- Joined
- Jul 9, 2013
- Messages
- 374
I picked up my first Fiddleback just over a year ago. It was a black curly mango leuku. I was amazed at the quality and aesthetics of the knife. This was the true beginning of my Fiddleback journey. I knew I wanted something a little smaller that I could EDC but be robust enough for a number of situations. After watching and going back and forth about a thousand times I settled on the monarch being my next model. For me I have to budget for a higher end knife and it only ends up being once or twice a year I can pick one up so I knew I had to pick the right one. I watched and waited for some time. It finally occurred to me to ask in the flea market. Fortunately NUTRAMAC had one that fit the bill and was amazingly willing to let such a fine specimen go.
It arrived quickly and was in "day of" condition as if it was just made. My first impression was "perfect". Truth be told I am a Fiddleback fanboy but also not an idiot when spending on higher end products. Understand my concern was not about the quality, craftsmanship or if it would be in good condition but about whether the model and configuration was a good fit for me.
This particular monarch is 1/8th inch A2 convex with spalted steel in dyed box elder burl with black and white liners right at 7.75" OAL. It reads a dark teal in 5600-6500k light.
The handle has a comfortable and great feel. My only possible wish would be if the handle was slightly wider, perhaps a very thick and thin liner would do it. That is truly reaching for something to find lacking.
My hand width is just over 4". I usually need XL to XXL gloves.
Fit and finish, like my leuku, is stellar. Very clean lines with clear spalting. The wood has amazing details. There seems to be something new to notice each time I look at it. I see faces and animals in the patterns.
Pardon the dust on the handle, I did not notice when I was taking photos. That is from me handling and wiping it down with an old rag.
Picked up some Joufuu pants for it, great sheath with blued titanium clip. Rides great in my pocket. Somehow did not get a good shot of the front except the image above. Want to pick up a scout carry version next.
I thought a comparison may be helpful to others who may be on the fence or have a bit of "analysis paralysis" like I did. I used a Mora Companion and Kershaw Blur as these seemed to be among the most common I have that others may be familiar with. In fact I referred to my Kershaw often as it was a good size for my as a folding EDC. I wanted something in roughly the same size but a fixed blade.
Lens distortion makes it read larger than the Kershaw but in fact its almost the exact same size if not maybe 1/16" shorter.
I will let the remaining images speak for themselves.
I hope this may be helpful to another user. I will be sure to post any additional pics or adventures with it here in the future.
Cheers,
-d
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