Ecolite - Come back!

[pinnah]

Question for the more seasoned Buck watchers....

Any hopes of seeing the Ecolite return?

 

[Stumps]

The only thing I can say about it is that when I called Buck last December to check on buying a couple I was told they were discontinued earlier that month.

I was surprised they discontinued them. I thought they were great as a lightweight alternative for backpacking to the 110 and 112.

 

[pinnah]

The only thing I can say about it is that when I called Buck last December to check on buying a couple I was told they were discontinued earlier that month.

I was surprised they discontinued them. I thought they were great as a lightweight alternative for backpacking to the 110 and 112.

Stumps, you spend a lot of time on the trail side by side with folks from the backpacking crowd.

When I'm on the trail, I see people carrying either junk, or stuff similar to what I see being sold in many backpacking stores: Benchmade, Spyderco, CRKT, SAKs and occasionally a Mora.

Do you think that the hollow grind of Buck 110/112 and/or the clip point are off-putting to the average backpacking customer?

Here in New England, the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) carried the Ecolites for a time and I wonder if they had been bladed with a flat (or flat/convex) drop point if they would have sold better?

Obviously, the RedPoints and Spitfires are being sold into that market now, which I suppose is a better fit actually.

Still, I would love for the Ecolite (or something like it) to come back.

 

[155440]

Stumps, you spend a lot of time on the trail side by side with folks from the backpacking crowd.

When I'm on the trail, I see people carrying either junk, or stuff similar to what I see being sold in many backpacking stores: Benchmade, Spyderco, CRKT, SAKs and occasionally a Mora.

Do you think that the hollow grind of Buck 110/112 and/or the clip point are off-putting to the average backpacking customer?

Here in New England, the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) carried the Ecolites for a time and I wonder if they had been bladed with a flat (or flat/convex) drop point if they would have sold better?

Obviously, the RedPoints and Spitfires are being sold into that market now, which I suppose is a better fit actually.

Still, I would love for the Ecolite (or something like it) to come back.

I liked them a lot as well. I thought they did a great job of making a light weight 110 without using expensive materials like carbon fiber or titanium. At the end of the day, I think they were not turning a profit so Buck discontinued them. I remember seeing them online for mind blowingly cheap prices.

 

[Stumps]

I do mostly long distance backpacking (1,000 miles plus) and most friends carry the lightest, smallest knife they can find. I see a lot carry the SAK Classic SD with scissors, file, toothpick, tweezers and blade. For many years that was all I carried on my long walks. Didn't need anything else because I walked from sun up to sun down, then went right into my sleeping bag for the night. It's not camping the way a lot of folks like, but that's how I do it. I like walking…much more than camping.

In recent years I started carrying this Buck 110 I got from JAG. The pocket clip works fantastic and very lightweight…it weighs a little less than half what a standard 110 weighs. I still carry the SAK for the little gadgets that come in handy….clipping finger nails, unruly beard and nose hairs. It doesn't spread peanut butter as well though.









I grew up using clip points and have never broken a tip. I much prefer a clip point, especially the older clip points that seems a lot of people broke. I like the piercing power of the clip point.
A hollow grind or flat grind doesn't matter to me so much. I'm no engineer and as long as a knife cuts I'm okay with it. Maybe I would worry more about that if I used a knife for hours on end, but I mostly just cut things maybe half a dozen times a day.
I actually pay more attention to the edge. I know a toothy edge works better for some things, but I like a polished edge better. I have no problems slicing tomatoes with a polished edge even though most prefer a toothy edge for that.
No problems sharpening and stropping any of the blade steels on my knives to the polished edge I like.

I really liked the ergonomics of the Paperstone 110. I think it would have been one of my favorites with a pocket clip. Could have easily been one of my favorites with an upgraded steel option.