- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 1,290
Well, I've been using this knife now for about a month now, thought I'd share a few informal thoughts. I did a review over on the Buck forum a couple weeks ago, this is an update of sorts.
One of the things I reported as negative before was the size of the handles. At first they seemed a bit fat; but with more use I have modified my opinion, I think they just need a bit of modifying. Perhaps a bit less swell in the area near the forward rivet, so that there is a slight depression for the thumb and forefinger on each side. This is a minor quibble though, I didn't have any problem during actual cutting, it's just something I think of when I'm "fondling" the knife. The blade itself has proven quite satifactory, slicing is a breeze with this upswept point and between the file work on the top of the blade (done in a slight "reverse"choil) and the nice choil on the bottom, you can maneuver the blade just about any way you want. I don't hunt any more, so all mt "meat" testing was done on fish, chicken and beef. I was surprised at how secure the knife was in my hand when covered with fish slime & scales; chicken fat etc. The reason I was surprised was that the handle is made of very smooth wood with a very nice finish; I was sure it would be too slippery, but it was fine. The biggest surprise was how well it held it's edge and the ease of replacing it when it got dull. My older Bucks used to require a bit of reprofiling to get the edge where I wanted it, this one does not. Just a few swipes on my Sharpmaker put a razor edge back on it. I think Buck might consider making a lightweight version too, with some G10 or similar handle material. This knife would also make a good framework for the Custom Shop. How about a BG42 blade, with thin stag scales and a pouch sheath ? I want one !!!
Anyway, check this one out, it's a very nice knife for not a lot of $$. I won't go into the other stuff I did with this in the way of testing (I'm not Cliff by any stretch of the imagination
) other than that it did well as an all around belt knife in camp, hiking etc.
One of the things I reported as negative before was the size of the handles. At first they seemed a bit fat; but with more use I have modified my opinion, I think they just need a bit of modifying. Perhaps a bit less swell in the area near the forward rivet, so that there is a slight depression for the thumb and forefinger on each side. This is a minor quibble though, I didn't have any problem during actual cutting, it's just something I think of when I'm "fondling" the knife. The blade itself has proven quite satifactory, slicing is a breeze with this upswept point and between the file work on the top of the blade (done in a slight "reverse"choil) and the nice choil on the bottom, you can maneuver the blade just about any way you want. I don't hunt any more, so all mt "meat" testing was done on fish, chicken and beef. I was surprised at how secure the knife was in my hand when covered with fish slime & scales; chicken fat etc. The reason I was surprised was that the handle is made of very smooth wood with a very nice finish; I was sure it would be too slippery, but it was fine. The biggest surprise was how well it held it's edge and the ease of replacing it when it got dull. My older Bucks used to require a bit of reprofiling to get the edge where I wanted it, this one does not. Just a few swipes on my Sharpmaker put a razor edge back on it. I think Buck might consider making a lightweight version too, with some G10 or similar handle material. This knife would also make a good framework for the Custom Shop. How about a BG42 blade, with thin stag scales and a pouch sheath ? I want one !!!
Anyway, check this one out, it's a very nice knife for not a lot of $$. I won't go into the other stuff I did with this in the way of testing (I'm not Cliff by any stretch of the imagination