Buck 111, the middle child that never gets any attention

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B1GSHOT

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Nov 20, 2021
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Here is a Buck I didn't know existed... The Buck 111. I don't think they distributed it and advertised it like the 110 and 112. This one is a custom shop with brass and high polish rosewood and an acid etched drop point. They came with engraved aluminum too.

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I remember the engraved aluminum version. It was my dream knife for a bit.
I could never afford one when they were in production or after they were discontinued.
I didn't know there was a brass bolster version. Very nice. 😊
 
Sure, no problem. I'll do that tomorrow afternoon.

The story behind this knife is that I bought it on eBay from a guy who ordered it custom and only carried it a couple of times, then stuck it in a drawer. It was a little tarnished in the pictures, but I took some polish to it, and it came up looking like the day it left Buck. The rosewood is the nicest I've seen.
 
B1GSHOT said:
Sure, no problem. I'll do that tomorrow afternoon.

The story behind this knife is that I bought it on eBay from a guy who ordered it custom and only carried it a couple of times, then stuck it in a drawer. It was a little tarnished in the pictures, but I took some polish to it, and it came up looking like the day it left Buck. The rosewood is the nicest I've seen.
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Thanks :) :thumbsup:
 
The Buck 111 has taken a few different forms over the years. Some were in the all-aluminum engraved (or 'coined') handles as mentioned above - I think that might've been the original 111, but I'm not sure. And I have one (actually several) in nickel, rather than brass. The 111 seen in the pic below is one of my favorite knives. Originally it came in polished nickel. But I subsequently used a green Scotch-Brite pad to give it a brushed satin finish, which does much better at concealing fingerprints & such.

And I didn't yet know about the version shown in the OP, in brass. That's impressive too. :thumbsup:
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I was under the impression that the 111 is the same knife as the 110, just with different touches, like differences in bolsters, etc.... is that correct?
 
hornetguy said:
I was under the impression that the 111 is the same knife as the 110, just with different touches, like differences in bolsters, etc.... is that correct?
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So far as I know, that's the case. My 111s are identical in overall pattern to the 110 - same size, shape and identical clip-point blade with only the '111' stamping on the tang being different. And the most obvious embellishment on the 111 is the different, radiused fit of the bolsters & caps to the handle covers. Very elegant.
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
And the most obvious embellishment on the 111 is the different, radiused shaping of the bolsters & caps. Very elegant.
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Yes.... I like the look of those bolsters much more than the ones on my aluminum bolstered 110. I might have to do a "field modification" on mine to make it more carry friendly. As it is, it feels kind of "squarish" and bulky... I'm not a fan of square-edged handles on knives..
 
hornetguy said:
Yes.... I like the look of those bolsters much more than the ones on my aluminum bolstered 110. I might have to do a "field modification" on mine to make it more carry friendly. As it is, it feels kind of "squarish" and bulky... I'm not a fan of square-edged handles on knives..
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I tend to have the same reaction to the blocky-edged shape of some knives' bolsters & caps. Like you say, they're not so comfortable in the pocket.

I'd seen one or more of the aluminum-handled 111s at gun/knife shows, when I lived in Texas. I'd also seen them online at the 'auction site' and other places. But I always was reluctant to buy one - still haven't. But as a collectible piece of Buck history, they're definitely unique.
 
I saw a 111 for sale yesterday with a drop point blade and a brass frame on one side and nickel silver on the other. 2019 Limited Edition. 1 of 54 made and no nail nick.
 
Please correct my faulty(?) memory.
Wasn't the engraved Aluminum handle in the 440C days? I want to say it was manufactured during the 2 dot era.
 
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afishhunter said:
Please correct my faulty memory.
Wasn't the engraved Aluminum handle in the 440C days? I want to say it was manufactured during the 2 dot era.
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Could be, I'm not sure. All of the aluminum-handled versions I'd seen were fairly old. I'd seen some back in the early/mid '90s, and they were even fairly old then, IIRC. I suppose it's possible some might've touched or overlapped with Buck's 425M period too - that would've been around early '80s or so - maybe 1982 or later. I think Buck stopped using 440C around 1981 or so, following that with 425M for a short while. I have an old 2-dot 112 in 440C and a 4-dot 112 in 425M - so those timeframes have kind of stuck in my mind, every time I look at those knives. I don't remember if the tangs on the aluminum 111s were date-coded or not with the same 'dots' as Buck might've used in that period. But that could narrow it down, if they were.

EDITED: I am seeing an old for-sale (SOLD) listing online, for an 1980 aluminum 111, pics of which show 3 dots on the tang. I think that would've been at or approaching the end of Buck's 440C period.
 
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This 111 was manufactured in 2008. Since I took these pictures, I've discarded the box but kept the flap with pertinent information.

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Per Richard Matheny: "The 111 and the 55 were introduced in 2005. The 111 was discontinued in the Fall of 2008. I don't know why it was discontinued but I would guess that they were too similar to the 110 (same frame and blade but different bolster configuration) thus adding to inventory without value add to the company. Further, getting the correct match between the bolsters and the inlays could not have been easy except by using a CNC controlled mill or LASER".

Here's the Buck 055 to show the common bolsters of the 111 and 055.

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If I'm not mistaken the 111 was originally a 110 in coined aluminum.
Then you have the modern 111's which were the curved bolster 110.


I thought this recycling of the 111 model number was much more recent, but I had no clue they started those in 2005 when they introduced the 55.

I like my 55, but it has always bugged me and will always bug me that it's considered a mini 110 but has the bolster curve of the 111.
I really really want them to do a true mini 110, a brass 503 frame with a 55 blade.
 
Here is my LNIB 111. I also have one that was rebladed by Buck with a 110 blade Its my dress up knife 63D917A9-FE8E-4C1A-925B-6B328170B93D.jpeg

The story I heard about the 111 with the curved bolsters. The big box stores were selling 110’s as loss leaders which made the cutlery stores mad. They supposedly could buy 110’s from walmart cheaper than they could get them from Buck.

So in an effort to appease the cutlery shops Buck made the 111, so they could have something special to justify the higher price.
 
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