Buck Knives

J

JEPHCO

Joined
Jun 26, 2013
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15
Has anyone bought a current production Buck Folder? I purchased two a 110 and 112 both for gifts. These were made in the poorest quality. The handles were rough with burn marks and huge burrs from a router / CNC mill. The blades were dirty and the packaging was sub par leaving the knife to rattle around during shipping. These were going to be gifts but I couldn't give them to anybody. I sent them back to buck to just from their Warranty representative. He informs me that this is now normal as it is a cost vs labor thing. If this is the way Buck has gone I just purchased by last buck! I love my Old Timer!
 
Yeah I think Buck's design team has so many great products but its come down to the company would rather cut costs. There is a folder I want but every time I even think about purchasing it, a part of me is just like, it's Buck.
 
JEPHCO said:
Has anyone bought a current production Buck Folder? I purchased two a 110 and 112 both for gifts. These were made in the poorest quality. The handles were rough with burn marks and huge burrs from a router / CNC mill. The blades were dirty and the packaging was sub par leaving the knife to rattle around during shipping. These were going to be gifts but I couldn't give them to anybody. I sent them back to buck to just from their Warranty representative. He informs me that this is now normal as it is a cost vs labor thing. If this is the way Buck has gone I just purchased by last buck! I love my Old Timer!
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Boy, makes me scared for the 112FG and the 303 I just bought!
:eek:
 
I just got in the mail a Buck Vantage Pro with the desert tan handle. It is a nice, well constructed knife. Fit and finish is as good as any production knife I own. I am very happy with it and would not hesitate to recommend it.
:thumbup:
 
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I recently bought a new 501 through Amazon and the knife was rattling around in a box with a card and sheath. It was poorly made with terrible transition in the scales from the middle to the ends. The blade finish was quite rough and had poor lockup. It was a bad start for the first Buck I bought since 2008 (a 110 which ended up going back to them for lockup issues). I exchanged it with Amazon and got a much better example in terms of lockup but the scales were the same and the finishing of the blade was the same.

I also just got a 500 which had an even worse finish on the blade and similar finishing on the scales. Lockup was just fine.

Here's the thing, these two knives, together with leather sheaths (of decent quality) together were less than the cost of a Benchmade Mini-Griptilian. They are good working knives but it's apparent that Buck's standards have changed and for the worse. Regardless of whether they'll take the knife in and fix it up, I would be embarrassed to let these knives go out.

I should add that I have been a major fan of Buck knives going back to the mid 70's when I got my first 110. I've also had a 501 since 1980. Talk about how much better they were made then vs. now!

If I buy any other Bucks at this stage of the game they will be vintage versions and not the new ones. It's a damn shame.
 
OK guys, Buck is trying to keep up with all the cheap knives coming from China. When you factor in the knife you are getting with the man hours going to an USA employee, you might have to look over a few things such as polish compound on the blade and bolsters. It takes a few minutes to wipe it off. I would rither pay $30-60 for a new Buck knife and have to take a few minutes to sharpen a burr off or remove some polishing compound; then have to pay $60-120 for the same knife with a few extra minutes spent on it at the factory.

If the knife is that bad as far as blade play or "large" gaps in the scales ect., Buck will make it right. I will admit in a perfect world these duds would get passed QC.
 
I've got around 40 Bucks of recent vintage. I have only had a problem with one - that one I sent back to Buck and they replaced it with a new one in perfect condition.

I've got a 303 in my hand right now that I bought just a few days ago. The fit and finish on this little guy is as good as it could possibly be. It is a gorgeous little knife.

JMO.
 
JEPHCO said:
I sent them back to buck to just from their Warranty representative. He informs me that this is now normal as it is a cost vs labor thing.
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That's his opinion. Many other companies don't feel the same, even low-medium-priced brands.

If this is the way Buck has gone I just purchased by last buck! I love my Old Timer!
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FYI, Old TImer knives were made by Schrade, and they went out of business in 2004. ;)

My own recent Buck experience. I just purchased a Buck fixed blade Woodsman, and based on visual cues it's built to the same quality that their fixed blades always have been.
 
I almost picked up a buck vantage pro a little while ago but ended up buying another kershaw instead, one of the factors were the fit and finish of the buck. I've heard there were several issues with blade not being centered (which got sorted out mostly, or I should be able to fix myself) or problems with the scales to name 2 of the problems I kept hearing. I still want one but I am not sure if I am willing to take the risk of having to send it back in to get it replace if it's not up to my standards. Or end up doing some work on the knife right out of the box, where as I had mostly good experiences with kershaw and several other brands.
 
DapperDan said:
I just got in the mail a Buck Vantage Pro with the desert tan handle. It is a nice, well constructed knife. Fit and finish is as good as any production knife I own. I am very happy with it and would not hesitate to recommend it.
:thumbup:
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Ahhhhhh. Thats the one that I want!

I almost bought it at blade this year but went in another direction. When i held and inspected it, it seemed well put together.
 
alude904 said:
Ahhhhhh. Thats the one that I want!

I almost bought it at blade this year but went in another direction. When i held and inspected it, it seemed well put together.
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I have the Vantage Force Pro (similar knife, just a bit bigger I think) & it is one of my favorite EDCs. Mine was perfect out of the box. And on a side issue - I really need to get to Blade next year. I envy you guys who have been. :)
 
I have purchased 3 new and 1 almost new Buck knife in the last 2 years. No major issues at all. Based on posts I read here, I keep thinking I will get let down by Buck, but it hasn't happened yet.

If Buck came out with a new pattern I liked, I would not hesitate to buy it.
 
I've got several Buck folders of recent manufacture, and some vintage, and the one that locks up the tightest is a Buck 112 Ranger that was purchased 2 years ago. I've also got a 426, and 422 that are on par with the older ones I've seen and owned. My 301 is great for a production slipjoint in this particular price range, and mine sees a ton of time in the pocket, I've had better luck with the F&F regarding Buck Slipjoints, than Case, but I'm no connoisseur, still I wouldn't disregard Buck all together mass produced items are just that at the end of the day, and some just get stuck with lemons, I've got a 110 with nickel bolster that was produced several years ago, and it has a hint of play, as does my Dymondwood 301 in the main blade. All in all QC is about as decent as any other brand in this price point I've get with.
 
SaintlyBrees said:
I have the Vantage Force Pro (similar knife, just a bit bigger I think) & it is one of my favorite EDCs. Mine was perfect out of the box. And on a side issue - I really need to get to Blade next year. I envy you guys who have been. :)
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It's the same 3.25 inch blade.
 
My only complaint about Buck is their newer 301 Stockman models. I just don't like the blade shape on the main blade. Their older models (not made in-house) had a better blade profile. Fit and finish are fine otherwise.
 
I've bought two bucks. Both 503s. The first one was a real work of art. Smooth, solid. The second one reflected mass production and lack of attention to detail.
 
I am thrilled with my Vantage Pro. At Bass Pro, the guy at the knife counter let me look at the ones they had in and they all looked pretty good, but this one was centered nicely and flipped smooth as butter. To say i was pleased with this product would be an understatement.

Vantage1_zps3453b2eb.jpg
 
:cool: Within the past year, I have obtained both a fixed blade and a folding lockback knife from Buck Knives. The quality was very good and the customer service was great. I have no complaints.
Faiaoga
 
I think that a lot of people that frequent this forum and others like it get a false impression of knives as far as "fit and finish", and expect near perfection for a knife that they pay <$50 for. Buck has been around for a lot of years, and like most if not all companies, face fierce competition. To produce the large quantity of knives required to keep up with demand, their qc will suffer. Manufacturing costs have risen sharply, due to increase in labor, material cost, packaging, shipping, etc, etc. If you compare what they charge for their products today, verses what they charged say15 years ago, there is not a large increase in their prices. Their knives are made for the working man and designed to be used for a multitude of tasks. They are not necessarily produced for the fancy high quality collector.

Given their "forever" warranty and customer service reputation, I think you get a good value for your money spent when buying their products. Yes, you will get a bad sample from time to time, but they will stand behind it if you send it in for repair/replacement. Complaining about it on a public forum before trying to get it worked out with their customer service will never get it fixed for you. If you can not get satisfaction after sending it back, then make your case on a public forum with all the particulars included in your post. There is usually two sides to every story, and we only get to hear one of them here.

Blessings,

Omar
 
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