Buck Bravo: Yeah or Nay?

Yep, I used to be a liner-lock hater, but there are some well made ones out there. Just wondering how this Buck stacks up in the crowd.

For myself, liner-locks are ok. I`m not running around thwacking the spine on everything I see.
 
Tony_A said:
"Heavy duty" and liner-locking are (IMO) mutually exclusive.
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Spoken like a man who has never used a Spyderco Military ... or a Buck Bravo. :D

The liner lock may have its drawbacks but there are a number of knives using it that have held up well to heavy work. I have a Bravo and was really impressed with its construction, and especially impressed with the blade. Great steel, holds that edge, cuts beautifully.

Drawback: unusual blade shape is not ideal for all purposes. (This is one of the few knives I own that doesn't see kitchen time. :) )
 
i have its first cousin the alpha hunter and i think the frames are the same
( the blades can be interchanged )
it is one heavy duty folding knife..
i have "thwacked" the back of the blade and found it solid ..
it is a tad large on the belt but i would have used this baby on past construction sites had it been made then as it is a FINE one hander! the blade will flip out oh so easily!
you can get several types of grips and interchange them easily..
and there is a start of folks makeing custom grips for it.
i find it is 'neat' looking with out the grips also tho it is not so easly held.
for a hard working folding knife i rate this as a diffrent but equal to the 110
 
Thanks for the input Esav..........I`ll take that as a Yeah. (it won`t see my kitchen either)
The blade is different, but I dig the size and shape. Fit and finish is tough to tell from just a few pics, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt beings it was a USA Buck.
 
334dave said:
i have its first cousin the alpha hunter and i think the frames are the same
( the blades can be interchanged )
it is one heavy duty folding knife..
i have "thwacked" the back of the blade and found it solid ..
it is a tad large on the belt but i would have used this baby on past construction sites had it been made then as it is a FINE one hander! the blade will flip out oh so easily!
you can get several types of grips and interchange them easily..
and there is a start of folks makeing custom grips for it.
i find it is 'neat' looking with out the grips also tho it is not so easly held.
for a hard working folding knife i rate this as a diffrent but equal to the 110
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Damn, those frames are the same. I wish the Alpha had a clip though. Would be cool to exchange the blades.

As tough as a 110? That is a nice endorsement. Thank you Dave for your info, another Yeah!
 
serratededge said:
Yep, I used to be a liner-lock hater, but there are some well made ones out there. Just wondering how this Buck stacks up in the crowd.

For myself, liner-locks are ok. I`m not running around thwacking the spine on everything I see.
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Esav's comments notwithstanding. Take a hard look at picture # 7 of 17 in your link.

Ask yourself if that little leafspring and it's 1-2mm contact area looks "heavy duty" to you, when compared to nearly any other lock (framelock, lockback, axis lock, etc,etc)

If so, what does your idea of a medium or light duty lock look like?

(no sarcasm intended, I really want to know)
 
I merely inquired about the overall fit, finish and function of the Buck Bravo. The handle is hefty, the blade is thick, and its made in the USA by Buck and that is what caught my eye. I have and use stud locks, lock backs, axis locks, liner locks etc. from many different companies.

A folder is a folder, meaning the knife is made to open and close. The locks that they are designed with are mean`t to hold them in the open position while using. Now if you are using your folder in a manner that jeprodizes your safety, you are using it wrong. IMHO, liner locks from the better name companies produce a lock sufficient to use if used properly, such as Buck, Kershaw, Benchmade or Spyderco (not including China made knives).

If you are worried your lock will fail or use your knife improperly, don`t use a folder, use a fixed blade.
 
serratededge said:
If you are worried your lock will fail or use your knife improperly, don`t use a folder, use a fixed blade.
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Says it all.

What do you want a knife for, that the liner lock isn't good enough? Cutting properly, you don't even need a lock. Cutting in a rough environment, or where you might need to twist the blade around a bit, the lock is an additional safety -- additional to your own skill and attention span.

Don't measure the effectiveness of the lock with your eye on a picture. Measure it with the knife in hand. Go ahead and spine whack the Bravo. It won't fold on you. That little leafspring is made of an amazing material known as steel -- it's stronger than it looks. :)
 
The Alpha Folding Hunter seems stout locked open - but the #419 Folding Kalinga Pro seems even more so - and it's blade is S30V. The upsweep of it's blade seems more useful to me than a Tanto tip. Still, that constant wedge... may have to add a Bravo to the want list. And that from a dyed-in-the-wool 110 lover!

Stainz
 
The Bravo tip is not your standard Americanized tanto It is really strange. The angles all over the blade intersect in unique ways. It's fun to play with and would probably be really good on a construction worksite.
 
Where's the rest of the tip??;) I like the looks of it too, as I have a Buck strider that I took on deployment with me and found to be an awesome knife. I would say yeah without reservations but I like a knife you can stab with, I know the besh wedge is supposed to superior to other tips for strength and penetration but until I get to use one myself I'm a bit skeptical. Just doesn't look like a sticker, or looks more like a broken one.
 
Not to drag the thread off topic, but I have a question about the ad copy on that Airsoft Pacific page. I know it was writen by someone who probably isn't well versed in knife terminology, but it refers to the handle slabs as G-10, FRN, and Micarta all in the same breath. I was under the impression that they were all different materials, if only slightly different. :confused:

Airsoft Pacific said:
The scales on this folder are made from a black G-10 glass filled polymer or "Micarta".
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never too sharp said:
Not to drag the thread off topic, but I have a question about the ad copy on that Airsoft Pacific page. I know it was writen by someone who probably isn't well versed in knife terminology, but it refers to the handle slabs as G-10, FRN, and Micarta all in the same breath. I was under the impression that they were all different materials, if only slightly different. :confused:
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Originally Posted by Airsoft Pacific
The scales on this folder are made from a black G-10 glass filled polymer or "Micarta".
Another ad writer running amock among the technical terms.

You are correct. They are different
--G10 is always layers of glass fabric embedded in epoxy.
--FRN is individual glass fibers mixed into Nylon. FRN has to be injection molded into shape.
--Micarta can be any of several reinforcements, though usually not glass fabric, encased in any of several polymers, usually epoxy or phenolic.
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knarfeng said:
Originally Posted by Airsoft Pacific
The scales on this folder are made from a black G-10 glass filled polymer or "Micarta".
Another ad writer running amock among the technical terms.

You are correct. They are different
--G10 is always layers of glass fabric embedded in epoxy.
--FRN is individual glass fibers mixed into Nylon. FRN has to be injection molded into shape.
--Micarta can be any of several reinforcements, though usually not glass fabric, encased in any of several polymers, usually epoxy or phenolic.
Click to expand...

Maybe they mean that it's available in both...take your pick, micarta OR G-10.

Edited to add: Looks like a folding chisel. :)
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First I hear of this one. Looks really good. Good steel, simple proven design, good lockup, seems well made. Reminds me of a cqc7 but with the Besh design tanto. Not bad at all.
There are barely even a handful of production folders I would consider buying at this point. But this Bravo is certainly one of them.
 
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