- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Messages
- 185
(note: I have no idea why I titled this "Advantage" rather than "Vantage", wish I could edit the title)
Thanks to an excellent review of the Kershaw Packrat by JNieporte I found myself late yesterday afternoon driving to Bass Pro to pick one up. What the heck, business has been very good (knock on wood) and Ive been working like a dog, so I knocked off a few hours early to make the trip on a beautiful 60 degree Georgia day. I knew that I would pay a good bit more at Bass, but to be honest about it I was out for some instant gratification as opposed to waiting for days by the mailbox.
As luck would have it I snagged the last Packrat. As I was walking over to the cash register in the gun department I noticed a Buck Vantage Pro in the case. The G-10 scales really caught my eye. At $45 I asked the clerk to see it, and ended up never putting it back down except to inspect the one from the cabinet that I ended up buying.
Overall I have heard bits and pieces of very good things about the Buck Vantage Pro. I had also heard a few negatives as to quality control issues, but a good inspection of the knife (two of them) found those problems not to be present. The tip of the blade did not hit the spacer. The blade was perfectly centered, and the liner lock engaged the blade at about the 50% point leaving plenty of room for wear. The G-10 scale fit to the frame was just fine. With these potential issues non-existent I paid the man and was on my way with both the Buck and the Packrat.
First off, this Buck is made in the good old USA. We have a 3.25 BOS heat treated S30V hollow ground blade and G-10 scales. For a $45 knife that is amazing to me, that kind of quality materials at that pricepoint. The fit and finish is excellent. There is zero blade play and a very firm lock-up. The liner lock engaged the blade at the 50% point. Possibly Id like to see thicker liners for a knife this size (LOA 7.5) but that would only add to the weight that is, at 4.1 ounces, a nice weight for carry as it is. The knife has a very solid feel to it. The blade is thick but not too thick and has nice belly. It was razor sharp out of the box. When I got home I immediately used it to open some mail and I was amazed how sharp it was. Thats not a significant test, but it was still unusually sharp.
The G-10 scales are very nicely done. There is a very slight texture, but I fear not enough to help much in wet conditions. The three wavey grooves cut into the scales running the length will certainly offer some grip, but Im not sure how this knife would be to hold in a wet environment. As far as aesthetics go these scales really do it for me in their simplicity and styling. The contours are recessed where the thumb engages the oval opening hole which is very useful making for easy opening. Buck has put their enameled blue anvil logo on the left scale, which I could live without. On the plus side it is very well done and to me is better than the billboard graphics that you see on some knives. I prefer naked knives, but if you are going to put a logo on a knife it is critical to make sure that it is attractive and well executed. The Buck passes with high marks on both.
Opening the knife can be accomplished two basic ways. There is an oval hole on the blade itself for slow opening with the thumb, or thumb flick opening with just the slightest flick of the wrist. There is also a flipper that can be used with fingertip pressure alone just getting the job done, or with the flipper and the slightest flick of the wrist for a very solid and positive opening. The flipper is very low profile and unobtrusive yet extremely functional. I find this flipper to be very well engineered and an excellent compromise between function and a relatively compact profile. The flipper also serves effectively as a kind of hilt preventing the finger from slipping forward onto the blade edge. The blade opens easily and very smoothly with no grittiness. Blade retention is good which is important with tip up carry. The pivot washers/buffers appear to be metallic, but I couldnt make out what they are. I do know that this is one smooth knife. I have had to make no adjustments to it and havent oiled it. Possibly if I was going to carry this knife tip up I might tighten the pivot screw just a tad in an effort to increase blade retention just to be safe.
While the clip is already off mine this one allows for deep pocket carry as the clip attaches at the very back of the handle. This knife will clip carry with none of the handle showing. One negative is that this knife will only carry tip up, but it is reversible for right/left. The clip seemed maybe a bit flimsy to me, but Im not a good judge on clips and for all I know it is a very good one.
I known that Buck has had a somewhat spotty reputation for a while (due mainly to imports), but based upon this knife as well as my Buck/Strider Tarani (also BOS heat treated) and the Ghost Rider, I will be taking another good long look at Buck. I'm not certain as to the timing of the Buck/Strider collaboration and the introduction of this knife, but it seems to me that it might have been a very good thing for Buck.
Overall I find this to be a very attractive knife that fits in my hand well that is an exceptional value with far, far above average quality. Based upon this limited exposure to the knife I anticipate that this will become one of my favorites. Time will tell.
Thanks to an excellent review of the Kershaw Packrat by JNieporte I found myself late yesterday afternoon driving to Bass Pro to pick one up. What the heck, business has been very good (knock on wood) and Ive been working like a dog, so I knocked off a few hours early to make the trip on a beautiful 60 degree Georgia day. I knew that I would pay a good bit more at Bass, but to be honest about it I was out for some instant gratification as opposed to waiting for days by the mailbox.
As luck would have it I snagged the last Packrat. As I was walking over to the cash register in the gun department I noticed a Buck Vantage Pro in the case. The G-10 scales really caught my eye. At $45 I asked the clerk to see it, and ended up never putting it back down except to inspect the one from the cabinet that I ended up buying.
Overall I have heard bits and pieces of very good things about the Buck Vantage Pro. I had also heard a few negatives as to quality control issues, but a good inspection of the knife (two of them) found those problems not to be present. The tip of the blade did not hit the spacer. The blade was perfectly centered, and the liner lock engaged the blade at about the 50% point leaving plenty of room for wear. The G-10 scale fit to the frame was just fine. With these potential issues non-existent I paid the man and was on my way with both the Buck and the Packrat.
First off, this Buck is made in the good old USA. We have a 3.25 BOS heat treated S30V hollow ground blade and G-10 scales. For a $45 knife that is amazing to me, that kind of quality materials at that pricepoint. The fit and finish is excellent. There is zero blade play and a very firm lock-up. The liner lock engaged the blade at the 50% point. Possibly Id like to see thicker liners for a knife this size (LOA 7.5) but that would only add to the weight that is, at 4.1 ounces, a nice weight for carry as it is. The knife has a very solid feel to it. The blade is thick but not too thick and has nice belly. It was razor sharp out of the box. When I got home I immediately used it to open some mail and I was amazed how sharp it was. Thats not a significant test, but it was still unusually sharp.
The G-10 scales are very nicely done. There is a very slight texture, but I fear not enough to help much in wet conditions. The three wavey grooves cut into the scales running the length will certainly offer some grip, but Im not sure how this knife would be to hold in a wet environment. As far as aesthetics go these scales really do it for me in their simplicity and styling. The contours are recessed where the thumb engages the oval opening hole which is very useful making for easy opening. Buck has put their enameled blue anvil logo on the left scale, which I could live without. On the plus side it is very well done and to me is better than the billboard graphics that you see on some knives. I prefer naked knives, but if you are going to put a logo on a knife it is critical to make sure that it is attractive and well executed. The Buck passes with high marks on both.
Opening the knife can be accomplished two basic ways. There is an oval hole on the blade itself for slow opening with the thumb, or thumb flick opening with just the slightest flick of the wrist. There is also a flipper that can be used with fingertip pressure alone just getting the job done, or with the flipper and the slightest flick of the wrist for a very solid and positive opening. The flipper is very low profile and unobtrusive yet extremely functional. I find this flipper to be very well engineered and an excellent compromise between function and a relatively compact profile. The flipper also serves effectively as a kind of hilt preventing the finger from slipping forward onto the blade edge. The blade opens easily and very smoothly with no grittiness. Blade retention is good which is important with tip up carry. The pivot washers/buffers appear to be metallic, but I couldnt make out what they are. I do know that this is one smooth knife. I have had to make no adjustments to it and havent oiled it. Possibly if I was going to carry this knife tip up I might tighten the pivot screw just a tad in an effort to increase blade retention just to be safe.
While the clip is already off mine this one allows for deep pocket carry as the clip attaches at the very back of the handle. This knife will clip carry with none of the handle showing. One negative is that this knife will only carry tip up, but it is reversible for right/left. The clip seemed maybe a bit flimsy to me, but Im not a good judge on clips and for all I know it is a very good one.
I known that Buck has had a somewhat spotty reputation for a while (due mainly to imports), but based upon this knife as well as my Buck/Strider Tarani (also BOS heat treated) and the Ghost Rider, I will be taking another good long look at Buck. I'm not certain as to the timing of the Buck/Strider collaboration and the introduction of this knife, but it seems to me that it might have been a very good thing for Buck.
Overall I find this to be a very attractive knife that fits in my hand well that is an exceptional value with far, far above average quality. Based upon this limited exposure to the knife I anticipate that this will become one of my favorites. Time will tell.
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