Help Me Understand

Trout Hound

Trout Hound

Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
693
Hi Everyone,

Okay, so I'm a long-time fan of Buck knives. I have a 301 that I've carried nearly every day for 14 years, and it has never let me down. I recently sent a knife to the spa with a broken lock, and I have nothing but praise for the service I received, and for the razor sharp replacement they sent me.

I'm still fairly new here, and, in looking through past threads, I've seen some quality issues discussed. It seems to me that most of these are folks who happened to get one bad knife out of millions, and who are ready to immediately declare that the whole company is going to Hades in a hand basket. Or, it's the old, "They don't make them like they used to."

Well, maybe they don't make them like they used to, but I would like to think that Buck, besides standing behind their products in a great way, is still sending out a high quality product the vast majority of the time.

Many of you here have owned and handled many more Buck knives over the course of many more years than I have, and I would really like to get your perspective. Do you agree that, while the occasional lemon will slip out the door, Buck knives can still be considered to be of great quality?

Please understand that I am not trying to stir up any trouble at all. As I said, I would really just like to get some others' thoughts about this.

Thanks!!!
 
I honestly think they are hard to beat in their price range. I grew up on Buck knives. I took a little break from them for a few years to try other knives out. I like other knives along with Buck, but Buck will always have a special place in my heart and in my collection.

I think sometimes people want to compare a $40 Buck to a $100 other brand. When I look at Bucks I realize the price of them honestly has not gone up over the years. But this is just my observations.
 
All I can say is: I purchased 4 Buck knives NIB, 2 used, and they were all in perfect working condition. Some had minor problems that needed a little tinkering by someone of my limited abilities to get them "just right." I'm a happy Buck customer and I would not hesitate to purchase another Buck. I get a good knife for the money.

Just be aware that some people used their folding knives for things they weren't designed for, like batoning, spine whacking and prying. Buck's clip points, with their false edge and needle point, won't stand much prying. I generally won't do these things with any folding knife, but these are activities some people expect their folders to withstand these days.
 
All topics are cyclic.

I have an incredibly high tollerance for cyclic topics and you ask a reasonable question.

This said, if you've been around enough to see the topic come up or have already searched the archives enough to see the old threads, the I'm not sure what another turn of the crank will do. Either you accept the words of people in the past who've reported problems or you don't.

My take-aways from the old threads:
1) not all problems are due to abuse.
2) sometimes loyalty means saying "I wish things were better."
3) Buck has incredible customer sevice.

We could rehash old details but honestly, I think the old threads speak for themselves and in the end, you'll need to arrive at your own conclusions.
 
dogstar said:
All I can say is:
Just be aware that some people used their folding knives for things they weren't designed for, like batoning, spine whacking and prying. Buck's clip points, with their false edge and needle point, won't stand much prying. I generally won't do these things with any folding knife, but these are activities some people expect their folders to withstand these days.
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Yes, this being in vogue right now and guys won't admit to doing it. But then are quick to down the knife when something breaks and of course they want a replacement for free. DM
 
I purchased two 110 Buck knives in 1980....I was 15. I gave one to my father for father's day and kept one for myself. That was 34 years ago. I still have that knife...and so did my father. My father passed away on October 1st....I passed his Buck 110 on to my brother. He was beside himself. He was quite surprised at the quality of the knife....as am I. The quality of Buck knives has definitely changed over the years. But, they are, in my eyes, still an upstanding company.

My .02


Ron
 
I can say that I have seen Buck quality rise and fall and rise since I got my first Buck sometime in the mid 1960's. But, having said that, I would take a Buck over other traditional brands. They are better in most respects, maybe not as pretty (though they do make specials that are), but better in fit and finish, especially at the price point. Some of their non-traditionals are as good as any other company.
 
Trout
Well for me Buck Knives are the best. Growing up a Buck Knife was the one to have and many of us had to settle for others do to income. When I got my first job I saved up and bought my first flat sided 110 and was afraid to us it (long awaited treasure). I saved some more and about that time the rounded 110 came out, I bought one and it has been in use 30 + years. I wish I knew how to tell the year of manufacture Macassar Ebony but you cannot go by the blade because it is on its third blade. The service Buck has provided has led me to this forum, to being a life member of the BCCI and a collection of many Buck 110’s and BCCI Buck 110’s but the one I use is on my hip, same old 110 and a great knife. For your question has the value changed, I think they are as good today as ever and more affordable but I am an old man now. Only real difference I feel is if you yearn for the sound of that old steel on the stone. Good luck with your future Buck’s.
 
Frustrating for me but lucky for everyone, the power flicked and I lost almost a page of comment on the subject before it got saved. My cut-to-the-mustard comment here is about apples and oranges. Old 110s were Buicks, new 110s are small SUVs. The materials are different, the technology is different but darn, the price is down in a manageable spot just like the old ones.. If you want a 'Buick style' knife like your dad had in the 70s then you are going to have to find one from back then. The new ones are not to be compared with them, they are todays SUVs, they are to be compared with some other companies knife in the same price range. Make that comparison and see what you find to complain about.

300
 
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300Bucks said:
Frustrating for me but lucky for you, the power flicked and I lost almost a page of comment on the subject before it go saved. My cut-to-the-mustard talk was about comparing apples and oranges. Old 110s were Buicks, new 110s are small SUVs. The materials are different, the technology is different but darn the price is down in a manageable spot. If you want a Buck knife like you dad had in the 70s then you are going to have to find one from then. The new ones are not to be compared with them, they are to be compared with some other knife in the same price range. Make that comparison and see what you find.

300
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You know, I've never really heard it put that way, but it makes a lot of sense. In other words, Buck has revised their designs since "olden times," whether by choice or by market necessity, to fit within a slightly different market niche. They are still good quality knives that look good and do a great job, but they are never intended to have the same level of fit and finish that the older ones had. Yes?
 
That really gives me a much better perspective. I'm guessing that, if Buck held itself to the same FF standards as the old knives, we wouldn't still have a Buck Knife Company to talk about, except in the past tense, with all the cheapo overseas competition, and people willing to buy any piece of junk that's a few dollars cheaper. That makes me feel a lot better about the "This knife is crap compared to my old one and Buck is circling the toilet" posts. Thanks, 300.
 
You know what else? I went on the Buck website a while ago and checked out the custom shop. Never looked at that before, because I saw "custom" and thought $$$.

I built a custom 110 with standard 420HC satin blade and solid hardwood scales with rivets. You know how much? $88. Even I could afford that, if I wanted, and I'm betting that equates pretty darn closely to the price of a 1964 110, compared to the average wage of the day. So, if you still want that knife with the really nice FF, you can still have it, fresh from the factory, for about the same chunk of your paycheck that your grandad paid for his.
 
Now if we could just get some custom options for the 300 series!!! 👍👍👍😍
 
I have a big old squared-off bolster brick of a Buck 110 from 1979 with 440C steel that is a great, solid, big, heavy knife. I carried it pretty much daily for about 10 years in a prior career.

I have two recently purchased Buck USA made slipjoints, a 301 and a 303. All of them are great knives and I have had no problems with them worth mentioning. I am especially impressed with the 301 and 303 for how much knife you get for the money and the sturdiness and quality.
 
I have been carrying knives since he mid 70's when I was trapping and skinning as many as 10 or more critters a day as well as the occasional deer, elk, pheasant, grouse, quail, antelope, etc. With the exceptions of a few junk $2 plastic handled knives made outside of the USA I have never once had a problem with any decent knife unless I did something with it I shouldn't have. Such as prying, twisting, scraping, or trying to cut something that should not be cut with a knife. Out of the many Buck knives I have used I have not had any problems at all unless I abused it. Knives are not machete's, saws, hatchet's, screwdrivers or grinders.
 
I own a number of knives made by Cxxx, Bxxxx, and Pxxx, plus I have examined many knives from Utxxx, Bexx and Sons, and others. (I a not bashing these brands, just contrasting and comparing) The fit and finish, walk and talk on these knives do not compare to the quality of Buck. Like I said, they may be prettier, but Bucks are nicer where it counts. I have yet to buy a traditional Buck with blade play or significant issues. The Buck 302, for example, I just bought had two very minor issues (none that affected performance, just my nitpicking), but over all the knife is extremely nice, and better at $22 than some of the above mentioned that run upwards of $100 or a bit more.
 
Trout Hound said:
You know what else? I went on the Buck website a while ago and checked out the custom shop. Never looked at that before, because I saw "custom" and thought $$$.

I built a custom 110 with standard 420HC satin blade and solid hardwood scales with rivets. You know how much? $88. Even I could afford that, if I wanted, and I'm betting that equates pretty darn closely to the price of a 1964 110, compared to the average wage of the day. So, if you still want that knife with the really nice FF, you can still have it, fresh from the factory, for about the same chunk of your paycheck that your grandad paid for his.
Click to expand...

I own five 110's. "Three customs", one plane jane 110 from 2 years ago, and one from 1972. The fit and finish on the 1972 110 I own is very comparable to that of the custom shop 110's that I have purchased recently. The fit and finish of the recently purchased plane jane 110 is brutal. It is off center, the unsharpened swedge is jagged, and it does not open smoothly. Despite all of these things, It functions as well as any other 110 I own.

When people complain of poor fit and finish or a lack of quality control, I can understand where they are coming from as the 2012 110 I purchased was rough.

When people praise buck for making fantastic knives, I also understand where they are coming from as three of my 110's are excellent and one is flawless.
 
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