- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,657
Gentlemen, I'm embarrassed to say but I ONLY have one Fiddleback Forge knife in my collection
It's not an issue of Andy's work, or price, or anything short of the fact that the woodsman I ordered about 2 years ago simply is the finest general bushcraft knife I have ever held. It fit my needs perfectly!
Oh, I've chased other Great White Whales in the knife world. I've got a drawer full of folding knifes, more swiss army knives and multi-tools than I know what to do with, and a plethora of gorgeous Himalayan Import khukuris. I have my favorites, but I'm still looking for "the one".
My Woodsman is different. When I ordered it, I left the entire build in Andy's hands. What he thought looked best would be fine. Hell, if he some kind of wood in surplus that he wanted to use up, I would have been fine with that. Instead, he picked out some species of wood that he thought I, personally, might like best. I've known him for years on the forums, and am luckily enough to call him my friend. He simply knew through osmosis what would look best to me on my knife.
When it arrived, I was stunned. Executed to a masterful degree. Razor sharp, highly polished, and had an absolutely stunning handle of laminated Osage and Walnut that felt as if it were made for my hand. That knife has accompanied me on several adventures, prepped dozens if not hundreds of meals in my kitchen at home, and rode dutifully in my truck behind my seat "just in case" I should ever need it. I simply did not like leaving home without it.
However, that loving (yet probably destructive) act of long hot days in the humid southern Indiana sun sitting in my truck caused the wood to separate juuuuuusst so in a tiny area. It wasn't a big deal, but I wanted to ask Andy what he thought about it.
Of course, Andy being Andy told me to ship it to him to take a look at it. I told him it was no big deal if he couldn't fix it. I was VERY satisfied with the knife. I got MORE than my money's worth out of it, and it was just an itty bitty separation that was causing no real performance issues in the least.
After really no more than a week or so, I just received my Woodsman back. Totally fixed as if nothing had ever happened, shined up, lettered, and purdier than she was the day we met
On top of that he added a bullseye at the lanyard hole, sent me a new sheath (I had clumsily sliced my old one trying to holster the Cajun lightsaber), AND (here's the kicker) my very own genuine Fiddleback Forge Beer Coozie!
Andy, I'm stoked, bro!
Way, way, over the top regarding customer service. I have to say, I've never been burned by a custom maker. However, I have been, really, really, really, REALLY disappointed with one whom I expected more out of. While I never even considered that Andy would make me jump through the hoops I did with this other guy, I'm still totally and completely floored by the level of top notch service.
I'll always have this Fiddleback (and I really hope several more). I want to be one of the guys that was on "the ground level" of knowing Andy before he was big and famous in the knife world, before Sly Stallone taps him to craft the knife for Rambo 9, and before his waiting lists stretch 4 years.
I raise a Coozied beer to decades of success to Andy and Fiddleback Forge.
Here's a crappy phone camera pic!
200% satisfied customer.
I'm gonna copy this thread over to Feedback too.
It's not an issue of Andy's work, or price, or anything short of the fact that the woodsman I ordered about 2 years ago simply is the finest general bushcraft knife I have ever held. It fit my needs perfectly!
Oh, I've chased other Great White Whales in the knife world. I've got a drawer full of folding knifes, more swiss army knives and multi-tools than I know what to do with, and a plethora of gorgeous Himalayan Import khukuris. I have my favorites, but I'm still looking for "the one".
My Woodsman is different. When I ordered it, I left the entire build in Andy's hands. What he thought looked best would be fine. Hell, if he some kind of wood in surplus that he wanted to use up, I would have been fine with that. Instead, he picked out some species of wood that he thought I, personally, might like best. I've known him for years on the forums, and am luckily enough to call him my friend. He simply knew through osmosis what would look best to me on my knife.
When it arrived, I was stunned. Executed to a masterful degree. Razor sharp, highly polished, and had an absolutely stunning handle of laminated Osage and Walnut that felt as if it were made for my hand. That knife has accompanied me on several adventures, prepped dozens if not hundreds of meals in my kitchen at home, and rode dutifully in my truck behind my seat "just in case" I should ever need it. I simply did not like leaving home without it.
However, that loving (yet probably destructive) act of long hot days in the humid southern Indiana sun sitting in my truck caused the wood to separate juuuuuusst so in a tiny area. It wasn't a big deal, but I wanted to ask Andy what he thought about it.
Of course, Andy being Andy told me to ship it to him to take a look at it. I told him it was no big deal if he couldn't fix it. I was VERY satisfied with the knife. I got MORE than my money's worth out of it, and it was just an itty bitty separation that was causing no real performance issues in the least.
After really no more than a week or so, I just received my Woodsman back. Totally fixed as if nothing had ever happened, shined up, lettered, and purdier than she was the day we met
On top of that he added a bullseye at the lanyard hole, sent me a new sheath (I had clumsily sliced my old one trying to holster the Cajun lightsaber
), AND (here's the kicker) my very own genuine Fiddleback Forge Beer Coozie! Andy, I'm stoked, bro!
Way, way, over the top regarding customer service. I have to say, I've never been burned by a custom maker. However, I have been, really, really, really, REALLY disappointed with one whom I expected more out of. While I never even considered that Andy would make me jump through the hoops I did with this other guy, I'm still totally and completely floored by the level of top notch service.
I'll always have this Fiddleback (and I really hope several more). I want to be one of the guys that was on "the ground level" of knowing Andy before he was big and famous in the knife world, before Sly Stallone taps him to craft the knife for Rambo 9, and before his waiting lists stretch 4 years.
I raise a Coozied beer to decades of success to Andy and Fiddleback Forge.
Here's a crappy phone camera pic!
200% satisfied customer.
I'm gonna copy this thread over to Feedback too.
