First and latest Buck with questions

J

jimw451

Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
1,649
Hello all. Backstory: My very first knife (own money, non-gifted) was a Buck 112 that I got from a gun show in the early 90s and I still have it. Cost me $5 and is in great condition to this day.

Now the latest purchase was a CSAR-T that I had an opportunity to handle at my local knife shop. It was the only one in stock and my buddy picked it up before I could decide if I wanted to pull the trigger or not at $100. No biggie, there's plenty out there. The one in the shop had an ATS 34 blade and everything I was looking for in a knife, beefy grips, hefty feel, and a blade shape I could appreciate. So off I go to the bay and find one advertised with ATS 34 blade BNIB free shipping for $87. Done deal. I get it in hand and the blade is 154CM with G10 grips that were so rough the fibers were still sticking out enough that you could stand them up in the cuts. The G10 was so dry it was white and the blade was so dull it wouldn't cut through a post-it note without a decent amount of pressure behind it.

All these issues can be addressed easily but should I expect this right out of the box? I searched this forum with the term CSAR but couldn't really find anything. I've since given the G10 a good pat down with Rem Oil to darken it back up. I know I can sand on it to smooth it out and get the knife shop guy some business by having it sharpened by him, but what gives? Any CSAR-T owners that have a similar experience?

Thanks!
 
BG42EDGE said:
Sounds awful.

Maybe it's a fake.
Click to expand...

I hope not. Pretty awful so far though.

THE_LONGBOW said:
First mine was perfect but I have had it for a year. The strange thing is I do not think Buck did the CSAR-T in 154CM. I think that is strange, is the blade stamped 154CM? All this being said if the quality is sub par return it.
Can you post a picture of the knife and the steel stamp?
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Cannot return it for refund, only "store credit" per seller and I don't want credit with a place that sends this kind of stuff out, you know? Will post pictures shortly.
 
If you want a refund, they can't refuse you.....they have to give you a refund.

If they won't cooperate, all you have to do is do a chargeback on your credit card.

Easy.......and if we don't do it these sellers will continue to screw people.
 
THE_LONGBOW said:
First mine was perfect but I have had it for a year. The strange thing is I do not think Buck did the CSAR-T in 154CM. I think that is strange, is the blade stamped 154CM? All this being said if the quality is sub par return it.
Can you post a picture of the knife and the steel stamp?
Click to expand...

When the knife came out in 2010, it was listed as being ATS-34 which is what mine is, but they changed to 154CM in 2011.

This is from the 2011 catalog:

CSAR-Tcatalog.jpg
 
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I was thinking about getting a CSAR-T earlier this week and noticed that Buck changed them to 154CM after the first year. Found several for sale at different dealers listed as ATS-34. Figured that since I like ATS-34 (I know 154CM is basically the same) and it was only offered the first year that's what I'd get. Called to make sure and of all the dealers that had it listed only one actually had ATS-34 in stock. The rest either listed it but actually had 154CM in stock, they just hadn't updated their listing or they were out of stock and the next batch coming in was 154CM. Always best to call first.

As far as the OP's question on having a dull blade that could just be a burr from the factory, it happens. Better to learn to sharpen yourself and just tune it up rather than replace it or pay someone else to sharpen it.
 
Pics as requested. Thanks for the update on changing to 154CM, I knew they were basically the same so that wasn't the biggest issue, other than the listing being incorrect.

IMG_3867.jpg

IMG_3868.jpg
 
Isn't ATS-34 a Japanese made steel? Buck is making an effort to return more and more production to the USA so perhaps that was the reason for the change.
 
BG42EDGE said:
If you want a refund, they can't refuse you.....they have to give you a refund.

If they won't cooperate, all you have to do is do a chargeback on your credit card.

Easy.......and if we don't do it these sellers will continue to screw people.
Click to expand...

I used paypal and I know I could do a request for refund on there as well, but I've already scraped at the G10 a little to remove the long sticky strands and put Rem Oil on it, so I'm okay with keeping it as long as it's not a knock-off. I was just concerned about quality control on the handles and blade sharpness out of the box. If was any worse, believe me I would demand a refund in full.

THE_LONGBOW said:
If nothing else have them send you a CSAR-T with ATS-34 like they advertised.
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If the steels weren't so similar I might fight for it, but is the ATS-34 version rarer? If it was only offered the first year, I would think so, but not 100% sure. Just curious.

Badhammer said:
I was thinking about getting a CSAR-T earlier this week and noticed that Buck changed them to 154CM after the first year. Found several for sale at different dealers listed as ATS-34. Figured that since I like ATS-34 (I know 154CM is basically the same) and it was only offered the first year that's what I'd get. Called to make sure and of all the dealers that had it listed only one actually had ATS-34 in stock. The rest either listed it but actually had 154CM in stock, they just hadn't updated their listing or they were out of stock and the next batch coming in was 154CM. Always best to call first.

As far as the OP's question on having a dull blade that could just be a burr from the factory, it happens. Better to learn to sharpen yourself and just tune it up rather than replace it or pay someone else to sharpen it.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize they changed steels, so I went with what was advertised. The steel is close enough in properties that I'm still good with it, but I figured since I didn't wait for the knife shop to get another before I bought one, I'd at least give them the business of the sharpening. The owner brags about his skills, so I'll see what he can do :). I still haven't purchased a sharpener but I will in the future and attempt to sharpen cheaper knives as practice.
 
Plumberdv said:
Isn't ATS-34 a Japanese made steel? Buck is making an effort to return more and more production to the USA so perhaps that was the reason for the change.
Click to expand...

Does Buck get ATS-34 from Japan and make the blades here or do they make the blades in Japan and ship them to Buck. Since the CSAR-T is listed as "Made in the USA" I'm betting they just get the steel from Japan but even so it might be cheaper to get the 154CM without the expense of importing it.
 
The 154CM steel being American made is a plus but the process used here during mfg. is of better quality than that over seas. So, its really a +2 deal. Many makers have gone to this steel even though the ATS-34 in cheaper. DM
 
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