Rare(ish) Ones

Bartlax4

Bartlax4

Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Messages
400
Guys,

Michael brought up a good point in the Bushcrafter thread started yesterday. I have a bog oak Bushcrafter and he asked if I, or others intend to use it or just look at it, because of cost, exclusivity, etc. I would love to hear what others do with knives they feel are special in some way shape or form, whether that be the handle material, one-off design, first of a model, the two with fiddle stamps, etc.


Right or Wrong, my personal/initial feeling is the following: So far I have just been staring at it, mostly because I just recently received it, it has no pants, and I have been using others currently. There is a little voice inside my head that says, just put it on a shelf and let it be a show piece. Contrasting hard with that voice though, I have already settled on the fact that it would take something extraordinary for me to put this up for sale. I.E., I have 6 FBs (as of today:) and it would definitely be the last one to go, both because of the exclusivity and because I just plain love it. For me, it is the perfect BC and I see no need to pursue another at this time. Second to that, it's a tool and a damn fine one. Tools are meant to be used IMHO. While I want to go to great lengths to ensure I don't do something stupid to damage it, lose it, or neglect it, I am inclined to use it and use it well. If I am able to pass it on to a kid or grandkid, I think having used it gives it character and a more personal sense of story for the recipient. Not trying to be narcissistic, just think it adds to its story...plus what fun is it for me to have a sweet blade that I let sit on a shelf all those years?

So long story to a simple answer Michael, I have had feelings go both ways, but I think I am going to put it to work placing heavy weight on ensuring it gets the proper care.

Let us know what you do with the sweet FBs you feel are special...
 
i dont know about rare but guardless hiking buddies are not too common

maybe andy can chime in the rarity or lack thereof

i use it!..ALOT
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I was all about saving/admiring mine for quite a while....and certainly began to enter the realm of 'collector' rather than user. But the beauty of these knives simply isn't realized until you start using them. Rare ones even more so. A guardless hiking buddy is indeed a rare bird, but the extra value in that being guardless isn't really realized until you are actually using it (and enjoy the user benefits of a guardless small knife). Kudos to Vance.

I can certainly see holding on to rare handle materials...but again, the warmth and beauty of stabilized burls take shape after use. Look how nicely Osage ages over time?

At one time I had 18 fiddlebacks. Each one matched another one. I had 7 maroon models. They were beautiful, in pictures. But as far as use went, I always grabbed the same couple. I got to where I really enjoyed admiring the ones I used more than the ones I was just collecting. The patina's they formed, the way the canvas or burl stared to 'matte' around where my fingers and palms were. How the oils from my hand began to change the color in spots. I liked (and still enjoy) pulling them out and spending an evening sharpening and oiling them. They stopped being "another really cool knife Andy made" and became "MY KNIFE...that Andy made for me". Once I came to that realization I began selling off the rest of my herd. Every once in a while I'll pick up a new model to see if it might replace one, but none have.


My guardless scandi kephart (top) has worked its way through many chunks of wood. The bushfinger on the bottom was sold during my sell off period.

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IMO, as Andy's blades grow in popularity, his blades will become more and more scarce. There's a lot of rare ones out there: one of maybe three, one offs etc. If you find one of his pieces that you like, that you haven't seen to often (a rare one) I would use it, but be careful when doing so. You really don't want to chip of scratch that wood.

When I think rare, for some reason I think rarity adds more value to the piece. Kinda like a postage stamp that was printed upside down. All the rest in the line cost $.39 a piece, but the odd printed stamp cost $500 because of it's rarity. Now putting this into perspective with Andy's pieces, the story is much different. A one off of Andy's blades drives the price up a little to the right collector. But otherwise it's still worth what you payed, maybe a little more, so I'd use it and more importantly have fun with it. If you want to show it off when you have guests over, strop the patina off of it and make it look new again. Just my $.02.
 
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My guardless scandi kephart (top) has worked its way through many chunks of wood. The bushfinger on the bottom was sold during my sell off period.

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I love both of those knives! I must get fiddleback scandi!!!
 
They are all pretty 'rare' being handmade and all, but there are some extraordinary examples out there. Thread needs more pics!
 
Joe Duder said:
IMO, as Andy's blades grow in popularity, his blades will become more and more scarce. There's a lot of rare ones out there: one of maybe three, one offs etc. If you find one of his pieces that you like, that you haven't seen to often (a rare one) I would use it, but be careful when doing so. You really don't want to chip of scratch that wood.

When I think rare, for some reason I think rarity adds more value to the piece. Kinda like a postage stamp that was printed upside down. All the rest in the line cost $.39 a piece, but the odd printed stamp cost $500 because of it's rarity. Now putting this into perspective with Andy's pieces, the story is much different. A one off of Andy's blades drives the price up a little to the right collector. But otherwise it's still worth what you payed, maybe a little more, so I'd use it and more importantly have fun with it. If you want to show it off when you have guests over, strop the patina off of it and make it look new again. Just my $.02.
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This.

At the end of the day, knives are one of the oldest and most primitive forms of tools. In my humble opinion if one is not using them, there's no sense in owning them. Even at times I have found myself to be guilty of hoarding Fiddleback's and regularly need the police this habit thus my constant selling on flea market. Is ultimately up to each individual to determine how they wish to keep their prized possessions, but like many have stated in the thread along with the original poster, much gratification can be had in using these tools...even the most rarest and exotic ones. Your mileage may vary however this is just my .02 cents.

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xxwjtxx said:
This.

At the end of the day, knives are one of the oldest and most primitive forms of tools. In my humble opinion if one is not using them, there's no sense in owning them. Even at times I have found myself to be guilty of hoarding Fiddleback's and regularly need the police this habit thus my constant selling on flea market. Is ultimately up to each individual to determine how they wish to keep their prized possessions, but like many have stated in the thread along with the original poster, much gratification can be had in using these tools...even the most rarest and exotic ones. Your mileage may vary however this is just my .02 cents.

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That shank is sick bro! Is that black ash burl or maple burl?!?!
 
I think all but one of my Fiddlebacks are one offs. With a small maker like Andy there will be a lot of rare ones. I use all of mine:D
 
My philosophy has always been life is short, use it. Happiness is worth more than the few bucks you may or may not make later if it appreciates in value. I don't care what it is or how rare, it's just that much more special to use. A knife, no matter how pretty, is an eminently replaceable inanimate tool, there are always more.

I still haven't decided on what handle combo I like best. Every time I find something that's perfect another one comes along that is even better.... for the moment.
 
Skystorm said:
My philosophy has always been life is short, use it. Happiness is worth more than the few bucks you may or may not make later if it appreciates in value. I don't care what it is or how rare, it's just that much more special to use. A knife, no matter how pretty, is an eminently replaceable inanimate tool, there are always more.

I still haven't decided on what handle combo I like best. Every time I find something that's perfect another one comes along that is even better.... for the moment.
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That avatar of yours is definitely a rarity.:D
 
The only Fiddleback I own I think is rare. Haven't seen another one. A HOLLOW ground Bushraptor he did.
 
Just my two cents here, which I'm sure most will disagree with. I really don't consider slight alterations to common designs rarities per se. A guard less HB is still a HB after all. I feel the same about extended pommels, handle materials, curly q's, etc. What I consider rare are the obscure models that are rarely, or no longer produced. For example the Woodpecker, Bushpik, 2-finger Karda, etc. Only 5 woodpeckers have ever been made to date. Still wish I had mine!
 
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velosa said:
Just my two cents here, which I'm sure most will disagree with. I really don't consider slight alterations to common designs rarities per se. A guard less HB is still a HB after all. I feel the same about extended pommels, etc. What I consider rare are the obscure models that are rarely, or no longer produced. For example the Woodpecker, Bushpik, etc. Only 5 woodpeckers have ever been made to date. Still wish I had mine!
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+1. I agree.
 
With all the different handles, grinds, tweaks, etc, pretty much all of them are rare in one sense or another. It all depends one what you're hunting for. A fat handled, burlaped, guardless woodchuck is rare in the sense that I want one and can't find one. That make it valuable to me, but maybe not to anyone else.

I'll agree what folks have been saying. For me, I gotta use them. If I'm not using them, they get sold. Doesn't matter how "rare" they are.
 
Mine's rare in that I haven't seen another handle like it. (KEB in golden flamey maple.)
Part of what attracted me to Fiddleback in the first place (aside from the beautiful knives and world-class ergos) is that Andy believes a knife is a tool to be used. I agree, so I wanted to support his business.
So the most expensive knife I've ever purchased, and prettiest knife I have, is the one that sits above my workbench in the garage, waiting to tackle whatever cutting tasks I throw at it. It also slices a mean ham...
 
Thanks everyone, some outstanding points made by all. Seems like every knife rare or not is a user for most folks, which is awesome to hear IMHO.
 
Regardless of the rarity or what people of this forum have said, it's your blade brother. If you want to oil it down, put it in a safe and preserve it, then you should do exactly that. Although the overall consensus is to use your Fiddlebacks, these pieces are very collectible and well, they're pieces of art. I see no shame in just collecting and preserving them. In fact, I love seeing collection pics of old school FBF pieces that have just been preserved and not used. It really shows how Andy's creative process has evolved.
 
Joe Duder said:
Regardless of the rarity or what people of this forum have said, it's your blade brother. If you want to oil it down, put it in a safe and preserve it, then you should do exactly that. Although the overall consensus is to use your Fiddlebacks, these pieces are very collectible and well, they're pieces of art. I see no shame in just collecting and preserving them. In fact, I love seeing collection pics of old school FBF pieces that have just been preserved and not used. It really shows how Andy's creative process has evolved.
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Couldn't be better said Duder. Whatever a person chooses to do with their FB is totally cool and totally up to them, I see both sides. In this case, this baby is mine and it's going to work. :)
 
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