Buck 112 Slim Heritage

Lenny

Lenny

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 15, 1998
Messages
2,561
A quick background first.
I've always loved the looks of the 110 and 112.
When I found the Buck Custom shop, I was overjoyed; nicer handles, better steel, drop point blade, Nickel Silver bolsters, beautiful!
Through the years, I purchased 5 Custom Buck 110's.
EVERY ONE was beautiful.
EVERY ONE was returned to Buck for various problems; non flush handles, blade play, blade not centered, excessive force needed to release,etc.
They came back to me OK, not perfect.
So I sold them all and swore off Buck knives forever.
Until the Slim Heritage knives were released and I fell in love again.
I ordered the 112 Slim Heritage in Nickel Silver and it came today.
It was absolutely beautiful; fit and finish was near perfect.
I started opening and closing it to break in the mating surfaces and everything was great; nice light and positive action, low force to unlock, centered blade, zero blade play, GREAT!
Then, I pinched the blade to open it again, and it didn't open.
I dug my thumbnail into the nail nick and yanked the blade out with great force and broke my nail, but it was open.
OK, it happened and it's over I thought; random occurrence.
A few more openings and closings and it happened again, except when the blade was open!
I couldn't close it!
VERY DANGEROUS!
Thank God it happened while I was just breaking it in at my house and not using it somewhere else.
I eventually got it to close by pressing the lock bar and tapping the blade on the table, not easy.
I continued the openings and closings with periods of very easy openings and closings followed by random lockups in the closed or open positions.
It seemed like there was a tiny pebble in the lock mechanism that completely locked it up, and then moved out of the way allowing the knife to be used normally, random as hell.
To say I was disappointed and annoyed is an understatement!

UPDATE:
Washed it out with warm water and Dawn and dried it.
It still exhibited the same behavior, but less often.
I then blasted out all the little nooks and crannies with WD-40, dried it out and continued to open and close the blade.
It was much better with only 1 or 2 difficult openings/closings.
Long story short, I'm keeping it; I'm sure it'll get even better with use.
BUT, I still feel that NO knife should require all this attention by the owner for it to work properly when new.
If I didn't like the looks and function of the knife (post cleaning) it would've already been on the way back to Buck!
 
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Wow! Sorry to hear that. I'm kind of OCD, and all my Buck knives have been good. A few were maybe not perfect, but it was always something minor that I could either ignore, or fix myself.
 
I've lost count of the number of Buck folders, both lock backs (110, 112) and traditional, standard and Custom Shop that I've bought over the years, but I've never encountered any of the problems you have. Buck has one of the best, and probably the best, customer service reputation among knife manufacturers. I'm sticking with Buck.
 
Bucks aren't for everybody , Case isn't either.
My question... did you try washing out the action with some warm water and maybe a bit of dish soap? Then drying and oil it? That may give the knife a second chance before sending it back.
Disclaimer.. I've read your post a couple of times and may have missed something , if so please advise. Thx
 
Sorry you’re having issues. I’m doing well with their current products but I have a few that aren’t perfect. It happens. I’d encourage you to reach out to Buck and give them a shot at making it right. They may surprise you! Good luck.
 
Have had Buck knives with very bad QC in the very recent past. My Slim Heritage is fine, but my two exclusive red 301s were and are junk. I've had limited edition fixed blades with unfinished handles on one side and limited edition folders with grossly off center blades. Considering the premium prices paid for them, they are laughable.

My 301s got special attention when I sent them back and only minimal work was done and it ignored the obvious flaws. They still looked unfinished when I got them back. It makes me less than willing to waste more time and money to send back the others. Denying the QC issue only delays the needed improvements.

Oddly, their regular models I have purchased have been fine, my 112, various lightweight 112s & 110s, and basic fixed blades. Those at least remain a solid value.
 
Lenny said:
I have CRK's, Spydercos, TRM's etc.
QC for these brands are lightyears ahead of Buck.
Click to expand...
Idk but I don’t think they produce the numbers of knives that Buck does either.

Im sorry it didn’t go well for you.

I have around 70 bucks in my accumulated stash and haven’t had to return any as received. Yes I’ve had some minor issues but nothing I couldn’t take care of myself. I clean and oil my knives regularly so it’s nothing for me to clean and oil one I get brand new. That’s just part of knife maintenance if you actually use a knife on a regular basis. Of course im not ocd either. And the few I have had to send in for warranty after some time and my fault were done very well and in a timely manner, no complaints at all. And as for pricing it seems to me that Buck is much more affordable than other popular brands.
 
Big Buck fan. However, I had to send my first Custom Shop knife back as it just wasn't right and I wasn't being picky.

I have WAY too many Bucks, but if I were to buy another knife today, it is likely going to be a Buck.

Send it back, they'll make it right. No, a new knife should not have to go back, but that is the path forward. If you can't enjoy it when it comes back then sell it and move on.
 
I returned mine but not due to your issues - it was so uncomfortable in my hand - non-usable for me as lots of hot spots. I have half a dozen other Bucks - carry at least one every day.
 
Now that I've used the knife for a few days I have some comments about it.
- it's beautiful
- it has perfect blade centering and rock solid lockup with zero blade play in any direction
- it doesn't "lock up" during opening or closing any more
- there's still a little gritty feeling upon opening when the blade is at the 45 degree point; I really only feel it when opening very slowly
- the knife had one of the sharpest out of the box blades I've ever seen; on par with my TRM's
- I've cut up a lot of cardboard and the edge still shaves; Bos Magnacut is the real deal

I hope Buck adds this knife to the custom shop. I'd love a drop point Magnacut blade, no handle rivets, and some interesting handle choices.
After the rocky start with this knife, it's fast becoming one of my favorites.
And, surprisingly, I don't really miss one hand opening.
 
It's not uncommon for a new Buck 110 or 112 to need a good cleaning of polishing compound out of it when new.

Yeah it's sort of a hassle, but the knife is usually just fine after a good cleaning. And they always get better with use. This subject has been discussed innumerable times in the Buck Forum.

The few times I've had an issue I've reached out directly to Matt at Buck knives, he's a moderator / QC manager, in the Buck Forum and he has always went out of his way to correct the problem and satisfy the customer, as opposed to airing laundry here.

✌
 
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