Current 110s: Less "clip" than old ones?

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pinnah

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Jul 28, 2011
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Do current 110s have a less pronounced clip than older ones like this late 70s 2-dotter?


buck110 by Pinnah, on Flickr

I'm considering getting a 110 Ecolite for backpacking but I've never warmed up to the extreme (to my eyes) clip on my old 2-dot for general purpose use. Looking at advertising pictures online, it appears that the current 110s have less clip than this. Do my eyes decieve?

If somebody has a side by each shot of an older 2-dot and a current 110, that would be ideal.
 
Yes ,the new style 110 has a much different blade style,the clip part is much different,very noticable if you compare them side to side with an older model.
 
Is this what you are talking about?
IMG_6111.jpg

It's older than at 2 dot though;)
IMG_6109.jpg

jb4570
 
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"Yes ,the new style 110 has a much different blade style,the clip part is much different,very noticable if you compare them side to side with an older model."

Can someone please post comparison pics for those of us who do not have the knives available.

TSA, United, Eastern, etc., have all of my older Buck 110's.

I loved that knife.

I assume there are Buck comparison threads that I have not found.

Mods can remove the rant below, if it is considered inappropriate.
____________________________________________________________________________

I was once forced to make an unscheduled Eastern Airline plane change, and watched the guy break into my case; take the knife and smile and wave at me. I could not miss the plane to save a knife. I called the EAL President's office the next day and they told me: "too Bad, SH." I had 300,000 EAL miles. I never flew EAL again.

The rest of them were taken because I forgot I had them.

In the middle of the Hijackings in Europe in the 1970's, with machine guns everywhere, if you had a knife on Swiss Air, you gave it to the pilot and he returned it when you got off his airplane. He did not have his sister sell it on Ebay.

Mike H.
 
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There has been change in the arc radius and arc center point for both the clip and the belly. Combining the clip and belly changes can really change the blade geometry. These changes aren't limited to the two dots versus current designs. Blade shape has changed several times over the past ten years. The net effect seems to put more steel near the tip, probably to reduce breakage. Personally, I like the extreme clip shape of the early 110s, which were pretty much hand-shaped; unfortunately, that shape increased the likelihood of breaking the tip. I am in the midst of measuring changes in blade geometry over the years but have a long way to go before I can make good generalizations.
 
Yes, the broken tips have been a concern for many years because they cost Buck money. It would, of course, be best if NONE came back for blade replacement.....and I think Buck has gone a little too far in trying to achieve that goal.

Eventually, perhaps......the blade may look like a club, but the tips will be no more likely than the rest of the blade to break.

Frankly, I'd rather they would just quit replacing broken-tipped blades and then give us more gracefully shaped knives like the old ones.

I figure that if you break the tip off your blade, you were probably doing something stupid and probably don't deserve to get it replaced for free.
 
JB, thank you so much for posting those pictures. Very, very helpful.

Am I correct that the bottom one in both is the current version?

Mine looks the most like the 2nd from the top in the 2nd picture and the top in the 1st. Has that very proud "crown" just above the nick.



bertl said:
There has been change in the arc radius and arc center point for both the clip and the belly. Combining the clip and belly changes can really change the blade geometry. These changes aren't limited to the two dots versus current designs. Blade shape has changed several times over the past ten years. The net effect seems to put more steel near the tip, probably to reduce breakage. Personally, I like the extreme clip shape of the early 110s, which were pretty much hand-shaped; unfortunately, that shape increased the likelihood of breaking the tip. I am in the midst of measuring changes in blade geometry over the years but have a long way to go before I can make good generalizations.
Click to expand...

The bold sentance nails it for me. While I appreciate my old 110 as a hunting (and occasionally fishing) knife, I can appreciate the point of the point, especially for piercing cuts.

But, for backpacking, the primary uses are for food prep and occasionally shaving wood for fires. It is in food prep that my old 110 is just awful. Nowhere near enough belly. My 110 sits mostly unused except during deer season because of this. It has also turned me very off of clip points, perhaps unfairly.

I got a 112 a year or so ago and it's really changing my opinion about clips. But it has a ton more belly. I know the current 110 won't have as much belly as my 112, but if it's noticeably more than the old 110, that might work.
 
My wife and I make a lot of salads ,and we both use a 110 with a clip blade to make them,it works as good as any kitchen knife we have.I have a lot of different knives and the 110 has never gave me one instance where i'd say it wasn't usefull in any cutting /food prep situation.Interesting you find such different results with yours.
 
Still plenty of point for piercing cuts on the newer model 110, and it's still a great field dressing knife IMO. If anything I have to make a "point" of watching the "point" so I don't accidently poke a hole in something I don't want poked. I like the newer blade design better both functionally as well as aesthetically.
 
I agree with BG. Sending a knife in for replacement of a broken tip isn't right. About 30 years ago, I did something stupid and broke the tip on a 303. I mentioned the Buck lifetime warranty to a friend and said something about sending the knife back. He quickly convinced me otherwise, and for 30 years I've done fine with a slightly re-shaped blade. Manufacturing defects are one thing, stupid abuse is another. If people want to keep the cost down on Buck knives, they should think about whether they are abusing Buck's generous warranty.
 
bertl said:
I agree with BG. Sending a knife in for replacement of a broken tip isn't right. About 30 years ago, I did something stupid and broke the tip on a 303. I mentioned the Buck lifetime warranty to a friend and said something about sending the knife back. He quickly convinced me otherwise, and for 30 years I've done fine with a slightly re-shaped blade. Manufacturing defects are one thing, stupid abuse is another. If people want to keep the cost down on Buck knives, they should think about whether they are abusing Buck's generous warranty.
Click to expand...


Exactly
 
Thanks all for the input and help.

Unfortunately, this question is leading back to the same place of frustration I have with Buck currently.

I really want the (modified) drop point blade of the 486 (or 482) in the Paperstone frame of the Ecolite 110 (or 112).

BU486BKS.jpg


IMO, the drop point blades are just more useful and/or pleasing for my non-hunting purposes.
But the nylon handles on the 486/482 are ugly and cheap looking (while light and functional).

So, the hard choice is between a blade I strongly prefer (486/482) or a handle I strongly prefer (the Ecolites).

I don't much care if Buck introduces a pricier Ecolite version of the Bucklite series or a drop point version of the Ecolite hunter series, but I really wish they would put these together.

On a related note, our local REI has reduced it's stock of Buck knives to a single Chinese made offering in the $25 range. They had 2 whole display rows of Gerbers and 3 display rows of Leathermans. They also had several Victorinox and CRKT models.

It seems to me that Buck is almost intentional about making knives that won't appeal to the hiking/backpacking/climbing market. The Xtract series is a part of that solution but all of the knife makers carried by REI (including Victorinox and Leatherman) had locking folders with blades in the 3"-4" range. None of them have clip points like the 110/112 and all of them have better looking handles than the Bucklite series.

IMO, Buck should fight to put the Xtracts and an Ecolite version of the 482/486 in every major backpacking/climbing chain. Of course, they need to MAKE an Ecolite 482/486 first.
 
The 486 blade fits in the 110 frame (I have one) so I don't see why it wouldn't fit the Ecolight frame also. Take matters into your own hands and buy one of each and have some knife mangler swap the blades for you. No more frustration!

You think the 486 blade is better for spreading peanut butter than the 110? I'll have to give that a try and post a review. ;)
 
Dave, I've thought about doing just what you suggest but that would effectively quadruple the cost. Fast way to turn a $30 knife into a $100 knife, which isn't really the best idea.

Put the 110 to the peanut butter, nutella (yum), cream cheese test. I've run this test a bunch of times comparing the 110 (and Case 316-5) against my modified Opinel #10 drop point. It's just no contest. Basically, I want to replicate the versatility of the Opinel with the ruggedness and 420HC steel in a Buck. I just can't find that knife from Buck.


opinel #10 by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
Buck is slow to hear, slower to act........still, I think they'll produce the knife you want one of these days.

The demand is there, that's for sure.

The clip point is a traditional style. I like it for that, but the Bowie look, while being pretty........comes in second on peanut butter.

:)
 
when I go camping usually a couple of these go with me...


IMG_2388.jpg

they work great for peanut butter and clean up real easy :D

As to Buck ever making drop point hunters, they currently are supplying at least one vendor with the 112 paperstone in DP blade...
I'm not holding my breath waiting, and I'm sure they must have done some type of research on marketing their various models...They are a pretty big company and have been doing what they do for a long time...
 
LOL, Sitflyer........love the Peanut Butter Bucky.

As to changing knife models.....

They may be concerned that a new model like that would cut into the sales of the old-style knives and the overall impact would end up being negative.

Don't rock a smooth-sailing ship.

Low risk takers, these folks at Buck.
 
sitflyer said:
As to Buck ever making drop point hunters, they currently are supplying at least one vendor with the 112 paperstone in DP blade...
I'm not holding my breath waiting, and I'm sure they must have done some type of research on marketing their various models...They are a pretty big company and have been doing what they do for a long time...
Click to expand...

Ibex.jpg
 
BG, I can't imagine this would cut into sales of traditionals. Buck has clearly taken that risk with the 482/486 which is a) fully modern with pocket clips and drop points and b) marketed to hunters with the Boone & Crocket version. They seem to be happy to go after non hunters with knives like Vantage.

The only thing I can think is that Buck believes that buyers who would be interested in a drop point Ecolite 110/112 would also demand a pocket clip? I dunno.
 
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