Buck 110 quality issues?

E

erudite cricket

Joined
Dec 25, 2022
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I just got shipped a new Buck 110 and I was inspecting it and noticed that it had considerable blade play when folded closed. It has solid lockup, but rattles in the handle a little if shaken lightly when folded. Additionally I was wondering if gaps are a problem on lockbacks like on slipjoints, because there are some business card width gaps. I was just wondering if either of those things will affect the performance of the knife long term or if it's just superficial. Thanks!
 
erudite cricket said:
I just got shipped a new Buck 110 and I was inspecting it and noticed that it had considerable blade play when folded closed. It has solid lockup, but rattles in the handle a little if shaken lightly when folded. Additionally I was wondering if gaps are a problem on lockbacks like on slipjoints, because there are some business card width gaps. I was just wondering if either of those things will affect the performance of the knife long term or if it's just superficial. Thanks!
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Got pictures ?
There should be a little room for the lock bar to operate freely, but those gaps do sound a bit excessive.
As for blade play when closed, it's a non issue that effects nothing.
My 10 year old 110 probably does this, but I have not noticed and never would.
I just checked the brand new 110LT I'm carrying and it can be rattled a bit when closed if shaken hard enough, I never would have known otherwise and the lockup is solid.


I don't think I would be worried about any of this myself especially not in the closed position, but if you're worried about the lock bar gaps you can email Bucks CS department and they will take care of it.
 
erudite cricket said:
I just got shipped a new Buck 110 and I was inspecting it and noticed that it had considerable blade play when folded closed. It has solid lockup, but rattles in the handle a little if shaken lightly when folded. Additionally I was wondering if gaps are a problem on lockbacks like on slipjoints, because there are some business card width gaps. I was just wondering if either of those things will affect the performance of the knife long term or if it's just superficial. Thanks!
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I'd contact buck as the previous commentor said. If you aren't happy with it, they should help. And it sounds like it might've slipped through as buck quality is generally pretty good.

But just my two cents, I think gaps in the backsprings aren't a huge functional issue when you take care of the knife. Even less of an issue with stainless steel backsprings. I'd be more worried about the rattle.

I like or prefer tight backsprings because the folding hunter my grandfather and I used to clean game had carbon backsprings with gaps, despite it being a stainless steel blade. When I finally took possession of the knife, it had rust between the backsprings and liners. Bits and pieces of the rust would stick out and scrape your hand. Took me forever to work all that rust out. Now, I keep all of the steel well oiled so it won't happen again.

Tight backsprings and stainless steel backsprings can all help with this. But truthfully, if you take care of the knife and keep it clean it won't be anything more than an aesthetic issue. 9 times out of 10 it will function just fine.

I hope buck takes care of you and you end up with a nice functionally sound knife. If it's pretty on top of that, even better.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I don't think I would be worried about any of this myself especially not in the closed position
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Ahh I think I missed that this was in the closed position. Lockbacks do tend to be a little looser than slipjoints when closed. I wouldn't be surprised if my 110 also rattled when closed. I'd have to check!
 
Hickory n steel said:
Got pictures ?
There should be a little room for the lock bar to operate freely, but those gaps do sound a bit excessive.
As for blade play when closed, it's a non issue that effects nothing.
My 10 year old 110 probably does this, but I have not noticed and never would.
I just checked the brand new 110LT I'm carrying and it can be rattled a bit when closed if shaken hard enough, I never would have known otherwise and the lockup is solid.


I don't think I would be worried about any of this myself especially not in the closed position, but if you're worried about the lock bar gaps you can email Bucks CS department and they will take care of it.
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I'll send pictures soon. I know that the problems are superficial, but I was just concerned about the long term effects. I didn't want them to get worse over time.
 
I would 100% send it back in, call the shop you bought it from, amd ask them to inspect it before they send a replacement. Why in the world would you buy something bnib amd settle for less? Asthetic or not. If byrd knife (spyderco out of china) can come to me right I'd sure expect it from a Buck.
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
I would 100% send it back in, call the shop you bought it from, amd ask them to inspect it before they send a replacement. Why in the world would you buy something bnib amd settle for less? Asthetic or not. If byrd knife (spyderco out of china) can come to me right I'd sure expect it from a Buck.
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That Chinese spyderco is made on machines likely robotic machines with little to no human control.
Buck is still utilizing a lot of hand labor and just cannot produce robot like precision by hand here in the USA at the price they sell their knives for.

The lock bar gap is one thing that should be a tad better and I've never owned / handled a 110 with that much of a gap, but beyond that everything about the knife sounds 100% acceptable.

These are things most people would never notice or have a problem with unless an obsessed knife nut on the internet them to look for and or care about them.

The cost ,the intended market, where they're made, and how they're made are all factors one should consider.
 
I can move the blade while closed on my 110, but it's solid when open. As I understand it, the rocker bar is actually slightly thinner than the blade. On my knife, I was able to fit printer paper in the gap on either side of the rocker bar close to the pivot. I could check with a micrometer and a feeler gauge, but then, up until a few minutes ago, I never noticed any of this. Your knife may be a little out of spec, but I think it will work properly for years.
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
I would 100% send it back in, call the shop you bought it from, amd ask them to inspect it before they send a replacement. Why in the world would you buy something bnib amd settle for less? Asthetic or not. If byrd knife (spyderco out of china) can come to me right I'd sure expect it from a Buck.
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I think that the Buck will serve me longer and better, no matter the slight imperfections. I have a Delica and it's a perfectly fine knife but the Buck feels a lot sturdier in the hand and looks a lot nicer. Add that to the fact that it was made right here in the USA and you have a winner in my opinion. After reflecting on the responses I was given, I'm more than satisfied with my 110. A few minor blemishes will just add some character.
 
Hickory n steel said:
That Chinese spyderco is made on machines likely robotic machines with little to no human control.
Buck is still utilizing a lot of hand labor and just cannot produce robot like precision by hand here in the USA at the price they sell their knives for.

The lock bar gap is one thing that should be a tad better and I've never owned / handled a 110 with that much of a gap, but beyond that everything about the knife sounds 100% acceptable.

These are things most people would never notice or have a problem with unless an obsessed knife nut on the internet them to look for and or care about them.

The cost ,the intended market, where they're made, and how they're made are all factors one should consider.
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That's exactly my point. If they are assembled by hand and inspected before they go out he shouldn't have gaps. I do agree with you that no one one would notice but we do and expect better from American made. You ARE paying a premium for a buck 110. And you ARE paying for the hand labor. If GEC (would have been a better comparison to begin with) can sell theirs and they are damn near perfect I think one should expect it from a renowned world famous American company. The craft and pride should show on their work. It shouldn't be a name being sold. I have a shrade clip point hunter from the 1960s that has none of these problems (Schrade 110). Machining and techniques have advanced, the product should too.

erudite cricket said:
I think that the Buck will serve me longer and better, no matter the slight imperfections. I have a Delica and it's a perfectly fine knife but the Buck feels a lot sturdier in the hand and looks a lot nicer. Add that to the fact that it was made right here in the USA and you have a winner in my opinion. After reflecting on the responses I was given, I'm more than satisfied with my 110. A few minor blemishes will just add some character.
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I'm glad that you are happy. I was just saying that I would personally send it back and get what I paid for. I carry almost exclusively CRK amd it's because they are made right here in the USA and the tolerances are worth it to me. I'm not sure how a 110 would serve you longer (wood can expand, and copper oxidizes), or better ( being that the Buck is 420hc more than likely vs vg10) but everyone has their own opinion. I didn't write to argue with you or Hickory n steel Hickory n steel . I was just offering my opinion on what i would do. If I spend my hard earned money on something I expect it to be as advertised. If buck will take care of it I'd send it to them instead of settling. It was just my .02
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
You ARE paying a premium for a buck 110.
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It's a $60 mass produced knife that comes with a leather sheath, they use hand labor but make these knives on a very large scale.
GEC makes their knives in much smaller numbers and can be much pickier about what they send out.

Just remember that only a couple years ago these knives were a mere $36 at every Walmart, I do not know how they could have actually been turning a profit on them at that price but that's what they were selling them for.
$60 is not a premium, the standard Case mako is $85 and I would call that more of a premium.
For $60, Buck does a damn good job, and BTW who else offers a knife with this much Ebony on it for $60 ?
 
erudite cricket said:
After reflecting on the responses I was given, I'm more than satisfied with my 110. A few minor blemishes will just add some character.
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I think that is a good call.
If there were blade play when open I'd say contact them, but since there's not I believe the knife is perfectly fine.
Keep in mind there has to be a tiny bit with a lockback like this ,and the blade is going to loosen up a bit with time.
It should not and likely will not develop to a point of rattling or really be very noticeable at all.
My 1st 110 is now 10 years old and has been dropped many times, it has a little bit of play that is only noticed if I try to move the blade.
 
I have no dog in this fight. I think E erudite cricket should rest assured knowing that buck warranties their product for life. They can, at any time, send the knife back for repairs or a spa treatment.

I pulled out my Buck 110 and my Schrade LB7. Both have gaps, maybe business card sized but likely not quite that big. Again, gapping isn't a large concern to me. Just a nicity. Keep the knife cleaned and oiled and you won't have issues.

My Schrade LB7 would not rattle no matter how hard I shook it. My Buck 110 didn't rattle with light shaking but with heavy handed shaking did make a slight audible rattle. Both are fairly old knives with not a whole lot of use on them. I would not send either of mine back or consider them defective. I likely never would've noticed without trying, to be honest. Based on my knives, my biggest concern for E erudite cricket would be significant rattling in the closed position. If it bothers you, request a refund/replacement and see what you get with the next knife. But, again, if it doesn't bother you enough now or you are unsure if it's worth sending back or replacing, you can always send it back later if it ever does become an issue or a bother.

I hope, either way, that you end up with a knife you can carry, use, and start to love as we become attached to these pieces over time and they become our own!!
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
If GEC (would have been a better comparison to begin with) can sell theirs and they are damn near perfect I think one should expect it from a renowned world famous American company.
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I have to take exception with the comparison between Buck and GEC. I can buy a Buck 110 at the hardware store for $60, while GEC knives cost twice that much, or more, if you can even find one for sale. The companies operate in two different markets. A Buck 110 is a quality tool at a reasonable price. If they came with the attention to detail that GEC is known for, the price and availability would reflect that.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I think that is a good call.
If there were blade play when open I'd say contact them, but since there's not I believe the knife is perfectly fine.
Keep in mind there has to be a tiny bit with a lockback like this ,and the blade is going to loosen up a bit with time.
It should not and likely will not develop to a point of rattling or really be very noticeable at all.
My 1st 110 is now 10 years old and has been dropped many times, it has a little bit of play that is only noticed if I try to move the blade.
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First and only 110. I know you're trying to help, but you have one, maybe two 110's? I'm not really sure your sample size is big enough to offer advise as to what might be consistent characteristics. Just sayin....
 
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