got a Mayo TNT for cheap!

wwells20

wwells20

Joined
Dec 31, 2004
Messages
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i went to one of my local knife stores today and found a Buck/Mayo TNT for
99.95! this knife had been there since they opened and they had lost the paperwork on it. so the manager made a new bar-code for 99.95. i was in the right place at the right time! *this is a TNT with Ti handles and S30V blade steel* even got the black wooden box.
 
That sounds like the deal of the month! Great knife, I was carrying mine all day at work (switched to Socom Elite when i got home though:)). The sad thing is that most folks would probably still look at and wonder what idiot would pay $100.00 for a Buck Knife or any pocket knife.

Congrats.

John
 
LOL! it's one of those deals you want to tell someone about. i've aready gotten the "you paid how much for this?" reply for my not so knife-nut friends.
i think i'm liking the Ti handle, got it's own feel. S30V VERY hard. i was just getting used to good 440C but the difference is something! thanks!
 
S30V and Ti, what more could you ask for? 440C is a fine and duravle steel, but for a pocket knife, S30V is in another class all together. The only thing possibly missing from a Buck Mayo is perhaps a bit of Carbon Fiber. Ti, S30V and CF, not that's the perfect combination, but the 172 is close. That hollow ground thin blade loves to eat cardboard boxes:)

John
 
John, i think you're on to something... carbon fiber inserts in the scales? sounds good to me. i agree with you on the blade steel, noticed it passed through thick cardboard fairly easy. most of my knives until now have been of the AUS6 or 8 persuasion. when i finally bought a quality knife with 440C, one that looked like an allagator (hint hint), i said to myself if gets any better than this, i don't want to know! now i suspect that S30V is going to run circles around my 440C!!
i haven't had this knife long, but everything about it feels like quality. i think i will enjoy using this Mayo, especially when i think of what i paid for it!
thanks.
 
Be careful with that thing. After I got mine, I had a strong urge to find out what a real Mayo was like. I found out too. The real ones are EXPENSIVE! But as cool as the Buck version is, I'd toss it in a pond for a real TNT. I waited a year to get mine:)

John
 
John, Question for you. is your lock very hard to disengage? i wouldn't say mine is abnormal, but it does seen quite a bit on the strong side.(amount of force needed to slide the frame-lock out of the path of the blade) i'm wondering if that is a property of titanium. ??
 
I would say it's a bit stiff, especially as compared to most liner locks, but is normal for a frame lock. As far as similar knives go, I have five Ti handled frame locks to compare. I'd say the Buck 172 falls about in the middle as far as lock stiffness goes. I would say my small Sebenza and my real Mayo are a bit stiffer and my custom Elishewitz (Ti with CF!!) and my Benchmade 750 Pinnacle are a bit easier. Interestingly, since you asked and I got them all out to compare, the Mayo, Sebbie and Buck 172 all use a similar mill cut to thin the Ti at the point where the designers wanted the hinge point to be. Alan Elishewitz milled a much longer part of the lock bar to be thin to accomodate the CF inlays and thereby spreading the flex over a longer area and it's the easiest of all to disengage the lock. The Benchmade has yet a third approach whereby instead of visibly milling straight into the handle slab to make the lock bar flex point, they milled a longitudinal slot on the back side of the lock bar that runs a bit over an inch effectively making a C channel. The milled slot runs along the back of the lock bar and faces the other scale on the inside of the handle. I would say that the Benchmade is the least secure IMHO as the lockbar is smaller overall when compared to the others in question. I think the Pinnnacle I have actually has a small problem with the way the lock is fitted and will probably be sending it in to be looked at. All of the other knives are much more expensive though as I only paid around $120.00 for the Benchmade. While the Buck retails for a lot more, I bought mine used for just a bit more than the Benchmade and not only is the fit and finish better, it's got S30V Where the Pinnacle only has AST34. The unique decorated Sebenza, custom Elishewitz and custom Mayo were all a lot more expensive and their fit and finish reflects the price difference.

I wouldn't worry about it being a little stiff, that's only likely to make it a more reliable lock. That's what frame locks are all about right? Simplicity and durability.

John
 
Thanks John, i agree the lock should be strong. carried it for two days, and cut everything with that S30V! thanks for your answers and sounds like you have some nice blades. final word for this knife... STRONG. (for any knife i own) thanks again.
Walter
 
wwells20 said:
i went to one of my local knife stores today and found a Buck/Mayo TNT for 99.95! this knife had been there since they opened and they had lost the paperwork on it. so the manager made a new bar-code for 99.95. i was in the right place at the right time! *this is a TNT with Ti handles and S30V blade steel* even got the black wooden box.
Click to expand...

Walter, first of all, congratulations on a great buy.

I sometimes pass through the Fredericksburg area. What local knife store are you referring to, and what kind of selection do they have?

Thanks, -Alex
 
Alex, it was Gander Mountain Outfitters in the old Walmart building on Rt. 3. they have a small selection from Buck, Puma, Remington, Browning, Benchmade, CRKT, Gerber, Kershaw, Spyderco, Leatherman, and a few more that don't come to mind. They price at MSRP most of the time but they do have sales. same old story though, sale price is a little more than on-line plus shipping. never hurts to stop in and check them out.

The Buck/mayo TNT had been there since they opened and had a price of 249.99. no one who knew anything about knives would buy it. the other day i thought it was a Northshore and didn't really look at it closely. the guy working there pointed it out. there it was with 99.95 on it, came home with me that night!
 
that is a great price...........quite a bit under the wholesale price that the large dealers get on that knife...............If you find any more let me know!! :D
 
Mr. Tom Mayo, nice of you to reply. It may be unlikely, but if i can find another one, i'll let you know.

*i've carried this knife for about a week and can see why it commands the price asked of it! this knife will cut! i love the feel of the titanium scales and the S30V steel is sharp and durable. while i haven't used it long enough to fully appreicate it's potential, this knife will serve me for YEARS to come. I'm glad i was in the right place at the right time(i would never have owned this quality of knife otherwise) but this has ruined me for cheaper knives! (not of price, but of quality)

walter
 
Quick, give your wife all your credit cards. You've just stepped onto a very slippery slope. Life can get really expensive once you've discovered what the good stuff is like.

John
 
Congratulations on your great find, Walter!

I'm finding that the members of Blade Forums are often much more intelligent about knives than the people selling them! At a local Dick's Sporting Goods, they recently had a Buck model 105 Pathfinder, with a 2002 date stamp, sitting atop the plastic display meant for a 119 Special. The salesman had no idea that it wasn't a Buck 119, but, to me, the price looked more in-line with the 119 than the 105. So, being too nice for my own good, I corrected him, hoping to get myself a good deal on a 105 Pathfinder.

When the salesman came back with a newly printed price tag, it was down to $39.95 from $44.95...or approximately $5 more than I'd paid for my 119 Special. :(

We all hope to stumble upon a deal like you found!
GeoThorn
 
Thanks GeoThorn. i agree with what you're saying, alot (not all) clerks really don't know what they're selling. i know of a sporting goods store that has a Benchmade 530 clipped to a mini-ambush box. they are asking 49.00. GOOD deal for 530 but not for mini-ambush. they just don't know their product.

*would have bought the 530 but don't like the feel of it. ;)
 
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