Buck vs. Spyderco - why the huge price difference?

elevator man said:
I think it has to do with quality of materials. You generally get what you pay for. After looking at benchmade, then spydercos, spyderco is actually a very good value for what you get.

I think your comparing apples to oranges here. In my opinion anything Buck is something you purchase because you like the design or the nostalgia of it. Spyderco is for when you are ready for a knife to just perform and perform very well and don't mind the looks very much. Spyderco doesn't have the nostalgic look. But Buck can't even come close to touching the performance you'd get from a k390 dragonfly, or delica etc.

I'm at this point in my knife journey. A few years ago I tried s30v. It was a good improvement over 420 or any other bargain steel. But I've never quite been happy with it. It's too soft. Even s30v I find to dull to quickly. Most of the time from lack of edge strength and stability. The edge rolls or deforms a little, making the theoretical wear resistance worthless. I got a new leatherman and tried the 420hc again, much worse. That blade got dull from a stern look.

I am patiently waiting Christmas as I'm hoping it brings a couple of spydercos in 15v and k390. I have been reading and watching alot from shawn Houston (BBB), and he's always preaching on how much more important edge strength/stability is. I think he's 100% correct. My s30v would go way way longer before needing the stones again if the edge had actual strength. This is why I'm turning to very strong, hard, tough 65-66 Hrc tool steel blades. I want a knife that just does its dang job for once. No more getting dull in a day. If these steels perform like everyone says they do and youtube videos show, I'll be buying more of them. Heck I'll probably buy duplicates in case I loose one.

Can I politely suggest your way of thinking of sharpening is greatly limiting what a knife can be for you? I have had to change my sharpening methods over the years. I thought I was doing good with a spyderco sharpmaker. It was quick. But I needed it everyday, it did a crap job on s30v, lots of carbide tearout/fatiguing the edge. I then realized I needed to switch to diamonds to get the full potential. I did indeed notice a marked improvement in the performance of s30v once using diamonds. Glad I got it, I'll need it for 15v. You can get a dmt set (big boy lansky) for 65 bucks or so and it'll do all you need. Another thing shawn says that I so much want to experience Is a steel that just does its job so well you can sharpen it when you want to, not because you have to. Right now I have to sharpen because it's actually dull and I have to.

I would say you have to decide what you want from a knife. Is it the classic lines of a Buck? Or a cutting machine that stops for nothing?
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I look at buck as the knife I’m going to get to use and possibly damage or lose. Because $60 for a marginal performance difference is better than $90 or $100. I like some spyderco designs but I also like an easy to maintain, relatively inexpensive to replace, but quality knife to use for everything I could use a knife for. For a working man’s user knife, buck has the edge (no pun intended). Back in the 90s when a spyderco was affordable for non-collectors, I bought a few. Loved my old clip-it delica. But they cut pot warp and anchor line and saplings and whatnot just as effectively as a 110, which I can find a replacement for at under $40. Just my $.02
 
elevator man said:
I think it has to do with quality of materials. You generally get what you pay for.
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Leave it to the E elevator man to be the one making sense.
I have one 15V and a variety of K390 blades. They all kick @šš.
Hopefully Santa will smile upon you.

Regarding the OP's question, the Dragonfly is the epitome of simplicity and functionality. The Buck just doesn't inspire me. Surely it meets the criteria of many users, but not all.

RustyIron
Local 18
Honorary Retired
 
This sort of thread all boils down to the OP not understanding why knife companies don't just make the knives the OP likes out of the materials the OP likes and at a price point the OP likes.

The answer to the question is because there are lots of people buying knives who have different preferences and priorities.
 
I like both companies, but as others have said, they're wildly different. The Buck 110 was so iconic that my pop, and many others of his generation, called anything with a back lock a Buck knife as a general descriptor. And the 119 is maybe even more famous though, thanks to the Scream franchise, maybe for different reasons. 😉

IMO, Buck is primarily a company that caters to folks that need a tool that's gonna work consistently and not cost too much, particularly those that want something American made. I would say they're secondarily for collectors, like the BCCI folks and tertiarily for enthusiasts like most of us here. They also pull in about $80 million a year gross revenue and employ about 320 people.

Spyderco, on the other hand, was founded by blade enthusiasts and is, IMO, a company very much for blade enthusiasts. They also have collectors and folks that just want a solid tool, but I think their order of priority is different among those groups than Buck is. They collaborate with dozens, if not hundreds, of designers, are constantly experimenting with new designs, new locks, new steels and are incredibly performance driven. They're also much smaller, pulling about $10 million in annual revenue and employee about 80 people.

It's like soul food vs molecular gastronomy. One being good doesn't make the other bad or not worth it. They're different things and can each be appreciated for what they are. If you have a strong preference for one or the other, just stick with that one, but understand that you might be missing out if you don't try a taste of the other. 😉
 
I'm curious if you have ever held or used one.
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Briefly. My ex coworker had Tenacious 8cr13mov. Nice hump by the way. Not as nice as on Ark Salt but still nice.

Its the Hole partner ..its all about the Hole
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…..and the hump around the hole ;)

They collaborate with dozens, if not hundreds, of designers, are constantly experimenting with new designs, new locks, new steels
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…and new humps.
 
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MolokaiRider said:
What is your reasoning? How is 420hc undesirable in your estimation?
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It's not undesirable, it's a perfectly fine steel, but that's only because of their heat treat. It's more so that it's dated, there's better stuff out there these days. Even S30V is being phased out despite being a perfectly fine steel.
 
Let’s see, to start with I have both Buck knives and Spyderco knives. I am going to use my Buck 501 from their custom shop with an S30v blade and my Spyderco Lil’ Native, also with a S30v blade. Both knives are made in their respective American facilities. The big difference that I can see between the two is the level of fit and finish. The Spyderco locks up tight with no vertical play on the locked position. I can’t say that about the Buck. The blade on the Spyderco it straight and centered in the closed position. The Buck favors the right side and not by a little. There are some other things about the Buck that I expected to have been done better but since the Buck is pinned construction and the Spyderco is screwed together the issues don’t compare. Both blades are S30v and have performed equally well. That is good news to me.
 
DavidABQ said:
made in their respective American facilities. The big difference that I can see between the two is the level of fit and finish.
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I see some differences how handles look.
I was just looking at Spyderco knives and some of those have handles looking very cheap.... like cheap plastic from Kinder Egg (Enuff 2 for example).
 
I love Buck knives and love Spyderco knives as well and own plenty of both. That said, for pure slicing, cutting geometry, Spyderco tends to have Buck beat across the product line as a whole. Buck knives cost less because they know they have a ton of fans of the brand who came up with Buck knives, which historically haven't been expensive. Spyderco knives have always been midrange as far as price goes, and they also tend to offer a lot more in the steel department. There are models where the baseline steel is something like CruWear or CTS-XHP, whereas most Bucks come in some fairly inexpensive steels, with upgraded models offering something like S30v. Also, Buck knives tend to be a bit less refined overall than most Spydercos.

As I said, I love both of these companies and their products, I just know what I'm getting when I buy a knife from them.
 
Kryme said:
Paul Boss left us not that long ago, and iirc he wasn't involved at all in the process years prior to his passing. Heat treat is important, I completely agree, but there's only so much you can polish a turd. And I'm sorry, but 4xx steel on anything but a gas station knife is a rip-off these days.
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This is an opinion, alright.
 
Buck and Spyderco are not even in remotely the same quality bracket, so that would explain why Buck has cheaper offerings.

As an aside, my favorite thing about threads like this will always be reading how important it is that your knife be sharpenable on a river rock or coffee cup, rather than just carrying a tiny sharpening stone like a DC3.
 
AntDog said:
I tried to clue that dude in a while back. I see he’s still at it. Saw him in the paper the other day, lol.

View attachment 2419788

Anywayyyyy, Buck has definitely come a long way. Their run of the mill stainless is still pretty decent, but their 5160 is a true favorite of mine. They do a damn fine job on s30v and quite a few others as well.

As far as comparing Buck to Spyderco… they’re two different animals. Buck doesn’t need to be anything more than what they are, but they still do push the envelope and I applaud them for it.

Spyderco on the other hand is a company that thrives on pushing the envelope.
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Do you sell cars or what?


Which company do you own stock in?


Push the envelope? Lololol, ok.


Never buying your clue. I'm not that person. I own both Buck and Spyderco. I'm not seeing your rainbow view on either.
 
Kryme said:
Paul Boss left us not that long ago, and iirc he wasn't involved at all in the process years prior to his passing. Heat treat is important, I completely agree, but there's only so much you can polish a turd. And I'm sorry, but 4xx steel on anything but a gas station knife is a rip-off these days.
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Did you pull that out of your backside? I’m guessing that’s how you know about polishing a turd. You might beu up on your inf as you are way off on all accounts. It’s not even an opinion, it’s completely fabricated. Lol
 
I have a Buck 841. (Carbon Fiber Scales) (S45VN Blade). I have a Spyderco PM2. (Aluminum Scales)
(CTS BD1N Blade)

Similar in price.
Similar in QC.
Similar in Fit and Finish.

'Similar'.

The former is great. The latter is perfect.

Don't ask me to pick a favorite.

Colorado is great. Idaho is perfect.

YMMV

(Ohio is my Utopia. Hint, hint)

I mean Hinderer.

'vs' threads are fun, but...I may have to order a knife made in another state and hope Julie from UPS delivers it!

Blonde hair, blue eyes, off topic...
 
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