At first blush, the Fiddleback Forge Bushcrafter looks like it might've been inspired by the classic Kephart pattern sold a century ago by Colclesser Brothers. Truth is, Roy didn't know of Horace Kephart's iconic knife when he designed the "Bushie" -- he says it's simply the knife he always wanted when he was a Boy Scout.It's 8-3/4 inches long overall, 4 inches of which is a spear-point blade of O-1 carbon steel. The full-tang, convex-grind blade is 5/32 inch thick, quite broad with substantial belly.
My Bushcrafter is fitted with ivory paper Micarta handle slabs and black liners, and it's slightly handle-heavy. (The balance point is between the first and second fingers.) The sheath is the larger version of the KSF Leather Modern Classic, a secure fit but a tight one. As we've come to expect from KnivesShipFree and Sharpshooter Sheath Systems, it's very well made.
As much as the blade appeals to me -- it's an extraordinarily useful take on the spear-point pattern, begging me to reconsider my preference of a drop-point -- what really shines is Roy's amazing handle.Rolling and flipping and choking from one grip to another, I've found no position in which my fingers, thumb and palm don't index perfectly.
Until now, the Bark River Bravo-1 had the most comfortable handle I'd ever gripped, but this Bushie is giving me some serious second thoughts. The Fiddleback's handle is slimmer than the Barkie's but broader, like the blade, and it's ever-so-subtly sculpted in a way that I can describe only as natural. It's as if Roy made this Bushcrafter especially for me.Honestly, I don't recall ever being so taken with a knife so soon after unwrapping it.
I really wanted to get to the woods today with the Bushcrafter -- it deserves better and so do I -- but that'll have to wait for another day. What couldn't wait was offering my initial impressions of what I believe is a spectacular knife.
LinksFiddleback Forge
Fiddleback Forge (BladeForuns)
KnivesShipFree
KSF interview with Andy Roy
