Review of Fiddleback Forge Production Hiking Buddy

KP

KP

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Oct 24, 2011
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Specifications: 1/8" CPM S35VN steel with tumbled finish, canvas micarta scales
Overall length: 7.25” Blade length: 3.25” Handle length: 4.00”
Weight of knife: 4.0 ounces Weight of knife and sheath: 5.8 ounces
















Since I discovered Fiddleback Forge a few years ago, the Hiking Buddy seems to be the model that nearly everyone likes and wants. They go fast on Fiddleback Fridays, on the Fiddleback Flea Market, as well as from the dealers. If people are selling them, it’s usually because they want to try a different blade thickness or handle material because they like the knife enough to go ahead and pursue their ideal configuration. It’s popularity made it a perfect candidate to roll out Andy’s production line of Fiddlebacks.

Why is the Hiking Buddy so popular? Aesthetically, it’s a beautifully simple knife. Subtle curves and smooth transitions give this knife a very appealing profile. Functionally, I suspect that I'm not the only one around here that has a hard time not actively searching, or at least passively considering, what is the smallest fixed blade knife that will comfortably fit my hand doing the majority of tasks I want to accomplish.

My hands are somewhere at the large-extra large end of the spectrum and I have had some issues with some knives in the past because the handle was a bit too small for me. The length of my hand from the bottom of my palm to the end of my middle finger is about 8.25 inches and my palm measures about 4.25 inches across. When I hold a ruler as I would hold a knife, my fingers take up about 3.5 inches.



Sometimes the diameter/height/width of the handle are too small for me to use comfortably, but more often than not, I end up not using a knife that should provide a full grip because angles, curves or grooves on the bottom side of the handle reduce the length of the handle substantially so I cannot squeeze four fingers around it comfortably. It turns out the Hiking Buddy is just about a perfect fit.





I’ve handled a few handmade Hiking Buddies and they were also a good fit but I was very pleased to discover that the handle on the production model seems to be a little thicker. The grip I get on it feels very certain and in many typical positions, my fingers are not squeezed, and there are no obtrusive parts of the handle poking my hand anywhere.
 
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After taking some quick arrival pictures, I couldn't help myself from grabbing a few nearby sticks and pushing that edge through some wood. I didn't touch the edge after unboxing the knife and it was very sharp and performed this task admirably. The full grip was very comfortable and reassuring.



Lunch time. No problems here. The blade has a nice distal taper that leaves enough material for a strong tip but thins up enough to make it a great slicer. These rolls, cheese, steak and pickle were no match. The knife cleaned right up with no trace of staining or patina. The micarta also felt fantastic when wet. Very grippy. It doesn't seem quite as polished as the micarta on the production Bushfinger so I think that helps make it a little grippier, which is a nice feature for a smaller knife so the smaller purchase is that much more certain.





More food prep later in the day - cinnamon apples for my oldest daughter. I took my time cutting this up and played around to see how thin I can get the slices so the knife had the apple juice on it for a good 10-15 minutes. A quick rinse and a dry and not a trace of it shows up on the tumbled S35VN.

 
I will admit that my bushcraft skills are rather basic but I wanted to put this one through some extended use to see how it fared so I just grabbed a stick that I cut off a downed limb a few months backs and brought it inside. My plant identification skills need improvement as well. I think this may be a sycamore.





I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it but these had to go. How about some light batoning?





No problems here.



The outer bark came off easily.





No visible damage yet.



Still slicing newsprint. Alana is impressed.



This knife is fun to use. It’s easy to forget that it’s on your belt and even fits in my pocket. I guess if I have to send this Hiking Buddy back, I will use it to make another hiking companion of sorts and just clean this stick up to use as a hiking staff. The next layer of wood was much harder. I will admit that I did use the grinder to knock the edge off the end but I did end up going over it again with the knife. I used a variety of grips and techniques to get through this end of the stick. It was easy to control even when exerting a lot of force on different angles and in different grips. All I have done with the edge at this point was a few passes on my jeans. Still looks good and still slicing newsprint. My hand is also feeling good at this point.







After squeezing in some time here and there over the last few days, I managed to get this thing to a respectable state. I did take a few passes on a leather strop with green compound to freshen up the edge after working on the end of the stick. I probably used the knife for stretches of 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes or so and I was very surprised at how it remained comfortable to use after pushing and pulling it through hundreds of small cuts through hard wood. After a few more passes on the strop, the knife was slicing paper and thanks to Dave, I tried out the magic eraser and this thing cleaned up like new.







As others have noted about the Fiddleback production models, the word “production” doesn’t do them justice as these knives have excellent fit and finish. The steel is fantastic – it holds a working edge through a lot of work, is easy to touch up, and requires minimal care. Same with the micarta – great grip and easy to maintain. This knife is a smaller model but still worked well with my larger hands. It was also a pleasure to use and very easy to carry. It’s very capable knife in a variety of tasks and the compact size would make it that much more likely that I have it on me. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a knife in this size range.
 
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Comparison photos
Top to bottom: Production Bushfinger, production Hiking Buddy, Patch Knife, Becker BK-14



Top to bottom: Production Bushfinger, Asp, Bushcrafter Jr, production Hiking Buddy, Patch Knife











Left to right: Production Hiking Buddy, Patch Knife, Bushcrafter Jr, Asp, production Bushfinger



Production Hiking Buddy and Patch Knife



Production Hiking Buddy and Bushcrafter Jr

 
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Thanks for putting the HB through the paces. I must say though, all these reviews are killing me! I want one of these and the production Runt. Someday!
 
RUNIT said:
So what it look like under the scales? Skeletonized?
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I didn't take the scales off this one but I think it is skeletonized. IIRC, I saw some pictures of it around here either from the shop or swonut's liner mod.
 
Very nice review! Thanks for all the great detail and pictures. The comparisons are really helpful too.
 
Great review KP!! You put a lot of work into planning that, using the knife on various tasks, taking good photos, and writing out your thoughts after using the knife. All elements of a good review. I appreciate the in-hand shots and comparison photos with other models. That is really important info to newer Fiddleback fans trying to decide on which model to buy. Your shallow angle photos do a good job of showing the texturing of the handle scales too.

That is the way to do it. Thanks again for putting this review together. Well done!

Phil
 
Wow! That was a very comprehensive review with great pictures. Well done. I especially appreciated the view of the edges face up in the comparison photos. The production hiking buddy looks great, but I must say your lunch looks even better!!!
 
KP said:
I didn't take the scales off this one but I think it is skeletonized. IIRC, I saw some pictures of it around here either from the shop or swonut's liner mod.
Click to expand...

Found swonut's mod post ant is is a bit skeletonized. Thanks for the info and the great review!
 
Very nice review KP, great photos and good comparisons. I too am really liking the mid tech Hiking Buddy. I have gotten somewhat hung up on the CPM S35VN over the last few years here in the area I live and work in. It has great corrosion resistance, but also tough, takes a great edge, and is not hard to maintain in the field. I think the added Vanadium and Niobium made a great improvement over the CPM S30V, and makes it a great steel for a hard working field knife. The crenelated handle is very nice, and makes for a great grip in wet and slippery conditions without being so aggressive it is uncomfortable in long term use. The Hiking Buddy model has been a favorite since it was introduced, I think I have had gone through four or five till I found my favorite configuration, only to find that all things considered the mid tech may just be my favorite configuration of all. It is a great size, being big enough to do a lot with, but not so big as to be obtrusive. It makes a really nice edc, and I have been using mine while teaching knife and wilderness skills lessons. It's one of the ones I will have multiples of, and at $195 I think it is an awesome price for what is gotten. I'm am really glad this one made the cut for the midtech line.
 
It actually has less Vanadium than S30V (3% vs 4%), but it should have slightly higher edge stability and be slightly easier to sharpen. Been very happy with both. From my 3 S35VNs from Andy it seems he runs it pretty hard and edge retention has been excellent with no chipping etc. from the years I've been using them.
 
NoFair said:
It actually has less Vanadium than S30V (3% vs 4%), but it should have slightly higher edge stability and be slightly easier to sharpen. Been very happy with both. From my 3 S35VNs from Andy it seems he runs it pretty hard and edge retention has been excellent with no chipping etc. from the years I've been using them.
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Yeah, I got my notes mixed up. I remember now, they lowered the Vanadium and added the Niobium to get the toughness. Either way, it's still so far my favorite stainless steel. All of the stainless knives I use in class instruction these days are S35VN
 
That's a very handsome model. Looks like it packs a decent amount of cutting edge in a small package.
 
:thumbup: Nice review KP. I especially like the comp pics. I recently got a mid-tech Runt that has impressed me. I think the Hiking Buddy is next on my list, thanks to your review. :)
 
Man! GREAT review! Thank You.
 
Thanks for the compliments, fellas. It was a real pleasure getting to try this one out.
 
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