110 quality control?

Joined
Sep 26, 2012
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313
I just bought another 110. The blade contacts the liner when closing and is touching when closed. This is the second one that I have received like this the other being a green paper stone model which I kept because it was off centered but not contacting the liner. Bought them both from the big online retailer that has a river in the name. Do they get factory seconds or something? Bought it for my son, he's 4 months old about time for his first buck knife :) I guess I will have plenty of time to return it before he can use it. It seems that QC would be higher on them. All of my upper end bucks are impeccable from the factory. Wish they would keep the sand standards for the 110 that they do for the hoodlums, vanguards, etc. end of rant.
 
Out of close to 50 Model 110's spanning more than 30 years of production, new and used, I don't have any where the blade touches the liners so I don't see this as a QC issue over the whole 110 line of knives. I do have a few with slight blade play and the bevels vary some what from blade to blade but the vast majority are pretty darn close to perfect. That being said if it's not dulling the edge when you close it, while it's not a perfect $40 knife is it not still perfectly useable? I'd be more concerned if it had bladeplay then that it touches the liners when closed. Can you return it to where you got it?
 
I wonder about your vendor. The river, or as the name suggests to my mind the large women, has a checkered legacy of product quality with me and here on this forum. Search under the name and see for yourself. I've never bot cutlery from them so can't speak to how they deal with suppliers to get their discounted prices. I have purchased consumer electronics from them and have had to return apparently new items directly to them. My suspicion was that the items were 2nd string of some sort. I've had no issues returning the items for replacement. I buy from them because of the return policy. I wouldn't buy cutlery from them regardless of this. I want first string cutlery right out of the gate unless my eyes are wide open knowing that I'm buying a blemished/faulty/re-manufactured item and aware of the inherent risks of such an item up front.
 
I too have never seen it from a Buck 110 or 112.
I will say, there is another brand of knife that I have a little interest in(the company i'll leave nameless), not as much as Buck but when I go to their retail outlet store, I literally have to go through sometimes a half a dozen knives to find one where the blades are centered and not touching the liners. If its a multiblade knife, same thing with the blades slightly rubbing. They aren't "that" bad in fit and finish, but they are a little pricier than a typical user so I look out for it. This is from the company's factory retail outlet at that, and the clerk even told me they have alot of problems with this. BUT, if I buy the same company's knives from other places, I don't hardly see any problems and the knives have almost a perfect fit and finish. The retail outlet knives aren't sold as blemishes or seconds, but my only guess is that the reason these knives are much cheaper than you find other places is that they aren't quiet perfect.
So I don't know, 110's are the most copied knives. Someone may be hacking them and piecing them together and selling them on auction sites. Might be better to get them direct from Buck or a reliable dealer.
 
I have a 110 fingergroove 2013 model bought from the "River".
The fit and finish are perfect.
Same with a 501 and a 271 bought there also.
Maybe I was lucky...
 
I have to send a 112 ecolite back that is so stiff it has to be pushed closed. It happened to be floating down the river when I snagged it. Its scale lines are more squared and less polished than my other ecolites as well( I prefer this difference though)
 
I am surprised by the variance in quality for their knives. I just purchased a number of knives from the 'river' . The first Vantage was perfect in centering, not so much in the handle (had to smooth out the groves in the handle- minor), and tight. No way to flip it open. A bunch of cleaning with a spray degreaser and a heavy dose of lube got it working smooth. I loaned it to someone 2 days after receiving it, and the tip got damaged. Buck has it and they are great. I asked them to replace the blade because that knife was brand new. They charged me a few 'bucks' so no big deal. I bought some more Bucks to test their steel. Got a baby Vantage. ha, centered, but the liner lock sits on the right side of the blade. Not sure if that is safe as most of those liners that I have seen are on the left or centered- not the far right. The 112 looks good but very gritty. Lots of black gunk came out when I oiled her down. Took a bit of effort to clean it. The lock is tight and hard to release. Hopefully will work itself out with use. The Bantam is sooo tight, I can't open it one handed. Again, oiled her down and going to let it sit a bit. Also the blade has deep grind marks it makes a 'squeak' when I rub a gun cloth across it. But it is perfectly centered. The QuickFire looks and opens good. Lots of black residue on the blade. It was easy to clean. And the Alpha- minor scratches on the blade and stiff to open. I'm waiting to see if the lube loosens it up. So, I am not sure if this is quality control or just a bad run of luck from that big old 'river'. I'm debating on sending two of them back for exchange.
 
The only 110 that I have had that had any issues is a 2 dot that had a proud blade. I fixed that in about 10 minutes and the rest are good to go.
 
Out of close to 50 Model 110's spanning more than 30 years of production, new and used, I don't have any where the blade touches the liners so I don't see this as a QC issue over the whole 110 line of knives. I do have a few with slight blade play and the bevels vary some what from blade to blade but the vast majority are pretty darn close to perfect. That being said if it's not dulling the edge when you close it, while it's not a perfect $40 knife is it not still perfectly useable? I'd be more concerned if it had bladeplay then that it touches the liners when closed. Can you return it to where you got it?
Over a 40 year period I have only bought 2 Buck 110s. The first one I bought as an 18 year old in the US Navy. That one is was perfectly centered and has been though a life time of use and still is centered and lock up is solid. My second 110 was purchased 2 years ago and the blade centering was way off. No I haven't sent it back to Buck. My question is will Buck correct this under warranty?
 
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