Get a Buck

S

SubSpace

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May 26, 2011
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I was in the Adirondacks in Central NY this past weekend, and whenever I am there I like to visit this hardware store that has a good selection of Case knives. I guess I'd consider myself a "Case man" though I am by no means a one brand man. I own two GECs and find them excellent knives but my preference remains for Case. It's a combination of my grandfather carrying one as well as the grinds and ease of sharpening.

Anyway, I'm in the hardware store, staring through the glass and eyeballing this beautiful orange bone peanut. Pocket worn, from the look of it. I reached into my pocket and felt my Chestnut Peanut to ward off unnecessary purchases. Strictly looking, I said to myself.

It was then that I noticed the old man.

Now I know old is a relative term, but this man looked mid to late 70's. A U.S. Navy baseball cap on top of his gray head. Full gray beard. He reminded me very much of a man frozen in time. Like he'd been there when the store was built and he'd be there long after I myself was nothing but dust.

He was standing next to me, looking at all the case knives, and then he turned his head, caught my eye with his, and said, almost conspiratorially, "Do you want a knife that will last you a lifetime?"

"Sure," I said, curious as to what he was about to say.

"Get a Buck." And he reached into his pocket and pulled out this beautiful 303 Cadet. Now beautiful and Buck are not two words I normally connect, but this was an old beauty with a long pull and two backsprings. "I've carried this one for over forty years now," he said as he handed it to me for examination. The plastic scales were nicely worn with time. The steel bolsters polished with years of use. All three blades still with plenty of life left in them.

I hated giving it back to him.

Thinking he might be a knife nut like me, I turned my head and pointed to the peanut I was pondering as I reached into my own pocket to show him mine.

He was gone.

I do not believe in ghosts and am not claiming that the hardware store is haunted, but the whole incident was surreal. I walked around the store for twenty minutes looking for that old man. I met up with my wife and asked if she had seen him.

No luck.

But now? I really want a Buck 303.

Thanks for reading...

Andrew
 
Cool story. Buuuuuuuuuuuccccckkk 303! Get a Buuuuuuuuuucccckkkk 303! (in my best ghost voice)
 
That was a very cool story, Andrew!

If that happened to me, I'd be thinking very seriously about getting a Buck too!
 
SubSpace said:
... he turned his head, caught my eye with his, and said, almost conspiratorially, "Do you want a knife that will last you a lifetime?"

"Sure," I said, curious as to what he was about to say.

"Get a Buck." And he reached into his pocket and pulled out this beautiful 303 Cadet. Now beautiful and Buck are not two words I normally connect, but this was an old beauty with a long pull and two backsprings. "I've carried this one for over forty years now," he said as he handed it to me for examination. The plastic scales were nicely worn with time. The steel bolsters polished with years of use. All three blades still with plenty of life left in them.

I hated giving it back to him.
Click to expand...

That's a great tale, and a wonderful image. You gotta wonder how many Buck 300 series knives are floating around out there just like his.

-- Mark
 
Get a Buck 301 too. ;)

buck-schrade-301.jpg
 
That's pretty cool. It wasn't me though... :) I don't have a beard, just grey hair. I'd be wearing a USAF cap and I don't carry a Buck.

Kidding aside, I'll have to wander over there the next time I'm near the pond. ;)
 
Thank you Andrew, for sharing a nice story :)

I think you should go out there and get a few nice Bucks to your EDC rotation and / or collection :) You won´t be wrong!

Kind regards
Andi
 
I like my old Buck 307 stockman. Like it a lot. These are wonderful knives. The 'get a Buck' recommendation is sort of ironic, though, as the 'old' 300-series Buck knives were actually made by Camillus under contract for Buck, from the '70s into the '90s, at least. :)
 
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"Get a Buck."

Not bad advice at all. The 301 I carried for 25 years or so was one of the best pocket knives I ever had. It stood up to work and play, and was still good to go at the end. Ghosts are funny like that. I sometimes wonder why I got that impulse that fateful morning getting ready for work, when I had the impulse to pocket my dad's old peanut.

Maybe you need a Buck! Maybe some old long gone family member was whispering in your ear.:D

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Carl.
 
I'm wondering if that 40 year old Buck was a Camillus. Didn't they make a lot of the old 300 series knives for Buck back in the day?

Edited to add: Woops, OWE beat me to it.
 
I don't own a lot of Buck knives, but, all the ones I've had have pleased me unconditionally. They're not the most inspiring aesthetically, but from a use point of view, they ARE hard to beat.

Thanks, Will
 
Jake, Buck moved from Schrade to Camillus due to the extra time it took to replace blades on Schrades made with the Swinden key, no?
 
Maybe it was due to this story, but I was in Cabella's today helping a friend shop for a father's day present for her father. I ended up coming home with another Buck. I'm finding the 303 just about the perfect EDC. If they made it in a jigged bone.... Anyway, great story!
 
Sounds a lot like those hipsters at college who snigger at freshmen totting Acer and Dell laptops while playing with their Macbooks.

"Want a computer that doesn't blue screen on you, that doesn't have viruses, and lets you do cool stuff? Get a Mac."
 
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