Cannot for the life of me decide. Entry level Tac folder

L

LEBRON JAMES

Joined
Nov 12, 2011
Messages
43
Hey guys, this is my first post here on blade forums, so I'll get right to it. I have always been in to knives, but have never owned a better quality pocket knife than those cheap folders you see in the checkout lane at Home Depot or Lowe's. I have been doing lots of research and have narrowed my choices down to two, which is where I am stuck. The new Buck Vantage Force Select, or the Spyderco Tenacious. I will mostly be using it for edc tasks, and it will be my main folder for camping and hunting. Here are the points i have made between the two.

-Looks definately go to the Vantage Force. One word for the looks of the knife; Sexy. LOVE the all black look of the handle and non-reflective blade.
-The G10 handle on the Tenacious is nice to have for colder weather or moist conditions.
-Vantage Force hollow grind vs. Tenacious full flat grind
-Both are almost the same dimensions except for the height of the blade on the tenacious, of course.
-I am left-handed, and both of these knives are fully amidextrous, so no issues there.
-Tenacious has open-handled design to prevent blood, guts, mud, and grime from getting lodged in the handle, which is nice to have, makes for easy cleaning and maintenance.
-The Vantage Force has a slightly deeper belly on the blade making it more efficient at slicing.

For me, it really comes down to the differences in blade material with Buck 420HC, and Spyderco's 8cr13mov. Which steel will sharpen to a finer edge, and which will hold that edge longer? The other main point is which blade will be quicker and smoother to open with one hand (Very important factor for me)? I do not have any experience with Buck's flipper design and how reliable and effective it is. With these point made, if you could do a little convincing and help me deicde between the two would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance for your comments and considerations.
 
1openfe7.jpg



10-845-Vantage-Force.jpg
 
I'd go Tenacious for the grippier G10. Try a ziptie wave mod too, and see if you like that opening style.
 
You are likely to get completely differing opinions but both knives will serve you well. While I am a Spyderco nut, at this price point and between these 2 knives I would probably favor the Buck. Both steels are capable and neither "blows" the other away. Buck seems to do the 420HC pretty darn good.

...and then there is the taboo discussion of country of origin...cough cough......
 
tenacious all day long have had mine for about 3 months now use it at work all the time breaking down boxes opening containers prying little things up and it has never failed me the edge is awesome mine still slices paper with ease. i also use it for detail cutting at work as a chef i need to make some vip dessert platters at the owners request and i always reach for the tenacious when those little details are needed.
 
Neither, you're looking at a "tac" folder, stay away from liner locks.

Spyderco: Endura, Native, Manix 2
Benchmade: Griptilian or 15020
 
Here is a well done comparison between a Tenacious and Ontario RAT 1 that might help you out...the audio is Russian but it's worth watching for the interesting cut testing. Guy even put some spine-whacks and over-strikes in there. http://youtu.be/nj0SK3sRn5I

Buck's Vantage looked nice without a black coating on it...the Force version looks like a toy poodle with a camo jacket.
 
Yo mama, OP is new to higher quality knives, as stated, and probably used "tac" for lack of a better word. There's nothing wrong with liner locks, so let's help the guy learn, as we all did/are instead of turning the thread into another "lock strength" thread.

OP, I like the tenacious out of the two.
 
KNaB said:
Yo mama, OP is new to higher quality knives, as stated, and probably used "tac" for lack of a better word. There's nothing wrong with liner locks, so let's help the guy learn, as we all did/are instead of turning the thread into another "lock strength" thread.

OP, I like the tenacious out of the two.
Click to expand...

Respect to you, sir.
 
both are excellent knives. let's compare:

the flipper on the vantage is unobtrusive and works well, the spydie hole on the tenacious also works well. in this category it's a toss up.

the tenacious is a full flat grind, and the vantage is a deep hollow grind. in this category, deep hollow grinds tend to slice with less resistance, the vantage edges out the tenacious.

the the vantage has a plastic handle, the tenacious is G10. the G10 should provide you with a little more grip. in this category the tenacious edges out the vantage.

they both weight in at 4oz, in this category it's a draw.

for the clip, the vantage has a lower riding clip, but the tenacious's clip can be mounted at any of the four corners. the vantage's clip can only be tip up (both sides). if your preferred carry is tip up, the vantage wins in this category. if you like tip down or just like to have more options, the tenacious wins.

as for steel, i only own one knife with 8cr13mov (byrd cara cara) and i have owned several bucks in 420HC. even though they're close, i might have to give a slight edge to buck in this category, i've always liked buck's 420HC.

you like the look of the buck, i would say buy the buck first and get the tenacious second.
 
being a leftie and owning both designs I would have to say go with the tenacious. opening the tenacious one handed is much easier especially with gloves on. using the cut-out in the vantage series is doable but not all that ergonomic for us south paws. The flipper on the vantage is nice but can be a little lack luster I found, though this might have changed as I have a 1st gen vantage pro, so kinks might have been ironed out. both locks are just fine retention and release-wise so no worries on that front. for the steel edge retention and such, theyre both close enough to each other IMO that it wont make a difference but the Tenacious blade grind and edge geometry will slice slightly better.
 
For an entry level "Tactical folder" I think you need to consider a Spyderco Military, Becnkmade 710, Cold Steel Recon-1 or some solid knife that's putting around 4 inches of blade out of the handle. Just my $.02 :)
 
cziv said:
For an entry level "Tactical folder" I think you need to consider a Spyderco Military, Becnkmade 710, Cold Steel Recon-1 or some solid knife that's putting around 4 inches of blade out of the handle. Just my $.02 :)
Click to expand...

Obviously he needs a Sebenza, Strider, or a Smatchet. Anything else is just a shameful waste of money and not worth carrying. :p

OP, I don't think either one will perform any better than the other, especially if you really like the looks of both knives and they both have all the features you want. As for blade steel, I think they'll probably be pretty similar. To be frank, my Tenacious had pretty bad edge holding ability - it would chip and dent like crazy. It was easy as anything to sharpen and took quite a fine edge, but it wouldn't hold it worth a damn. I haven't tried Buck's 420, but the 420 I've used doesn't tend to hold an edge very well either, but it's less prone to chipping and such than 8cr13Mov in my experience.

My Tenacious was smoothe as you like - the thumbhole is a fantastic opening mechanism. I can't speak to the Buck. Since both knives have a thumbhole, I imagine you could do the ziptie-wave trick with either one if you wanted.

As far as the companies and warranties go, I've never heard anything bad about Buck's customer service and warranty department. I have heard a fair few people who had bad experiences with Spyderco's warranty department, though.
 
Dorito Monk said:
Obviously he needs a Sebenza, Strider, or a Smatchet. Anything else is just a shameful waste of money and not worth carrying. :p.
Click to expand...

I don't know what that remark means or for that matter what an "entry level tactical folder" means either. My understanding of this term and I know it's the matter of much discussion/derision here, is a folder that you could with some degree of certaintly, stake your life on. A knife that is not too large for common tasks like rope cutting, making traps & snares but isn't to weak or small to defend your life in a worst case scenario.

To "enter" into this realmn you're looking at beefier construction, blade length, and probably a higher price tag. Yes a Strider or Hinderer, a Military, a 710, the new Grayman folders (notice I didn't include Sebenza :p) are all quite a bit more $$ than a Spyderco Tenacious which to me is barely acceptable as an EDC let alone a tactical folder. I did include an affordable CS Recon-1 in my suggestions if money is a burning issue. Ankerson's tests proved it to be a stout folder, well made no breakages or trouble spots and very affordable.

But, for the extra $$ you get a lot more value in the folder and if the chips are down, I hope my Chinese Tenacious isn't in my kit or pocket. It can't be since I sold mine after looking it over.

I'd think someone would tell the new guy or whomever (didn't check his post count) that these are just knock around EDC folders of the lowest echelon. Hey, why not the Rat-1, a formidable tactical folder - c'mon!
 
I don't know about you guys, but if I were Lebron James, I'd buy a custom from DDR, Brian Tighe, or Lucas Burnley.

Based on your two, I'd rather go for a Buck Vantage, but the normal version in 420HC or the slightly more expensive version in s30v. If you dig around a bit you can find the s30v one for cheap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top