Custom shop question

M

Mr. Tettnanger

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2012
Messages
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I want to have a Buck 110 custom made up. I am concerned about the quality of the final product after seeing the recent magnacut run. I had one built years ago that was a complete disappointment. That was partially my fault for ordering horn/antler scales and not knowing how they were manufactured and partially Bucks fault for a lack of quality, in my opinion. I swore that I would never make that mistake again....but yet, here I am.

Are the customs built with a higher degree of quality with better fit and finish, even grinds, respectable centering, polishing in areas that are neglected on standard 110's?

Or, are they basically slapped together like the standard and special magnacut release?
 
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Responding as a reader, I have seen posts expressing dissatisfaction/disappointment with Custom Shop knives...but it seems the overwhelming sentiment is that they will remedy QC issues on those knives. I doubt that would extend to certain aspects of natural materials (asymmetry or texture on elk/stag, color or grain pattern on wood, color consistency/inconsistency of dyed bone, etc); but it should cover you for bad grinds or poor fit and finish.
That said - again - my response is based upon comments and responses I have seen here, not actual experience with Buck's Custom Shop.
 
I can’t speak specific about the 110 model but I have several 112’s to include standard knives, Buck of the Month knives and custom shop orders. The custom shop knives I have are top notch and steps above the standard offering knives in every single way. It’s very apparent that more care and attention is put into them.

I have ordered 3 custom shop 112’s in the last couple of years to give you an idea of timeframe too so you know they’re recent builds. I was beyond happy with all 3, even a finger groove model that I gave to a friend as a gift.
 
I'm extremely pleased with the fit & finish on my only Custom Shop 112. I don't have any 110's from the Custom Shop.

I have 4 of the 500 series knives from the Custom Shop. When comparing those to standard 500 series knives, I noticed that the lockbar and nickel silver frames on the Custom Shop knives all have a high polish. On the standard models, the bolsters are polished but the rest of the frame does not appear to be. Polished frames and lockbars are not something you can select when placing a Custom Shop order. They just do it and that speaks for itself in my opinion.

My Custom Shop 112 also has a polished lockbar and frame but I can't compare that to anything because it's nickel silver and the standard models are brass.
 
I have ordered several 110's from the custom shop with mostly Elk slabs. I have been very happy with the results. There has been a very large degree of variance on what the elk looked like(which I like). I did ask specifically for more character on one knife and it turned out great. I also did have one issue with a knife that Buck took care of right away.
 
I have two from the custom shop. My first was a 110 nickel,elk and drop point s30v. My second was a 112 nickel, ironwood and s30v. Both fit and finish were very good. I’m looking at another 110 in Buffalo
 
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My only custom shop order. Fit and finish is excellent on all of them. But they are all supposed to be Cherrywood. The 113 is kind of disappointingly dark.
 
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I only have a single Buck from the custom shop; it is my model 501 with a S30v blade and horn for handle covers. If I am going to be brutally honest about it then the fit and finish is lacking. The covers fit fairly well but the blade favors the left side when closed. They really polished the bolster too; they are polished so much that the pins sit proud. The back spring sits low when the knife is closed but is perfect when the blade is locked open. The lock has always had some vertical play with the blade locked open. It was that way since day one.
Objectively speaking the knife really wasn’t worth the extra money with the exception of the S30v blade; that blade takes a great edge and holds it better than some of my other S30v blades.

With that said I do like this knife and I guess that I don’t see the fit and finish issues any longer. It gets a fair amount of pocket time so the high polish is not so polished any longer; the same with the horn covers.
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I have been giving the OP’s question some additional thought and to me it seems like the current custom shop offers an individual to really customize select models but the build seems to be about the same as production knives but with a very high polish treatment. The product they deliver is not too bad considering the price. How many other manufacturers allow you the choice Buck does in their custom shop?
 
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