Buck Knives and Diminishing Returns.

eveled said:
Nothing wrong with buying what you want. Buying what makes you happy is a good investment in another way.

When I said a bad investment I did not mean you could sell it for a profit. I meant you get less functionality for the extra amount spent.

The $75 spent on a standard 118, gets you a knife that will cut very good, with a rock solid handle and a decent sheath. The knife will last you a lifetime.

The Pro is $150, is it really twice the knife? Does it cut twice as well? Is the sheath better? Will it last you 2 lifetimes?

My point is the diminishing returns. To the OP’s point after a certain point each dollar you spend gets you less and less.

Probably a pour choice of words on my part, and I certainly meant no disrespect.
Click to expand...
Does it have green micarta? Yup.
Could I order it on the day I did? Yup

So far as I can tell, standard 118 is not available new from Buck
 
Bastler said:
Yes, please. Buck's 420HC is perfectly serviceable steel and would bring the price closer to my miserly budget.
Click to expand...
its not really the price of the steel that is all that much more. some sure, but new models have r&d and setup costs to recoup......

having a 420hc blade in a sport isn't going to drop the price point all that much.....
 
jbmonkey said:
its not really the price of the steel that is all that much more. some sure, but new models have r&d and setup costs to recoup......

having a 420hc blade in a sport isn't going to drop the price point all that much.....
Click to expand...

Good point. The custom shop shows a $13 upgrade for S30V. But then, I like 420HC and I would like to have that option, even if the savings isn't all that much.

ETA I didn't mean to derail the discussion. Feel free to disregard anything I say.
 
Bastler said:
Good point. The custom shop shows a $13 upgrade for S30V. But then, I like 420HC and I would like to have that option, even if the savings isn't all that much.

ETA I didn't mean to derail the discussion. Feel free to disregard anything I say.
Click to expand...
no harm..
all threads go in different directions...
for a bit....
 
Buck has always been known for value..But the standard models are made in huge numbers and has been for decades. All R+D costs were recovered years ago ao they CAN be sold cheeper. CJ especially proposed 'Lean Manufacturing' to drive the costs to make a 'standard' 110 or similar model as low as possible. Variations have increased costs at every step. From packaging, designs, marketing and every other cost of delivering it to the final customer. Make 50,000 of anything versus 250 or 1,000 its going to cost more per unit.
Probably the biggest reason so many of the newer models have a higher cost over 'standard' is we will pay it...
 
Don’t get me wrong I really like Bucks 420hc and have several models in it. But I learned a long time ago about having a knife that will keep an edge in tough, dirty and demanding conditions. There are times when urgency requires something a lot better with no time to waste resharpening. It doesn’t happen every day or frequently but when it happens a sharp edge that will keep going can be a life saver. There’s a couple of long stories that goes with that statement but I won’t add that. But that’s why my edc is super steel.

My camping and other sport knives don’t have to meet that high of expectations but I still will have at least one super steel blade on me and another in my vehicle. I know from experience they are worth it.
 
CPM steels are much more expensive per pound than 420 HC, but there aren’t many pounds of steel in a knife. 420 HC blades can be stamped from coil stock. CPM steels must be EDM’d, Water Jetted or Laser cut from sheets. Micarta and G-10 are generally more expensive to buy and fabricate than FRN or Valox. Take apart construction costs more than riveted construction. Economies of scale come into play as mentioned above. We have a nice variety of choices for different needs and budgets.
 
S35VN was a eye opener for me when Buck used it for the 112. Super steel 112's before 2015 were extremely rare and I didn't want to use any of the limited collectable versions I had. But I found a Slim Pro Plus 112 in S35VN cheep and it had a noticeable sharp edge that lasted for a long long time. I was sold!
 
bucksway said:
S35VN was a eye opener for me when Buck used it for the 112. Super steel 112's before 2015 were extremely rare and I didn't want to use any of the limited collectable versions I had. But I found a Slim Pro Plus 112 in S35VN cheep and it had a noticeable sharp edge that lasted for a long long time. I was sold!
Click to expand...
Glad to hear that since my new 118 is S35VN.:)
 
bucksway said:
S35VN was a eye opener for me when Buck used it for the 112. Super steel 112's before 2015 were extremely rare and I didn't want to use any of the limited collectable versions I had. But I found a Slim Pro Plus 112 in S35VN cheep and it had a noticeable sharp edge that lasted for a long long time. I was sold!
Click to expand...
sharp enough to cut a tongue even😁
 
Nothing wrong with Buck's 420HC; it's a tough, highly stain-resistant steel that takes a fine edge with little effort. That said, I do appreciate Buck's higher end knives, my BassPro 110 in CPM-154 with its coated blade, my Custom Shop 112 with oak grips and S30V and my Slim Pro in G10 and S30V. Buck knives still give the best bang for the (sorry 😁 ) buck.
 
The OP makes a very real and significant point, one which can not be ignored in light of being a good steward of the resources we are responsible for. Our national character and work ethic are reflected in the quality of the products we produce and it is easy to see that our present day mediocrity also affects Buck. How I wish the same boyhood exalted opinion I had of Buck was still alive today, even though I love the brand, that opinion has changed.

Really hoping Buck takes a long hard look at its quality control and moves to restore its legendary reputation.
 
skypeace skypeace I’ve noticed the same thing. I’m not sure if it’s Buck’s fault or my loss of innocence. Nothing is as good now as I remember it being.
 
eveled said:
skypeace skypeace I’ve noticed the same thing. I’m not sure if it’s Buck’s fault or my loss of innocence. Nothing is as good now as I remember it being.
Click to expand...
everything in the past is always better than it is now....least our minds seem to remember it that way.......

it isnt really always true though...we tend to remember only the good and forget the bad. likewise our standards over quality and reliability etc seem to grow faster than technology can keep up.

one example atari...when i used to play I had to take out the cartridge and reinsert. had this crazy idear blowing air on it made it work better. did that so many times every session. never once did it dawn on me the machine was defective or bad. eveurone else was like mine. flash forward to today. first time that happened the machine would be back at the Walmart return line and replaced as defective.

flip over to knives...on blade play and grind angles and consistency. there is no way these were better back 50 years ago. we just didn't know about it or care. over time we have come to expect perfection....

more importantly, things were very pricey long ago. so pricey we didn't own dozens of knives plus. we had one or two. the reduction of pricing for items is amazing really.

when i was a kid. we had one car, one tv and it was a heavy clunky box and small screen. my mom hung clothes outside to dry...we had no dryer. we washed dishes in a sink we had no dishwasher. we all shared one bathroom..we didn't have a bunch of them like today. there was no clutter of goods in the house, parents couldnt afford it. could go on for hours about what we didn't have.....now one could argue how great the products were and how they lasted....but they cost a lot and no one could afford to repalce them. had to repair everything when it broke and it wasn't cheap either. broken anything was a huge hit and long time to get it fixed. we just tolerated the wait and the cost cause we had no choice.

anyways...im not seeing what y'all are. Bucks today seem decently made for the price points.

last thing...if this post was tl;dr and ya didn't read...I dont blame ya. I would have skipped over it too.....😁
 
jbmonkey said:
anyways...im not seeing what y'all are. Bucks today seem decently made for the price points.
Click to expand...
Agreed with most all of what you said up to this. Seems today a standard of mediocrity is always excused by "bang for the bang" or for "what it costs."
Here is a video that speaks directly to quality control. Read some of the comments below the video. We buy Buck Knives with a certain expectation of quality control and standards, regardless of price.
 
skypeace said:
Agreed with most all of what you said up to this. Seems today a standard of mediocrity is always excused by "bang for the bang" or for "what it costs."
Here is a video that speaks directly to quality control. Read some of the comments below the video. We buy Buck Knives with a certain expectation of quality control and standards, regardless of price.
Click to expand...
You are quite right the video does speak directly to quality control. I think, however, there are some caveats to consider. The sample size for Buck is a total of two knives vs. however many knives Buck manufacturers and distributes per month, or per year. This sample size is statistically insignificant. The sample size for any other brand of knife in the video is one. Again a statistically insignificant number of samples. This is anecdotal evidence at best. And by no means, an accurate picture of true quality control by any knife company represented in the video.

I understand what you are saying. And there is always a point of diminishing returns. Some knives, regardless of brand, are going to slip through with poor workmanship. However, I would also consider Buck's guarantee which we know is one of the best, if not the best, in the industry. My two cents.
 
skypeace said:
Agreed with most all of what you said up to this. Seems today a standard of mediocrity is always excused by "bang for the bang" or for "what it costs."
Here is a video that speaks directly to quality control. Read some of the comments below the video. We buy Buck Knives with a certain expectation of quality control and standards, regardless of price.
Click to expand...
so videos about bevel consistency? and thats still being done by hand at Buck, is about quality? I dont know there. I guarantee I own more newer made Bucks this this video fella. seems he didnt even own the two he compared. wow didn't even buy his own to make a slam video. he used others peoples pics. I have many excellent bevels, I'd say most are very good.. some are excellent and i dont have any that aren't good enougj for use as a knife and knife tasks. cosmetically a rare few that aren't so great, but work as a knife.

regardless how can we compare old to new on this? anyone got a big run of 1950 or even 1980 made Bucks with original edges still?

once again i stick to my in the old days we never would have complained about a knife edge bevel being perfect visually. we would have just adjusted it to our own liking on the stones.

as for the video guy whos too cheap to buy his own for a video slam. he should stick to robot made bevels like mora does. that should keep him happy...but bet he'd even complain about the robot steps for absolute perfection skipped to keep costs low for the end user.
 
I don’t know about all of this. A few weeks ago I paid $200 for a new Buck, more than I ever thought I’d pay for a knife. I love the knife, love using it, fidgeting with it, and just looking at it. I don’t buy a lot of knives, but I do plenty of research and read every review I can find before taking the plunge on a new one, especially at this price point or higher. Blade and handle design are beautiful. Materials, fit and finish are as good as I could ever expect. To me it is easily worth every penny I paid for it. This is my first and only Buck so far, but this experience combined with everything I’ve read says this is the kind of quality to expect from them. Whatever I decide my next knife will be, if there’s one in Buck’s lineup, that’s where I’ll be looking first.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top