Ecolite?

P

pinnah

Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
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Anybody close to Buck know if they're considering bringing it back?

I'm stunned at the prices they're fetching on the auction sites.
 
Don't know, but I have one, gave another to my brother-in-law, and we both love em'. Crazy prices. They're calling them rare. Huh. Well, glad I got mine.

Zieg
 
Worth it to check out brick and mortar stores if you have any in your area. I picked up a spare at a local shop not long ago.

Not sure why Buck stopped making them, don't think they lasted long and now gone people want them. I do wonder if they were a good seller for them, did they have warranty issues, or did the handle material dry up? Not sure why they went away. Are a nice option when weight matters.
 
I would love to see them bring them back with some new colors. I like that paperstone.
 
mnblade said:
Yep. I really wanted a 112 but didn't like the red and green.
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You missed the black version on web specials a while back . So did I. I have 3 and love them. I have a original design that didn't have a washered pivot rivot and I guess they had sticking problems, but I haven't had that issue with it.
 
As I don't know to much about these particular models, are they the same ones as on Amazon that you're referring to?

They seem a bit pricey for a synthetic handle and 420HC. Is that cause they're discontinued?

You can get the 110 in S30v for not too much more which seems like a better deal, albeit for a much heavier knife.

Just curious....
 
I thought PaperStone would stick around a little longer. The material has a nice look and feel to it and the finger groves along the sides give it a very ergonomic grip. At a fraction of the weight they are easy to pocket carry. I hope they bring them back.
 
I would be cool with a material other than paperstone. G10 or micarta with the skeletonized liners would weigh considerably less than a standard 110.
 
imafritz said:
These are them. To my knowledge they were only available in 420hc
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Cabela's sold a black paperstone Ranger with a black oxide blade and 12C27mod Sandvick steel in the Jim Shockey product line. At the end Buck cleared them out on the web specials page for $18. What a deal.
 
I always thought they would be around for a long time so, having other needs, I did not get one.

Let's start a petition and see if we can get Buck to bring back the 110 and 112 paperstone. I want one in deep blue and another in autumn orange.
 
I will admit this thread did prompt me to track down a couple Ecolites for myself as I hadn't really checked them out before.

Here are two of the Ranger sized model 112. The top one has a 2013 manufacture code, 2009 on the lower one.

The two things that stand out right off to me is the pin difference with the washer as already mentioned. Then the handle finish itself.

I tried to catch it in the pictures. The 2009 has a smoother, polished finish to it where even the finger cutouts match the flats. I'm curious if the handles are polished after assembly? I ask as around each pin, you can still see a tiny rough area around it as if they couldn't get to it during the finishing. Dunno.

The 2013 has a more of a matte finish to it on the flats and in the cutouts, and in the cutouts, the laminate layers are clearly visible as compared to the 2009 where you have to look pretty closely to see the laminations.

Both knife blades, back springs, liners, all look identical between the two knives to my carefully untrained unfocused eyeball. :)

So I guess if you're thinking of getting one, and have a finish preference, check the year manufactured. I don't know which year the finishing was changed, so perhaps a better educated member will add that info.

If I'm covering already well trod ground, my apologies.



 
DocT, where do I sign?

I would sign that petition but would ask for 2 small changes...


I carried a Case large Sodbuster for a good while this summer. I really liked the width of that knife. Wide enough to feel full in the hand in a way the Buck 500 does not and yet thin enough for easy pocket carry in a way that the Ecolite 112 and Buck 110 is not. IMO, the classic 110 and 112 can stay nice and wide because they're brass bricks and better belt carried than pocket carried. The Ecolites were light enough for pocket carry and that's one of the primary attractions for me. But, for pocket carry, I find them a scooch too fat. Maybe 1mm thinner. On par with a Sodbuster.

The other thing that stood out to me is how burly the sodbuster pivot is. My Ecolite 112 loosened up (vertical play) in few short months. I suspect that a part of that is how small and thin the pivot pin. Beef up the pivot, I say.

I think the Ecolite is a winning design but one that needs to be carried for a while to become established. I also really think the width issue was a part of the problem in sales with it. It needs to be pocket carry friendly at that weight, I think.

Love the idea on the orange.
 
They should bring these back with big brother and if they sell better and I think they would expand both colors and to fix the thinner option bring out 500 series Ecolites...

I couldn't be happier with my EL 112s!
 
DocT said:
I always thought they would be around for a long time so, having other needs, I did not get one.

Let's start a petition and see if we can get Buck to bring back the 110 and 112 paperstone. I want one in deep blue and another in autumn orange.
Click to expand...

Count me in too. Would love the autumn orange. I have the red 112 and it is a GREAT knife. Wish I had gone ahead and got one of each color in both models. Hind sight is always 20/20
 
Here's my 112 Ecolite. It is one of my go to "outdoor" knives. I think Paperstone is a fantastic knife handle material for durability, however it can get a bit slippery when wet.

 
If they do bring the Ecolite knives back, I hope they do away with the finger grooves or make them more like those on the standard 110; I found the finger grooves on the Ecolite 110 to be very uncomfortable and ended up giving mine away. I really like paperstone, though!
 
Kwon Kwang said:
If they do bring the Ecolite knives back, I hope they do away with the finger grooves or make them more like those on the standard 110; I found the finger grooves on the Ecolite 110 to be very uncomfortable and ended up giving mine away. I really like paperstone, though!
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I was noticing this as well while handling the two I have in the above picture I posted. The newer one had more definite edges to the handle, chunkier, and didn't feel as well in my hand as the older model, with more polished and rounded edges. It was noticeably more comfortable to me. I have smaller hands and am pretty skinny so this may not be as noticeable for someone with larger paws.
 
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