At the end of the day, it's a plastic handled, linerless knife, which I'm sure is not as strong as knives with metal liners/bolsters. Is it OK for EDC tasks? If you ask me, I say 100% yes, but I'd carry my Valox handled 444. I will learn something if it ever broke, but that day hasn't come yet.
Depends on what EDC tasks mean to the user, I suppose.
If those tasks include forward slicing cuts through materials that necessitate the amount of force that I associated with a full 4 finger grip on this size knife (e.g. bend cutting saplings or branches, cutting thick rope, carving feather sticks) than I would say no, the Bucklite Max folders (and sadly the Ecolites even) aren't up to it. That's been my experience any how.
One way to tell if things are going badly with the Buck lock backs is to place your thumb on top of joint while doing this sort of hard cutting. On the weak ones, you'll feel the lock bar move slightly as the backwards pressure increases. It's not something I experience on any of my Schrade lockbacks only on one particularly abused older Buck.
It's a real pity, imo, because I really like the handle shape of the medium Bucklite Max. I got mine hoping to replace the Opinel as my backpacking knife as it was the right size and weight.
Trail Stuff by
Pinnah, on Flickr
I was very disappointed in how fast it deteriorated though. That got me more involved with the Buck sub-forum, more engaged with Bucks warranty department and exposed to lots of discussions on the sub-forum where it appears to me that the general blade play issues are not uncommon on many of the folders. Based on the discussions with their warranty/QC folks, it's worse with the plastic framed ones.
The bigger disappointment for me as somebody who's been a Buck customer since the 70s is to see the rock solid Buck lock up watered down to the level of cheap disposables. If I'm going to go that route, I'd rather get a simpler knife that is more durable and that gives me a flatter edge grind that is more useful for my EDC uses (includes cutting wood a lot). Hence the Opinel suggestion. If you've not tried one, you might try a $15 experiment. Get a #8 in Inox. Will set you back less than $20. Then go out of your way to bust it or damage it under hard abusive use. There's no warranty. They're made to use hard on farms and are very simple. I'll wager you'll find it nearly impossible to bust or damage.
One of the interesting things about the camming action of the Opinel lock ring is that it effectively removes any blade play that develops.
Really depends on what the OP is looking for out of an EDC knife. I wish, wish, wish there was an USA made knife that was tough, functional and inexpensive as the Opinel and I really, really, really wish that Buck would be company to do it.
If I were them (and I'm not - so this is pointless), I would flush the Bucklites and Bantams. Their sales are undercutting Bucks reputation and are a long term looser because of that. Instead, I would focus all my energy on the Vantage, Ecolite, classic (110, 500) and new Spitfires and I would work very hard to ensure the blade play issues disappear. We can hope.
To the OP... The Spitfire 722 or Slimline 721 (W***mart exclusive) might be a better bet for what you're looking for.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1093537-Spitfire-question
