Thick or thin handles?

xxwjtxx said:
+1 this.. I couldn't agree more. Fat handles for a camp, bishop, cc, etc; sure, but 85% of Andy's knives are (IMO) precision tools -- the slimmer contoured handles provide maximum control and a bevy of grip options. I know that I'm in the minority here, but the slimmer handles also showcase Andy's refinement and control as a hand made knife maker. Again, I sympathize for the folks with bear paws (heck I'm a large in most gloves); perhaps as some have suggested Andy will deliver a batch here or there for you folks, but if we start seeing fat coke bottle handles all over the place, I'll be found trolling the flea market :D
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Like you need an excuse to be found trolling the flea market :p :D

I seriously doubt there'd be that big of a shift. But I wouldn't mind seeing 2 out of the 20+ that come out each friday being something a little thicker, especially in the 4"+ range. I also tend to prefer the thinner handles on the smaller blades, as I EDC or have special uses for the smaller ones. To stick with your 85%, then even 3 a week could be thicker handles for us Bear Paws. ;)
 
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Guilty as charged :D. But seriously, I see the plight of the situation -- while I stand strongly by my preferences they're just my personal opinions and I need to remember that plenty of folks like fuller handles!

What might be a cool compromise would be that Andy and co seem to do things in groups of 3-4 for every model listed on FBFs .. so maybe a suggestion could be that if for example, 3-4 bushfingers are sold in a Friday run, 2 are regular one is semi thick and one is thick. That would provide awesome variety for folks while also allowing some variability in handle choices. Heck.. Maybe I'm just missing out on the whole thick handle thing, so an opportunity such as this could expose folks to different usability experiences. :thumbup:
 
xxwjtxx said:
Guilty as charged :D. But seriously, I see the plight of the situation -- while I stand strongly by my preferences they're just my personal opinions and I need to remember that plenty of folks like fuller handles!

What might be a cool compromise would be that Andy and co seem to do things in groups of 3-4 for every model listed on FBFs .. so maybe a suggestion could be that if for example, 3-4 bushfingers are sold in a Friday run, 2 are regular one is semi thick and one is thick. That would provide awesome variety for folks while also allowing some variability in handle choices. Heck.. Maybe I'm just missing out on the whole thick handle thing, so an opportunity such as this could expose folks to different usability experiences. :thumbup:
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Ultimately, the market will dictate what Andy makes. It's pretty inarguable that he's sold more 'thinner' knives than he has thicker ones. I'm a perfect example of someone who's not interested in buying more thinner handled knives, but IS interested in buying more thicker handled ones. Others in here have already said they are the exact opposite. Until Andy feels it's impacting A: his work time or B: his sales, I'm not sure why he'd want to stop what he's already doing (very successfully)

That said, from a business side, I'd like to see him start to produce "collection lines". Might spur some sales interest from the collectors. "Fiddleback Classic Series" (thicker handles, thicker stock, heavy spalting) "FiddleBLACK tactical" (Asp, sneaky pete, wasp, scorpion. blued blades, sandblasted. darker stuff) "Fiddleback Presentation Grade" (super high end burls, best of the best stuff, fiddle stamp, tapered tangs). "Fiddleback Camp Site" (Camp knives, Muks, kepharts, bushfingers...practical handle treatments). etc.. helps brand him a bit more. He can categorize older knives into a series and not a maker date.
 
That said, from a business side, I'd like to see him start to produce "collection lines". Might spur some sales interest from the collectors. "Fiddleback Classic Series" (thicker handles, thicker stock, heavy spalting) "FiddleBLACK tactical" (Asp, sneaky pete, wasp, scorpion. blued blades, sandblasted. darker stuff) "Fiddleback Presentation Grade" (super high end burls, best of the best stuff, fiddle stamp, tapered tangs). "Fiddleback Camp Site" (Camp knives, Muks, kepharts, bushfingers...practical handle treatments). etc.. helps brand him a bit more. He can categorize older knives into a series and not a maker date.
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Yeah, what he said.:thumbup:
 
I wish I could spend a day in a room with all of Andy's knife models in each tang configuration and representations of most handle materials used on FB knives.
 
solid4ever said:
Might spur some sales interest from the collectors.
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Sssshhhhhh!!!!!! The last thing ANY of us (besides Andy) need is collectors gaining interest in Fiddlebacks. If you think it's hard now finding the right combination, imagine if Jaxx were to ramp up his interest and start collecting.

Part of the fun of Fiddleback Forge is it's organic, non-commercial nature. Creating "Collection Lines" sounds like something Taylor LLC (the new Schrade) would do. No thanks. Can't you tell the man enjoys the mystery around his work? Have you not noticed that Andy never posts comparison shots other than the sales threads? We can all see the connections from model to model, I say leave the sales gimmicks to TOPS and the tacticool brands. :D
 
crm3137 said:
Sssshhhhhh!!!!!! The last thing ANY of us (besides Andy) need is collectors gaining interest in Fiddlebacks. If you think it's hard now finding the right combination, imagine if Jaxx were to ramp up his interest and start collecting.

Part of the fun of Fiddleback Forge is it's organic, non-commercial nature. Creating "Collection Lines" sounds like something Taylor LLC (the new Schrade) would do. No thanks. Can't you tell the man enjoys the mystery around his work? Have you not noticed that Andy never posts comparison shots other than the sales threads? We can all see the connections from model to model, I say leave the sales gimmicks to TOPS and the tacticool brands. :D
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Hi! ;):D
There is this Fiddleback necker that I'd love to own... Dunno the name, but Guyon owns the one I saw and it's hot. :thumbup:

Found it. 3 Finger Karda. Nice little knife!

FB8.jpg

Image Attribution: Guyon


:)
 
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