Fiddleback Forge, Production Bushfinger
When I first received the Fiddleback Forge Production Bushfinger in the mail I will admit, I was underwhelmed. It was nice and all, but I kept thinking this knife was $225, how could it be worth that? I mean, it felt nice in the hand and seemed well made, but heck, I had an ESEE 4 that I thought the same about and at less than half the cost of this knife.
Unfortunately that ESEE 4 was no longer with me so the closest knife in size I could get my hands on was an ESEE 3. Now a disclaimer, I always liked the handle of the ESEE 3 (4). Even without the aftermarket TKC scales I thought it felt good in the hand. That being said, all things should be reconsidered as time goes by.
The first thing I did, and the really the main thing I did, with this knife was to whittle and carve with it. Yeah, it can cut fruit and vegetables and I’m fairly certain it could cut paracord too. However, I wanted to use it as long and hard as I could on removing a lot of shavings and pieces of wood to see really how comfortable the handle was. For my first two or so hour session I used it in tandem with the ESEE 3. The difference became fairly evident with in the first thirty minutes or so. The Bushfinger is way more comfortable in the hand. Where it really shines is in the full fist or hammer grip when really biting down in through the wood. With the ESEE 3 my hand was soon sore (and then just in pain) between the thumb and the finger and where the pinky finger wrapped around the handle. After this first session I would only use the Bushfinger and I never again had the discomfort in my hand no matter how long I used the knife.
The handle fit and finish on the Bushfinger is on level with a custom knife, that is to say it is seamless. You can tell that although these scales might be mass produced they are certainly paid attention to prior to shipping to the customers. Could they be a little wider? For me they might be a bit more filling in the hand if they were, however, I don’t believe that it would affect comfort in sustained use in any noticeable way. In fact, I might not even want to change anything with the handle for fear of messing up a perfectly designed fit.
Now, as to the blade, the working end of the knife, it too had no “wow look at me” effect. Though I admit I do like a saber grind, the lines just are not as cool as the ones on a custom Fiddleback Forge. I know, not fair, this is a production knife not a custom, oh well it is true though. The blade is a good shape and I really like the height as it helps in slicing. Nice strong tip and a good bit of belly. For me it is just a little too long for my index finger to sit at the tip with working in game and using the tip of my finger to guide it with. That said, the blade is thick enough that if I want to move my thumb up the blade a bit I can accomplish this task. I did not baton with it. It can, it is 4” of 5/32” S35vn steel, but if I am going to baton I want a longer blade or better yet my axe.
The steel as mentioned is S35vn. This is my first experience with it. When the knife got to me it was not shaving sharp (I am the fifth guy in the knife pass around and I know the last guy did not sharpen it), however, it would easily pop hairs. I did not want to sharpen it either so I went to work with it. In fact I never sharpened it and it did not seem to change regardless of how much I used it. We are talking hours and hours of whittling and carving. And after all that, yes, I cut vegetables and steak with it (and no, no pictures of that). It cut beautifully. I don’t know if all S35vn will perform like this or if it is just the excellent heat treat given to these Fiddleback blades, but I am very impressed with this steel. I know from past experience that my 1095 blades and by D2 blades would have needed a touch up with all the wood work I had done. Have I mentioned I really like this steel?
Another aspect of the design I really liked is the sterile look of the blade. No labels on either side, not even a mention of what steel it is, all business and no advertising. There is the engraved script, “Fiddleback Forge,” on top of the spine. To me this is a very classy way to but your mark on a knife. The stone wash finish is ok. I get that shows scratches less, but, S35vn is stainless so I would have like to see it with surface ground flats or polished or whatever. Though, if that affected cost then maybe not.
Yes, we come back to cost. At the beginning I was not big on the $225 price tag. It still hurts when you consider the sheath the Bushfinger comes with. Let’s just say you either need to wet form the sheath it comes with and hope that does it for you or pay more money for a custom (driving the price up even more). Now USA Made Blade has a very nice leather wrapped kydex sheaths available for the Bushifinger made by Rick Lowe. The sheath is an extra $75 (but at the time of this review Whitty has a discount for $25 off when you buy the knife and sheath together from him). So if you are looking for an aftermarket sheath you are looking at a total price for knife and sheath of between $275-300, ouch. Granted, a regular custom Busfinger from Andy will run you north of $300 and then you still need to add a custom sheath. That said, most custom Fiddleback knives are O1 though I have seen some CPM154, but I am not an expert on them. I like O1 and have nothing against CPM154, but even on its best day I don’t believe O1 can last as long as this S35vn blade edge wise. This might be a win for the production model over the custom.
So would I buy one? Truthfully, no. Even though this knife grew on me and I find it hard to let it go as comfortable as it is, I don’t see me buying one. Partly because of the other knives available in this price range (though they all have their drawbacks) like a Survive! GSO 4.1 for $200 (yes, when available) or a Chris Reeve Nyala for $230 (also S35vn) and both of these knives come with solid sheaths, thus, no need to upgrade. Really though it is because this size knife does not fit into my kits any more. If forced to go with one knife I want a 6-7.5” blade, yet when I am out and about camping I will take a 3-3.5” knife and either my Junglas or GBA Hunter’s axe. Let me sttess again, this knife really grew on me, especially the handle, and if I was in the market for a 4" blade this would be a strong contender.
But wait, there is a production Hiking Buddy by Fiddleback Forge? Slightly smaller at 3.14” of 1/8” S35vn steel you say? With that same unbelievably comfortable handle shape too? Well now, that seems right up my alley, I need to get my hands on THAT one to try out.
Blessings,
Dick
By the way, you can find Production and Custom Fiddleback Forge knives at The Knife Connection and at USA Made Blade.
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |