-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Case vs Buck...
- Thread starter mendezj
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2006
- Messages
- 43,075
I have a couple of current Case knives and a couple of Buck folders, though only my 301 is of current vintage, so I guess I could reasonably compare a single Buck 301 to two Case knives.
Fit and finish: CASE is better.
The Case knives are more solid. tighter tolerances. more highly polished. all edge softened.
Spring action: CASE is better.
The Case knives both have nice firm springs.
The 301 has a very weak middle spring. Stays open or closed, but takes very little effort to swing that blade.
Steel: Buck is better.
I have measured the hardness of the blades and have done side by side manila rope cutting tests. The Case Tru-Sharp was 55HRC. The Buck was 59HRC. The Buck blade held an edge significantly longer. The Buck 420HC also outperformed Case CV steel. The CV was better than Tru-Sharp.
I find the Buck to be a good deal on a good working knife. I like to carry it on work days. I drop it in my pocket with my keys and it doesn't care. It is quite solid and gets the job done. The Case is prettier and it also gets the job done, but with finesse and a bit more frequent sharpening. But with the Case, I keep it separate from my keys.
Fit and finish: CASE is better.
The Case knives are more solid. tighter tolerances. more highly polished. all edge softened.
Spring action: CASE is better.
The Case knives both have nice firm springs.
The 301 has a very weak middle spring. Stays open or closed, but takes very little effort to swing that blade.
Steel: Buck is better.
I have measured the hardness of the blades and have done side by side manila rope cutting tests. The Case Tru-Sharp was 55HRC. The Buck was 59HRC. The Buck blade held an edge significantly longer. The Buck 420HC also outperformed Case CV steel. The CV was better than Tru-Sharp.
I find the Buck to be a good deal on a good working knife. I like to carry it on work days. I drop it in my pocket with my keys and it doesn't care. It is quite solid and gets the job done. The Case is prettier and it also gets the job done, but with finesse and a bit more frequent sharpening. But with the Case, I keep it separate from my keys.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,979
Never had a problem with either. The quality of the Case pieces is higher in most respects, however. Better steel, better grinds, better handle materials, better selection. Just my personal experience, so feel free to disagree. I own a handful of each.
Personally I've found my Case pieces to have much better edge retention. My Bucks dull way faster than I'd like.
Personally I've found my Case pieces to have much better edge retention. My Bucks dull way faster than I'd like.
Absintheur
Banned
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2008
- Messages
- 3,280
Buck is definitely the mule team of knives, hard working, somewhat plain, sturdy. Case is more the Quarterhorse type, still capable of hard work but much fancier. I have owned both and have always been happy with both. Case does make the plain knives as well and if you compare Buck to Delrin handled Case knives I think it is a draw for the most part. I think were Buck shines most is in the fixed blade arena, they have made some of the best production hunting knives out there.
Lock Backs are another Buck strength with one exception, the older Case Sharktooth. I have owned a couple of Buck 110s and didn't know what I was missing till I handled a Sharktooth. Suddenly instead of a square slab my hand was holding a nicely rounded and contoured knife. It simply fit in my hand better, the round grip is more comfortable as well. The bolster swell just enough to provide the thumb a place to have a bit of leverage. In the large lock backs I have to give the nod to Case but in the smaller lock backs it is all Buck.
Lock Backs are another Buck strength with one exception, the older Case Sharktooth. I have owned a couple of Buck 110s and didn't know what I was missing till I handled a Sharktooth. Suddenly instead of a square slab my hand was holding a nicely rounded and contoured knife. It simply fit in my hand better, the round grip is more comfortable as well. The bolster swell just enough to provide the thumb a place to have a bit of leverage. In the large lock backs I have to give the nod to Case but in the smaller lock backs it is all Buck.