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- Jul 7, 2013
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Today I would like to compare two traditionally-styled knives, the classic Buck 110 and the Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter, which has been available for about a year now. This is a very interesting topic to me, and I've been thinking about it for months. Now that I finally have a 110, I want to compare the two, and I hope to generate some good and cordial discussion with this thread.
I want to start off by saying that I really like both of these knives. Both of them feel good in my hand, are heavy folders with a good heft to them, and are available with high-quality leather sheaths for those like myself who prefer to carry this kind of folder on a belt. There's a lot to be said about both knives. The Buck 110 is a proven, time-tested classic, with a history of reliability and general quality. The Mackinac Hunter is a new knife, only available from Cold Steel since 2012, and offers many innovations while still maintaining a traditional look and feel.
First, let's talk about materials. We all know about the Buck 110 - 420HC steel, heat treated by Paul Bos, who is legendary for his heat treatment. Brass frame and bolsters with ebony Dymondwood scales, held together by brass pins. I do not know what the lock bar, spring and spacer are made out of, and hopefully someone can jump in and clarify.
The Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter's blade is made from Japanese AUS8A steel. A lot of BF-goers seem to consider this steel to be mediocre in performance; I find that with Cold Steel's heat treatment, it's a pretty excellent all-around steel that is kind of a "jack of all trades", and I consider the 110's 420HC to be similar in that regard. I don't think knife users are going to find too much difference in performance between the two steels. I find both to be very easy to sharpen, and I've not had any problems with either. Both blades come with a nice satin finish. The Mackinac Hunter's frame is all steel, with a heat treated steel pocket clip, and removable Delrin scales, made (with not-so-great success, but I think they look good in their own right) to approximate stag in appearance. The backspacer I believe is 6061 aluminum, but I could very well be wrong about that.
The Buck 110's handle is a lot thicker than the Mackinac Hunter's.
The Buck 110 is a classic two-handed opener, with a very functional nail nick. The Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter is also available with a nail nick, but I chose the thumb stud version for its quick, one-handed deployment. Both knives are easy to deploy, although because of the thumb stud, the Mackinac Hunter is much more so.
The Mackinac Hunter features a removable pocket clip as well as a second pocket clip for left-handed users. It also features a lanyard hole. These features - thumb stud, lanyard hole and pocket clip - are decidedly non-traditional, but they offer functional capabilities which are very important to a lot of people. The Buck 110 does not offer any of these things, and for some people, that's an attraction.
The locking mechanisms are similar. The Buck 110 is the knife which introduced the lockback mechanism. At the time of release, it was the strongest knife lock in the world, and with this lock, the Buck 110 revolutionized the knife industry. This is a reliable lock that you can trust. I've spine whacked it to test it. It's strong. I like it a lot, and it snaps with authority when the knife is opened.
Enter the Tri-Ad lock from Cold Steel, designed by Andrew Demko. This lock is very similar to the lockback design. It's a mid-lock, and features a few modern refinements that make it stronger than the traditional lockback design and more reliable. The most noticable of these is the stop pin, which absorbs force from impacts and pressures on the blade, and redistributes them throughout the frame, so that the lock bar does not take all of these forces. The Tri-Ad lock also features extra space at the lock pin and at the interface between the tang and the lock bar to allow the lock to wear-in, in response to normal wear-and-tear. The lock bar on the Mackinac Hunter is significantly thicker than the 110's, but so is the blade. We'll get back to thickness later.
While we're on the subject of lockup, on the Buck 110, it varies. Some people have had absolutely no blade play and a rock-solid lockup. Mine has a little play in all directions, and I've seen a lot of other people report the same thing. There is no adjustable pivot screw to allow me to fix that, so I'd need to send it back to Buck if I want this fixed. I've decided to keep my 110 and continue carrying it, and if I have any problems (I haven't so far), it goes back to Buck for the spa treatment. The Mackinac Hunter has no blade play in any direction, and if any develops, the pivot screw can be tightened with the proper Torx bit. The Mackinac Hunter's lock might be stronger, but the 110's lock is definitely plenty strong (it was the strongest lock when it was first released) for anything you should be doing with a knife, and I expect good things from both.
With the exception of the 110's blade play, both knives feature great build quality.
Ergonomics are nice on both knives, but the Mackinac Hunter is a little more comfortable to hold, as it features a nice big finger groove. My 110 does not feature finger grooves, but they are available with them. I have not felt a 110 with finger grooves. I expect good things.
The blades on the 110 and Mackinac Hunter are a bit different. The Mackinac Hunter's tip is reinforced and the swedge is ground more gradually to offer more tip strength. The blade is 3.5" long and 3.5mm thick, while the 110's blade is 3 3/4" long and 1/8" thick. The 110's blade is a little under an inch wide, whereas the Mackinac Hunter's blade is a little over an inch wide. Because of this, I expect more cutting power from the Mackinac Hunter. The Buck 110's blade has a very nice, almost-sharp swedge. This means that the tip will not be as strong, but it will be a little better for detail work, and the swedge can be used for scraping.
Both knives, as I have mentioned, are available with very nice leather sheaths.
I like Buck's leather sheath a little bit better. I love the way it smells, and its belt loop is a little easier to get my belts through. It also features a felt insert on the button snap on the inside of the sheath, to protect the knife; the Mackinac Hunter's sheath does not have this feature, although the snap does not stick out and I have not noticed scratches on the knife.
The Buck 110 is made in America and its sheath in Mexico; the Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter is made in Taiwan and its sheath is made in America.
I think different sorts of folks will buy the Mackinac Hunter than people who buy the 110. They're similar, but different. The 110 is a time-tested knife with history. It's been proven to be a reliable choice, and many American knife people want their knives to be made in America. The Mackinac Hunter is made in Taiwan and features modern refinements and improvements while still maintaining a relatively traditional design. Both knives (for the most part) feature great quality control and great design. I love both and plan to continue carrying both. They're both, in my opinion, true gentleman's knives that, when you need them, will not fail you in performance.
Thanks for reading, and I hope good things come from this thread.
Today I would like to compare two traditionally-styled knives, the classic Buck 110 and the Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter, which has been available for about a year now. This is a very interesting topic to me, and I've been thinking about it for months. Now that I finally have a 110, I want to compare the two, and I hope to generate some good and cordial discussion with this thread.
I want to start off by saying that I really like both of these knives. Both of them feel good in my hand, are heavy folders with a good heft to them, and are available with high-quality leather sheaths for those like myself who prefer to carry this kind of folder on a belt. There's a lot to be said about both knives. The Buck 110 is a proven, time-tested classic, with a history of reliability and general quality. The Mackinac Hunter is a new knife, only available from Cold Steel since 2012, and offers many innovations while still maintaining a traditional look and feel.
First, let's talk about materials. We all know about the Buck 110 - 420HC steel, heat treated by Paul Bos, who is legendary for his heat treatment. Brass frame and bolsters with ebony Dymondwood scales, held together by brass pins. I do not know what the lock bar, spring and spacer are made out of, and hopefully someone can jump in and clarify.
The Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter's blade is made from Japanese AUS8A steel. A lot of BF-goers seem to consider this steel to be mediocre in performance; I find that with Cold Steel's heat treatment, it's a pretty excellent all-around steel that is kind of a "jack of all trades", and I consider the 110's 420HC to be similar in that regard. I don't think knife users are going to find too much difference in performance between the two steels. I find both to be very easy to sharpen, and I've not had any problems with either. Both blades come with a nice satin finish. The Mackinac Hunter's frame is all steel, with a heat treated steel pocket clip, and removable Delrin scales, made (with not-so-great success, but I think they look good in their own right) to approximate stag in appearance. The backspacer I believe is 6061 aluminum, but I could very well be wrong about that.
The Buck 110's handle is a lot thicker than the Mackinac Hunter's.
The Buck 110 is a classic two-handed opener, with a very functional nail nick. The Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter is also available with a nail nick, but I chose the thumb stud version for its quick, one-handed deployment. Both knives are easy to deploy, although because of the thumb stud, the Mackinac Hunter is much more so.
The Mackinac Hunter features a removable pocket clip as well as a second pocket clip for left-handed users. It also features a lanyard hole. These features - thumb stud, lanyard hole and pocket clip - are decidedly non-traditional, but they offer functional capabilities which are very important to a lot of people. The Buck 110 does not offer any of these things, and for some people, that's an attraction.
The locking mechanisms are similar. The Buck 110 is the knife which introduced the lockback mechanism. At the time of release, it was the strongest knife lock in the world, and with this lock, the Buck 110 revolutionized the knife industry. This is a reliable lock that you can trust. I've spine whacked it to test it. It's strong. I like it a lot, and it snaps with authority when the knife is opened.
Enter the Tri-Ad lock from Cold Steel, designed by Andrew Demko. This lock is very similar to the lockback design. It's a mid-lock, and features a few modern refinements that make it stronger than the traditional lockback design and more reliable. The most noticable of these is the stop pin, which absorbs force from impacts and pressures on the blade, and redistributes them throughout the frame, so that the lock bar does not take all of these forces. The Tri-Ad lock also features extra space at the lock pin and at the interface between the tang and the lock bar to allow the lock to wear-in, in response to normal wear-and-tear. The lock bar on the Mackinac Hunter is significantly thicker than the 110's, but so is the blade. We'll get back to thickness later.
While we're on the subject of lockup, on the Buck 110, it varies. Some people have had absolutely no blade play and a rock-solid lockup. Mine has a little play in all directions, and I've seen a lot of other people report the same thing. There is no adjustable pivot screw to allow me to fix that, so I'd need to send it back to Buck if I want this fixed. I've decided to keep my 110 and continue carrying it, and if I have any problems (I haven't so far), it goes back to Buck for the spa treatment. The Mackinac Hunter has no blade play in any direction, and if any develops, the pivot screw can be tightened with the proper Torx bit. The Mackinac Hunter's lock might be stronger, but the 110's lock is definitely plenty strong (it was the strongest lock when it was first released) for anything you should be doing with a knife, and I expect good things from both.
With the exception of the 110's blade play, both knives feature great build quality.
Ergonomics are nice on both knives, but the Mackinac Hunter is a little more comfortable to hold, as it features a nice big finger groove. My 110 does not feature finger grooves, but they are available with them. I have not felt a 110 with finger grooves. I expect good things.
The blades on the 110 and Mackinac Hunter are a bit different. The Mackinac Hunter's tip is reinforced and the swedge is ground more gradually to offer more tip strength. The blade is 3.5" long and 3.5mm thick, while the 110's blade is 3 3/4" long and 1/8" thick. The 110's blade is a little under an inch wide, whereas the Mackinac Hunter's blade is a little over an inch wide. Because of this, I expect more cutting power from the Mackinac Hunter. The Buck 110's blade has a very nice, almost-sharp swedge. This means that the tip will not be as strong, but it will be a little better for detail work, and the swedge can be used for scraping.
Both knives, as I have mentioned, are available with very nice leather sheaths.
I like Buck's leather sheath a little bit better. I love the way it smells, and its belt loop is a little easier to get my belts through. It also features a felt insert on the button snap on the inside of the sheath, to protect the knife; the Mackinac Hunter's sheath does not have this feature, although the snap does not stick out and I have not noticed scratches on the knife.
The Buck 110 is made in America and its sheath in Mexico; the Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter is made in Taiwan and its sheath is made in America.
I think different sorts of folks will buy the Mackinac Hunter than people who buy the 110. They're similar, but different. The 110 is a time-tested knife with history. It's been proven to be a reliable choice, and many American knife people want their knives to be made in America. The Mackinac Hunter is made in Taiwan and features modern refinements and improvements while still maintaining a relatively traditional design. Both knives (for the most part) feature great quality control and great design. I love both and plan to continue carrying both. They're both, in my opinion, true gentleman's knives that, when you need them, will not fail you in performance.
Thanks for reading, and I hope good things come from this thread.
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They don't even have a video like that for the Mackinac Hunter as of this post. They do have a video of Lynn Thompson sitting down and talking about it, though.
