Disappointed at first, then...

StuntDouble

StuntDouble

Gold Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
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Since I didn't get any new knives from the girlfriend this year for Christmas, I figured I would order a couple for myself. I picked out a 309 Companion and a 302 Solitaire. I was looking forward to them, because I keep reading such great things about the Companion, and I wanted the Solitaire because I like my 301, but really just wanted the main blade. So the knives get here, and I have to admit, I was not impressed. The edge on the 302 was rather blunt along most of its length, and wouldn't begin to slice paper. Also, when I held the end of the knife up to my eye and sighted down it, I could see that the spine of the knife was not flat or even rounded, but slanted. For the most part I was happy with the Companion, the main blade sliced paper okay, but the pen blade was pretty dull. Also, I never realized they had a funky grind to them, which causes the point of the main blade to be ground more on one side. Thankfully, both knives have pretty snappy springs compared to the 301, something I prefer, and they all locked up pretty solid, with just the tiniest bit of side to side play on the 302.

I was a bit aggravated, and was tempted to send them back. However, after thinking about it a bit, I decided to have a go and see if I could tweak them myself. I sharpened up the 302, and I was able to sand down the back so it is a bit more even. There's still a bit of a slant, but some 1500 grit every now and then will even things out over the long run. I spent some time thinning out the pen blade of the 309, and was rewarded with a pocket razor. I also cleaned up the bevels on the main blade a bit, thinning out the edge bevels, and polishing them up a bit.

By the time it was over, aggravation was replace with satisfaction. Though i don't really like having to "fix" knives right out of the box, I have to admit these two have grown on me. The 302 has knocked the 301 and my Menefee trapper out of my pocket (Don't tell Rick!). The 309 has become what I like to call my pajama knife. It's what I carry when I just want a sharp edge that won't be felt in the pocket of my flannels. All in all, I see these two sticking with me for long haul.
 
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Thanks for the write-up. I've had a very similar experience with the 309 Companion. At first, I found the pen blade objectionable for it's crude profile, but then I did some sharpening. I don't think I went as far as you did, but it's way better than the factory edge. I really like this little knife now. It is with me daily, riding unobtrusively in my pocket, so it's aptly named. The 420 HC holds a decent edge and is easily stropped back into shape. Here is a video I made about the 309.
[video=youtube;2L62E1Hs03s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L62E1Hs03s[/video]
 
fishinfs,

I'll try to get some photos of them tomorrow. I just ran out of sunlight today.

dogstar,

I definitely took my edge bevel up further. I tend to prefer the higher, thin bevels, which shows on most of my knives. I'm tempted to go further actually, and blend the grind from the spine to the edge. I did that with the sheepfoot blade on my 301, and was happy with the result.

I've said it many times before, but I'll keep saying it until it happens, I'd love to see Buck put out their 300 series with flat ground blades again. They are really hindering the cutting ability of their smaller knives with the short hollow grinds and thick edge bevels.
 
Glad you got them closer to where you want.

You may well have a point about the desirability of flat ground on a tiny knife like a 309. However, I've been really pleased with the two I own: an older black sawcut, won in a giveaway and a new yellow one. These pocket midgets are very appealing, well finished and useful, can't help admire them, capable of work for sure.
 
I took a bunch of shots of the two knives. Some turned out better than others, but here we go..

Here's the main blade of the 309.
DSCN1969.jpg


Another shot of the 309
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One side of the pen blade.
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Other side of pen blade
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Main blade of the 309 shaving paper on an envelope
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Bird's eye view of the 309
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Shot looking down the edge of the 302
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Another shot of the 302's edge.
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Finally, a shot down the spine of the 302. You can't really see much in the photo, but there was a good degree of slant there when I first got it. I still need to clean it up a bit, but it's all cosmetic now.
DSCN1964.jpg
 
I think I have a preference for the yellow handles truthfully. It seems the rivets are finished a little better than the normal sawcut ones. It also helps that it stands out if I happen to set it down somewhere.
 
i actually bought a Companion at a hardware store yesterday. i admit, it was a spontanious purchase, but i hadnt seen one for awhile. black delrin(?) grips, just like the only other one i ever owned, which was my first Buck knife, and was bought for me as a Christmas present by my little bro when we were in grade school. i lost that knife in high school, and cant believe it took me 25 years to replace it.... great little knife

anyway, mine is exactly what i would expect from Buck....top shelf quality.
 
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fishinfs said:
Thanks for sharing the pics - nice knife, and nice work. Do you use diamond stones?
Click to expand...
Yeah i was wondering the same thing, that's a nice edge for a humble little pocket knife.

I'm also considering getting an older Camillus made one off the bay. I just can't decide.
 
Actually, I use sandpaper on top of a section of an old leather belt, on top of a Norton sharpening stone. I never had much luck using the Norton for sharpening, but it makes a nice base. I slip a rubber band over one end, and that keeps the strip of sandpaper and the belt on the stone, and it also works to keep the whole thing from sliding. I pretty much use 600 and 1500 grit paper for normal sharpening. Then I'll strop on the belt when I get done. If I need to do a heavy reprofiling, I start with 180 grit and go from there.

Here's a photo of my setup. Simple, easy, and cheap.
DSCN1973.jpg
 
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