Thanks to A2D2, I recently received a Buck Hartsook Neck Knife. Here's the Buck product page: http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/detail/564/234
This is a unique knife for me. It's my first Buck fixed blade, my only coated knife, my only neck knife, my first fixed blade without scales and my only S30V knife. When I first saw it I was attracted to the knife, but I wasn't completely sure why. I didn't see it as practical compared to a Victorinox Classic, I didn't expect it to become my sole EDC, and I didn't see what use it would get if I carried it along with my typical EDC folder. *shrug*
The knife has been growing on me though. The first things I noticed about it were its slimness and light weight. It's very easy to carry in the front pocket, watch pocket, in the wallet, behind the wallet, front shirt pocket, tucked away in a belt etc. This seems to be one of its best points, how easy it can be to carry. For instance around the house I'll often wear athletic shorts rather than jeans and I've just been tucking it in my waistband on my right hip. I haven't tried carrying it around my neck because I know I would not personally find that comfortable (I hate wearing anything at all around my neck), but I think if you were the type that's inclined to do that it would work very well for that. It's slim design wouldn't stand out under the shirt and with how light it is it wouldn't be bothersome hanging from your neck.
The large front choil gives me a surprisingly secure grip. I have much more control with cuts than I expected from a knife so thin and small. I pinch it between my index finger and thumb, with my middle finger not applying pressure, just being there to help steady it. The spine jimping struck me as odd though, because my most commonly used grip has my thumb resting in between the two sections of it. I think it would of been better to just have one long strip of jimping. The forward section is nice though, because it helps you retain the knife when choking up for more point-orientated work, which this knife excels at.
One issue I found with the sheath design is that if you wish to cord wrap the handle or apply scales, you can only go as far as the second hole in the handle. If you try to wrap around the front choil you won't be able to sheath the knife, as I found out. Not much of an issue for me, since I prefer the knife unwrapped, but something you might want to keep in mind if you planned to cordwrap one. Overall though the sheath works well. Snaps the blade in and holds it securely. It hasn't ever accidentally released for me. It keeps a thin profile so as to not add much bulk. My sheath is a little different than the stock one, as you'll see in photos. I like how it is (Was shipped to me from A2D2 like this) because I don't intend to wear it as a neck knife, so it makes the package even flatter.
An aspect I like about the knife in comparison to a folder is the simple, one-piece design. Extremely easy to clean. No moving parts, no scales to trap moisture etc. I've had no issues with rust using it in the kitchen to cut veggies and meats, nor with getting it covered in sweat or water. It's actually become one of my favorite knives to peel carrots with, something I do a lot when I cook.
As with every Buck knife I've owned (Large stockman, 110, 112) I felt the factory edge was much too obtuse. Eventually I'll reprofile it. For now though I've just been touching it up with a strop and ceramic rod. The S30V blade takes a noticeable amount of effort to get sharp compared to knives I'm used to (SAKs, Byrds, Opinels and carbon steel fixed blades) but I did achieve a hair popping edge with it after some persistence. I haven't noticed anything special in the way of edge-holding compared to the knives I mentioned, which is something S30V is usually noted for. Over time this might change, I haven't had the knife for very long. One more thing I'd change about it would be removing the sharpening choil.
Overall I'm happy with the knife, but I'm still not very sure how much I'll use it. I tend to carry large folders, so having something small for precision work is nice, but with a Victorinox Classic on my keychain it seems redundant. Oh well, I like the knife enough that I still carry it. I'd be fine carrying it alone for the majority of my knife tasks. It seems like a knife that could find many uses, such as throwing in a PSK, using on small fish and game, leatherwork etc.
This is a unique knife for me. It's my first Buck fixed blade, my only coated knife, my only neck knife, my first fixed blade without scales and my only S30V knife. When I first saw it I was attracted to the knife, but I wasn't completely sure why. I didn't see it as practical compared to a Victorinox Classic, I didn't expect it to become my sole EDC, and I didn't see what use it would get if I carried it along with my typical EDC folder. *shrug*
The knife has been growing on me though. The first things I noticed about it were its slimness and light weight. It's very easy to carry in the front pocket, watch pocket, in the wallet, behind the wallet, front shirt pocket, tucked away in a belt etc. This seems to be one of its best points, how easy it can be to carry. For instance around the house I'll often wear athletic shorts rather than jeans and I've just been tucking it in my waistband on my right hip. I haven't tried carrying it around my neck because I know I would not personally find that comfortable (I hate wearing anything at all around my neck), but I think if you were the type that's inclined to do that it would work very well for that. It's slim design wouldn't stand out under the shirt and with how light it is it wouldn't be bothersome hanging from your neck.
The large front choil gives me a surprisingly secure grip. I have much more control with cuts than I expected from a knife so thin and small. I pinch it between my index finger and thumb, with my middle finger not applying pressure, just being there to help steady it. The spine jimping struck me as odd though, because my most commonly used grip has my thumb resting in between the two sections of it. I think it would of been better to just have one long strip of jimping. The forward section is nice though, because it helps you retain the knife when choking up for more point-orientated work, which this knife excels at.
One issue I found with the sheath design is that if you wish to cord wrap the handle or apply scales, you can only go as far as the second hole in the handle. If you try to wrap around the front choil you won't be able to sheath the knife, as I found out. Not much of an issue for me, since I prefer the knife unwrapped, but something you might want to keep in mind if you planned to cordwrap one. Overall though the sheath works well. Snaps the blade in and holds it securely. It hasn't ever accidentally released for me. It keeps a thin profile so as to not add much bulk. My sheath is a little different than the stock one, as you'll see in photos. I like how it is (Was shipped to me from A2D2 like this) because I don't intend to wear it as a neck knife, so it makes the package even flatter.
An aspect I like about the knife in comparison to a folder is the simple, one-piece design. Extremely easy to clean. No moving parts, no scales to trap moisture etc. I've had no issues with rust using it in the kitchen to cut veggies and meats, nor with getting it covered in sweat or water. It's actually become one of my favorite knives to peel carrots with, something I do a lot when I cook.
As with every Buck knife I've owned (Large stockman, 110, 112) I felt the factory edge was much too obtuse. Eventually I'll reprofile it. For now though I've just been touching it up with a strop and ceramic rod. The S30V blade takes a noticeable amount of effort to get sharp compared to knives I'm used to (SAKs, Byrds, Opinels and carbon steel fixed blades) but I did achieve a hair popping edge with it after some persistence. I haven't noticed anything special in the way of edge-holding compared to the knives I mentioned, which is something S30V is usually noted for. Over time this might change, I haven't had the knife for very long. One more thing I'd change about it would be removing the sharpening choil.
Overall I'm happy with the knife, but I'm still not very sure how much I'll use it. I tend to carry large folders, so having something small for precision work is nice, but with a Victorinox Classic on my keychain it seems redundant. Oh well, I like the knife enough that I still carry it. I'd be fine carrying it alone for the majority of my knife tasks. It seems like a knife that could find many uses, such as throwing in a PSK, using on small fish and game, leatherwork etc.
that thing is tiny ! Im always surprised by size comparisons .
