Forum Knife Updates and comments

Mine arrived today!
One for using, one for a spare.
Both look great but I grabbed the knobbier example and put a 30 degree back bevel with my EdgePro and 40 degree microbevel with my trusty Buck Mini Crock Sticks that I've been using for thirty-something years.:thumbsup:
Ready for the pocket now.
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while i won't do pics because of my schedule, i will tell you i ordered 2. 1 is smoother and lighter handles with spot on fit and finish, it goes to collection for my grand son, the other has knobby darker handles, a bit of sunken back spring when closed and a bit of blade play. this one is in my pocket for a week already and i absolutely love it as much as my perfect one. love the cpm 154 gets razor sharp and seems to last a while even while breaking down cardboard boxes. it kicked my 96' flat ground 301 out of my pocket . wouldnt trade these for the world. great job to all involved to make this happen, i am 1 very very happy buck owner
 
gunspease said:
I go to mine on Saturday but didn’t much time to play with until yesterday. The scales look great nice and knobby they are thick which is good for me. The clip blade is a little weak on the snap opening. The sheepfoot is great both ways no gaps in the springs. The only problem is the blades touch and rub so it will most likely get sent in but it’s a great knife it’s my first low cost knife in years many thanks to SK and Buck.
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Mine was as well. I was told by buck that it's likely a pinched blade from manufacture and should wear in with some oil and opening/closing. Mine has gotten a little better since yesterday when I lubed it and started working the pivot a little. It's come a long way but still needs a bit to get to where my other one was that was good right out of the box. I'm not worried about it at this point as it's made enough progress in a short time to make me believe it just needs some pocket time.
 
I just stuck mine in a pocket, where it has been for about a week. In function, it replaces the Opi 6 and the Okapi Biltong that I usually carry, and which in turn supplanted the Improved Muskrat I used to carry all the time, and now only carry some of the time.

The Buck is simply a very nice pocket knife. The scales are thin and well matched. It feels good to the touch. The knife is nicely understated, and won’t draw a lot of attention from the punters.
 
I rescued mine from the Postal Service this morning.





I'm not a fan of stag in general, but these are decent, not too thick but with some character. Yes, the corners of the "Porch Paper" are stuck in gaps, but at least the gaps are only one sheet wide. It could be worse. The thickness behind the edge is the same as on my 8OT. That is, these new knives are as thick as the Old Timer after 45 years of hard work and hundreds of sharpenings.



Thank you to all who made this year's knife happen.
 
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I missed the order this summer for a few reasons, but had a member reach out with a spare in excellent knobby elk, great fit and finish, and razor sharp. The clip is a little light of a 5 and the sheepsfoot is a little low on a 6 I would say. I think flushing will drop that down closer to a 5 and make both pulls much smoother.

Overall I am very pleased. I own a 303 and voted for this to be the same. I thought the 301 would be way too big for my tastes. I dropped it in my work slacks after opening and it seemed to fit just fine. I think this knife will take some time away from my swayback jack! Thanks Buck and @skblades !
 
Got mine in the mail the other day. Wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, so I've been thinking on it over the last few days. Here are a few photos I snapped yesterday.

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The positives:
  • No gaps at all.
  • The transitions from the bolsters to the elk are well done, and the pins are well contoured to the elk.
  • The factory edge is pretty good.
  • Nice deep sharpening choils (something I really appreciate).
  • As others have mentioned, the BOS etch is cool and unexpected. :thumbsup:
The not-so-positives:
  • The elk on my example is, in my opinion, a bit disappointing. It actually looks much nicer in the photos than it does in person (I was surprised, in fact, when I looked at the photos). The clip side elk is just sort of gray and dirty. The sheepsfoot side has a bit of brown in it, but it's pretty faded, and both scales are much fatter than I had expected based on the pre-production photos we'd seen (sorry, I forgot to take an overhead shot to show this).
  • Both blades are quite thick behind the edge. I don't have any means of measuring the thickness, but compared just about every other traditional knife I own, these seem pretty thick.
  • The edge on the sheepsfoot blade is not really straight. It's a little wavy, and curves up just a bit towards the tip. This isn't really that big a deal, but it is a pet peeve of mine. I like my straight edge blades to have straight edges.
  • Both springs sit below flush when closed.
  • The action on the clip blade is very lazy. It'll stop and stay at just about any position past 45º (0º being closed and 180º fully open), and has to be pushed all the way open.
  • I'm not a big fan of the long pulls. They look too modern, too machined.
  • And finally, for my nit-pickiest observation, the BladeForums stamp is not well centered on the tang of the clip blade. :rolleyes:
I'm aware that these are all pretty minor gripes, based solely on my own personal preferences when it comes to traditional knives, but let's face it, this is a pretty subjective hobby. And to be honest, just about every option I voted for in the polls ended up getting outvoted, so this one probably wasn't destined to be my dream knife, anyways. :D

I would like to say thanks to @skblades and the folks at Buck for all the work ya'll put into this knife. You gave us the opportunity to try something different for this year's forum knife, and made the process a lot of fun along the way. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
Alright! My knives came in today! I never got a shipping notice after the pre-shipping notice, but that just made the surprise a little sweeter :)

I bought two, one for a gift to a friend, and one for me. I have to admit I am keeping the nicer one ;)

I definitely feel like I lucked out with mine. Both knives have lovely scales. The one I am keeping has no gaps (unless you hold it up to the light, though I would never have normally done that), the other one is a little less ideal, but still very nice. Both knives have good snap and easy-but-not-too-light pulls. Both also have a little bit of resistance through the middle of the pulls on the sheepsfoot blades, but that will break in I am pretty sure (honestly, significantly smoother out of the box than most of the GECs I have received). Only one of the blades was shaving sharp, but they are all as sharp as I am used to for new traditional knives.

My knives are excellent, and I am thrilled to finally have the knife I so wanted this year.
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I know some folks have also been interested in a comparison to the 2015 knife, so here is a side-by-side:
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They are really very comparable in size, weight, and thickness. The linerless two-spring construction really comes close to matching the thinness of the single spring. And unlike my 2015, my buck does not have a recurve, the edge doesn't strike the backspring, and it doesn't have blade rub. My 2015 is my favorite traditional knife, and I carry it almost every day, but I definitely didn't get one of the perfect specimens in that run.
 
Will Power Will Power : If you need to change of job, you'll make a good fortune teller! The paercel arrived this morning and was waiting on my doostep, the Postman had several parcels to deliver in-house. :)
The leaflet is missing but this is not an issue.
I'll wait for a better light to make pictures, and you know what?
 
Great stuff JP :cool:
Yeah, I could always do witha new job;) but if I were a fortune teller I wouldn't need it:D:D

Sigh! I suppose I have to console myself with the most Northerly one and maybe the most Easterly in Europe..but somebody in Russia could have one, but then will get blamed for 'influencing' the Forum decision..:rolleyes:;):D:D

Well done to all who made the knife happen and that includes ourselves remember:cool: I fear mine won't arrive before Christmas given our 3 day a week delivery PO:(
 
Will Power said:
Great stuff JP :cool:
Yeah, I could always do witha new job;) but if I were a fortune teller I wouldn't need it:D:D

Sigh! I suppose I have to console myself with the most Northerly one and maybe the most Easterly in Europe..but somebody in Russia could have one, but then will get blamed for 'influencing' the Forum decision..:rolleyes:;):D:D

Well done to all who made the knife happen and that includes ourselves remember:cool: I fear mine won't arrive before Christmas given our 3 day a week delivery PO:(
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As I said elsewhere, living just 20km from landing point surely has an importance. When living in Burgundy, I had to wait several days more.
BTW I did not cheer all the people that made it happen. It is time to remedy this omission!
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I need some opinions. Just got my forum knife yesterday, and I am trying to determine if this may need warranty work.
Covers are nice, no complaints. Action is nice, no complaints. Edges are quite thick, but was expected.

But this thing is GAP CITY!! Gaps everywhere. I was prepared to overlook a couple small gaps, but the springs hardly even touch the liners on either side. The Clip blade side is the worst, where you can actually see the pivot pin through the gaps, which is causing blade play. I am not looking for a safe queen, however, this example may need some help.
0SIDLv2.jpg


Both photos below are of the clip side. Better angle of the pivot pin in second photo.
bgtmYou.jpg

PK3TVuO.jpg


Pics of the covers in case some are curious. They are not matched, but both have good color.
c1J6aLD.jpg

F2lOS5H.jpg
 
BladeCommander said:
I need some opinions. Just got my forum knife yesterday, and I am trying to determine if this may need warranty work.
Covers are nice, no complaints. Action is nice, no complaints. Edges are quite thick, but was expected.

But this thing is GAP CITY!! Gaps everywhere. I was prepared to overlook a couple small gaps, but the springs hardly even touch the liners on either side. The Clip blade side is the worst, where you can actually see the pivot pin through the gaps, which is causing blade play. I am not looking for a safe queen, however, this example may need some help.
0SIDLv2.jpg


Both photos below are of the clip side. Better angle of the pivot pin in second photo.
bgtmYou.jpg

PK3TVuO.jpg


Pics of the covers in case some are curious. They are not matched, but both have good color.
c1J6aLD.jpg

F2lOS5H.jpg
Click to expand...

Send it in. Those gaps are absurdly bad.
 
You can often find gaps on a knife when holding up to a light like that and peering into the cavity of the opened knife. But that first pick looking down at the back springs is the one that seals it for me. That shows a serious issue with the construction/assembly of that particular knife. Like someone had to fight with it just to put it together.
 
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