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- Feb 1, 2012
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- 11,783
Nbrackett surprised me with an offer to give his Hiking Buddy a spin, a wonderful opportunity I was glad to take him up on. There's nothing like having a knife in hand to begin to understand it.
I'm posting some pictures and impressions here, in case seeing the knives together might be of benefit to others interested in either pattern.
The Hiking Buddy, in coffee bag burlap:
In the mix with my Fiddleback knives:
Patch, Hiking Buddy, Esquire, Stubby Muk
With its closest counterpart among my knives, the Patch:
Both knives are made from 1/8" stock, and come in right around 7.25" OAL:
The Patch knife's handle is taller and slightly thinner than the Hiking Buddy's, but feels bigger overall:
Patch, Hiking Buddy, Esquire:
The coarser fibers of the coffee bag burlap doth mesmerize me:
Indoors, in hand:
An attempt to show that they share a similar balance point, at/just behind the second set of pins (no Comprehensivist, I
):
... in which I discovered the Patch knife is magnetized, requiring me to angle the Hiking Buddy downwards to prevent it from knocking up into the Patch. Funny!
Impressions: both are fantastic knives, and both hit a similar spot, and deciding between the two, if indeed one wants to try(!), will likely come down to subtle personal preferences. In fact, their "same-but-different" presentation, in hand and in use, is a challenge to me. How does one choose?!
The Hiking Buddy's more central tip makes more sense to my eye and brain than the Patch's, even if it does not seem to affect me o'ermuch in actual use.
Speaking of use:
I took a block of basswood and set out all four knives nearby. I grabbed each of the knives in turn, repeatedly, cutting the wood (push cuts, draw strokes, pokey things, etc.) without deliberating over grip or angle but doing my best to simply pick up each knife and use it. The Stubby Muk was of course the outlier, but the others proved as similar as one might expect-- with one exception.
The longer I stayed at it, the more comfortable the Patch knife's handle was to me vs. the Hiking Buddy's. While I cannot know how much confirmation bias might be at play, it was, is, very interesting to me that the contours of the Hiking Buddy's handle + blade approach concentrated my hand forward, leading to growing pressure in my forefinger as it rested and worked right behind the blade/guard:
Mind you, the Hiking Buddy's handle in isolation is still one of the most comfortable handles I've, well, handled. I'm not talking pain or discomfort, just noticeable pressure noticed by someone specifically focused on Noticing. I was able to adjust my grip and hand position to easily relieve that concentration of pressure. But again, I wanted to see how the knives felt in the grabbing-and-going-- and somehow, the contours of the Patch knife, with its taller handle less acute angle(?), provide more pleasing ergonomics for me, at least in this briefest of testlets.
Intrigued, I continued going back and forth among the knives, and found the result(s) consistent throughout.
[I may try again tomorrow.]
It would be interesting to see if a different Patch and Hiking Buddy pairing produced the opposite impression-- and I would not be surprised if it did!
My takeaway: for me, it really is a wash between these two great patterns. Had I not opted for the Patch knife first, a Hiking Buddy would suit me well-- so well, that I could foreseeably add one in 3/32" steel, because I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
And yet, looking again at what I already have...
... a Hiking Buddy would compete with the Patch knife for carry time/use in the 7.25" range, while its more central point and blade shape are pretty much covered by the slightly smaller Esquire:
So: I am very (very!) grateful for the opportunity to handle a Hiking Buddy in person, and for Nbrackett's generosity and trust. Having the Hiking Buddy here catalyzed a serious hankering for another fine Fiddleback, and almost a Hiking Buddy.
Yet, my nascent discoveries regarding preferred handle ergonomics, combined with my desire for a bigger blade in my array, throw me back towards a Handyman and/or a Gaucho. I think?
What say ye?
~ P.
I'm posting some pictures and impressions here, in case seeing the knives together might be of benefit to others interested in either pattern.
The Hiking Buddy, in coffee bag burlap:
In the mix with my Fiddleback knives:
Patch, Hiking Buddy, Esquire, Stubby Muk
With its closest counterpart among my knives, the Patch:
Both knives are made from 1/8" stock, and come in right around 7.25" OAL:
The Patch knife's handle is taller and slightly thinner than the Hiking Buddy's, but feels bigger overall:
Patch, Hiking Buddy, Esquire:
The coarser fibers of the coffee bag burlap doth mesmerize me:
Indoors, in hand:
An attempt to show that they share a similar balance point, at/just behind the second set of pins (no Comprehensivist, I
):
... in which I discovered the Patch knife is magnetized, requiring me to angle the Hiking Buddy downwards to prevent it from knocking up into the Patch. Funny!
Impressions: both are fantastic knives, and both hit a similar spot, and deciding between the two, if indeed one wants to try(!), will likely come down to subtle personal preferences. In fact, their "same-but-different" presentation, in hand and in use, is a challenge to me. How does one choose?!
The Hiking Buddy's more central tip makes more sense to my eye and brain than the Patch's, even if it does not seem to affect me o'ermuch in actual use.
Speaking of use:
I took a block of basswood and set out all four knives nearby. I grabbed each of the knives in turn, repeatedly, cutting the wood (push cuts, draw strokes, pokey things, etc.) without deliberating over grip or angle but doing my best to simply pick up each knife and use it. The Stubby Muk was of course the outlier, but the others proved as similar as one might expect-- with one exception.
The longer I stayed at it, the more comfortable the Patch knife's handle was to me vs. the Hiking Buddy's. While I cannot know how much confirmation bias might be at play, it was, is, very interesting to me that the contours of the Hiking Buddy's handle + blade approach concentrated my hand forward, leading to growing pressure in my forefinger as it rested and worked right behind the blade/guard:
Mind you, the Hiking Buddy's handle in isolation is still one of the most comfortable handles I've, well, handled. I'm not talking pain or discomfort, just noticeable pressure noticed by someone specifically focused on Noticing. I was able to adjust my grip and hand position to easily relieve that concentration of pressure. But again, I wanted to see how the knives felt in the grabbing-and-going-- and somehow, the contours of the Patch knife, with its taller handle less acute angle(?), provide more pleasing ergonomics for me, at least in this briefest of testlets.
Intrigued, I continued going back and forth among the knives, and found the result(s) consistent throughout.
[I may try again tomorrow.
]It would be interesting to see if a different Patch and Hiking Buddy pairing produced the opposite impression-- and I would not be surprised if it did!
My takeaway: for me, it really is a wash between these two great patterns. Had I not opted for the Patch knife first, a Hiking Buddy would suit me well-- so well, that I could foreseeably add one in 3/32" steel, because I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
And yet, looking again at what I already have...
... a Hiking Buddy would compete with the Patch knife for carry time/use in the 7.25" range, while its more central point and blade shape are pretty much covered by the slightly smaller Esquire:
So: I am very (very!) grateful for the opportunity to handle a Hiking Buddy in person, and for Nbrackett's generosity and trust. Having the Hiking Buddy here catalyzed a serious hankering for another fine Fiddleback, and almost a Hiking Buddy.
Yet, my nascent discoveries regarding preferred handle ergonomics, combined with my desire for a bigger blade in my array, throw me back towards a Handyman and/or a Gaucho. I think?
What say ye?
~ P.
