My Buck Vantage Force Pro (Model 847BLS) just arrived and here is the headline news:
It is beautiful, sharp and strong.
No centering or blade play issues.
Here's a link to photo and specs:
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3939
None of my regular dealers had stock when I ordered earlier this week. And Buck said it wasn't selling directly to consumers yet.
I called one of the few online dealers advertising availability and asked that they handpick a Pro model, which they did.
Price was $75 plus shipping for the Pro, the top of the three Vantage Force models. (The comparable model for the earlier Vantage Pro series, the excellent 347, still is widely available for $65 and sometimes quite a bit less.)
The S30V blade on the Force Pro model is black, although at first I took it for more of a dark charcoal.
The handle on the Force Pro model is black and blue G10, which again, looks more like charcoal to my eye. This G10 has a good grip and the colors are a nice change of pace from pure black, although black is always in good taste for me.
The pocket clip, unlike those on earlier Vantages, is black -- thank you, Buck!
Like the earlier Vantage clips, this one also is deep-pocket.
There is a small amount of jimping. I'd like to see more, something on the order of a Sage or Delica.
The blade is 3.25 inches long and the knife's weight is a reasonable 4 oz.
The Vantage Force is not small; it is larger than a Delica and nearly as large as the Tenacious or Blur.
But clip it to the inside of your pocket and the clip is all you will see. IMO, that is how folding knife clips should work. Spyderco's wire clips and Buck's Vantage clips are among my favorite.
This is my third Vantage and the other two are both the small Vantage Pro (the earlier Model 342BKS). These little jewels are just the right size for EDCing for work in an office.
Unlike those earlier Vantages, the new Vantage Force series is available only in the larger size. A customer rep said she didn't know whether Buck eventually would produce the Force in smaller models.
The new Vantage Force is quite a bit bigger and heavier than my earlier small Vantage Pros. But because of the excellent clip, I wouldn't rule out EDCing the Force, even in an urban office environment.
Fit and finish are generally excellent, which you would expect from a hand-picked model. But not perfect.
The dark blade has four, small roundish spots on one side. (Sorry - no photos.) I'd describe these as looking like water spots on a just-washed car. I will try to find out more about the spots and report back.
Just out of the box, the flipper opened the blade only about half-way. After a couple of dozen tries, I sometimes got it to open all the way, but not consistently.
I readily confess to not being a flipper person, so this could well be me. I never got my smaller Vantages to open fully using the flippers, but I chalked that up to the small size of those knives and the fact that I really don't care for flippers.
UPDATE: Flipper fans, have no fear -- the flipper works fine, with just a bit of wrist flick. And it is fast and smooth!
This knife is fun!
That said, I still prefer hole-openers or thumb studs. Happily, the slot-opener on the Vantage Force works just fine, so owners have two options. The slot opens the blade on this linerlock smoothly, with a good solid "THWACK."
The Vantage Force feels more solid than the earlier 340 series Vantages. Buck says it added a back spacer for stability. Just handling it, the knife feels very substantial.
In sum, while the Vantage Force Pro looks strong enough for first responder use, I wouldn't hesitate to to take it out for an evening on the town in a suit or dress pants.
It is beautiful, sharp and strong.
No centering or blade play issues.
Here's a link to photo and specs:
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3939
None of my regular dealers had stock when I ordered earlier this week. And Buck said it wasn't selling directly to consumers yet.
I called one of the few online dealers advertising availability and asked that they handpick a Pro model, which they did.
Price was $75 plus shipping for the Pro, the top of the three Vantage Force models. (The comparable model for the earlier Vantage Pro series, the excellent 347, still is widely available for $65 and sometimes quite a bit less.)
The S30V blade on the Force Pro model is black, although at first I took it for more of a dark charcoal.
The handle on the Force Pro model is black and blue G10, which again, looks more like charcoal to my eye. This G10 has a good grip and the colors are a nice change of pace from pure black, although black is always in good taste for me.
The pocket clip, unlike those on earlier Vantages, is black -- thank you, Buck!
Like the earlier Vantage clips, this one also is deep-pocket.
There is a small amount of jimping. I'd like to see more, something on the order of a Sage or Delica.
The blade is 3.25 inches long and the knife's weight is a reasonable 4 oz.
The Vantage Force is not small; it is larger than a Delica and nearly as large as the Tenacious or Blur.
But clip it to the inside of your pocket and the clip is all you will see. IMO, that is how folding knife clips should work. Spyderco's wire clips and Buck's Vantage clips are among my favorite.
This is my third Vantage and the other two are both the small Vantage Pro (the earlier Model 342BKS). These little jewels are just the right size for EDCing for work in an office.
Unlike those earlier Vantages, the new Vantage Force series is available only in the larger size. A customer rep said she didn't know whether Buck eventually would produce the Force in smaller models.
The new Vantage Force is quite a bit bigger and heavier than my earlier small Vantage Pros. But because of the excellent clip, I wouldn't rule out EDCing the Force, even in an urban office environment.
Fit and finish are generally excellent, which you would expect from a hand-picked model. But not perfect.
The dark blade has four, small roundish spots on one side. (Sorry - no photos.) I'd describe these as looking like water spots on a just-washed car. I will try to find out more about the spots and report back.
Just out of the box, the flipper opened the blade only about half-way. After a couple of dozen tries, I sometimes got it to open all the way, but not consistently.
I readily confess to not being a flipper person, so this could well be me. I never got my smaller Vantages to open fully using the flippers, but I chalked that up to the small size of those knives and the fact that I really don't care for flippers.
UPDATE: Flipper fans, have no fear -- the flipper works fine, with just a bit of wrist flick. And it is fast and smooth!
This knife is fun!
That said, I still prefer hole-openers or thumb studs. Happily, the slot-opener on the Vantage Force works just fine, so owners have two options. The slot opens the blade on this linerlock smoothly, with a good solid "THWACK."
The Vantage Force feels more solid than the earlier 340 series Vantages. Buck says it added a back spacer for stability. Just handling it, the knife feels very substantial.
In sum, while the Vantage Force Pro looks strong enough for first responder use, I wouldn't hesitate to to take it out for an evening on the town in a suit or dress pants.
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