I would be perfectly happy if Buck gave the BCCI first shot at a aluminum frame 112 in any handle or blade configuration..A aluminum frame 112 is a real milestone in the history of the 112. The take apart feature might have been the real problem for manufacturing this but that is just a guess on my part. I'm really shocked that the aluminum frame 110 didn't take off. I expected to see dozens of different versions by now. But maybe the Slim versions fill the need for a lightweight 110. I imagine the cost is a factor when a retailer wants to order a run but I don't think the 110 aluminum framed were expensive..
The aluminum 110 is by far my favorite Buck ever and the knife I carry 99% of the time for the past several years.
But I can understand why it didn't "take off".
I sew a seam up the middle of my right rear pocket on all my pants and carry my 110 vertically there. It's an idea that camping guru Cliff Jacobsen described in some of his camping books and I think it's the best way to carry a large traditional folder. I could go on about it for hours and the aluminum 110 is much nicer to carry this way than a brass or nickel one. But honestly, me and 7 other people in the country carry their knives this way and make up, what?, maybe 0.0003% of Buck's customer base.
The bulk of Buck 110 buyers still carry in a belt holster because the 110 is a brass brick and that's what you gotta do to carry it. And my hunch is that once you commit to holster carry, the weight reduction of the aluminum 110 is less of a bonus.
Problem with holster carry is that I'm in my late 50s and probably among the youngest people here who think that holster carry is a thing. Most folks under 50 (my guess, young members of biker gangs excepted) won't even think about holster carry unless it's a big multitool. This is why I think it's been so critical that Buck move to a Slim with a pocket clip. The vast majority of their potential market moving forward is going to demand clips. Personally, I think the kids are badly wrong and that rear pocket carry is superior in every possible way but I'm becoming and old crank and gadfly and like I said, only 7 other people agree with me.
I see a regular thickness aluminum 112 as not answering any problems. IME, any knife that thick is too bulky for front pocket carry, regardless of weight. IMO, if you want a traditional folder to carry well in your front pocket, it should be relatively thin.
I can carry the 500 Duke in my front pocket very comfortably. The 112, not so. It's the thickness, not the weight.
IMO, if Buck wanted to do something outstanding with the 112, they would make a traditional slim version, same exact thickness as the 500. I think the folks in the Traditional forum would drop their GECs on the floor for something like that. Just a hunch.
