Buck Vantage Avid vs. Pro ???

T

Txknifefan

Joined
Jul 9, 2011
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I am interested in the Buck Vantage but can't make my mind up which one I should get (AVID or PRO). Do Buck's Avid sandvik blades have a good reputation? Haven't seen any comparisons between the sandvik steel and the s30v, even though I know s30v has a top notch reputation. Give me your opinions on which one you think is better to help me out here please. The main reason I would rather have the Vantage Avid is the price. However I can always step up a notch and get the Pro if it's worth the extra cash. :confused:
 
I can't give you a comparison even though I own both. My Avids are still new in their boxes.

I have been carrying a large Pro since early last year and am amazed at how well the S30V holds an edge. I love that knife!

I have heard some very good reports on here about the Avids too.

I like the looks of the Pro I carry better than my red handled Avids.
 
I carry the Avid regularly and find it as good if not better than the pro. I like the 13c26 Sandivic steel, and find it holds an edge just as good as the pro. I have the pro and carry it at times as well. I like the charcoal diamond wood better than the scales used on the pro(G10). Some people have a need to have the top of the line, I find the second best to work for me.
 
mbjannusch said:
I carry the Avid regularly and find it as good if not better than the pro. I like the 13c26 Sandivic steel, and find it holds an edge just as good as the pro. I have the pro and carry it at times as well. I like the charcoal diamond wood better than the scales used on the pro(G10). Some people have a need to have the top of the line, I find the second best to work for me.
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I got the Pro just to have the set, but I agree, the Avid is an excellent knife, and a good bit cheaper too. I don't think you get enough from the pro to justify the difference in price. IMO.
 
I have carried a buck vantage pro for the last 3+ months and love it. The s30v blade has worked well in my everyday tasks and held a remarkably sharp edge for a long time. I can't speak for the other model but I have no doubt you would be happy with the vantage pro and for around $45 its hard to beat.
 
Thanks for the input everyone, I'm leaning more toward the Vantage Avid. I've found a few places that have them for $35-40 shipped to the house and that's a lot better for me price wise.

IDS where have you found the Vantage PRO for $45? I haven't found any this cheap on-line and that would sway my opinion since the best price I've found is around $65-70 with shipping.
 
I have no doubt that the Pro is a great knife. But the hang up I have is that in comparing the two I cant find one thing in the Pro model that the Avid doesn't have covered. If I can't see or find a difference in the two, why spend the extra money on the Pro. The 13c26 Sandivic steel holds an edge just as long as the S30V, it is easily sharpened, and has great resistance to rust. I live close to the Pacific Ocean and do allot of fishing on it. I use my Vantage all the time. You will never have a knife that when exposed to salt water won't rust. But the rust I have seen wipes away and with a bit of oil never comes back. I like the DW Select model as well. Look, Buck knives use top of the line materials in all there products. That's why they are the best in the industry. They offer "up graded" materials only to satisfy the consumer who wants choices. I really believe the Pro and the Avid and the Select for that matter are apples to apples...
 
I've seen several threads like this, and I always suggest the Vantage Pro -- for the same reason I chose the Pro over the Avid. That reason was to try s30v steel! If you've never tried s30v steel, the Vantage Pro is the BEST bargain on the market. You can purchase many knives that have 13c26 steel that cost even less than the Avid model, but there are NO knives that have s30v steel at a better price than the Vantage Pro.

Now if you already have a knife with s30v, and you don't feel like it is worth ten to fifteen extra bucks, then get the Avid. But if you like knives, and you want to try the top-notch modern steel s30v and see for yourself what all the fuss is about, then do yourself a favor and spring for the Buck Vantage Pro. I did, and I don't regret it even at the price I paid ($65). I also believe that s30v steel is an American steel whereas Sandvik steel is a Swedish steel.

I can find the Buck Vantage Pro large model for half a Benjamin at a popular online shopping site that may or may not be named after the largest river in South America.
 
s30v can be found in the spyderco native frn for comparable price to the vantage pro if you want to try s30v, but the vantage has nicer materials and I favor the aesthetics of the vantage. I can't really give you advice except to say the pro is a great knife to try s30v with if you're curious. On the other hand, 13c26 is a surgical steel (although not American whereas s30v is, if that matters to you) and IMO sharpens and is maintained more easily. Whichever you choose you can't really go wrong.

Personally, I decided I wanted to try s30v but preferred the look of the dymondwood scales on the avid, so I did a scale swap and I EDC a vantage with dymondwood and s30v now.
 
GundaManiac said:
Personally, I decided I wanted to try s30v but preferred the look of the dymondwood scales on the avid, so I did a scale swap and I EDC a vantage with dymondwood and s30v now.
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Just another great attribute of the Vantage series knives, You can swap and switch whatever you don't like for something you do.
 
The modularity really is quite nice. And with more and more vantage models being added the customization options with factory parts alone are fantastic.
 
I have both the Avid and Pro in the small versions. I love them both. I prefer the dymond wood handle of the Avid but the bladesteel of the Pro. Soooo....I switched the scales. Me likey!

I wish Buck would come out with some more custimiseable scales for them.
 
To a guy like me, the difference between Sandvik 13C26 and S30V is negligible, but I really like Buck's Dymondwood. If you like the looks of the Avid, I'd say try it first. You can always 'upgrade' later on, and you might just end up with both anyway... ;)
 
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