Kal-El
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2010
- Messages
- 1,209
So, after an extended trip across the country, the Pass Around Hiking Buddy finally arrived at its last stop here in Florida.
Andy's Hiking Buddy model has been a long time favorite of mine and when it was announced that there would be a production version of this knife, I was anxious to find out the details. I've owned several custom Hiking Buddies in my collection. All have been in 01 or A2 steel and most wearing bolstered wooden scales. The exception being two HB's I recently acquired wearing Shadetree phenolic. So for me, the thought of a moderately priced Fiddleback that was thin, stainless and featuring removable textured micarta scales, was very welcomed.
Aside from the kitchen, I literally use a cutting tool dozens of times each day. I am a remodeling contractor currently working for myself as a property investor (Flipping mostly). Experienced in several trades, I perform most of the work myself and hire subs only for specialized tasks or to expedite time. So, with all of the different material that I work with on a day to day basis, a knife or utility blade is one of the most used tools I reach for. I cannot tell you how many folding knives I've owned over the years. A few have been lost, most I have broken. I tend to push the boundaries of the thin, brittle edge of the folders I carry by either cutting, prying or scraping something that should be saved for a more appropriate tool. Why you ask? Well, convenience. I don't care for large tool pouches on my hip. I usually work with a portable tool carrier that I roll onto location and keep nearby. A folder is small, thin and convenient to carry, so it's usually clipped inside my back pocket for easy access. Thus, I grab for it often even when it's not the perfect tool for each situation. Here are my gripes with folders though. When I do wear a pouch, it is sometimes difficult to remove a folder from a pocket surrounded by other tools or a utility belt. Once it is out and deployed, folding it and getting it back into my pocket becomes annoying when I have other items in my hands. Folders (expendable ones) also lack the lateral strength associated with a full tang fixed blade. Important considering that I often use my blade to perform a task that should be saved for a small pry bar.
A small, fixed knife easily accessible and quick to return to its sheath had quickly become more and more intriguing to me. Now, I have many knives that fit the bill, especially Fiddlebacks. My fear was that using one of my current custom models would be its demise. All things considered, despite how much I love my F-backs, they are not the cheapest tool in the chest and I would hate to be staring at one of those beauties minus its tip or with a giant divot along the edge. So again, the announcement of the production line was very welcomed. I knew I had to test one of these puppies out and I was able to get onto the pass-around list by the skin of my teeth.
Then.... the wait was on. No complaints though. I completely understand that everyone has busy lives. Heck, it's taken me three days to come back and forth to typing this post because I'm juggling so much right now. So, in the interim, two more folders bit the dust. An inexpensive Kershaw Cryo and an old CRKT. And then, finally, I received notice that the production HB was on its way.
For the past week, I slid the production HB onto my belt and went to work. I figured what better way to test and review this model than to actually use it for the purpose I intended it for. I know most of you including myself would rather see some cool bushcrafting shots or pics of me whittling some petrified wood into a unicorn
. Unfortunately, those things will have to wait till next year.
The following group of pictures demonstrate just some of the tasks I used the production HB for. I am not going to cover any detailed specs here, as we have had our other fine forum members provide this information in other reviews and I simply did not want this to be redundant.
Here is a quick shot of the HB on my hip. For simply the frequency of how often I drew the knife from the sheath, it rode a tad high for me. Eventually, I tucked my shirt in, as it was impeding access to the blade. In doing so, I lost the concealability of the knife. I will have to look into some other sheath options for my needs.
I consider myself to be a minimalist. No need for small gadgets by my side. I know there are small, inexpensive sharpeners for a carpenters pencil, but this is only time I get to whittle away at some wood (and a little lead).
Here, I simply needed some cardboard cut down to help protect an area from paint overspray. I really like the smooth tumbled finish of the production line. The blade seemingly slipped through the cardboard as if it were coated with teflon. Great feature.
I was able to use the existing kitchen cabinets in my current project. Not my initial choice in style, but they were in great shape. Here I am dressing them up with some crown molding. The walls are imperfect so the angles are slightly off on the cabinets. With the use of a "wedge", you can get the joints to line up better while nailing adjoining pieces.
I removed the bulkhead (soffit) and raised the ceiling of this home's kitchen as it seemed confined. With that, I added some much needed lighting. Here I am prepping some romex cable to finish off the wiring of the recessed lighting. I used the HB to strip back the sheathing of the cable to expose the wire. I have to say, I loved using the fixed blade for this. in the past, I would used my folder or utility knife to do this. That meant a lot of opening and closing.
This one deserves some props. I added a couple extra lights after the fact and the wiring had to be done in the attic near the narrow edge of the roof line. Taking pictures lying on your side in a dark, cramped space with poor lighting really stinks. What a crazy addiction this is. I literally laughed at myself after taking this shot, thinking "what the heck are you doing?"
Next up is flooring. I like to use waterproof vinyl plank flooring in the baths. Here I am stripping off the composite rubberized tongue off one of the planks to start my first run. No problems here. I was pleased to see that after several other rough tasks, the S35Vn was still holding a great edge.
The week is nearly over and after several days of heavy use, the production HB is going strong. Still extremely sharp and able to perform the mundane task of slicing through a plastic pouch with ease. Sounds simple, but a broken tip on my utility knife would have had me tearing this package open with the assistance of my teeth.
To summarize, I really enjoyed using the production HB this week. It is a great little knife. With a bit of caution, this tool stood up to some challenging work. Here is a quick list of pros and cons from my observation.
Pros:
Stainless - CPM S35Vn - A premium stainless with excellent edge retention. Truly.
Thin - 1/8" - Great for slicing through material with ease.
Scales - Textured Micarta - Surprisingly comfortable. I never noticed any discomfort while in use and the knife never left my palm accidentally.
Blade finish - Tumbled - A big plus in my opinion. Aside from is ability to disguise any marring of the blade, it actually assists in allowing the blade to glide through material with greater ease.
Cons:
Sheath - Although it is a very nice sheath and the retention was just right, it rode just a bit high for my personal needs. Really a non-issue for most other applications.
Thin - Yes, also listed above as a Pro. Most of my knives are thin by preference. For this particular use, I'd be curious to compare something in 5/32" simply for the fact that it's tip would likely be a bit more stout.
In closing, I'll leave you with some parting glamour shots and a by saying that I truly enjoyed using this knife and will likely be placing an order from one of our esteemed dealers sooner than later. Thanks Andy and crew!
On second thought, I'll follow up with some glamour shots in another reply. Apparently there's too much data in this post.
Andy's Hiking Buddy model has been a long time favorite of mine and when it was announced that there would be a production version of this knife, I was anxious to find out the details. I've owned several custom Hiking Buddies in my collection. All have been in 01 or A2 steel and most wearing bolstered wooden scales. The exception being two HB's I recently acquired wearing Shadetree phenolic. So for me, the thought of a moderately priced Fiddleback that was thin, stainless and featuring removable textured micarta scales, was very welcomed.
Aside from the kitchen, I literally use a cutting tool dozens of times each day. I am a remodeling contractor currently working for myself as a property investor (Flipping mostly). Experienced in several trades, I perform most of the work myself and hire subs only for specialized tasks or to expedite time. So, with all of the different material that I work with on a day to day basis, a knife or utility blade is one of the most used tools I reach for. I cannot tell you how many folding knives I've owned over the years. A few have been lost, most I have broken. I tend to push the boundaries of the thin, brittle edge of the folders I carry by either cutting, prying or scraping something that should be saved for a more appropriate tool. Why you ask? Well, convenience. I don't care for large tool pouches on my hip. I usually work with a portable tool carrier that I roll onto location and keep nearby. A folder is small, thin and convenient to carry, so it's usually clipped inside my back pocket for easy access. Thus, I grab for it often even when it's not the perfect tool for each situation. Here are my gripes with folders though. When I do wear a pouch, it is sometimes difficult to remove a folder from a pocket surrounded by other tools or a utility belt. Once it is out and deployed, folding it and getting it back into my pocket becomes annoying when I have other items in my hands. Folders (expendable ones) also lack the lateral strength associated with a full tang fixed blade. Important considering that I often use my blade to perform a task that should be saved for a small pry bar.
A small, fixed knife easily accessible and quick to return to its sheath had quickly become more and more intriguing to me. Now, I have many knives that fit the bill, especially Fiddlebacks. My fear was that using one of my current custom models would be its demise. All things considered, despite how much I love my F-backs, they are not the cheapest tool in the chest and I would hate to be staring at one of those beauties minus its tip or with a giant divot along the edge. So again, the announcement of the production line was very welcomed. I knew I had to test one of these puppies out and I was able to get onto the pass-around list by the skin of my teeth.
Then.... the wait was on. No complaints though. I completely understand that everyone has busy lives. Heck, it's taken me three days to come back and forth to typing this post because I'm juggling so much right now. So, in the interim, two more folders bit the dust. An inexpensive Kershaw Cryo and an old CRKT. And then, finally, I received notice that the production HB was on its way.
For the past week, I slid the production HB onto my belt and went to work. I figured what better way to test and review this model than to actually use it for the purpose I intended it for. I know most of you including myself would rather see some cool bushcrafting shots or pics of me whittling some petrified wood into a unicorn
. Unfortunately, those things will have to wait till next year. The following group of pictures demonstrate just some of the tasks I used the production HB for. I am not going to cover any detailed specs here, as we have had our other fine forum members provide this information in other reviews and I simply did not want this to be redundant.
Here is a quick shot of the HB on my hip. For simply the frequency of how often I drew the knife from the sheath, it rode a tad high for me. Eventually, I tucked my shirt in, as it was impeding access to the blade. In doing so, I lost the concealability of the knife. I will have to look into some other sheath options for my needs.
I consider myself to be a minimalist. No need for small gadgets by my side. I know there are small, inexpensive sharpeners for a carpenters pencil, but this is only time I get to whittle away at some wood (and a little lead).
Here, I simply needed some cardboard cut down to help protect an area from paint overspray. I really like the smooth tumbled finish of the production line. The blade seemingly slipped through the cardboard as if it were coated with teflon. Great feature.
I was able to use the existing kitchen cabinets in my current project. Not my initial choice in style, but they were in great shape. Here I am dressing them up with some crown molding. The walls are imperfect so the angles are slightly off on the cabinets. With the use of a "wedge", you can get the joints to line up better while nailing adjoining pieces.
I removed the bulkhead (soffit) and raised the ceiling of this home's kitchen as it seemed confined. With that, I added some much needed lighting. Here I am prepping some romex cable to finish off the wiring of the recessed lighting. I used the HB to strip back the sheathing of the cable to expose the wire. I have to say, I loved using the fixed blade for this. in the past, I would used my folder or utility knife to do this. That meant a lot of opening and closing.
This one deserves some props. I added a couple extra lights after the fact and the wiring had to be done in the attic near the narrow edge of the roof line. Taking pictures lying on your side in a dark, cramped space with poor lighting really stinks. What a crazy addiction this is. I literally laughed at myself after taking this shot, thinking "what the heck are you doing?"
Next up is flooring. I like to use waterproof vinyl plank flooring in the baths. Here I am stripping off the composite rubberized tongue off one of the planks to start my first run. No problems here. I was pleased to see that after several other rough tasks, the S35Vn was still holding a great edge.
The week is nearly over and after several days of heavy use, the production HB is going strong. Still extremely sharp and able to perform the mundane task of slicing through a plastic pouch with ease. Sounds simple, but a broken tip on my utility knife would have had me tearing this package open with the assistance of my teeth.
To summarize, I really enjoyed using the production HB this week. It is a great little knife. With a bit of caution, this tool stood up to some challenging work. Here is a quick list of pros and cons from my observation.
Pros:
Stainless - CPM S35Vn - A premium stainless with excellent edge retention. Truly.
Thin - 1/8" - Great for slicing through material with ease.
Scales - Textured Micarta - Surprisingly comfortable. I never noticed any discomfort while in use and the knife never left my palm accidentally.
Blade finish - Tumbled - A big plus in my opinion. Aside from is ability to disguise any marring of the blade, it actually assists in allowing the blade to glide through material with greater ease.
Cons:
Sheath - Although it is a very nice sheath and the retention was just right, it rode just a bit high for my personal needs. Really a non-issue for most other applications.
Thin - Yes, also listed above as a Pro. Most of my knives are thin by preference. For this particular use, I'd be curious to compare something in 5/32" simply for the fact that it's tip would likely be a bit more stout.
In closing, I'll leave you with some parting glamour shots and a by saying that I truly enjoyed using this knife and will likely be placing an order from one of our esteemed dealers sooner than later. Thanks Andy and crew!
On second thought, I'll follow up with some glamour shots in another reply. Apparently there's too much data in this post.
) I have truly missed the convenience of the production HB while working. Considering that I had a custom version of the production model that I picked up while initially waiting for the pass-around, I decided to pair it with an old Jared Oeser sheath and put it to work. 
