Buck 110 from Walmart

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steppinthefunk

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Jan 3, 2015
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Before I get started, I just want to say that this thread is not intended to bash Walmart or Buck...
Also, sorry if this has been discussed already. Search yielded no info.

Anyway, I just got back from Walmart for a Buck 110 exchange. This is the second Walmart I've been to trying to get a decent 110. The first one had three 2015 models each with off center blades. The second Walmart had what I assume to be three 2015 models with leftover 50th anniversary blades - each with off center blades, sloppy machine work on brass and one had a weird "click" when I tried to center the closed blade. I eventually settled on one of the Anniversary bladed models with the most centered blade of the bunch.

Is it possible that Buck is sending Walmart and other big box stores their junk?
I have heard that other companies (non knife) actually do this kind of thing where they have a lower standard quality control for big box stores and alike.

Two weeks ago I purchased an older 2013 model 110 from Walmart that was in the vacuum packed plastic and it was perfect! The sloppy 2015 models I looked at were all in cardboard.
 
Simple answer - High production = Lower Quality
Nothing to do with walmart or other stores.

just my 0.02¢
 
Check this thread: "Walmart and Grade 'B' Products? 11-01-2014"

Here are some posts from that thread:

I used run a small chain of sporting goods stores and because Walmart and others were able to undersell the smaller retailers, the rumor started going around that they sold inferior products. However, it was only an Urban Legend. 1] In fact, often Walmart would sell products cheaper than the dealers could buy them from the wholesalers. Walmart is notorious for requiring special pricing from manufacturers, which manufacturers often found themselves suffering from as a result. 2] It is not in the best interest of ANY manufacturer to cut corners on their products as more people become familiar with them through the venue of stores like Walmart. 3] Often, people would buy from WM and come into our stores to trade for something else. Unless it was special made from WM, we could not tell the difference. Walmart does get products made to different specifications, such as wooden stocks, etc. but they also get the normal products. –DocT 11-02-14

The ONLY difference between a Walmart 110 and a 110 at any other retailer (some retailers do buy it with the Cordura sheath also) is the Walmart ones gets a cordura sheath instead of leather. Same production line, same process etc... – Jeff Hubard 11-18-2014
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I know that I'm resurrecting a relatively older thread, but I feel the need to share with you all. Believe me if you want, if you don't I understand, but as of September I buy the knives for all Walmart stores in the US. That being said, I have some insights into all of this. First of all, please do not take this as a sales pitch. Sure, I have some good knives and good prices, but most of you I'm sure have fantastic places to buy knives I hope you continue to patronize them. I have been lurking on the forums for quite a while to educate myself. I hope to contribute while also continuing to learn.

- Walmart does not buy graded products in knives. Holiday televisions? Yes. Produce? Sometimes. Knives? No. I expect the same products my competition would receive.
- I do not demand lower and lower pricing from my suppliers. These guys are all very intelligent and have done business with Walmart for years. They know what I'm willing to pay. I know that I'm paying less than everyone else anyway because I'm buying more. As long as I undercut Academy, Dick's, Cabela's, BPS, and Amazon (sometimes) I'm happy.
- In one instance, I have worked with a supplier to spec down a sheath from leather to nylon. The majority of my customers aren't concerned with sheaths. I'm not the one who did it to the 110, though.
-Please, please, save yourselves some money and buy online to pickup in store if you want to buy a knife from Walmart. Same knives online are usually at Amazon's prices.

In what I've seen briefly on this forum, I appreciate the support for Buck Knives and the understanding of quality at a price point. I sincerely appreciate enthusiasts like you all helping me learn the ropes. Plans this year are for the majority of Buck Knives to be made in the USA. Hopefully if we move enough back to Idaho, costs will go down allowing us to move the entire line back. I can dream! – EMW1249 12-09=2014
 
bert, Thanks for posting this. It is applicable to this topic giving accurate information. I searched and found it easily. Then noticed you had already done it. DM
 
Bert and David,

Remember, key word search favors the searcher who recalls what they are looking for. It's sort of similar to how you know which tool box to look in to find that 8" flat head screw driver.

Steppinthefunk, just my 2 cents.... I don't worry about blade centering on production level knives unless there is blade rub. Nor do worry about perfect fit and finish. Only thing I care about is solid lock up and blade play. IMO, if you want excellent fit and finish, go custom or limited edition and be ready to double or triple the price. The production 110 is a great value but it is what it is, imo.

I really appreciate this quote from custom knife maker, Bob Loveless:
A knife is a tool, and if we don't treat our tools with a certain familiar contempt, we lose perspective. - Bob Loveless
Click to expand...
 
pinnah said it right! I got my 50th at WM and I wanted one with the box. They only had one left, but before finding that out I asked if there was any more could I look at all of them. While he was taking for ever to find another one I looked this one over good and the only thing wrong was the blade was off center closed other wise it was as good as others I had ordered! The F&F beats the daylights out of my original 110 also purchased at the same place back in 1993 though back then I think the sheath was USA made if I remember right. I was just looking over this one over saying to myself I don't think this one can be beat. The action is the smoothest lock back knife I have had to boot!
 
I own 3 WalMart 110's. One came in a box the other two were blister packs. I chose these 3 for the outstanding and different "grain" patterns in the handles. The blades on all 3 point to the right side of the brass to the point where the tips and right behind the tips on all 3 scrape the brass when closed. I contacted Buck about it and they are willing to take care of it just have to send the knives to them and wait 3-5 months. There has GOT to be a better way! Aside from the centering all 3 were very well done. All 3 had perfectly sharpened blades. I know Buck loses money on the regular 110's as I have read much on how the 110 is really a $70 knife that gets sold for $30-$40 but come ON! Is it really that hard to make sure the blade is centered before it leaves the factory? Do I really have to order a LE or custom shop 110 to get a centered blade?
 
CelticCross74 said:
I own 3 WalMart 110's. One came in a box the other two were blister packs. I chose these 3 for the outstanding and different "grain" patterns in the handles. The blades on all 3 point to the right side of the brass to the point where the tips and right behind the tips on all 3 scrape the brass when closed. I contacted Buck about it and they are willing to take care of it just have to send the knives to them and wait 3-5 months. There has GOT to be a better way! Aside from the centering all 3 were very well done. All 3 had perfectly sharpened blades. I know Buck loses money on the regular 110's as I have read much on how the 110 is really a $70 knife that gets sold for $30-$40 but come ON! Is it really that hard to make sure the blade is centered before it leaves the factory? Do I really have to order a LE or custom shop 110 to get a centered blade?
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1. wait time on returns is 3-5 weeks not months most times sooner
2. We don't lose money on 110s. I agree that it is a very good value for the $$ spent.
3. Blade centering - We are humans here, we make mistakes. however it is not for lack of trying to do things right.
 
Other than a blade scraping the bottom bolster when closing it, I really don't get all the concern of a blade being centered when closed.....For the price and what you get ( a great value) is it REALLY an issue that the blade is not centered when closed?? I just don't see how any one would care or most people even notice.....I have bought the tins on close out from a big box store for $20.....Never cared if the blade was center closed....I know we all have different standards, but I am not sure how this matters.....
 
I've had very few knives whose blades are perfectly centered when closing. Fewer lockbacks that center when closed. And no linerlocks that center when closed. Gerber, Buck, Cold Steel, Kershaw, Victorinox, and many others. But they have all cut beautifully, lock securely, and are durable. No complaints about performance. I love my 110. Was my brother's from the mid-to-late '70s, then mine since '92 and still does whatever I ask of it. It's never been perfectly centered. It has a little gouge where the tip has dinged the bolster over the years. So does my 112. That one's also not centered perfectly but it's probably the most robust folder I've ever owned. It's a tank! The Ecolite 112 is pretty close to centered and its tip does not come close to dinging the bolster, but then the Ecolites are gone. As for old knives having better fit and finish, well, nope. The new ones look just as good to me, if not better. Remember, it's not robots making these. Even if machines cut out the blanks, it's humans putting them together. It's called manufacturing for a reason: manu(s) = hand, factur(us) = made. Therefore, "made by hand." We're lucky to have such amazing technology at such a price! This is like Louie C.K.'s rant on people complaining about flying. "You're in a chair! In the sky!!"

I've heard that perfectly centered blades are the province of the high-end producers like CRK and the like. Dunno as I can't afford them. But then I'd probably be squeamish using them.

Oh, and that's the other thing. After unboxing a knife, I often find all sorts of imperfections. Then I see how well the knife functions by using it on real-life tasks: Opening letters, breaking down boxes for recycling, cutting open bales of hay, cutting open feed bags, stripping wire, cutting rope, gutting fish, cleaning game, digging out a splinter, and so many things that actually happen on any given day. And then I end up putting one solid ding or gouge or nick on the thing myself and the last thing I am thinking of is whether the blade is centered or has a micron of play in it. If you're giving the knives as gifts, your receivers will thank you and use them and be impressed with your good taste and judgement. If they don't use them, they'll thank you and promptly put them in a drawer or, at best, carry them for a week and then lose them. So don't ponder this a second more!

Rant over.

Zieg
 
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tom19176 said:
Other than a blade scraping the bottom bolster when closing it, I really don't get all the concern of a blade being centered when closed.....For the price and what you get ( a great value) is it REALLY an issue that the blade is not centered when closed?? I just don't see how any one would care or most people even notice.....I have bought the tins on close out from a big box store for $20.....Never cared if the blade was center closed....I know we all have different standards, but I am not sure how this matters.....
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Tom, Agreed... It's just a nit-pik. I never check such. But to some it's a major item, expressing perfection in a product. I hear this all the time, not just in the Buck Forum. It's easy to center it yourself. But it is of such importance to them that they think, the factory should obviously be checking for this. Perhaps so. DM
 
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I was quoted by Bertl above so I figured I'd put my two cents in here. First of all, the folks at Buck are fantastic. They go above and beyond in understanding their customer and delivering top notch American made products. I have a Buck 110 at my desk, and it folds shut slightly off center to the left. Is that perfect? No. Maybe if a machine did all the work it would be 100% centered every time. But to me, there's something special about knowing the knife was put together by humans in Idaho that allows me to overlook different character points in the knife.
 
J Hubbard I was indeed quoted 3-5 months. When I inquired it was a couple weeks before Christmas and that was the reason they gave for the delay. I am sure the folks at Buck are fantastic! But the blade tips scraping the brass whenever you close it is not a nit pick its sloppy standards on production knives.

David Martin-its easy to center yourself? How? Would absolutely love to know! This is hardly expecting perfection in the product this is about expecting that the product functions correctly. Is the blade tips on my 4 production 110's scraping the liner correct function? No it isnt. I have dozens and dozens of knives from most manufacturers from around the world. Sure out of roughly 50 knives 8 had off center blades out of the box. None were so off they were scraping the liners. Ive got a late 1960's 110 that has been to hell and beyond. It still has no lock rock and when closed the blade is barely off center. My 5 custom shop 110's are perfectly centered which they should be as they are hand assembled not slammed together by a machine which is what I think is happening with these ...lets be honest here...defective production 110's.

Ive got the Ka Bar equivalent of the 110 it hails from 1981. It has also been to hell and beyond. It has slight horizontal lock rock but the blade somehow is still perfectly centered.
A friend of mine showed me his cheap knock off Chinese no name 110 and the blade was centered. Expecting a properly functioning product when you buy it is far from being unrealistic and expecting to much. The 110 is the most iconic folding knife in the world. Guess the good folks at Buck dont have a problem with the many many companies around the world that build and sell 110 clones that for now function correctly as they crank out defective knives.

Whoever is knowingly allowing this issue to happen and continue at Buck needs to go. Nice person or not allowing defective product to pass any inspection and ship out is just bad business. I dont expect perfection. Even most high dollar customs are far from perfect. I just want a properly functioning knife when I pay my money for one. Its now to the point where I am determined to learn how to tear down the 110, disassemble it then reassemble it using better parts when and where I can. Just gonna have to learn to drill the 3 bolster pins out and use parts that allow screws in their place.

Ive got a G10, finger grooved, S30V nickel 110 on order. Im pretty confident it will be very straight.
 
I have several 110's. About the only difference I have ever seen is that the 110's from Wal-Mart have the Cordura(not sure if that is right term) or the non-leather sheath. I picked up a 110 from Bass Pro for about the same price but it came with a leather sheath. Also to note, this leather sheath is the only one of the 110's with a leather sheath that I have ever had that came with a round Velcro like material covering the inside of the snap so the knife doesn't get scratched.
The Wal-Mart non-leather sheaths are pretty nice by the way. If you wear your shirt untucked, it's barely noticeable and it can be worn both vertically or horizontally.
 
I've never had an issue with any Buck knives, including the two or three 110's I have bought at Walmart -- fortunately, I was able to examine them before buying as they weren't in a blister pack. Chuck Buck, who I had the good fortune to meet at a BassPro opening in Calgary in 2009 (he engraved my 110 with is initials and the date) said the $30 I paid was a bargain, and I have to agree. There isn't a better bang for the Buck (OK, sorry), IMHO. Buck's warranty is simply outstanding. If you have a problem, they'll fix it.
 
I got my 110 50th anniversary at my local Academy Sporting Goods Store for $30. It came with a leather sheath, and the knife is absolutely perfect. The blade is perfectly centered when closed, and it has no play when opened. I couldn't be happier.
 
Boy you guys get your knives cheap, my local farm store had a 40% of sale on all Buck knives, so I bought a 110 and a few other knives, thinking I got a real good deal.....Reg price was just south of a 100, I paid around 60 Can....
 
Albertatrapper said:
Boy you guys get your knives cheap, my local farm store had a 40% of sale on all Buck knives, so I bought a 110 and a few other knives, thinking I got a real good deal.....Reg price was just south of a 100, I paid around 60 Can....
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Well, CAN$ and US$ aren't at par, then there's GST, and finally, most retailers' insistence on surcharging Canadians for anything American. (My wife is Canadian and we visit southern Ontario once or twice a year — that fiscal rain dance you mention is unfortunately familiar.)
 
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