Buck 661 Pursuit (small)Lockback knife...not impressed with the spring bar.

[Frotier76]

Saturday I had just received my Buck 661 Pursuit lockback and I like lightweight lockbacks so I have to admit this felt really good in the hand. I have to admit though I'm not digging the spring bar they use from a few observances as a design I've never seen before...

*This design seems to be a thinner, tapering bar that's held in place by nesting into the plastic scales. So no this isn't a post design fitted into the metal spacer...this seats in front of the metal spacer held up by plastic.

*A bit of vertical blade play when I bare down to cut. I can grab the blade spine and feel that small degree of vertical movement.

Now I have an old 450 Protégé and a 442 Bucklite that use the cylindrical post found in the 110/112 models and are rock solid/no play. I noticed this similar problem when the 722 Spitfire came out from a thin spring bar design and blade play it created. This is the kind of flaw you feel on a $10 gas station knife. I just don't understand the cheap spring-bar approach. I'm definitely concerned the Pursuit's spring bar will slip out of one of the plastic notches it seat in from wear or stress.

This knife was definitely not worth the $50.

 

[Makael]

Saturday I had just received my Buck 661 Pursuit lockback and I like lightweight lockbacks so I have to admit this felt really good in the hand. I have to admit though I'm not digging the spring bar they use from a few observances as a design I've never seen before...

*This design seems to be a thinner, tapering bar that's held in place by nesting into the plastic scales. So no this isn't a post design fitted into the metal spacer...this seats in front of the metal spacer held up by plastic.

*A bit of vertical blade play when I bare down to cut. I can grab the blade spine and feel that small degree of vertical movement.

Now I have an old 450 Protégé and a 442 Bucklite that use the cylindrical post found in the 110/112 models and are rock solid/no play. I noticed this similar problem when the 722 Spitfire came out from a thin spring bar design and blade play it created. This is the kind of flaw you feel on a $10 gas station knife. I just don't understand the cheap spring-bar approach. I'm definitely concerned the Pursuit's spring bar will slip out of one of the plastic notches it seat in from wear or stress.

This knife was definitely not worth the $50.

I cant imagine the spring bar will slip out of the notches. The Spitfire was updated as well. too bad you have a small degree of movement vertically.

 

[jbmonkey]

doubt it will slip out or break but if it does.......it has a lifetime warranty....if it slips or breaks under normal cutting use..... send it back.

 

[Frotier76]

doubt it will slip out or break but if it does.......it has a lifetime warranty....if it slips or breaks under normal cutting use..... send it back.

The thinner spring-bar design is why it has more flex giving that bit of play though. When you cut in normal use pressure is applied to the spring bar. If it's a thin design it will flex more and become more prone to the lockback lever from slipping out of the key-notch under normal use.

 

[jbmonkey]

The thinner spring-bar design is why it has more flex giving that bit of play though. When you cut in normal use pressure is applied to the spring bar. If it's a thin design it will flex more and become more prone to the lockback lever from slipping out of the key-notch under normal use.

has it though? has it been a constant issue posted about or known about? asking cause I've never seen it posted about but I dont watch everything everyday so may have missed it?

I'm thinking, but dont know obviously, that Buck engineers and testers would have flagged it if it would fail easily or at all.

 

[Frotier76]

I cant imagine the spring bar will slip out of the notches. The Spitfire was updated as well. too bad you have a small degree of movement vertically.

I agree that it would be hard to slip out of the notches UNLESS the rivets at the metal spacer region loosen over the years and the scales develop a little wiggle. I like FRN lockbacks but with that bit of flex I'm foreseeing the spring bar becoming dislodged from a notch in time.

That's good that Buck updated the spring bar on the 722 Spitfire due to customer feedback on the blade play. That does raise the question though on why release the Pursuit lockbacks with this similar blade play issue. What's the purpose? sell as many like this as-is until enough observant people complain then fix it?

At least there's the fixed blades of the Pursuit Series to turn to. But these lockbacks I'm not so sure about. On a lighter note someone on Amazon seemed to notice this blade play on their 659(large) folder so it's no fluke.

 

[Makael]

lockbacks can come with slight play now and again. The spitfire issue was different. Buck doesn't wait until customers complain before fixing. If I were you I would return the product and avoid Buck altogether. This isn't the first complaint you've had.

 

[Frotier76]

has it though? has it been a constant issue posted about or known about? asking cause I've never seen it posted about but I dont watch everything everyday so may have missed it?

I'm thinking, but dont know obviously, that Buck engineers and testers would have flagged it if it would fail easily or at all.

I'm a neutral person when it comes to buying knives...I like USA made and some imported. But some fans that don't want to hear about design flaws on USA made. But if the blade said Taiwan or China on it and had this spring-bar design and assembly? then they'd suddenly understand the design flaw.

I'm not indicating this knife is going to fail doing some pull-cuts. I'm pointing out it's going to wear a lot quicker under stress versus the 110/112 and the older Bucklites from a much tougher spring bar. Regardless of Lifetime Warranty it's a very cheap spring bar and isn't even as stout as the "S" spring bars that you see on Spyderco's and the China-made Gerber and Schrade's.

 

[jbmonkey]

I'm a neutral person when it comes to buying knives...I like USA made and some imported. But some fans that don't want to hear about design flaws on USA made. But if the blade said Taiwan or China on it and had this spring-bar design and assembly? then they'd suddenly understand the design flaw.

I'm not indicating this knife is going to fail doing some pull-cuts. I'm pointing out it's going to wear a lot quicker under stress versus the 110/112 and the older Bucklites from a much tougher spring bar. Regardless of Lifetime Warranty it's a very cheap spring bar and isn't even as stout as the "S" spring bars that you see on Spyderco's and the China-made Gerber and Schrade's.

I'm not sure if youre speaking in generalities or accusing me of being that way?


regardless........ and back to my question to you......so has this Buck knife and/or lock design failed or are you just afraid it could? saying it's a design flaw implies it has a history of failure.....are you saying and have seen that?

if you dont like the lock design, so be it. you can always just stick with the knife designs you like from Buck.

 

[Frotier76]

I'm not sure if youre speaking in generalities or accusing me of being that way?


regardless........ and back to my question to you......so has this Buck knife and/or lock design failed or are you just afraid it could? saying it's a design flaw implies it has a history of failure.....are you saying and have seen that?

if you dont like the lock design, so be it. you can always just stick with the knife designs you like from Buck.

I'm afraid that as the spring bar develops more flex under use it will lead to unexpected failure in normal use. I'm not trying to be condescending but I don't understand how you can't see a thick steel lockback lever pressing against a thin metal bar not developing more bend under stress(once again)...under normal use. Especially since the design itself already introduces blade play/signs of flex to the spring bar.

Stating design flaws also doesn't pertain solely to lock failure. It could be a pocket clip that seats on swelled center handle scales and develops outward bend while clipped on. It could be a thumb-stud style that catches on one's pockets and self deploys. It could mean breaking the blade tip on your knife means the safety switch is useless on an assisted-opener. It could mean the detent ball is tiny for a heavy bladed liner-lock knife with poor retention.

A "design flaw" is what the user notices about the product that affects their enjoyment or confidence in it. It wears no price tag nor country of manufacture...it's about what the consumers notices about the product. A cheap spring-bar is a pretty big design flaw.

 

[jbmonkey]

I'm afraid that as the spring bar develops more flex under use it will lead to unexpected failure in normal use. I'm not trying to be condescending but I don't understand how you can't see a thick steel lockback lever pressing against a thin metal bar not developing more bend under stress(once again)...under normal use. Especially since the design itself already introduces blade play/signs of flex to the spring bar.

Stating design flaws also doesn't pertain solely to lock failure. It could be a pocket clip that seats on swelled center handle scales and develops outward bend while clipped on. It could be a thumb-stud style that catches on one's pockets and self deploys. It could mean breaking the blade tip on your knife means the safety switch is useless on an assisted-opener. It could mean the detent ball is tiny for a heavy bladed liner-lock knife with poor retention.

A "design flaw" is what the user notices about the product that affects their enjoyment or confidence in it. It wears no price tag nor country of manufacture...it's about what the consumers notices about the product. A cheap spring-bar is a pretty big design flaw.

I'm not trying to be condescending either.......

what your stating isnt what I'd call a design flaw and more what id call.... a dislike based on your own opinion and there is nothing wrong with that. I was asking to understand what youre saying.

this is a forum to chit chat on Bucks and to explain and understand. seems we are doing that just fine, least from my point of view. we are talking about product and not each other so no issues there that I can see. I get clearly you dont like it and that's fine. I was trying to understand if you knew it had failed or would fail. I take it now as you're saying your dont know for sure it would fail, but dont trust it. fair statement?

you could reach out to Buck to express your dislike of the design and maybe if done nicely and politely, not saying you wouldnt do it that way just saying.....they might take the time to explain the testing done and change your mind...then again maybe you're right and theyll tell you not to use it for anything besides light cutting tasks. i have no idear what theyll say or do. this is their forum, but faster better results would come from a phone call, if info is requested or issuing a formal complaint is what you're after.

 

[GPyro]

I have seen that knife, and it just looked silly to me.

 

[bucksway]

When it first came out I hoped the blade geometry would make it possible to do a blade swap into a 112..Still do lol! It really is amazing to me just how many folding knives Buck makes with a 3 inch blade..

 

[Lesknife]

Seeing how this is a new model and not much user time or feedback yet why look for a problem that doesn’t yet exist? Or do you have any reviews or actual report that there has been a problem or failure? Use it and test it yourself and then come back later to reveal your findings. I am sure Buck has done testing before going into the production of these knives.