Buck 303 vs SAK pioneer (or another scout knife)

It's not that the blades don't cut well, they are just rather thick at the spine and the deep hollow grind binds into material much more than a flat ground blade.
Try cutting an apple, cardboard, or any other material that the blade has to pass all the way through with a narrow hollow ground blade, and then compare that to a nice thin flat grind like on the pioneer, it's quite a difference.

Where that hollow grind excels is when only the edge of the blade is needed to separate the material such as skinning game, gutting fish, cutting rope, zip ties, opening boxes and blister packs, ect.
The thing is though, is that a thin flat grind can do all the above tasks very well, if not just as good as a hollow grind.

As to the Spey blade, the one on the 303 is really more like a narrow pen blade with a very thick tip, not very useful for me.
It doesn't keep me from carrying a 303 or 301 on occasion, but I find a SAK just fits my daily EDC needs a little better.
 
I seem to love the handyness of the flat ground in the sak but the Buck is just so hard to pass on.. Great input so far everyone! Tonight I have the Sak in my pocket. Doing great so far.. any more supporters for the Buck 303? i feel like it may give out before the SAK.. but the utility of the 2 smaller blades seems to be great too.. ohh choices.
 
mudguard said:
I seem to love the handyness of the flat ground in the sak but the Buck is just so hard to pass on.. Great input so far everyone! Tonight I have the Sak in my pocket. Doing great so far.. any more supporters for the Buck 303? i feel like it may give out before the SAK.. but the utility of the 2 smaller blades seems to be great too.. ohh choices.
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Sounds like you need a Pioneer Rancher or Electrician! They both add a small blade in place of the can opener.

The Pioneer Rancher
adALOX_zps4b656e9d.jpg


The Electrician
Electrician_zpsfbad50b7.jpg
 
I vote for the SAK Electrican unless you really need that can opener, but I'd rather have that little sheepsfoot blade.
 
You know SAK guy...you may be very right. I used to have one but sold it in a moment of weakness (stupidity really).

SAK Guy said:
Sounds like you need a Pioneer Rancher or Electrician! They both add a small blade in place of the can opener.

The Pioneer Rancher
adALOX_zps4b656e9d.jpg


The Electrician
Electrician_zpsfbad50b7.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Carried a 303 yesterday, made a fine EDC, didn't have to cut much food, just a steak at work for lunch, it handled all the usual day to day chores just fine, such as opening boxes and bags of car parts all day.
Maybe I will carry it to work for a week or two just to change it up, I don't rally use the tools in the SAK at work since I have my toolbox with me.

After work is a different story and I use the SAK tools often.
 
The 303. I'm getting very close to ordering one. Does anybody who owns one fancy taking some lovely photos from assorted angles for me to coo over?

Paul
 
mudguard said:
I feel that these statements keep coming to my mind while carrying either of these two.. Anyone feels a similar way? How would you justify carrying one or the other?

too much...
too heavy..
too many blades...
too large of a blade..
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This is my solution....

RFP: Traditional folder of choice (and spare change)
LFP: Leatherman Micra (and money clip).

EDC Pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

I grew up carrying Ulster Boy Scout knives, so I feel a bit under prepared without the basic tools in my pocket. But honestly, a) I get frustrated with BSA knives (and SAKs) and b) find I use the heavy scissors on the Micra like all the time.

A key chain size tool like the Micra (or Vic Classic and several others) disappear in the pocket. One of the things I've been pleasantly surprised with is that with the the basic tools and pen blade needs covered, I can change out my primary knife as need or whim dictate. If I don't want to carry the Opinel (it's rare, but it happens) I can do this

For dress pants:
image by Pinnah, on Flickr

For no good reason other than sometimes, bigger is better:
Schrade 51OT by Pinnah, on Flickr

All of this to say, that for me, a key chain tool in the off pocket equals freedom to carry what I want when I want.
 
For me the 303 falls between two stools.

I carry a Vic Farmer for the tools and the longer blade—handy for food use.

I carry a Jr. Stockman for precision cuts and—in the sheepsfoot—a rough use blade. For stuff like cleaning battery terminals, scraping gaskets, prying pebbles out of waffle stompers.
 
I like the 303, but with flat ground blades. The sak is good as it comes in that aspect.
I carried both in the past, and now i just carry a peanut for urban edc, but with a p38 and a 4way screwdriver in my wallet.
Both the little stockman and sak offer great utility, so i guess it comes down to preference, and the jobs they need to perform. The sak has the mighty awl and some screwdrivers/can-bottle openers, and one long spear blade.
That one is good for occasional food prep and general cutting, but for more delicate work, such as carving or cutting many different things, the buck can't be beat, offering three blades with different shapes, all good for something..
The tip of that sheepsfoot in my 303 sure has done a lot of work..
I'd say get both, one of them can always go in a backpack, daypack, car, wherever, as a backup tool. But try to find an older full flat version of the cadet.
 
pmew said:
The 303. I'm getting very close to ordering one. Does anybody who owns one fancy taking some lovely photos from assorted angles for me to coo over?

Paul
Click to expand...

300 Bucks, of course. If you were to slide over to the Buck forum where he's a mod and post a thread there, I'm certain you would be inundated with lovely pictures.
 
How many times have we done a thread like this, many, many. I read everyone's reasons and see their photos and reply, "they all are right." They all are good knives. I have two SAKs and think I would really like one of those pictured in this thread. But, Holy Smoke, I have enough knives. I carried a 303 for many years in my uniform pants watch pocket. Then when I up-scaled and wore pants with no watch pocket I carried one in a little sheath that hung in the more slacks like pocket from a small cord on my belt. A SAK would have worked also. I carried a SAK hunting sometimes as a do all knife. But, to answer the starter of this thread. You can hear the opinions written here but I would recommend when you are new knife wanter or haven't gone to a knife show or your friends aren't knife people, to go somewhere handle all kinds. Then say why do I need a knife and get one that will do what you want and that feels good in your hand. But, since you are talking 303 this is my current favorite.

The 303 is along the bottom, these are Rosewood Dymondwood with brass bolsters, brass liners, SS springs and blades. The blades are not flat ground as many like, but are 420hc metal, heat treated with the Bos method. The photo shows all the models in the catalog.


Here is photo with 303 blades open in foreground.


Here's one I glued some wood on an made my own scales.


Here is a grey dymondwood scale, now discontinued, the Chairman series with red dymondwood scales, and Chuck Buck's signature and the yellow delrin scaled model, also recently discontinued.


Here is the old standard black sawcut version, I got the company presidents signature on the blade at an event.



Every so often they do a stag version. From the past you can find jigged bone and the yellow and grey versions if you look enough. I currently like the 303 in the top two photos the best, I gave away the custom one. That or 'ole sawcut black scale' will do you fine. Almost P.S. - the dymondwood model scales are held on by rivets but the black sawcut version has sort of melted hidden rivets showing only inside the liners and the escutcheon plate is cast as a pillar on the liner and sort of heat glued in its scale hole. Triva for the forum....the hole is saucer shaped inside and a plastic pillar from the scale is put thru and then press melted into the saucer and smoothed over. Edge of bolster is also undercut.


300Bucks
 
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