The newest addition to my knife collection is the Buck Tempest in ATS-34. The knife is quite attractive with a 3" drop point blade and machined aluminum handles anodized in a variety of colours. The knife is listed with a 3 1/4" blade, but I feel it is more like 3" measured from the beginning to end of the cutting edge, not from tip to base. Overall, the knife measures 7 5/8" opened and just under 4" when closed. I'm more used to carrying smaller knives for EDC, so the Tempest provides slightly more noticeable bulk in the pocket.
The knife is an assisted opener with both ambidextrous thumbstuds and a finger flipper to facilitate opening. Out of the box, the assisted open function was sluggish and felt gritty. It failed to completely open and lock the blade. The problem was solved by a few drops of RemOil lube into the pivot and working the action open and closed a dozen or so times. After the excess oil was wiped off, the pivot was much smoother and the blade flipped open quickly and smoothly. One interesting feature on this knife is the cam-lock just behind the finger flipper. This unit functions as a safety to prevent accidental opening of the blade. Simply push the cam forward and the blade will not open no matter how hard you push on the thumbstuds or flipper.
The Tempest comes in two blade steels: 420HC and ATS-34. Going with 420HC will allow you a greater variety of handle colours, while ATS-34 only allows you a dark gunmetal colour, which I find attractive. My ATS-34 Tempest was shaving sharp out of the box. As a quick test, I cut the cardboard shipping box to shreds with the knife. Afterwards, I whittled a few elm branches into little spears and found the blade just as shaving sharp.
Overall, a very nice knife for the money in my opinion. However, if you are more used to carrying smaller knives for EDC, consider the Buck Rush. It has all the same features as the Tempest, but has a smaller 2 1/2" blade.
The knife is an assisted opener with both ambidextrous thumbstuds and a finger flipper to facilitate opening. Out of the box, the assisted open function was sluggish and felt gritty. It failed to completely open and lock the blade. The problem was solved by a few drops of RemOil lube into the pivot and working the action open and closed a dozen or so times. After the excess oil was wiped off, the pivot was much smoother and the blade flipped open quickly and smoothly. One interesting feature on this knife is the cam-lock just behind the finger flipper. This unit functions as a safety to prevent accidental opening of the blade. Simply push the cam forward and the blade will not open no matter how hard you push on the thumbstuds or flipper.
The Tempest comes in two blade steels: 420HC and ATS-34. Going with 420HC will allow you a greater variety of handle colours, while ATS-34 only allows you a dark gunmetal colour, which I find attractive. My ATS-34 Tempest was shaving sharp out of the box. As a quick test, I cut the cardboard shipping box to shreds with the knife. Afterwards, I whittled a few elm branches into little spears and found the blade just as shaving sharp.
Overall, a very nice knife for the money in my opinion. However, if you are more used to carrying smaller knives for EDC, consider the Buck Rush. It has all the same features as the Tempest, but has a smaller 2 1/2" blade.
