Criticizing the Buck 110

[Elgatodeacero]

The Buck 110 is an amazing value and one of the greatest knives ever created.

jmh33 I am having a Buck 110 emergency and need to know where you got that orange topo version…….please tell us or post on my profile….. thx.

 

[jmh33]

The Buck 110 is an amazing value and one of the greatest knives ever created.

jmh33 I am having a Buck 110 emergency and need to know where you got that orange topo version…….please tell us or post on my profile….. thx.

I got it straight from Buck a few (2) years ago on a close out sale.
They do pop up for sale every now and then though!!
John

 

[whereismyknife]

Buck 110 is the best folder in the world. They even killed a bear with it but the only better pocket knife (tactically) is the Buck 315 Yachtsman.

 

[lambertiana]

I bet there have been/ and continue to be a whole lot of large game animals cleaned with a Buck 110.
Just saying.
John

I have been watching the series Life Below Zero, along with the spinoffs for The First Alaskans and the Next Generation. Since all of those folks subsist on fishing, hunting, and trapping, there is a lot of knife use. And a wide range of knives used, including Benchmade, Condor, Puukko, and Ulu, to name a few. There is one guy who has used a blaze orange 110 slim select to process a number of caribou.

 

[ScarFoot]

I’d definitely recommend going with a fixed blade for cleaning game for many reasons. I‘ve had this one for over 25 years and it’s been great. If you want to stick with the Buck brand I’d recommend seeing if they still make something similar. I don’t keep up with their lineup.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

I don't hunt, so my hands on information is just EDC tasks. One OCD type thing I do is with bottle caps off water bottles, I'll use my knife to go around the edge of the cap where it was once attached, little stubs, and neatly slice those off. It takes a careful hand to cut those off as you rotate the cap in your left hand while cutting with the knife in your right. The 110 handled that delicate task admirably.
G2

 

[Pirate63]

Felt weight, balance and ergonomics are all relative and individual to the user. Very few people who know and use folding knives don't know what you get with a 110.

 

[awesome14]

I know, I know, it's sacrilege. But I was working with my Buck 110 yesterday and I realized I don't like it. I am not saying it's not a great knife, and if I have knife work to do and the 110 is there, I'll breathe a sigh of relief. I skinned a BIG buck with one back in October. It's great. But is it good?

I realized it's just waaay to off balance for me to enjoy. I felt like I was trying to hold a heavyish rock in my hand while also using a knife. Weird.

Anyone else got anything to say?

It's great to put a 110 in your hand before you punch someone out. It adds a lot to the blow. And less knife weight is a purely manufactured asset or feature without objective merit. Makers who can't compete just repeat 'light weight' until people believe it has some intrinsic value.

The Buck 110 is the top-selling single-blade folder of all time. A light weight folding pocket knife is a weaker tool, less capable when you need it, and the notion that 3 oz. less is a positive asset that would sway a purchasing decision is from the minds of a few who desperately needed a means to compete against makers with a better product at 20% of the price.

It's not quite superstition. But knives made intentionally lightweight as a selling feature break all the time! I haven't broken a Buck 110 no matter what I did with it.

But, this is America. Everyone has the right to believe anything he wants. And, if any individual fails to respect the beliefs of others, no one is obliged to respect his beliefs.

I you don't feel comfortable using an 8 oz. knife, that's why there are choices to suit nearly every preference.

 

[jayjaygee]

It's great to put a 110 in your hand before you punch someone out.

A true multi-tool!

And less knife weight is a purely manufactured asset or feature without objective merit.

That's an overstatement. There are lots of times when a lighter knife has objective merit. Not necessarily for the same tasks that a 110 is good for, but that doesn't mean that lighter can't be better. Anyway that wasn't the point. The point was one of comfort and control and preference, not "objective merit."

A light weight folding pocket knife is a weaker tool,

Compared to the Buck 110, a grizzly bear is a weaker tool.

But knives made intentionally lightweight as a selling feature break all the time! I haven't broken a Buck 110 no matter what I did with it.

Neither have I, but I've also never broken a Mora and I've probably put them under more stress. Anyway I never doubted its strength. But stronger is not the only factor to consider, and even excellent things aren't necessarily beyond criticism.

What I'd really like to hear from people is whether they feel like they have as much control over a 110 as they do over, say, a Buck 113. 113 in particular, since I'm considering switching to a 113 for hunting next year.

 

[catspa]

Since the OP is criticizing the 110 rather gently, I’ll defend it the same way (as if it needs defending).

A brass and wood folding hunter of some kind has probably more carry time in my life than any other kind. .Since you were born in a different time and place, your experience and familiarity differs. No big deal.

Parker

 

[jayjaygee]

Since the OP is criticizing the 110 rather gently, I’ll defend it the same way (as if it needs defending).

A brass and wood folding hunter of some kind has probably more carry time in my life than any other kind. .Since you were born in a different time and place, your experience and familiarity differs. No big deal.

Parker

Thanks for that, though I don't know how old you are and wouldn't assume we're from different times and places. But anyway you're sort of missing the point, friend. The thread isn't about who likes what, who cares about that? It's about what you do or don't like and why. Not looking for a vote, but conversation.

I can think of a million reasons to carry the Buck 110. I also find it back-heavy. Do you not find that? Do you feel like you have control over it that you want? How about compared to something else like a Buck 113 or another knife with a different balance?

 

[Alberta Ed]

I have several (not including the ones I've given away), the traditional in 420HC, of course; a BassPro in CPM-154 with some kind of super hard coating; and a 110 Slim Pro in S30V. Like 'em all. The Slim Pro is great for carrying, but that thin handle tends to bite some when cutting for any length of time; the traditional brass handle wth the elegant wood grips is more comfortable for extended use (and classier, to boot, at least to my eye). Tried getting one of the limited 110s in Magnacut, just because, but the website wouldn't cooperate. Oh, well...

 

[ScarFoot]

It's great to put a 110 in your hand before you punch someone out. It adds a lot to the blow. And less knife weight is a purely manufactured asset or feature without objective merit. Makers who can't compete just repeat 'light weight' until people believe it has some intrinsic value.

The Buck 110 is the top-selling single-blade folder of all time. A light weight folding pocket knife is a weaker tool, less capable when you need it, and the notion that 3 oz. less is a positive asset that would sway a purchasing decision is from the minds of a few who desperately needed a means to compete against makers with a better product at 20% of the price.

It's not quite superstition. But knives made intentionally lightweight as a selling feature break all the time! I haven't broken a Buck 110 no matter what I did with it.

But, this is America. Everyone has the right to believe anything he wants. And, if any individual fails to respect the beliefs of others, no one is obliged to respect his beliefs.

I you don't feel comfortable using an 8 oz. knife, that's why there are choices to suit nearly every preference.

In general weight and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

 

[chalby]

It's great to put a 110 in your hand before you punch someone out. It adds a lot to the blow.

It would also make it a lot more likely that you end up with broken fingers

 

[jayjaygee]

the traditional brass handle wth the elegant wood grips is more comfortable for extended use

What kind of work do you generally do with it that it's more comfortable? I agree the handle is comfy, but the general use of the knife feels awkward to me, because of the balance. Do you not find that?

 

[killgar]

A tale of two knives...

Pic- Classic Buck 110 (modified, 425 blade), Bradley Alias 1 (titanium handle framelock, S30V blade)

I received my Buck 110 back around 1982, when I was around 12 years old. I carried it often for about 20 years, and it saw a lot of use (mostly camping and work).

I got the Alias around 2003, carried it for about 14 years, and it saw a lot of use (mostly work).

The Buck is heavy, thick, has no pocket clip, requires two hands to open and close (for me anyway).

The Alias is light, thin, has a pocket clip, can be opened and closed easily with one hand, and has a more modern steel.

If I had to carry one around all day in my pocket, I'd choose the Alias. Although I modified the 110 to make it lighter (scalloped out the bottom bolsters) it's still heavier than I would prefer for pocket carry.

However, if I could only choose one, like I could only own one of these two knives for the rest of my life, or take one with me out into the wild, I wouldn't even have to think about it- I'd choose the 110. The simple reason being- over the past 8 years I've used the 110 a lot more than the Alias. In fact, I can't think of a single time I've used, or carried, the Alias in the past 8 years. But I have used the 110, and of all my cutting tools it was the best suited for my needs (particularly due to the very thin, very sharp edge).

I have nothing against the Alias, it's a great knife and it served me well, as a pocket knife. But for me the 110 has proven to be more useful for my needs as an all-around cutting tool.

My 110 resides in a permanent place on my desk (unless I'm using it), the Alias has been sitting in a tool box in my closet for the past 8 years.

That's my story. I can understand that the classic 110 isn't for everyone. To each their own.

 

[Hackenslash]

I have a basic Buck 110 that I never carry. It’s heavy, clunky and inconvenient for me to EDC.

That being said, there’s no denying the historical significance of it and it remains a viable option for many.

Also, it has that classic “American Folding Knife” look that seems so beautiful to me. So much so I sought out and bought this:

A 112 Slim Pro. I love this knife and it easily keeps up with any other USA made knives in this price category.

 

[J. Doyle]

I also find it back-heavy. Do you not find that? Do you feel like you have control over it that you want?

This feels like you have a predetermined position and want everyone else to come to the same conclusion you came to.......under the guise of "conversation". Not unlike your other thread.

Your posts give the impression that you feel like if you don't have the EXACT perfect tool for the task, you can't function.

The human hand is extremely adaptable and versatile. Skills matter far more than blade/weight/materials.

I've hunted and been around hunters my whole life. I've witnessed a lot of guys, from novice to highly experienced, dress and skin game with a lot of different knives. My uncle was a professional hunting guide for decades in Montana. I watched him (by oversight and from lack of proper hunting knife) field dress an elk with a 6" rapala filet knife faster and cleaner than I've ever seen anyone else field dress a whitetail.

Skill matters more than tools.

 

[jayjaygee]

This feels like you have a predetermined position and want everyone else to come to the same conclusion you came to

So just to be clear, when I say "I find it feels a too backheavy, and can't control it like I'd like to, do you not find that" you consider that to be a case of me wanting everyone else to come to the same conclusion? Not, as I think, a case of me asking people to share their different experiences in some detail?

Because that appears to be what you're saying. And if it is, I don't see any reason why we should interact again. But if it isn't, please clarify your position.

 

[eveled]

I wouldn’t trade my 110’s for anything. I have to force myself to use other knives. 110’s do everything I need a knife to do and it smashes things too. Its big enough for big jobs small enough to be precise, I don’t mind the weight or the balance.

40 plus years of daily 110 use, I’ve worn out 2 of them, I’ve worn out dozens of sheaths.

For me getting to carry and use a 110 is like being able to drive the General Lee every day to work.

Putting a Buck 110 on my belt is like putting a Ma Deuce on my pick up truck. Gives me a warm feeling inside makes me feel like everything will be ok.

I don’t understand the reason to post about things you don’t like. Are you looking for permission or validation? Its not like we can make you like it.

There are a lot of very popular knives posted here I don’t care for, I have absolutely no desire to share my dislike for them. I just move on.