Buck Waimea

arjung

arjung

Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
545
So I am really digging this knife, and this could quite possibly be my first buck. It looks like the perfect size. I just had a couple questions.

1) has this knife been discontinued?
2)What is a good price to pay for it. I'm currently going by ebay rates and want to know if I am getting ripped off
3) Comparisons to the small sebenza? I have a small 21 and love it. Would love to hear opinions and see some pics
4) slicing capability?

Thanks a lot in advance. Excuse me while I go look longingly at ebay pictures. :(
 
For price, There are several on the bay now and all seem to be in the same ballpark. You could check to see what they went for in recent auctions. This would be a good indicator.

And yes, it's discontinued.
 
I bought one last January here in the "Buck Knives for Sale" listings (new in the box) for $150 delivered. Have you actually had one in hand? They are pretty tiny and the size doesn't suit me very well
 
Plumberdv said:
I bought one last January here in the "Buck Knives for Sale" listings (new in the box) for $150 delivered. Have you actually had one in hand? They are pretty tiny and the size doesn't suit me very well
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It's supposed to be a similar size to the Small Sebenza. That is currently one of my favorite edc blades.
 
I've never owned or held the Sebenza so I can't give an opinion. Here's a size comparison photo for you. This is mine between a 110 and a TNT. According to the specs on the 21 I read, they are 4" closed with a 2 15/16" blade. The Waimea is 3 5/8" closed with a 2 5/8" blade.

TNT.jpg
 
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I really wanted a TNT till I held it, too small for me. Never really looked at the Waimea after that.

Excellent quality, just didn't fit me.
 
ohen cepel said:
I really wanted a TNT till I held it, too small for me. Never really looked at the Waimea after that.

Excellent quality, just didn't fit me.
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That was my .02 worth also. Great knives though. Super smooth, and fit and finish was fantastic!

I hope someone comes along who has both to help you out arjung!!!:thumbup:

Watch the sale threads here on BF also, there have been a few waimeas sold on the forums in the past year or so. I guess I missed your post Dave LOL... but anyway, about 150.00 seems fair! ;)
 
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I'm certainly not going to knock a persons choice of knife to carry. Just speaking for myself, I find it almost impossible for me to open one handed using the thumb hole in the blade because it's so small. That could be due to my lack of practice, but I found the same issue with the small Vantage Pro. I don't have any trouble with the larger versions. Perhaps if it had a thumb stud like the Sebenza does it would work better for me.

I agree about the fit and finish, it's great. But, best value for the dollar? Not in my book when you can buy the small Vantage Pro with G-10 handles and an S30V blade for less than a third the price. I know it doesn't have the snob appeal that the titanium knives do, but as a user it's a much better value in my opinion. The Vantage is a hair over 1/2 oz. heavier than the Waimea but I doubt anyone would really notice the extra weight.
 
Here's a direct comparison. I like the Waimea a lot. If you look at the picture, you will see that it has almost as much usable handle as the small sebenza, but it is significantly lighter and more compact in the pocket. The edge bevel on mine is also a lot thinner than on my sebenza. The Waimea does not have rounded scales like the TNT, so it is thicker on the edge than the TNT.
Knives12-8-07001.jpg
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The reason I was looking at this knife was aesthetics. Frankly I'm a city guy, and a 2.5-3 inch blade is big enough for my EDC needs.

Thanks a lot for that comparison. It gives a great size perspective. The small sebenza is what I find to be 'perfect' in size for my daily uses.

Yes I am a Ti junkie :)
 
I don't have a Waimea, but I do have a Buck Mayo TNT and a small Sebenza. I think they compare well in size.

One of your criteria was "slicing", and thinner blades typically work better for slicing. The Sebenza and TNT blades are a bit on the thick side to excel as slicers IMHO.

Peter
 
I think you will find Buck's S30V to be a step up from what CRK uses. I loved everything about my small seb except for the edge holding. It seems like the Bucks and Spyderco's that I've used are run a bit harder that my sebenza was. It could have been a fluke knife though. YMMV.


Greg
 
arjung said:
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The reason I was looking at this knife was aesthetics. Frankly I'm a city guy, and a 2.5-3 inch blade is big enough for my EDC needs.

Thanks a lot for that comparison. It gives a great size perspective. The small sebenza is what I find to be 'perfect' in size for my daily uses.

Yes I am a Ti junkie :)
Click to expand...

howdy arjung, yes Ti has its appeal!
i really like the 560 and the 186!
now they came with 420hc blades
but for a very short while you could up grade to
s30v on warranty, but that was discontuned

i tell you i had a 560 with s30v and loved it
you can pick up a 186 on the bay with a broke tip
and locate a user 110 with a s30v blade
have that removed from the 110 and put in the 186 /560
for a reasonable amount and
voila you got a extrealy good blade in that
high tech Ti frame for a great user !
gee two times today to talk of that..
 
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