5 Stockmans to Consider

[cgmblade]

Below is a comparison and mini reviews of five different stockman style traditional pocket knives from three different manufacturers. With the exception of the Buck 703 which I've had for years all the others have been acquired within the past few months.

The knives up for review are:

1) The Queen Stockman #9 with a 3" D2 blade. The knife weighs right at 2.6 oz on my cheap scale and the distal tapered blade is just over 2mm thick at the thickest point near the handle. The scales are Bird's Eye Maple and the knife is quite attractive. The main clip blade does not have a half stop, but the two smaller blades (spey and sheepsfoot) do.

One complaint that appears to be common in regards to Queen and Case stockman knives is that the sheepsfoot blade protrudes too far from the handle when closed and is uncomfortable to grip when using other blades. I believe some people have filed or ground the tang of the sheepsfoot blade so it will sit lower. I have no plans to do that to mine, but it is uncomfortable especially when using the main blade.

My biggest complaint with the knife is that it wasn't sharp when I received it. This is apparently a common problem with Queen knives as I have read a number of posts by other forumites who've had similar experiences. Given that the blade is D2 it has been extremely frustrating trying to get it sharp. I've finally managed to get a decent working edge on it, but it's still not as sharp as the other knives in this review.

The Queen is a big knife. Closed it is 4" long. Given that and some of it's other short comings I doubt I'll be edc-ing this knife much.

2) Buck 301 - I just received this knife on Christmas eve day so I haven't had a lot of time to get familiar with it. I did carry it in my jeans pocket as I ran some errands around town this afternoon. It too is a big knife. Closed it is almost 4" long. The blade is 2 7/8" and just over 2mm thick. The blade steel is Buck's 420HC which I've had good results with in the past. Like most Bucks, this one came razor sharp. In other threads I've heard the 301 referred to as a "tank" and I have to say that I agree with that assessment.

The 301 is extremely robust. The quality is outstanding and because the blades are 420HC corrosion isn't really a concern. There are very few cutting tasks the 301 isn't up for including field dressing an Elk were someone so inclined. However, for me it's just a little too big for everyday carry. My edc needs don't require this much knife normally, but when I have the need I'll choose the 301 over the Queen any day.

BTW, unlike the Queen the sheepsfoot blade on the Buck sits much lower and is much more comfortable to use.

3) Case Medium Stockman Amber Bone CV - This knife also arrived today with the 301. It's just over 3.5" long closed. The blade is Case's Chrome Vanadium which has a very good reputation among traditional knife fans. The blade is 2 9/16" long and the knife weighs 2.25 oz. The blade stock is just a fraction of a mm thinner than the Queen or 301 at 2mm.

This is probably the best looking knife in this review. The Amber Bone scales give the knife a classy look and feel. I actually don't know if the amber bone is bone or some kind of plastic but either way they look very good and feel very good in the hand.

Unlike any other knife in this review the third blade on the Case is a pen blade not a spey blade. They do offer a model w/ the spey blade but I think I'll get much more use out of the pen blade.

Like the Bucks the Case came very sharp. Like the Queen the sheepsfoot blade sticks up too much. IMO the Case is just about the perfect edc size knife. Strangely it is about 1/4 " longer than the 303 closed but the blade size is the same as the 303s.

4) Buck 703 - I have had this knife for a long time. The model has been discontinued so I won't spend much time on it here. The blade is 2.5" long. It weighs 2.25 oz. Blade stock is 2mm thick. The sheepsfoot blade on all three of the Bucks in this review sit much lower than either the Case or Queen and the blade placement is better on the Buck knives imo.

The Buck knives have the main and spey blades on one end and the sheepsfoot blade centered on the other end. The Queen and Case have the main and sheepsfoot blade on the same end and the other blade off center on the other end. I think the design of the Bucks looks much better. I also think it is more functional. I hardly ever use the spey blade but I use the sheepsfoot blade frequently. On the Buck knives I can open the sheepsfoot blade with my right hand, but on the Case and Queen knives I have to open it with my left hand.

5) Buck 303 - 1.9 oz per my cheap scales. The blade is 2 9/16" long. The same as the Case and just 5/16" shorter than than the 301 which is 3/4" longer closed. The 303 packs a lot of cutting power into a small package. The blade is 2mm thick like the Case and 703. The Queen and 301 are just a fraction of a mm thicker.

If the 301 is a tank then what's the 303? ...just a smaller tank. This knife is just as tough and robust as its larger brother, but it carries much better due to it's smaller size. It has one interesting feature which no other knife in this review has. There is a tiny choil on the tang of the main blade and I've found it to be quite useful for delicate cuts.

All of the knives in this review have their strong points. In summation I'm a little disappointed in the Queen and it will probably never get much pocket time. If I have heavy cutting to do I'll take the 301 with me. For typical edc use any of the other three would be fine. The Case gets points for the CV blade but loses points for the sheepsfoot blade sticking up too much. In the end I'd probably give a slight nod to the 303 as my favorite, but it's close.

Thanks for reading along. Comments welcome.

 

[IVANKERLEY]

And the amber bone is real Bone:thumbup: I have the Case medium Stockman in Yeller with CV and i carry it more than any other knife:thumbup:
Mine has the spey blade and rounded bolters, where yours are the squared and pinched variety.
Alot of people are bothered by the high riding sheep foot, never really bothered me though! You could file the kick a little bit to drop it. i like it and tend to pinch that open rather than use my finger nail
Thanks Nice review of the knives in that pick the queen does look alittle "Blah" kinda boring
ivan

 

[JD Mandrell]

If the 301 is a tank then what's the 303? ...just a smaller tank.

Bradley Fighting Vehicle!

 

[knarfeng]

The size issue is a matter of taste, I suppose.
I have the Queen 4" stockman, several 303's, and several 301's.
I like the larger size of the ~4" Queen and Buck knives. But I carried a 303 every day for about 10 years, so the 303 will certainly get the job done. Like I say, it's a matter of taste and YMMV.

None of my Queens have come from the factory especially sharp. As far as I can tell, on two of mine, Queen sharpened one side at ~20° and the other at ~25°. It took a while to get both set to 20°. But once I did, the resulting edge retention was most pleasing.

One thing that is worth noticing is that the Bucks are all 3-spring designs, yet they are no wider than most two spring designs of similar length. Because they are 3-spring designs, the blades don't have to be crimped to fit into the handle. I find them easier to sharpen and use because of it. The three spring setup also makes each blade a straight extension of the handle, rather than canting out at an angle. T. Erdelyi found that this makes the Bucks easier to use for extended cutting.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682949

It's always fun to talk about stockmans. Thanks for the review.

 

[cgmblade]

And the amber bone is real Bone:thumbup:
ivan

Thanks for the info. It's nice to learn something new.

Bradley Fighting Vehicle!

:thumbup:

One thing that is worth noticing is that the Bucks are all 3-spring designs, yet they are no wider than most two spring designs of similar length. Because they are 3-spring designs, the blades don't have to be crimped to fit into the handle. I find them easier to sharpen and use because of it. The three spring setup also makes each blade a straight extension of the handle, rather than canting out at an angle. T. Erdelyi found that this makes the Bucks easier to use for extended cutting.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682949

It's always fun to talk about stockmans. Thanks for the review.

I totally agree about the three spring design. I'm a fan of Case in general and of Case CV in particular, but as practical everyday users I think the Bucks are superior.

I read T. Erdelyi's thread, very interesting. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[yobbos1]

Thanks for the review and pics. Nice to see some trads in these parts. I agree (agreed) about the Case stockman's sheepsfoot sitting too high but as use my stockman alot in a factory wearing gloves I find the sheepsfoot easiest to deploy and use.

 

[sodak]

I've always wanted to try a 3 springed stockman, now you've given me a good reason to try one, I'm off to check out the Bucks, thanks!

I've always been impressed by both Buck knives and the company as well, their commitment and ethos/ethics. I hope that they are all happy and prosperous in Idaho.

 

[neeman]

I also find 4" stockmans are too big for pocket carry, so I carry them on a belt pouch.
But on the other hand the 4" stockman is a heavy duty worker, far more robust than the smaller stockmans.

I also do not like when the sheepsfoot sits high, on both Case and Queen stockmans.
So I file down the kick on the shepsfoot. Sometimes I also file down the spey or pen so they lower as well. And with ease I have a much lower profile knife and much more comfortable to hold.

I agree that D2 is harder to sharpen, but holder an edge for much longer.
I use a DMT aligner set, starting with E Course down to E Fine.
It now takes me about 1/2 to 3/4 hour to get a 3 blade knife to very sharp indeed.

I prefer the thinner swedged secondary blades on the Queen, and find they slice much easier than the full thickness hollow grind blades on the Buck.
Also due to the swedges of the Queen blades the points are much finer for detailed work.

Both the #301 Buck and #9 Queen are good work knives.
It comes down to preference

When it comes to the #303 Buck and the #26 Queen the difference is much greater
The crinking of the Sheepsfoot on the Queen is a bigger angle and the 3 spring straight blade is easier to use
And the 3 spring on the 303 makes for a more robust knife

Thanks for your review

 

[cgmblade]

It's been a week and I've had the chance to use and carry both the Buck and Case and even though I said I liked the Buck 303 better I've found myself carrying the Case more often. And the Case is also better when it comes to peeling apples. I guess it's just down to blade profile.

I appreciate everyone's comments and I apologize for the poor picture quality. I'll try to get some better pictures later and post them.

 

[knarfeng]

It's been a week and I've had the chance to use and carry both the Buck and Case and even though I said I liked the Buck 303 better I've found myself carrying the Case more often. And the Case is also better when it comes to peeling apples. I guess it's just down to blade profile.

I appreciate everyone's comments and I apologize for the poor picture quality. I'll try to get some better pictures later and post them.

I went and bought a pre 2000 Buck 301 off of ebay so I could get the flat grind instead of the new hollow grind. I like the flat grind better.

 

[cgmblade]

I went and bought a pre 2000 Buck 301 off of ebay so I could get the flat grind instead of the new hollow grind. I like the flat grind better.

I was thinking about looking for some older ones too. I have the 703 above and was thinking about trying to find a 701 and maybe some more 300 series knives. I believe I read that some of the older ones used different, higher quality steels. Is there any good method to know which is which by looking at online pictures?

 

[Will Power]

Well-argued and very readable review, thank you.

The CASE Large Stockman in Amber Bone cv is a firm favourite of mine. At first, I thought it might be too massive 4,25" but I soon changed my mind.True, it's better suited to coat/jacket pocket carry than trouser but it is so versatile and appealing. Mine has a wonderful deep colour Amber Bone(yes, it's bone not synth)with fine Peach seed jigging. Sharpening is so easy.

The other CASE stockman I have are a Medium Serp in stainless/Amber Bone, Medium serp in cv/Bonestag-really nice knife and a Humpback Stockman in Harvest Bone with Spear main blade. I'd like to get the square bolster/Gunstock Stockman in Chestnut Bone/cv as well.Myself, I'd be careful about trying to lower the Sheepfoot blade, I did this and it altered the flush aspect of the spring,closed and open...

The Böker Stockman I own in Grand Canyon and Apaloossa Bone-both carbon are also well worth considering. Some people have commented on Böker's fit&finish, I've had NO issues with these knives and have been very pleased indeed with them. At 4" they are slimmer and have rounded bolsters unlike the large CASE.Very workmanlike well put together, extremely reaonable cost too.

 

[Stainz]

Something I noticed, the Buck's - your's included - have the secondary knives reversed from most others. I first noticed that when I got the stag handled Puma, middle below, as my Buck had most of two decades residence already established here. Puma's seem to be hit or miss as to delivered sharpness. The top knife, a carbon steel bladed Boker Tree Brand Classic in jigged red bone, came uniformally sharp - like the Buck 301 at the bottom.

Something about a Stockman... my favorite slipjoint... and ~4" seems 'right'. My second favorite slippie is the trapper. Two decades of Buck 301 ownership and I still have a slight preference for carbon steel, like the Boker Tree Brand. They do grow 'patina', 'character', or, as I call it, protective corrosion, but they just take a nice edge, albeit sometimes a bit too often. Seemingly, they also grow feet... the Buck 301 must be too ugly for anyone to 'borrow' - it's still here! The Buck 301 is a hard act to follow as a 'user', of course. Thanks for the great review - and reminder of from where we, er, some of us, came.

Stainz