buck vantage

[thacheese16]

hey guys i'm looking at buying the Buck Vantage large. what do you know about this blade???

 

[whetrock]

As much as I like Buck's perfectly adequete and serviceable 420HC I for one would opt for either the the Avid (13C26 Sandvik ) or the Pro ( S30V ) seeing as these premium steels like the 420HC have an excellent heat treat and IMO you get your moneys worth and a bit more as far as blade steel goes anyways.

 

[chevy_racin]

I have the Pro and Avid. They hold an edge great. I like the Pro with S30V the best, but that is a preference. IMO, they are well worth the money and will last a long time.

 

[jimnolimit]

I am a big fan of the buck vantage line. All three model levels are some of the best knives at there price points. Also, the vantage has a very good blade design, combined with decent-good steels/heat treat, they perform well.

 

[Scurvy092]

I have the Avid small and it's okay but not my thing.

I like the looks and the low rider clip. The flipper is almost completely useless unless you want to sprain your wrist or loosen the pivot so much that blade centering goes off.

The edges on the dymondwood scales are fairly sharp and the knife is pretty wide for the size so it isn't too comfortable in the pocket.

YMMV though.

 

[365KV]

I love the pocket clip on my vantage pros. They carry very nicely and don't attract attention. I also love the hollow grind blade profile. The Vantage Pro was my first knife in S30V. My experience with it has been very good and it doesn't seem too challenging to touch up on a stone.

 

[Javelin]

I had one in 13c26. Liked everything about it accept it was a little too large for my taste. Great knife, they really gave me nothing to complain about aside from it being too large for what I prefer to EDC. Ended up giving it to my dad who used it for months before he found the benchmade he'd always wanted for cheap.

 

[dogstar]

I have the small vantage select. I think it is a very good knife, although I'm not crazy about handles in these modern folders. I prefer a simple handle without guards or finger grooves so I can grip the knife in a variety of ways. It is very sharp, well made, and easy to flip. The flipper is just right for me; the thumb hole only works right handed. It's a good size and weight to use as a pocket knife.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Great knives but the fit and finish is a little looser in QC than some of their other knives. While most are flawless I've seen a percentage of them with overly stiff pivots (in spite of adjustment attempts--hence the useless flipper comments) and liner lock engagement issues.

 

[jimnolimit]

Great knives but the fit and finish is a little looser in QC than some of their other knives. While most are flawless I've seen a percentage of them with overly stiff pivots (in spite of adjustment attempts--hence the useless flipper comments) and liner lock engagement issues.

were the models that you saw with QC issues, older models? i know there was some QC in the beginning, i believe buck sorted it out. the two vantages that i had were good, no problems at all.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

were the models that you saw with QC issues, older models? i know there was some QC in the beginning, i believe buck sorted it out. the two vantages that i had were good, no problems at all.

It was during the first couple years they were out. Mostly the first year, but it did persist a little after that. The instances weren't common, but they weren't uncommon either. I'd say about one in twenty.

 

[mantzao]

i made this post a while ago on another forum so i hope it helps

First impressions:

Buck Vantage Pro

I've been willing to get this model for a long time so i finally set my mind to it and got it.
The knife's very beautiful, in my opinion!
The Pro is the more expensive and better material equipped model in the Vantage line series. There's also the Avid and the Select model being, this last one, the more affordable choice.
This is also the larger model but i just may get it's little brother
The blade shape is what really got me in love. It's 3 1/4" (8,3cm) long made out of S30V with Bos heat treatment. Needless to say that it came shaving sharp
The Vantage can be opened with either hand using the hole on the blade or the fippler.
It opens smoothly but to flip it you need to give it a little bit of wrist action so it doesn't fly open just with finger pressure. This also may happen because the knife's new and i still haven't mastered it's action

Along with the blade shape, the smooth G-10 is is one of my favourite features of the knife. It gives a very nice feel in the hand but it might be a bit slippery with wet hands! The handle's comfortable with just enough lenght to have a strong grip even for those with bigger hands.
The knife's a little heavier than i expected weighing 4oz (113g). The full steel liners contribute very much to the weight, even though it is a full through construction, but it also makes it very stong.

Whenever i get a new knife i always remove the pocket clip. However, this one's very well built grabbing the pocket tightly so it will, probably, be left there!
Swappable to right and left hand carry, it rides very low in the pocket hidding the knife entirely.

Cuts great, looks great and works great!
In conclusion, this may very well be a keeper!
Highly recommended!

 

[knarfeng]

I have a Vantage Pro. It gets pocket time along with my Spydercos and Benchmades. And it cost 1/2 to 1/3 as some of them.

 

[Harayasu]

I have a Vantage Select large for half a year now and it's one of my favourite folding knives. For me, the blade shape is very useful for daily use. Opening is the blade is very smooth and the locking mechanism works well. In my opinion it's a great option in the range of affordable knives.

 

[flash900]

mantzao,

Thanks for the excellent review and photos.

I have the small Pro and just purchased a customized large Pro on the forum (with orange scales!).

I also have the Vantage Force Pro and Avid. The Force series comes only in large.

As others have noted, the Vantage comes in three series and each is a steal at its respective price.

If you like deep pocket clips, these are as good as anything you will find.

With its light weight and excellent clip, the small Pro is one of my favorite EDCs.

The Vantage Force models are strong -- the Vantages are part of Buck's tactical series.

Lots of choices here. Buck has done a good job with its Vantage line.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Lots of choices here. Buck has done a good job with its Vantage line.

Indeed! A genius design in all variations, and a real bargain buy--at any level. I'm not normally big on flippers from a personal preference standpoint, but I'd be perfectly happy with a Vantage in my pocket.

 

[powernoodle]