Buck Disappoints...

S

Schony

Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
60
So a couple month's ago I bought a Vantage Force Pro, top of the line vantage model. I did a lot of reading and understood the problems they where having in the "early" models. I really liked the design and the looks of the knife so I took the gamble and got me one. Its a great knife really like it, blade was centered, Fit and finish good all was well except the lockup. 50% of the time when opening the lock bar would go all the way to one side up to the liner. I REALLY didn't like this, but thought I would give buck a chance and send it back, means how I liked it so much. Got it back today and it's even worse! Looks like they re-ground the tang and now it goes over all the way pretty much every time! I could understand if it was one of there $20 knives but this is getting up there in price. Guess I am just a little let down... what'd ya do lol
 
Call up Buck! IMO they have some of the greatest customer service in the knife industry. They'll fix your issue, for sure.
 
I'll give them a call and see what they can do. To the regular joe there probably wouldn't be an issue, but me being a "knife nut" I guess I'm just a little on the picky side. With so many other options out there I'm not going to fuss with it much more. Would make a nice gift for one of my buddies :)
 
Buck will definately take care of you,mistakes happens sometimes,but i'll bet my last Buck knife they will make it right,i know it sucks sending it back,but we are all human,stuff happens
 
Schony, I'm kinda curious... so the linerlock went all the way over. How is the lockup ?
Is it good and tight or is there play fore and aft?
If it's tight what would the issue be?
 
I've got the Vantage force avid and select and they're both great knives. perfect F&F and razor shop out of the box...you must of got the exception instead of the rule..
 
sitflyer said:
Schony, I'm kinda curious... so the linerlock went all the way over. How is the lockup ?
Is it good and tight or is there play fore and aft?
If it's tight what would the issue be?
Click to expand...

I didn't say anything, because I don't have much experience with liner-locks........but I was wondering the same thing.

(?)
 
I got a buck vantage about a year and a half ago and even though i have picked up newer EDC's my vantage still seems to sneak into my pocket almost everyday.
Bottom line I Love Buck knivess!
( I also own numerous other buck knives and love them dearly )
 
I had this same issue with a Sirius 298 (in 154CM).

If you opened it slowly, the liner would engage dead center with the heel of the blade. Nice and tight, no play. Closing was not a problem.

If, on the other hand, you allowed it to open will full vigor, the opening snap allowed the liner lock to slide all the way across the heel of the blade and meet the opposite liner. Still no play, and still nice and tight, but it was a freakin' bear to close. You had to "encourage" the blade to let go of the liner.

Pretty much the opposite of handy.

So I took it back to the factory. I figured they would repair it (I envisioned a new liner or frame). I reasoned thus because the blade had been signed by both Chuck and CJ at one of the factory sale events, and I figured that blades signed by the execs would not be something you just had lying around the place. I figured that if it needed more than a simple repair they would call me, since I'm local.

A few days later, I got my knife back in the mail.

It was perfect. Opened and closed exactly as you would expect, both for slow opens and snap opens. All was right with the world. But wait . . . what? The blade was now S30V? Hold on a minute . . . the two signatures were still there, but instead of the original "Chuck Buck '08" and "CJ Buck '08," those signatures now had '09 after them. On closer examination, and comparing it with my original photos, I realized they had replaced the whole knife with a new one. And then they'd taken the trouble to get the blade signed for me before mailing it back.


Talk to them. Let them know what's going on with the liner lock.

While I can't personally guarantee that they'll make it right, my own experience would seem to point that way.

 
As others have stated. If the lockup is solid with the lockbar all the way over I don't see the problem. If it develops blade play then send it back under warranty. If it's not solid now I'd be calling Buck and getting it redone again or replaced.
 
It IS solid I should have just waited until it developed blade play before sending it in. It just goes all the way over and just doesn't seam right. I don't think I will contact Buck again about guess I am just being to picky. None of my other knives does this so I just figured something was out of wack. I wasn't trying to "thrash" on Buck here I've owned a Buck knife since I was 10 when I started deer hunting... probably the 1st real knife I ever got.
 
The linerlock going all the way over doesn't allow for potential wear further down the line. With a bit of wear, there will be blade play. Whereas if the linerlock consistently engaged earlier, then with further wear the linerlock would just move over further. All this means is that his Vantage's lock will potentially wear sooner and eventually develop bladeplay sooner than if the lock had engaged earlier.
 
I would also say that something isn't right with the knife. I have a bunch of Vantages and other linerlocks from Buck and not one engages like the OP describes. I would send it back to Buck along with a note expressing your concerns and mark it Attention Joe Houser. He's great at seeing that things get done right.
 
Not to turn this into a Buck Slam Fest, BUT:

I have same prob with Vantage Force Avid. Liner lock almost touches liner on the opposite side. Have Vantage Pro and Vantage Avid, both fine. Plus the flip sucks.

Yes, the Force locks up tight, but also yes, bound to develop play over time with normal use. I guess I'll send it in when that happens.

I would have sent it back right off the bat, except I also recently just sent back a Bucklite Max that had terrible play both horizontal and vertical. They fixed the horizontal, but vertical still poor, even though it's a back lock.

Also have vertical play in a 110 Ecolite, again hard to believe with a back lock knife -- AND bought two Gents as gifts, and $1.99 gas station specials have much better lockup, I kid you not.

So I'm 5 down in my last 4 purchases. Quite depressing to say I've likely bought my last Buck.

- OS
 
So I went by the factory today . . .

I had a 112 EcoLite (FB) that wasn't closing right.

Customer Service gal took it out to Danny. Few minutes later it was pronounced "unrepairable" and they swapped it for a new one (non-FB).

In and out in under ten minutes with a new-in-box replacement.

I have yet to have a bad customer service experience there. And, considering that I've had a handful of such visits and I have way more than a handful of their products, I'd say they're doing alright in ratio of problems-to-perfect.

I'll be back.

 
Anybody know how a new 112 could be unrepairable?

Or did they mean they didn't have time to repair it immediately so they'd replace it instead and repair it later?

Do they actually throw away 112s that aren't working quite right?

Seems like it would usually be just a matter of replacing a part.
 
BG42EDGE said:
Anybody know how a new 112 could be unrepairable?

Or did they mean they didn't have time to repair it immediately so they'd replace it instead and repair it later?

Do they actually throw away 112s that aren't working quite right?

Seems like it would usually be just a matter of replacing a part.
Click to expand...

Just a guess but on the Ecolite the cost point (about 1/3 less retail then a standard 112) might be low enough that it's cheaper to replace then the labor and material cost to repair.
 
Thanks, that must be it.

Wonder if there are dumpster divers salvaging the ones that get thrown away?

:)
 
BG42EDGE said:
Thanks, that must be it.

Wonder if there are dumpster divers salvaging the ones that get thrown away?

:)
Click to expand...

I believe they donate all those knives to needy in another country. I'm thinking I remember Africa, but I can't be sure. That was all part of learning about Buck when I took their factory tour earlier this year.
 
ArfinGreebly said:
I had this same issue with a Sirius 298 (in 154CM).

If you opened it slowly, the liner would engage dead center with the heel of the blade. Nice and tight, no play. Closing was not a problem.

If, on the other hand, you allowed it to open will full vigor, the opening snap allowed the liner lock to slide all the way across the heel of the blade and meet the opposite liner. Still no play, and still nice and tight, but it was a freakin' bear to close. You had to "encourage" the blade to let go of the liner.

Pretty much the opposite of handy.

So I took it back to the factory. I figured they would repair it (I envisioned a new liner or frame). I reasoned thus because the blade had been signed by both Chuck and CJ at one of the factory sale events, and I figured that blades signed by the execs would not be something you just had lying around the place. I figured that if it needed more than a simple repair they would call me, since I'm local.

A few days later, I got my knife back in the mail.

It was perfect. Opened and closed exactly as you would expect, both for slow opens and snap opens. All was right with the world. But wait . . . what? The blade was now S30V? Hold on a minute . . . the two signatures were still there, but instead of the original "Chuck Buck '08" and "CJ Buck '08," those signatures now had '09 after them. On closer examination, and comparing it with my original photos, I realized they had replaced the whole knife with a new one. And then they'd taken the trouble to get the blade signed for me before mailing it back.


Talk to them. Let them know what's going on with the liner lock.

While I can't personally guarantee that they'll make it right, my own experience would seem to point that way.

Click to expand...

Thats cool... I sent a couple 110's in some time back, for a spa treatment. When they came back, they didn't look good at all. It wasn't a crisis, things hapen.
On the other hand, they have done things before, that were far beyond what anyone could hope for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top