Just picked up this knife last night from a local knife shop. I got to hold both the G-10 version and this one which has FRN for the handle material. The G-10 had a more subtle look and a more "deluxe" feel to me. I had my pick of the G-10 version for $150 or a "just slightly used" FRN version for $100. Since it's going to be used anyways, and considering that I just lost my job, I went with the FRN version of the knife.
Overall, I really like the design of this knife. From a tactical perspective, this knife has it where it counts. My hands are very big compared to most, and I was pleasantly suprised to find that the handle fits well in my hands. With the file-like toothy texture of the FRN, I can't exactly call it a "comfortable" fit, but I'm confident that even if i was bleeding all over the handle, the knife wouldn't slip out of my hand.
The blade is ATS-34, heat treated by Paul Bos, so can't really go wrong there. I would like to see a version of this knife with a plain edge, like the SBMF, but with ATS-34. Apparently they do exist, but I haven't found any online retailer that had them in stock. Also, it should be noted that the FRN version uses rivets to hold the handle together, unlike the G-10 version with its torx bits. This means the FRN is there to stay, no custom handle for this thing ever. Did I mention how sharp and toothy the handle texture is? I could actually see pocket wear after using the pocket clip once :thumbdn: (clipping the knife onto my pocket, then removing it), so I won't be using the clip again until i can get to another knife shop or jewelry store that has a torx tool small enough to allow me to remove the clip and sand down the FRN.
The pivot was quite loose when I got this knife, (I can only assume that the guy loosened it to suit his preference), to the point that I got the lock to fail with 3 spine whacks on my shoe (causing the serrations to bite my finger, I'm such a dumbass, lol). Once I tightened it a bit, this no longer occurs. How loose was it? If you looked at it closed from the front, the blade was all the way over to the right. It is now tight enough that the blade is in the middle of the space between the liners. I can still flick it out with ease, and it opens smoothly with the thumb hole. It looks like the liner lock has been blued, kind of a suprise but definately not a bad thing. When this thing locks up, the lock is not over the middle of the blade, the far right of it is (as viewed from the front). I suspect that it will "wear in" and eventually be in the middle
I don't expect to be wearing gloves very much, and I expect even less to be opening this knife with both hands, so I guess I can just use that "positive deployment texturing" as a nail file for now. I really like the blade geometry. It is very apparent that on a hard stab, the impact would go up the spine and into the handle and not be focused anywhere near the liner lock. I should mention that the blade and liner lock on this model are thinner, compared with the other Buck Strider knives, but unlike some other people here I don't think the liner is "too thin". This knife seems very solid to me.
I'm not sure how Buck measures blade length, or how they got that 3.5" blade length, but when I measure this thing from the tip to where the sharpness ends (actual usable blade surface), I come up with exactly 3". I think this is probably a good thing if the police measure blade length the same way I do, b/c I live in L.A. and here the open carry limit is 3".
I'm going to need to use some locktite on the pivot, it seems to loosen rather quickly, but then I do so enjoy playing with it. After I make a few adjustments and use it a bit, I will post an update on actual performance and EDC worthiness.
On a side note, I originally ordered this from somewhere else back on dec 24, and it hadn't arrived yet, and they couldn't give me any kind of timeline on when it would arrive. What I learned from this is: IF THE RETAILER CAN'T GIVE YOU A DEFINATE TIMELINE, DON'T GIVE HIM YOUR MONEY.
Overall, I really like the design of this knife. From a tactical perspective, this knife has it where it counts. My hands are very big compared to most, and I was pleasantly suprised to find that the handle fits well in my hands. With the file-like toothy texture of the FRN, I can't exactly call it a "comfortable" fit, but I'm confident that even if i was bleeding all over the handle, the knife wouldn't slip out of my hand.
The blade is ATS-34, heat treated by Paul Bos, so can't really go wrong there. I would like to see a version of this knife with a plain edge, like the SBMF, but with ATS-34. Apparently they do exist, but I haven't found any online retailer that had them in stock. Also, it should be noted that the FRN version uses rivets to hold the handle together, unlike the G-10 version with its torx bits. This means the FRN is there to stay, no custom handle for this thing ever. Did I mention how sharp and toothy the handle texture is? I could actually see pocket wear after using the pocket clip once :thumbdn: (clipping the knife onto my pocket, then removing it), so I won't be using the clip again until i can get to another knife shop or jewelry store that has a torx tool small enough to allow me to remove the clip and sand down the FRN.
The pivot was quite loose when I got this knife, (I can only assume that the guy loosened it to suit his preference), to the point that I got the lock to fail with 3 spine whacks on my shoe (causing the serrations to bite my finger, I'm such a dumbass, lol). Once I tightened it a bit, this no longer occurs. How loose was it? If you looked at it closed from the front, the blade was all the way over to the right. It is now tight enough that the blade is in the middle of the space between the liners. I can still flick it out with ease, and it opens smoothly with the thumb hole. It looks like the liner lock has been blued, kind of a suprise but definately not a bad thing. When this thing locks up, the lock is not over the middle of the blade, the far right of it is (as viewed from the front). I suspect that it will "wear in" and eventually be in the middle
I don't expect to be wearing gloves very much, and I expect even less to be opening this knife with both hands, so I guess I can just use that "positive deployment texturing" as a nail file for now. I really like the blade geometry. It is very apparent that on a hard stab, the impact would go up the spine and into the handle and not be focused anywhere near the liner lock. I should mention that the blade and liner lock on this model are thinner, compared with the other Buck Strider knives, but unlike some other people here I don't think the liner is "too thin". This knife seems very solid to me.
I'm not sure how Buck measures blade length, or how they got that 3.5" blade length, but when I measure this thing from the tip to where the sharpness ends (actual usable blade surface), I come up with exactly 3". I think this is probably a good thing if the police measure blade length the same way I do, b/c I live in L.A. and here the open carry limit is 3".
I'm going to need to use some locktite on the pivot, it seems to loosen rather quickly, but then I do so enjoy playing with it. After I make a few adjustments and use it a bit, I will post an update on actual performance and EDC worthiness.
On a side note, I originally ordered this from somewhere else back on dec 24, and it hadn't arrived yet, and they couldn't give me any kind of timeline on when it would arrive. What I learned from this is: IF THE RETAILER CAN'T GIVE YOU A DEFINATE TIMELINE, DON'T GIVE HIM YOUR MONEY.
