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Buck Vantage: which one???
- Thread starter MNofUSN
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Messages
- 1,508
The main difference between all the knives is the steel type and the handle material.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Messages
- 1,508
I think the pro select comes in S30V. That runs about $65-70 bucks though.
LOL, I thought by now, someone would have told you to buy a Skyline.
S30V in the Pro model is by Buck's description the "best steel." It may be hard to sharpen for the uninitiated. Others say the Sandvik Stainless found in the Avid is a good compromise between edge holding and sharpenability. Yet others like humble old 420HC, which is easy to sharpen, has good rust resistance, and is least expensive.
Difference between the regular Vantage and the Force models:
The plain ol' Vantage is more of a utility design, while the Force has a "tactical" slant. The Force adds a larger back spacer that eliminates the flow through design of the plain Vantage. The Force also has a thumb ramp (which alters blade shape), jimping in a few places, and perhaps a beefier liner lock (someone please confirm).
I have a the large and small select Vantages (not Force) and after a little work, they are very good knives. I flip them open with no wrist action; their blades are centered.
S30V in the Pro model is by Buck's description the "best steel." It may be hard to sharpen for the uninitiated. Others say the Sandvik Stainless found in the Avid is a good compromise between edge holding and sharpenability. Yet others like humble old 420HC, which is easy to sharpen, has good rust resistance, and is least expensive.
Difference between the regular Vantage and the Force models:
The plain ol' Vantage is more of a utility design, while the Force has a "tactical" slant. The Force adds a larger back spacer that eliminates the flow through design of the plain Vantage. The Force also has a thumb ramp (which alters blade shape), jimping in a few places, and perhaps a beefier liner lock (someone please confirm).
I have a the large and small select Vantages (not Force) and after a little work, they are very good knives. I flip them open with no wrist action; their blades are centered.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Messages
- 1,508
You shouldn't have to finish the knife after you buy it. That was the thing that annoyed me the most about my Vantage. Don't get me wrong, I like mine alot (I'm carrying it right now), but it was disgusting that an American manufactured knife could be allowed out of the factory like that. The edge was egregiously off center and had to be re-profiled, while the spine of the blade had to be ground smooth as well. It was dirty out of the box and was not centered. I did some work on it, but it is still disappointing that the fit and finish on my Enlan EL02 and Inron were better than my American manufactured Buck.
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2013
- Messages
- 1,126
well its nice to see I wasn't the only person who had to fix a vantage after receiving it. mine was badly off center and took a lot to flick it out even after loosening it to the edge of blade play. they do use great materials though s30v and g10 on a less than $100 knife was nice to see
I believe the Vantage Pro is the best value in terms of materials. I like the flow through design and don t think the Pro Force offers enough to justify the higher price. The Vantage Pro remains one of the four or five knives in my edc rotation, despite my new acquisitions.
I dunno. I paid $26 for mine. I don't expect a $26 knife to be flawless. The only perfect $26 knives I've bought are Victorinox SAKs. My Bucks were usable out of the box, I just tweaked things to my liking.
The blades are ground by hand, so most of the time, they are uneven, but rarely unusable.
I have one of the large Vantages in the plain jane 420HC with Paperstone handles. Mine came perfectly centered, with good grinds, and sharp out of the box. It's a pretty sweet knife, and I think I only paid around $25-$30 for it. If I bought another one it would be the Avid (or whichever model has the charcoal Dymondwood handles), but only for the handle upgrade. The 420HC is a good user steel. I like mine a lot.
