensive knife and regret it for all time.
6) You will make Andy question your sanity for messing with his design.
I shared this project for information purposes only. I didnt take this project lightly at all. Modifying Fiddleback knives is not a thread topic that you will see very often at all because they are so well designed and handcrafted to start with.
Let me know what you think. Good, bad, or indifferent.
Thanks,
Phil
.
