"Buck 110 style" folders

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Lars3585

Joined
Aug 21, 2013
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Hey guys,

I tried doing a search for this question, but was unsuccessful so I figured I'd ask you all.

I've always been a fan of the iconic Buck 110 folder, and I know there are other makers out there that produce folders that look just like the 110, but I haven't been able to find any type of list as to who else makes them. I know Kershaw used to produce a 110-style knife that I believe was called the "wildcat ridge", but appears to have since discontinued that knife, as it's no longer listed on the Kershaw website amongst their offerings any longer.

I think Old Timer and maybe Uncle Henry also produce a few as well, but I'm not really sure as to the quality. Anyone have any experience with those?

Anyways, I'm sure there has to be some more makers producing them because it looks as though that Buck 110 design is an open market design? Maybe I'm wrong, but for a while there, it seemed like every knife maker out there had their very own take on the Buck 110.

If you guys know of any makers currently producing one and what model knife I'm looking for please comment, and also let me know if you've personally had experience with any of them! Thanks everyone. =)
 
Uncle Henry LB7, Old Timer 7OT are both a good knife. I have one of each (Taylor made) an old US made 7OT, and a couple late model 110's. They all hold an edge about the same. I've only stropped mine, never had to use a stone on them yet.
 
I think you'll get more and better input on the Traditional sub-forum.

Which aspect of the Buck 110 is most important to you?

The brass bolsters?

Of the combination of size, lock back and blade?

The brass bolster design was widely copied and borrowed in the 70s. Schrade, Puma, Gerber, Case, and Ka-bar all made "Buck Knives". Today, Utica, Bear and Sons and Moore Maker all make them, I believe.

The Remington R1306 Bullet Lockback was another very popular lockback about the same size as the Buck 110 but with a very different look.
r1306_bullet.jpg


This style has been widely copied too including the Queen Mountain Man, a current Boker+ lockback and the GEC lockbacks.
 
Steve6387 said:
Ka-Bar has a modern Chinese made equivalent. Supposed to be much lighter. Has a thumb-stud and a pocket clip

http://www.kabar.com/knives/detail/262

With the original US made version being so affordable, I don't think I'd opt for one but it is an option.
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I actually do own a Buck 110. I purchased it back in 2013 from Amazon and it was only going for $29.99 which I thought was a great deal. I checked back just the other day and found that the knife had skyrocketed to up to $40 now! I know that's not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but it was just very disheartening to see the knife go up so much in only 3 years! So that ultimately prompted me to remember that there were other makers out there making basically the same knife but for cheaper. I just needed to figure out who was making them and if anyone had any experience with them. And what better place to come than here, right? Heh! I appreciate the input guys! Honestly, I think if I were to go with a foreign made version, I'd probably get the Ka-bar only because I trust Ka-bar's QC, even on their foreign made stuff more than I would Old Timer or Uncle Henry these days... I hear a LOT of people complaining about the quality of the OT's and UH's. I'll be honest though, even if I went with the Ka-bar, I'm still not a fan of the fact that they put thumb studs and a clip on the knife! I'd probably leave the studs on, mainly because it would look terrible if they were removed and left a hole in the blade where they used to be, but I would certainly promptly remove the pocket clip! Putting a pocket clip on a buck 110 knife is kind of like putting a gun ruck in a Volvo if you know what I mean... To each their own though of course. I wouldn't put someone down for leaving the clip on their knife. It certainly would have been nice if Kabar offered a nail-nick version of the knife as an option though!
 
I was gifted a Sheffied 12102 that is almost identical to the 110 as far as size, etc. Slightly lighter. About 18 on wal mart website.

Buck 110 is only 27 at my local wal mart anyway.
 
iamjethro said:
I was gifted a Sheffied 12102 that is almost identical to the 110 as far as size, etc. Slightly lighter. About 18 on wal mart website.

Buck 110 is only 27 at my local wal mart anyway.
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Yeah, I'm from Massachusetts, and they're more expensive than that at my local walmarts. I've also read that Walmart's business venture with Buck forced Buck to send some of their normally "made in USA" model knives to be assembled in China due to the price point Walmart was demanding they be sold at... I remember reading that this prompted a big shit-storm amongst Buck fans, as now when they purchased a Buck knife that is still supposed to be "made in USA", they needed to really be careful that they weren't receiving one of the knives that was actually made in China. Buck wasn't trying to hide this fact or anything by not printing it on packaging or anything, but it just required the consumers to be that much more leery about reading the packaging to be sure as to which variant of the product they were buying... I know this applied to the 110, and 119 model Buck knives, as they were/have always customarily been one of the few knives STILL made in the USA by Buck... But now, it looks as though if you buy from Walmart, you may be getting the good Ol' PRC version. But for the record, I can't speak to the quality of the Chinese made variants... They could very well be every bit as good as the USA made variants... I'm not sure.
 
Grohmann Knives in Canada makes one called the: #380S Drop Point Hunter Lock blade.
They offer rosewood, stag or turquoise inlay handle options with a nickel silver bolsters, liners & pins...
Not cheaper than a 110 though...
Pic from their website:
R380S.jpg



Don't have experience with that one, but i do have a smaller one, the #R340S Mini Russell Lock Blade, very well made...have not used it much though...

the R340S:
yqPOa8Im.jpg
 
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Lars3585 said:
Yeah, I'm from Massachusetts, and they're more expensive than that at my local walmarts. I've also read that Walmart's business venture with Buck forced Buck to send some of their normally "made in USA" model knives to be assembled in China due to the price point Walmart was demanding they be sold at... I remember reading that this prompted a big shit-storm amongst Buck fans, as now when they purchased a Buck knife that is still supposed to be "made in USA", they needed to really be careful that they weren't receiving one of the knives that was actually made in China. Buck wasn't trying to hide this fact or anything by not printing it on packaging or anything, but it just required the consumers to be that much more leery about reading the packaging to be sure as to which variant of the product they were buying... I know this applied to the 110, and 119 model Buck knives, as they were/have always customarily been one of the few knives STILL made in the USA by Buck... But now, it looks as though if you buy from Walmart, you may be getting the good Ol' PRC version. But for the record, I can't speak to the quality of the Chinese made variants... They could very well be every bit as good as the USA made variants... I'm not sure.
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Lars, I have happy news for you on 2 fronts.

First, the Walmart 110s are still well under $30 at the eastern Massachusetts Walmarts I've seen in the past few week. Several large and small retailers contract special variants of the 110 like Cabelas, Bass Pro and Walmart. Some of these special factory orders (SFOs) have upgraded steels, different grinds, blade shapes or scales. The Walmart 110 is different only one regard... It come with a nylon sheath and not a leather one. That's it.

If you want more information about the Walmart 110 and suspicions that Walmart is somehow selling an inferior version of the 110, I recommend searching the Buck subforum where both Walmart's buyer and Buck have addressed this. It's the same, normal 110. IMO, it would be a good deal at $40 and at the price they sell them, it's a screaming deal.

Second, the 110 has never been made in China. Ever. Buck does have knives made in China and IMO, they've done a terrible job of managing the perception of their band identity with this move. IMO, Boker did it better when they branded their imported knives under the Boker+ brand and if Buck had spun off an imported brand name variant, incorrect rumors like you're repeating wouldn't come up as often.

Hope this helps
 
Bear & Sons , makes a version.
It's a very nice knife, but it does cost about $60.

 
Nobody mentioned that buck also makes 110 style knives 😁 the 112 is like the 110 but it still isn't. It's a lite different but you could check out the case shark series ( they have the mako and a few other sizes )
There's also utica / kutmaster but they've had a slight dip in quality so they might be a bit of a gamble.
Rough rider also makes some good knives for the price and I'm sure they're folding hunter is the same.
Pakistan, China, Germany, USA, to me they're all in the same boat it not Buck's.
 
pinnah said:
Lars, I have happy news for you on 2 fronts.

First, the Walmart 110s are still well under $30 at the eastern Massachusetts Walmarts I've seen in the past few week. Several large and small retailers contract special variants of the 110 like Cabelas, Bass Pro and Walmart. Some of these special factory orders (SFOs) have upgraded steels, different grinds, blade shapes or scales. The Walmart 110 is different only one regard... It come with a nylon sheath and not a leather one. That's it.

If you want more information about the Walmart 110 and suspicions that Walmart is somehow selling an inferior version of the 110, I recommend searching the Buck subforum where both Walmart's buyer and Buck have addressed this. It's the same, normal 110. IMO, it would be a good deal at $40 and at the price they sell them, it's a screaming deal.

Second, the 110 has never been made in China. Ever. Buck does have knives made in China and IMO, they've done a terrible job of managing the perception of their band identity with this move. IMO, Boker did it better when they branded their imported knives under the Boker+ brand and if Buck had spun off an imported brand name variant, incorrect rumors like you're repeating wouldn't come up as often.

Hope this helps
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Oh cool! I'll have to check those Walmart's out! Most of the walmarts I've been in have knife cabinets that look as though they've been ransacked or something! It's completely appalling and makes me not want to buy anything from them... I just have visions of them just literally throwing the merchandise in the case and half of the knife being broken in some way cause they kicked them around! Lol! Do you know of any particular Walmart locations that have a squared away knife section? Because if it looks like a hand grenade went off in there, I'm not gonna waste the time driving out to the store.

I'll also definitely have to check out that article too. Like I said, I had read all that stuff probably something like 5 years ago, so I'm not sure as to what's happened since. But thank you for the updates! That is certainly great news! I still use my 110 all the time and love it! I'd definitely buy another in a heart beat!

Update: I think I found the thread you were referring to and read through some of the responses including the nice one that Bertl posted. After reading that, I saw that it may be cheaper to order on Walmart.com and do in-store pickup. Then I don't even have to deal with their knife section. Probably easier that way. Thank you very much for the help though! That's great to know I can find the 110 for less than $30, even though it had a cordura sheath. =)
 
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Cold Steel has one they call the Mackinac Hunter. Benchmade has one with one of the premium steels and their axis lock instead of a lockback. Their is the Kabar that was mentioned earlier. You can still find some of the Schrade / Uncle Henry models that were made in the U.S. if you look around a bit. And in addition to the regular Buck 110, there have been a couple of dealers that have had special runs made with different blade styles and materials, plus the custom shop options that are available directly from Buck. If you want a really unique knife, you can get one through artinstone - he has his own subforum down in the makers area.
 
I've had the Buck 110 and the Kershaw Wildcat Ridge.

I liked the Wildcat Ridge better. You are right, they are no longer available. I thought I got lucky once when Grandpa came in with an old Wildcat Ridge with a snapped tip. I sent it back to Kershaw to see if there was any way to get the blade replaced or repaired, but there was basically nothing that could be done.

If I were to go out and get me a "110-ish" folder for hunting nowadays, I'd pick up a Benchmade Crooked River.
 
Velitrius said:
If I were to go out and get me a "110-ish" folder for hunting nowadays, I'd pick up a Benchmade Crooked River.
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LOL! Nice looking knife for sure! I had my eye on that when Benchmade first released it, but I feel like you're in an entirely different league of knife at that point! =P. I think we can all agree that part of the appeal of the Buck 110 was how affordable, yet well made it was, and hence why it had such high value. Benchmade has some of the best knives with some of the best fit & finish I've ever seen in ANY knife, let alone a production knife!...But you're also paying for it! They are certainly affordable compared to the other production companies in it's league (ZT, Spyderco, etc.), but they're still what I would consider an upper echelon knife brand for sure.
 
You also mentioned Buck's 119. That is another Buck model that has never made under the foreign contract. DM
 
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