Let's see how my new BM635BK mini-Skirmish compares with my several month old Buck #347 Vantage Pro. Sure that's fair - $252 vs $75 MSRP. Both blades are S30V - the drop point 3.25" Buck is .118" thick while the reverse curve 3.43" BM is .130" and has their proprietary black coating. The SS liner lock appears to have all of it's .050" thickness as a stop for the deployed blade while the ~.140" Ti frame is about 40% involved in the BM. The BM is blade heavy, the Buck is very neutral. The BM is a Ti-frame and frame-llock, while the Buck has CNC-ed G10 scale with just the right amount of feel and SS liners. The BM is 7.73" deployed, the Buck being ~7.60". The Buck weighs 4 oz while the BM is 3.92 oz. They are equally razor sharp - my first BM to be that way 'out of the box', while expected of a Buck. Both were boxed with their generic sheet - the BM included a plastic bag and a thin tote.
Fit and finish on the Buck is quite good, with only a dimunitive blade axle/screw being the most obvious error. The clip is reversible - but tip up only - or, for my use, easily left off in the box, as the BM's was. It wasn't reversible - allows tip up only - or removed, as in my case. It's screws were Loctited in - very difficult to remove. Blade centering when closed was a function of the tightness of the axle screw, as was the ease of deploying with the 'flipper' - a happy medium can be found, whether it stays that way is a question. Don't lose your Torxx drivers.
The fit and finish - and execution of the opening via the thumbholes - is first rate on the BM, as you'd expect. The only nit pick is that the slit between the frame and frame lock should have ended in a slightly larger diameter hole than the slit's width, to prevent 'tearing' one day. The frame lock is reduced under the area it must bend to catch the blade (Methinks they've been to this dance before...). I haven't had this knife long enough to give it a real cutting test - the black coating/finish on the blade scares me. The bevels are similar, with the finer grind being the BM - but not by much. I wanted the 630 Skirmish for a long time - settled on the last available new 'Skirmish' of any type that I could find - this 635BK mini-Skirmish - and I am quite happy with it. It is the perfect size - the 630 would have been too big. Again, I didn't choose the black blade - it was all I could find. Below are a few pix:
Glad I don't have to choose between the pair - they are both keepers. The Buck, like my two year old Spydie Native S30V, is a pocket knife you present when you need to cut something - ope a letter or package, etc - a working knife. So is the mini-Skirmish - but I won't be slicing underground hoses/cables, etc with it!
Stainz
Fit and finish on the Buck is quite good, with only a dimunitive blade axle/screw being the most obvious error. The clip is reversible - but tip up only - or, for my use, easily left off in the box, as the BM's was. It wasn't reversible - allows tip up only - or removed, as in my case. It's screws were Loctited in - very difficult to remove. Blade centering when closed was a function of the tightness of the axle screw, as was the ease of deploying with the 'flipper' - a happy medium can be found, whether it stays that way is a question. Don't lose your Torxx drivers.
The fit and finish - and execution of the opening via the thumbholes - is first rate on the BM, as you'd expect. The only nit pick is that the slit between the frame and frame lock should have ended in a slightly larger diameter hole than the slit's width, to prevent 'tearing' one day. The frame lock is reduced under the area it must bend to catch the blade (Methinks they've been to this dance before...). I haven't had this knife long enough to give it a real cutting test - the black coating/finish on the blade scares me. The bevels are similar, with the finer grind being the BM - but not by much. I wanted the 630 Skirmish for a long time - settled on the last available new 'Skirmish' of any type that I could find - this 635BK mini-Skirmish - and I am quite happy with it. It is the perfect size - the 630 would have been too big. Again, I didn't choose the black blade - it was all I could find. Below are a few pix:
Glad I don't have to choose between the pair - they are both keepers. The Buck, like my two year old Spydie Native S30V, is a pocket knife you present when you need to cut something - ope a letter or package, etc - a working knife. So is the mini-Skirmish - but I won't be slicing underground hoses/cables, etc with it!
Stainz
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