Buck fixed blade

[radleyb]

Hi all, I'm looking to pick up my first Buck fixed blade to complement my Buck folders. I was hoping to get some opinions on the small Bucklite Max. I'm looking for something that works well on wood as well as general utility. Since this is a hunting knife, how do you think it would perform for my intended uses? Are there other options that would be better for my uses?
Thanks

[bertl]

Are you going to chop wood or whittle?

[mbjannusch]

I love the 102, its small enough to forget about but large enough to handle most jobs.

[RickJ]

Get you a Frontiersman and be done with it! It is the best fixed blade Buck there is, just my thoughts on the matter. Another good choice would be the 121 B&C Guide, you can get one online for about $59.00 dollars or bucks!

[radleyb]

thanks for the suggestions so far. The appeal of the Bucklite Max was the 3" blade length and light weight.
Bertl - no chopping, more whittling/carving
If anyone has any experience with the small Bucklite Max, I'd love to hear about it

[northingeasting]

I have both and I recommend the large Bucklite Max. It offers a more comfortable handle and more blade length than its smaller brother. The small Bucklite Max blade is short and puts it close to the performance range of Buck's larger folders like the 110. Both are very good knives, particularly when you consider they can be bought for a song. I think they are two of the real sleepers in Buck's lineup.

I particularly like the Boone & Crockett model with the orange handle - harder to lose when you drop it on the forest floor.

[bertl]

I like the 102 for a small utility fixed blade. However, when it comes to detailed carving I'm not sure that either a clip blade or drop point blade is the best choice. For detailed low-relief carving, the sheepsfoot on a 301 or 303 would probably work better to draw and work a line. Why not get a 102 and then throw a 301 or 303 in your pocket? I guess it comes down to what you want to do.

[mbjannusch]

I like the 102 for a small utility fixed blade. However, when it comes to detailed carving I'm not sure that either a clip blade or drop point blade is the best choice. For detailed low-relief carving, the sheepsfoot on a 301 or 303 would probably work better to draw and work a line. Why not get a 102 and then throw a 301 or 303 in your pocket? I guess it comes down to what you want to do.

[radleyb]

Yeah, I have a 301 and 303 and they both see a lot of pocket time. Great knives. But for removing larger chunks of wood fast, I prefer my 112. Guess I was kind of looking for a fixed blade version of my 112.

[Old Hunter]

Radley, If you want a Buck fixed blade that is similar to the Buck 112 you may want to take a look at the Buck 113 Ranger-Skinner. The design is based on the 112 but with a fixed blade. I bought one earlier this week, attached is a picture I just took of it this morning; obviously I haven't skinned a deer with it yet, but will after this fall season begins. I wear XL work gloves (to give you an idea of the size of my hand) - my first impression of this knife is that it is a medium size grip - it will work fine if the pointer finger is on the top of the blade, with three fingers wrapped around the handle - four fingers is too much for the handle length. Old Hunter

[Stainz]

I'll second the 113 suggestion above!

Stainz

[radleyb]

That 113 is sweet looking! So the handle is a little shorter than on the 112?

[Plumberdv]

Here you go, judge for yourself. The 113 in this photo has a custom handle, but the size is the same.

[jwh]

Now dat right der is a purdy knife.

jwh

[radleyb]

wow, that is a purdy knife. Is the blade stock the same thickness?

[Plumberdv]

Measured right at the front bolster, the 112 measures .120" and the 113 measures .119". The catalog says that both are .120 but that's for the standard 113. Mine has a mirror polished blade so perhaps the polishing is responsible for the missing .001" .

[radleyb]

Thanks for the measurements! I was checking out the knife on the Buck website, and it says currently not available. I know that a lot of dealers have them in stock, but does that mean that Buck is discontinuing the model, or are they just out of production for the moment?

[Plumberdv]

Thanks for the measurements! I was checking out the knife on the Buck website, and it says currently not available. I know that a lot of dealers have them in stock, but does that mean that Buck is discontinuing the model, or are they just out of production for the moment?

You will find that true of many of their knives, including new models. Often times they don't sell them through the web site until all their distributors have all they need.