Sneaky Pete Review & Handle Mods

[Comprehensivist]

Intro:

I have long wondered why the Sneaky Pete is not more popular than it is. Andy has said many times that he believes the Sneaky Pete has the most comfortable handle of any model he makes. When a gifted knife maker who is known for his amazingly comfortable handles makes that kind of statement, it should grab your attention.

I believe that there are a couple of reasons why potential buyers are somewhat confused by this model. First, the handle design is very unique compared to more traditional 4” handle designs represented by the Bushfinger, Recluse, Kephart, and Bushcrafter/Arete models in the Fiddleback line-up. It has a taller elliptical shape, particularly on the back end. , the unique handle design combined with a spear point blade makes it difficult to classify what role it is supposed to fill. Is it intended to be a last ditch self-defense weapon or an outdoors/camping/bushcrafting tool? I suspect that Andy may have been straddling the fence when he designed this model. The reason I say this is because my research indicates that this model was first offered for sale on 05/10/13 as the “Bushcraft Dagger.” That name clearly hints at a dual role. The model name was changed to Sneaky Pete after that first offering. This model went through one design change in July 2014 to add a large chamfer to the pommel end of the handle in place of the original sharp corner. I will comment more about this design change a little later into the review.

My personal Sneaky Pete was from the 11/01/13 FF batch. At that time, it was only my 2nd Fiddleback Friday purchase and my 1st knife with Shadetree burlap. This knife started a Shadetree theme to my collection that still applies today for the most part. Something about the design of the knife struck a chord with me. Even so, I stared at the photo below many times over a day-and-a-half before I pulled the trigger on it. Those were still the days when competition wasn’t as fierce as it is now and you had more time to think things through.



Specs:


FF Lot Info: 2013 1101 018
OAL: 8.498"
Blade Length: 3.980"
Handle Length: 4.518"
Steel & Thickness: .124" O-1 Tool Steel (Note: Originally advertised as 5/32”)
Tang Type: SFT (“skeletonized full tang”)
Grind: Convex
Handle Material: Coffeebag Burlap from Shadetree over black g10 with a lime green g10 pinstripe
Weight (oz.): 6.1 ounces
Blade Height @ Ricasso: 1.200"
Handle Width @ Palmswell: .775"
Handle Height @ Palmswell: .1.250"
Circumference @ Palmswell: 3.668”
Distance Front of Handle to Palmswell: 1.970”
Balance Point: .375” Behind Front Pins

 

[Comprehensivist]

Comparison Photos:

I like using "compare and contrast" type photos to show relative size and point out certain features and/or differences that may go unnoticed when viewing one knife alone. I tried to capture a good selection of knives and different views to emphasize certain characteristics of the Sneaky Pete (i.e. “SP.”)

These are three different style handles in this group. The Patch has a relatively straight handle with a square butt. The SP has a noticeable “S” curve shape on the top of the handle going from the peak of the ramp to the top corner of the angled butt. The Hiking Buddy has a very slight curve on the top of the handle leading into the round butt.




This stacked view shows the differences in handle shape and height as well as blade shapes. The Patch has a relatively straight handle spine versus arched curve of the SP. That convex curve on the top of the SP handle feels really natural when it is nestled into the concave curve of the palm of your hand. Another difference between these two is that the Patch has a square butt versus an angled butt on the SP. Having the butt of the SP angle forward from top to the bottom certainly looks cool, but it comes at the expense available finger space on the bottom of the handle. I have found that the length and shape of the bottom of the handle is a more important measurement to me than overall handle length because it determines whether my fingers feel relaxed or cramped together in various grips. To emphasize my points, note that even though the SP handle is .400” longer overall than the Patch, the usable handle length on the bottom of the handle is almost the same with the SP being only .070” longer.




Another stacked view showing comparison of blade tip designs. The Hiking Buddy is a little more of a drop point compared to the spear point on the SP with the tip right on the centerline of the blade.




This stacked view of my Monarch on top of the SP shows the similarity in blade shapes with spear points positioned on the centerline of the blade. Both of these models also share relatively tall and slightly narrower handles compared to other models in their respective size ranges.




Here are a couple of shots to compare the SP & Terrasaur. The blade and handle lengths are longer on the Terrasaur. The blade and handle heights are taller on the SP. The center of the palm swell sits about .440” further back on the Terrasaur.




The straight handle spine and square butt of the Terrasaur looks starkly different than the flowing curves and angled butt of the SP handle. The Terrasaur has about .450” more finger space on the bottom of the handle than the SP does, but the tall narrower handle on the SP provides unmatched torque control and pinkie finger leverage compared to its rivals in the 4” category.




Here are a couple more photos that show the tall handle height of the SP in comparison to some other Fiddleback models. Besides the superior torque control I already mentioned, the height of the handle on the SP at the butt end does something that other models don’t do as well. It gives your pinky finger a feeling of power and leverage instead of just providing a place to rest it. Let’s face it, the pinky is the weak link in gripping control to the point that many makers and users discount its importance in actual use. You can see that in the popularity of three-finger knives that leave the pinky out of the party altogether. That is the compromise you make to get smaller size. On a full size 4” model, the ability to have all four fingers working evenly together is a powerful combination. The SP handle provides that feeling to me better than any other model in this size range.

L to R: Terrasaur, Recluse, Arete, Monarch, Sneaky Pete & Leuku

 

[Comprehensivist]

In-Use Comments:

From a user’s perspective, there are several design features of the Sneaky Pete that I really like.

The great torque control from the tall oval handle is very much appreciated when whittling, notching, or splitting wood for kindling.






The spearpoint blade with a perfectly centered tip is excellent for drilling.




The handle shape works very well in the kitchen also. The curve on the top of the handle that settles into your palm makes this model feel more natural to me for food prep versus some of the more straight handled models.




The centered spear point works great for coring or removing stems from things like peppers of strawberries.




The handle feels very secure in hand even when wet.




Andy’s handle description of “feels like a handshake” rings very true to me especially when I am using this knife for food prep.

 

[Comprehensivist]

Observations & Opinions:

I have ten Fiddlebacks that form my primary user group, including the SP. Here are eight of the ten. The two that are missing from this photo are the Leuku and Hiking Buddy.

L to R: Woodsman, Camp Nessmuk, Gaucho, Bushcrafter, Sneaky Pete, Arete, Monarch & Patch.




Within this group, some of these knives are used frequently, others pretty regularly, and one not as much. The Sneaky Pete has been the “not as much” knife for me. Read on and I will explain why...

I prefer spear point blade designs for my fixed blade field knives. They work the best for the kind of things I like to do with a field knife; namely, wood notching and boring, making feather sticks, utility chores and some food prep. I don’t hunt anymore, so the need for belly or sweeping curve in the blade are not priority requirements to me. My three favorite 4” Fiddleback models are the Bushcrafter, Arete and Sneaky Pete. In terms of blade design alone, the fine centered point on the SP is my favorite design of that respectable group. I would not change a thing on the blade design of the SP.

When it comes to handle design, I have my own set of criteria that I use for evaluating how comfortable and versatile a given handle is going to be. I am not looking for a handle that merely “works for me.” I want a handle that fits my hand so well that it makes me want to use the knife hard in any reasonable application that it was designed for. I break down my handle evaluation criteria into the following two categories.

“Soft Characteristics” - These are characteristics that increase grip comfort; including, curved lines, oval or elliptical cross-sections, smooth surface transitions, rounded butts, radiused edges, and flush pins.

“Hard Characteristics” - These are characteristics that can be sexy or cool looking, but may decrease grip comfort to the point of being very uncomfortable in use. This category includes characteristics such as; straight lines, flats, rectangular cross-sections, pointed or severely angled butts, sharp corners or points, unbroken sharp edges, uneven surface transitions, deeply milled scallop cuts, and multiple finger grooves.

The reason that I like Fiddleback handles so much is because Andy is a master at using a lot of the former and very little of the latter. It takes a lot of skill and experience to evenly blend multiple curved surfaces into a smoothly flowing knife handle that is comfortable and secure to use in multiple grips. Andy described his style very well when he said, “I like making sexy functional comfortable knives.” In those terms, I agree that all of my Fiddlebacks are very functional. The vast majority have been sexy and comfortable. On rare occasions, sexy and comfortable have been at odds because some hard characteristic(s) hit me in the wrong place and cause discomfort in one or more grips. Such is the case with my Sneaky Pete. The sharp corners on the back of the handle and on top of the thumb ramp create painful pressure points that limit my grip choices to avoid those areas. That is why the SP has been the least used of my top ten.

Let’s look at some pictures to show what I am talking about.

Here is a spine shot showing the pointed top of the ramp...




The sharp point of the ramp is right under the pad of my thumb.* This is the spot where I would normally press down for leverage while making certain cuts...




Moving the tip of my thumb behind the ramp apex does not allow as much leverage as using the pad of my thumb.* If I slide my hand further back on the handle to fix that, the rear point of the handle becomes an issue by poking into my palm.






Moving my thumb in front of the ramp provides a little better leverage, but the ramp apex is still poking the pad of my thumb.






The pointed corners on the end of the handle are uncomfortable pressure points in certain grip applications.










To be fair to Andy, I want to emphasize that my knife was a 1st year production model and the July 2014 handle re-design that added a large chamfer to the top of the butt corrected some of my concerns. The two angled flats are certainly an improvement, although I would have preferred a curved butt as a better option. Maybe not as sexy as the two flats, but more comfortable in any grip.

Here is an Asp that I used to own on top of the SP that shows the large chamfer of the current design configuration compared to the original sharp corner.






I also want to make it clear that I am not 100% anti-ramp on the spine. I love the the functionality of the deep forward positioned ramp on my Fletcher Esteban II. This knife demonstrates form following function in my eyes. It looks very sexy too.




So here’s where I am at with the SP. I really like the the tall spear point blade shape and taller oval shape of the handle. I don’t like a few hard points on the handle. This means it is decision time as I work to refine my collection down to my favorite users. Should I sell or trade it? Should I keep it as is and use it occasionally? Or should I modify it to suit my preferences?

I went through a similar decision back in 2008 when I first got interested in better quality production knives. That was when I stumbled onto Bark River knives. If you are, or ever have been, a Bark River fan, you must have owned a Bravo 1 or own one of the many variations of that knife family. The Bravo 1 is far and away the best selling model in the Bark River line-up. I had one of those early on, but I hated the thumb ramp. I was not the only one because a substantial numbers of owners sent their knife back to Bark River to have the ramp removed. I elected to sell my Bravo 1 back then rather than deal with the hassle of sending it back for modification.

 

[Comprehensivist]

In the years since then, the major stocking dealers recognized this trend and started offering Bravos less ramps to appeal to more users. My perception of dealer sales on the rampless models was that they were outselling the standard configuration with the ramp. I called Tyler at Knives Ship Free to inquire about my observation on this subject. He couldn’t provide exact sales numbers, but he said that they order fewer rampless knives than the standard version because that is still what people think they want. He also told me that there is still a steady flowed of Bravo 1’s going back to Bark River to have the ramp removed. My point in bringing in this comparison is to show that there is a substantial pool of potential customers out there who don’t like small pointed ramps on their knife handles.

Fiddleback Forge does not offer handle modification service. After much deliberation, I decided that there is so much that I like about the Sneaky Pete, that it would be worth modifying the handle to my liking rather than giving up and passing it on to another owner.


Handle Modifications:

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER** What follows here are photos of modifications I made to my Fiddleback SP to make it more personalized and better suited to my needs. I want to emphasize that removing metal and/or handle material as shown will void your Fiddleback warranty. I don’t recommend that you try this type of work unless you are willing to lose re-sale value and/or possibly risk scrapping out your knife. If you attempt to modify your knife in this way, please wear appropriate respirator equipment and protective goggles.**

My modification plan was to remove the ramp and top corner on the handle. I also wanted to form a curved butt and soften the sharp corner on the bottom of the handle.

Even though I work as a quality manager in a well equipped aerospace machine shop with a lot of precision grinding equipment at my disposal, I decided to do the modifications the old fashioned way with files, emory cloth and sandpaper. I did it this way for several reasons. First, it doesn’t generate heat that could ruin the temper of the steel. Second, it is easier to control and monitor the results when you are slowly removing material. The last reason is that I still find it more enjoyable to work with hand tools whenever possible.

Here we go. I wrapped the blade and handle areas that were not being touched in blue painters tape to protect the finishes. The knife was held in rubber-faced aluminum vise jaw inserts.

This is the ramp area to be removed...




The metal on metal noise of the first few file cuts reminded me of the feeling I get sitting in the dentist chair and wondering if the novacane is going to work at the second the drill first touches a tooth. It also drives home the reality that I am taking a file to my $300 +/- knife and there is no turning back now.




Bye-bye ramp...




Starting to blend it out...




I used only medium emory cloth to round off the bottom corner of the butt because I didn’t need to remove a lot of material to create a softer radius.




Next is the top corner of the butt. Back to the file for this area.






On to some hand sanding to remove the file marks and progress to nice smooth surfaces.






Notice the flats created on the handle scales adjacent to where the ramp was removed. These were reshaped later with sandpaper to blend with the existing curves on the front.




Might as well do a full Spa sanding while I am at it. The cardboard edge protector proved to be an adequate backer for the sandpaper to keep the form of the handle right.






More sanding and it is starting to look like a finished handle again.




Time for a little Wicked Edge sharpening work. Since I am new to using this system, I sought out advice from a more experienced Fiddleback forum member who uses this sharpening system. I asked Walt (“McVeyMac”) what angle he recommends for O1. He said 18-20 degrees per side, so I split the difference and went with 19 DPS.

 

[Comprehensivist]

Post Modification Photos & Comments:

Here are some before and after photos to show the transformation.

Before:







After:












The curved butt of the handle is very easy on the hand now with no pressure points to work around...







No more pointed ramp to poke me and limit my thumb positions and leverage on push cuts.




And a crazy nice new edge on the blade.




Here are my three favorite 4” models together (Arete, Sneaky Pete & Bushcrafter.) No thumb ramps necessary on any of them.





The new butt shape is very comfortable riding in one of Bud’s JouFuu high ride ambidextrous sheaths.



I like how flat the SP rides compared to knives with thicker handles.

 

[Comprehensivist]

Conclusion:

I guess you could say that my Sneaky Pete is now a “Sneaky Phil.” My goal with the modifications was to increase comfort in all grip options without losing the overall form of the Sneaky Pete handle. I feel like I accomplished that goal. These modifications may not appeal to everyone, but I am quite happy with the way they turned out overall. The transformation has turned this into my “go to” field knife and one of my favorite users. That is really what it is all about in the big picture.

I love this knife now. I seldom buy duplicates of a given model anymore, but I will be making an exception for this one when I find a certain handle and steel combination.



I look forward to hearing your comments about the Sneaky Pete in general and my modifications in particular. I always try to call things as I see them and I hope that you will too in your feedback. If you like it, great. If you think I ruined a perfectly good knife, that is OK to say too. I am most interested in hearing your comments about thumb ramps. Do you like them or hate them? If you have avoided buying a Sneaky Pete (or other models) because of the ramp, would you buy one if it was available without the ramp? I seriously doubt that Andy will ever start making any Sneaky Phils, but hearing some marketing feedback from his customer base should be useful to him nonetheless.


The Final Word:

Of course J-Dog had to weigh in and inspect my work on the final product.



Ahhh, the look of approval from my best friend. It doesn’t get any better than that. She knows that when I am happy with a field knife, it means we will get to spend more time outside together doing fun stuff. Well J-Dog, it looks like we will be doing just that.



I also want to thank my great friend and mentor Nathan (”thurin”) for serving as my Editor-In-Chief for this review. Having Nathan serve in this role was important to me since he has first-hand experience with this particular knife as part of the “Trio Exchange” thread ( http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...=Trio+Exchange ) 1-1/2 years ago. Your comments and concerns back then echoed in my head when I started this project. Thanks for your feedback and corrections to make this a better review.


Thanks for hanging in there through another loooong review. I hope you feel inspired to consider adding a Sneaky to your collection. It is a great knife!

Phil

 

[1jay]

I've been looking for the "right" sneaky pete for some time. Not many come down the pike these days.

 

[swonut]

Nice work! Great pictures along the way.

 

[Fiddleback]

Man, Phil, your reviews and handle vocabulary/depth of description is unreal. Thank you for doing this review. I can't say I like the shape of the end knife, but I can see where you boiled it down to pure function, and also that you did great work. Its always amazing to see someone re-work one, and yours are always done well. Fun thread!

 

[Fiddleback]

I've been looking for the "right" sneaky pete for some time. Not many come down the pike these days.

Every once in a while for each model we reduce production to increase demand. We are on the increasing production end of the curve on the SP currently. There will be more around.

 

[prom52]

Phil:

From my perspective it's hard to argue with your rationale for making these mods given how the original design of the handle fit your hand. I really liked how the photos that you shared did an excellent job of illustrating the how & why of the project. This may sound strange, however it made me think back to my days working in the medical device industry as a regional sales manager when stylish, comfortable, well constructed shoes were what made the difference in how your legs felt at the end of a long day chasing doctors throughout the medical centers we called on. My favorite brand of shoes at the time were Allen Edmonds. They were hand made in Wisconsin, by expert craftsmen. The shoes were so well built that you could send them back to the factory to have them totally refurbished....sort of like a spa treatment with a Fiddleback.

To get to the point I'm trying to make, while visiting the factory I had a chance to speak with one of the shop foremen and he passed along a little wisdom that reminded me of what you set out to accomplish with your project. He said, what you want to do is pay attention to the specs of the wooden last that a particular model of shoe was crafted on. The secret was that once you figured out which last best approximated the shape of your foot, any shoe made on that last would fit like a glove. About as close as you could get to having custom made shoes. Man was he right !

Imagine if knife handles were shaped in a similar way. Instant comfort right out of the brown paper wrapper. As we all know it takes a lot of trial and error to find a knife handle that fits like it was custom made for your hand, especially when there is variation within a given model by the nature of how they are made.
But when you do.......oh baby is it ever sweet. I commend you for the courage & the skill you applied to give your Sneaky Pete that "Oh baby" hand feel.

With J-Dog serving as your own personal quality manager this project was destined to be a huge success !!!

Thanks for sharing your insights as putting together this type of review was a significant undertaking.

Peter

 

[1jay]

Every once in a while for each model we reduce production to increase demand. We are on the increasing production end of the curve on the SP currently. There will be more around.

Thanks I'll be watching

 

[M4Super90]

Phil, As usual you go above and beyond on the detail and thought put into your review. I know we've had many discussions about the sneaky and you have very accurately characterized why I have so many Fiddleback knives and do not own a Sneaky. I've had one (latter version with the pommel revision) and the ramp was the point of contention. Pun intended. I think I need to assimilate some of your introspection and patience relative to the qualities I do like versus focusing on the small annoyances. My initial reviews go one of two ways - 1. Awesome!!! or 2. Ewww!! Yuck! and off it goes.

Awesome review my friend. I always pick up so much from your description of small features. I love your concept of soft and hard characteristics. I'm stealing that one and I'm off to measure the underside of my favorite users!!

Phillip

 

[thurin]

It's amazing how much detail goes into your reviews Phil. The time you spent putting this together is huge I know. I really appreciate the depth of analysis, the background of the "Bushcraft Dagger" (I never realized that). The comparison pictures are really helpful. The colors in the kitchen shots and the backgrounds outdoors are vibrant. Great work.

Your modifications would address my reasons for not having a SP in my lineup, but I'm not sure I could gather the muster to do that on my own.

I have come to the conclusion that handle height is as important to me as handle width. A nice tall handle like the SP or the Camp Nessie really fit well in my hand. Your analysis of the torque the taller handle provides is something I haven't thought much about directly in the past, but now that you've brought it up it makes total sense.

Well done again!

Please give J-Dog a treat for me and thank her for her help.

 

[TomR2]

Phil,

Nice review. Thank you. I get if buying a "one off" from a famous individual maker, (of whatever), one should/would hesitate to "have at it," out of respect for the artist or craftsperson. We probably really shouldn't correct the color choice, or wiggle in a line, on a Picasso... But as we move from art piece towards functionality, the permission to mod, seems an easier thing. It is after all yours and its value is in how well it works. I'm still in the "I like the looks" buying mode here, but my buying experience is nicely summed up by what M4Super90 wrote above, "My initial reviews go one of two ways - 1. Awesome!!! or 2. Ewww!! Yuck! and off it goes.

I have two questions.

1. How do you view the handle of the Nessmuk? It seems to share some of the swoopiness of the SP and that forward hump, (which I confess I am attracted to but never handled).

2. On your process, I'm surprised you were able to remove the forward hump with a file. In my first years of retirement, I hung 20-30 hours a week in a Cali, Community College, machine tool program. We were taught, and it was demonstrated anything above about rockwell 45, (as I recall the #) was not to be machined, but taken to the grinding room. In fact, we were taught to use a file when grabbing a piece of steel of unknown heat treat. If the file slid off it was above 45 and therefore a conventional "high speed steel"/carbide end mill or file wouldn't touch it. The Forge's heavy use of belt sanders speaks to that, given how hard these blades are. What sort of file did you use?

 

[adequacy]

After reading this post all I can say is WOW.

I appreciate all of your incredible insights, data, and photos. I also thoroughly enjoy how well you write our your thinking process when it comes to evaluating your knives. It's truly remarkable. It looks like you did an incredible job on modifying your knife-I'm glad to see it now fits your personal style better.

Do you think the sneaky pete will move up higher in your top ten rankings going forward?

Thanks again for this awesome piece. I always look forward to reading your reviews and analyses.

 

[schmittie]

As a quick response:

I enjoy all your reviews/mods Mr Phil. Whenever you post something, I'm quite interested in the details.

Your handle mods are consistently done with much thought and well planned. This particular model has always been one that doesn't interest me at all. However, you modifications were done beautifully.

Very nice buddy! Thanks for bringing us along.

 

[TomR2]

After reading this post all I can say is WOW.

I appreciate all of your incredible insights, data, and photos. I also thoroughly enjoy how well you write our your thinking process when it comes to evaluating your knives. It's truly remarkable. It looks like you did an incredible job on modifying your knife-I'm glad to see it now fits your personal style better.

Do you think the sneaky pete will move up higher in your top ten rankings going forward?

Thanks again for this awesome piece. I always look forward to reading your reviews and analyses.

You mean Sneaky Phil, don't you?

 

[Comprehensivist]

I've been looking for the "right" sneaky pete for some time. Not many come down the pike these days.

Welcome to the forum Jay. I hope that you score your perfect Sneaky Pete soon. Keep us posted around here when you do.

Nice work! Great pictures along the way.

Thanks Blaine!

Man, Phil, your reviews and handle vocabulary/depth of description is unreal. Thank you for doing this review. I can't say I like the shape of the end knife, but I can see where you boiled it down to pure function, and also that you did great work. Its always amazing to see someone re-work one, and yours are always done well. Fun thread!

Every once in a while for each model we reduce production to increase demand. We are on the increasing production end of the curve on the SP currently. There will be more around.

Thanks Andy. I appreciate the acknowledgement for the write-up and my workmanship even though you don't like the shape of the end result. You were correct when you said I was going for pure function. I am glad to hear that more Sneaky Petes are coming soon. I'll have my eye out for another one.

Phil:

From my perspective it's hard to argue with your rationale for making these mods given how the original design of the handle fit your hand. I really liked how the photos that you shared did an excellent job of illustrating the how & why of the project. This may sound strange, however it made me think back to my days working in the medical device industry as a regional sales manager when stylish, comfortable, well constructed shoes were what made the difference in how your legs felt at the end of a long day chasing doctors throughout the medical centers we called on. My favorite brand of shoes at the time were Allen Edmonds. They were hand made in Wisconsin, by expert craftsmen. The shoes were so well built that you could send them back to the factory to have them totally refurbished....sort of like a spa treatment with a Fiddleback.

To get to the point I'm trying to make, while visiting the factory I had a chance to speak with one of the shop foremen and he passed along a little wisdom that reminded me of what you set out to accomplish with your project. He said, what you want to do is pay attention to the specs of the wooden last that a particular model of shoe was crafted on. The secret was that once you figured out which last best approximated the shape of your foot, any shoe made on that last would fit like a glove. About as close as you could get to having custom made shoes. Man was he right !

Imagine if knife handles were shaped in a similar way. Instant comfort right out of the brown paper wrapper. As we all know it takes a lot of trial and error to find a knife handle that fits like it was custom made for your hand, especially when there is variation within a given model by the nature of how they are made.
But when you do.......oh baby is it ever sweet. I commend you for the courage & the skill you applied to give your Sneaky Pete that "Oh baby" hand feel.

With J-Dog serving as your own personal quality manager this project was destined to be a huge success !!!

Thanks for sharing your insights as putting together this type of review was a significant undertaking.

Peter

Thanks Peter. The shoe analogy on how a craftsmen can tailor a repeatable custom fit for that "Oh Baby" feel could be a dream come true if it was possible in the knife world. Then again, it might get a little boring if they became "Stepford Knives."

I also want to thank you for your comments and suggestions when you saw some of my early draft photos for this review. I appreciate good friends like you who challenge my assumptions to hone my thinking. I am glad that you enjoyed the end result.

Phil, As usual you go above and beyond on the detail and thought put into your review. I know we've had many discussions about the sneaky and you have very accurately characterized why I have so many Fiddleback knives and do not own a Sneaky. I've had one (latter version with the pommel revision) and the ramp was the point of contention. Pun intended. I think I need to assimilate some of your introspection and patience relative to the qualities I do like versus focusing on the small annoyances. My initial reviews go one of two ways - 1. Awesome!!! or 2. Ewww!! Yuck! and off it goes.

Awesome review my friend. I always pick up so much from your description of small features. I love your concept of soft and hard characteristics. I'm stealing that one and I'm off to measure the underside of my favorite users!!

Phillip

Thanks Phillip. I remember that we talked about this modification idea last March during our Arizona BBQ get together. I learned a lot of important distinctions about Fiddleback knives during that visit. I'm pleased that you enjoyed the review and find my "soft and hard characteristics" terminology useful to you. I'll be sure to bring this knife to our camping trip next month so that you can evaluate the results first hand.

It's amazing how much detail goes into your reviews Phil. The time you spent putting this together is huge I know. I really appreciate the depth of analysis, the background of the "Bushcraft Dagger" (I never realized that). The comparison pictures are really helpful. The colors in the kitchen shots and the backgrounds outdoors are vibrant. Great work.

Your modifications would address my reasons for not having a SP in my lineup, but I'm not sure I could gather the muster to do that on my own.

I have come to the conclusion that handle height is as important to me as handle width. A nice tall handle like the SP or the Camp Nessie really fit well in my hand. Your analysis of the torque the taller handle provides is something I haven't thought much about directly in the past, but now that you've brought it up it makes total sense.

Well done again!

Please give J-Dog a treat for me and thank her for her help.

Nathan, it was your comments about this knife from our Trio Exchange thread that first planted the seeds for this modification. I had to think it through for a long time before I was sure that I wanted to attempt this. Thanks again for your input on edits to improve this review. I incorporated all of them. I am glad that you enjoyed the end result including the tidbit of Fiddleback history about the original name for this model. It is difficult to find something you don't already know about Fiddlebacks.

Phil,

Nice review. Thank you. I get if buying a "one off" from a famous individual maker, (of whatever), one should/would hesitate to "have at it," out of respect for the artist or craftsperson. We probably really shouldn't correct the color choice, or wiggle in a line, on a Picasso... But as we move from art piece towards functionality, the permission to mod, seems an easier thing. It is after all yours and its value is in how well it works. I'm still in the "I like the looks" buying mode here, but my buying experience is nicely summed up by what M4Super90 wrote above, "My initial reviews go one of two ways - 1. Awesome!!! or 2. Ewww!! Yuck! and off it goes.

I have two questions.

1. How do you view the handle of the Nessmuk? It seems to share some of the swoopiness of the SP and that forward hump, (which I confess I am attracted to but never handled).

2. On your process, I'm surprised you were able to remove the forward hump with a file. In my first years of retirement, I hung 20-30 hours a week in a Cali, Community College, machine tool program. We were taught, and it was demonstrated anything above about rockwell 45, (as I recall the #) was not to be machined, but taken to the grinding room. In fact, we were taught to use a file when grabbing a piece of steel of unknown heat treat. If the file slid off it was above 45 and therefore a conventional "high speed steel"/carbide end mill or file wouldn't touch it. The Forge's heavy use of belt sanders speaks to that, given how hard these blades are. What sort of file did you use?

Thanks for the comments and questions Tom.

In response, here is a photo of the pommel end of two Nessmuk handles owned by my friend Phillip (M4Super90.)

I got to handle both of these last year during a visit with him last year. We shared our thoughts on this model as well as many others in a thread called “Arizona Knife Show and BBQ.” Here is the link if you care to read about it:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...zona-Knife-Show-and-BBQ?highlight=Arizona+BBQ

The bottom line is that we both strongly preferred the comfort and feel of the rounded pommel Buckeye Burl knife on the right vs. the angular shape of the Emerald burlap pommel on the left. Note that the Buckeye Burl knife is an unmodified version made in 2013 and Emerald burlap knife shows the standard pommel configuration that has remained the same since 2014.

My preference is for more soft handle characteristics and no thumb ramps on the spine. I can’t say what will work best for you, but my preference is for the larger Camp Nessmuk in tapered 5/32” steel over the lighter and smaller Nessmuk with the ramp.

After reading this post all I can say is WOW.

I appreciate all of your incredible insights, data, and photos. I also thoroughly enjoy how well you write our your thinking process when it comes to evaluating your knives. It's truly remarkable. It looks like you did an incredible job on modifying your knife-I'm glad to see it now fits your personal style better.

Do you think the sneaky pete will move up higher in your top ten rankings going forward?

Thanks again for this awesome piece. I always look forward to reading your reviews and analyses.

Thanks for the kind words. This was a big project for me that include some new things.

In response to your question about where the SP ranks in my top ten now, I'll just say that it has moved up from my least used to my most used in the last month since I did the modifications. I have been blessed with a great group of Fiddlebacks to choose from at this point.

As a quick response:

I enjoy all your reviews/mods Mr Phil. Whenever you post something, I'm quite interested in the details.

Your handle mods are consistently done with much thought and well planned. This particular model has always been one that doesn't interest me at all. However, you modifications were done beautifully.

Very nice buddy! Thanks for bringing us along.

I appreciate your honest comments on the review and the Sneaky Pete. There are some models that are not on my wish list either.

You mean Sneaky Phil, don't you?

"Sneaky Phil"™ is a registered trademark of Comprehensivist Knife Works LLC.

Just kidding!


Thanks again everyone for your feedback. I would still like to hear from folks who really like thumb ramps and find them to be a useful feature. All opinions are welcome in the discussion here.

Phil