The other day
I responded to someone who quoted a post of mine in an older thread, asking after my source for the stand-offs I used to replace the backspacer in my large Crooked River. That eventually led to my carrying that knife today.
As it was also an NKD, its companion is the Buck 110 Slim Pro TRX, something I just picked up on a whim this week as I've seen a few posted and thought I'd give a spin. I've got a few Bucks--a 110 brass bolstered pin-less in Koa, a similar 112 in white oak, and a couple Vantages, one in Dymondwood and the other in Noryl or some such. I got the first two as they're iconic USA made knives, added brass thumstuds, but they pretty much just sit in the drawer as they're belt sheath carry, two-handed open/close, and just not really my cuppa tea. I really am a one-hand, modern folder sorta guy. The "lesser" Vantage is my bathroom drawer knife and gets some use opening meds and other stuff appropriate to that venue while the Dymondwood model just sits unused.
I figured I'd give the more modern Slim Pro a whirl, but first impressions here are not terribly positive as far as my preferences are concerned. It's still really a two-hand open/close with uncomfortable thumb studs and strong spring resistance in both directions despite some oiling and a little pivot loosening. It is nice looking, lighter and slimmer than it's older cousins, and the clip is ok, but I don't know that a bit of break-in and time in pocket will change my opinion much. It is well-made in the USA, as one would expect from Buck, but it's not presenting the sort of difference and EDC-ability from it's forebears that I'd hoped for and found when I acquired my Al Mar Eagle HD and LW knives. Their predecessors are my Eagle and Falcon Talons that are well-used and appreciated as my desk knives. We shall see....
