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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.
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Classic Quality & QC Versus Now Discussion Thread
- Thread starter ShaiHulud
- Start date
I will start, I recently received a vintage buck 110, about 35 years old
Very solid, wonderfully worn, no play, very well used
Still sharp
Bought a new buck 110
Had play,
Brass bolsters already came discolored and tarnished
One of the scales shifted *slightly* when moving it, it was purchased from a reputable big retailer
Could be a lemon and I understand those happen
But the QC comparison still remains
Very solid, wonderfully worn, no play, very well used
Still sharp
Bought a new buck 110
Had play,
Brass bolsters already came discolored and tarnished
One of the scales shifted *slightly* when moving it, it was purchased from a reputable big retailer
Could be a lemon and I understand those happen
But the QC comparison still remains
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2021
- Messages
- 1,254
The best advice is to avoid storing knives in leather sheaths/cases they provide. It could be that they're being stored longer in contact with the leather before being sold. You can carry it in the leather sheath/case, but don't store it that way. I'm also unsure about the quality of the leather, then and now.
Putting two different metals in direct contact (bimetal coupling) it can cause issues. You have the steel blade and lock back in connection with the brass, but if the steel isn't galvanized properly then the rapid deterioration should happen in the steel first. It would be a much bigger problem with carbon steel than stainless. One thing you could do, after properly polishing the brass, is take it to a trophy shop and get the brass electroplated.
Putting two different metals in direct contact (bimetal coupling) it can cause issues. You have the steel blade and lock back in connection with the brass, but if the steel isn't galvanized properly then the rapid deterioration should happen in the steel first. It would be a much bigger problem with carbon steel than stainless. One thing you could do, after properly polishing the brass, is take it to a trophy shop and get the brass electroplated.
I was wondering exactly about that. You'll see this with many goods competing against much cheaper offshore rivals. I think a lot of people would be surprised at the real cost of older goods that exhibited higher QC. It's not an excuse for poor QC, but when customers refuse to pay higher prices and turn to a cheaper product, then cuts have to occur somewhere and QC is one of the first things to suffer.
Storing them separately isn't a practice I'm familiar with, nor was it something people did back then either (I believe)The best advice is to avoid storing knives in leather sheaths/cases they provide. It could be that they're being stored longer in contact with the leather before being sold. You can carry it in the leather sheath/case, but don't store it that way. I'm also unsure about the quality of the leather, then and now.
Putting two different metals in direct contact (bimetal coupling) it can cause issues. You have the steel blade and lock back in connection with the brass, but if the steel isn't galvanized properly then the rapid deterioration should happen in the steel first. It would be a much bigger problem with carbon steel than stainless. One thing you could do, after properly polishing the brass, is take it to a trophy shop and get the brass electroplated.
I don't own or use carbon or tool steels, over 90% of my knives are Sandvik 12C27, great corrosion resistance
The purpose of this thread is to think about the quality and quality control of companies then versus now, have they changed? If so, good, bad? Not necessarily separating leather from steel, no retailers will do that but some manufacturers do separate them, karesuando, helle, don't, but I've seen some being shipped in a cardboard sleeve and sheath separate, still those are stainless all the time. If the steel does deteriorate over time, but everything does, and the rate is likely molecular, you'll die first
Last edited:
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Knives today, excepting the truck stop junk, are better than ever. We have vastly improved manufacturing processes like CNC, better steels (especially powder steels), better materials for grips (Kraton, FRN, micarta), and many more innovative designers.
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2021
- Messages
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You should never store your knives long-term in their leather sheathes. The leather sucks up moisture in the air, which helps oxidize any metal it's in contact with. Even when I store knives in the same box as the leather sheath, I just put a cardboard sheath over the knife blade to keep there from being contact for long term storage. A lot of people will keep their sheathes stored in separate places from where their knives are. Leather sheathes are just for carrying them. In any of the drawers I store knives in I also regularly toss in silica gel packs to deal with moisture.Storing them separately isn't a practice I'm familiar with, nor was it something people did back then either (I believe)
I don't own or use carbon or tool steels, over 90% of my knives are Sandvik 12C27, great corrosion resistance
The purpose of this thread is to think about the quality and quality control of companies then versus now, have they changed? If so, good, bad? Not necessarily separating leather from steel
I have noticed that there's a lot more tarnishing in my more recent brass bolstered Buck, but I get the feeling that it's because they're sitting around too long in the leather before being purchased. It's also possible that chemicals being used to treat the new leather are more reactive with the brass than the older leather sheaths they once had. In the made in US Buck knives, I wouldn't think it has much to do with any changes in the quality of the brass itself.
I'm not entirely worried about it, use it and if such an odd phenomenon as a knife falling apart happens because it was stored in a leather sheath, replace itYou should never store your knives long-term in their leather sheathes. The leather sucks up moisture in the air, which helps oxidize any metal it's in contact with. Even when I store knives in the same box as the leather sheath, I just put a cardboard sheath over the knife blade to keep there from being contact for long term storage. A lot of people will keep their sheathes stored in separate places from where their knives are. Leather sheathes are just for carrying them. In any of the drawers I store knives in I also regularly toss in silica gel packs to deal with moisture.
I have noticed that there's a lot more tarnishing in my more recent brass bolstered Buck, but I get the feeling that it's because they're sitting around too long in the leather before being purchased. It's also possible that chemicals being used to treat the new leather are more reactive with the brass than the older leather sheaths they once had. In the made in US Buck knives, I wouldn't think it has much to do with any changes in the quality of the brass itself.
I bet it will take a long time, especially in a stainless blade like Sandvik 12C27.
I save all silica gel packs
I have 2 lockers that I store knives in
They have about 4 to 6 gel packs a drawer