Help Us Build a Vantage! (Knife Giveaway)

Choose the best configuration!

  • Total voters
    111
  • Poll closed .
DonJGiles said:
I just checked the SK site and no Maverick listed anymore.
I guess they are all sold out!
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That is good to hear, because I was having a really hard time not ordering one even though I really need to curb my spending. Now I don't have the option any more. No temptation to resist, only sorrow at missing my chance.
 
jstrange said:
I have found that if I just pretend the flipper tab is a gaurd and treat it like you can only open it via the thumb hole I am a lot more satisfied with Vantages in general. I have never had one that was a good flipper.
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They should flip, to much or to thick of oil , dirt ,pocket lint or the pivot screw to tight or badly worn egg shape. Not sure what kind of washers Buck is using now but I had a select that had brass washers that became shot from dirt and became very rough. Those are the only causes not to flip ? Your knife is new so I doubt it's any of the of the above. Give a little time it should start to free up. There shouldn't be any noticeable play. I will say you got to want it put your finger in the grove with some pressure and while keeping downward pressure pull your finger back as fast as you can against the flip guard. It should open as fast as an automatic with a nice snap sound :thumbsup: let me know if that works out for you :)
 
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I would also suggest a good washing with hot water and soap. I can see some of the manufacturing process could cause some debris to get into the pivot area. Then a drop or two of mineral and she should flip pretty slick.
 
I'm happy with mine. Razor sharp. I did end up putting a little mineral oil on the micarta. It was really dry. I need to wash it with soap and hot water too. It's a little tight.
 
Overall very happy with this one. Fit and finish are stellar. I love the steel and the grind is perfect.

However the action was not so great. Much like my older Vantage Force Pro, the blade centering was off and adjusting the pivot screw to correct this caused the action to tighten up unacceptably. I was able to correct this on my old Force Pro through disassembly and minor adjustments, so I tried same with the new knife. This is where I found out that the new Vantage has pinned liners, so I cleaned and lightly lubed as best I could.

I was reconciled to sending it back to Buck to be tuned but I sorta hit the sweet spot on reassembly. The blade sits just shy of center without binding the action too greatly. Still a little tighter than I'd like but I can live with it. It's now fit for use and carry and that's just what I'm going to do with it!
 
mars5l said:
They should do a custom setup that's machined for bearings and not a washer
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i care less about bearings. they are okay but not needed. id prefer a real useable size as in 3.5 or 3.75 or 4" blade.
 
I could go for a "Vantage Force Pro XL". I prefer the blade profile and the swedge on the Pro. My hand would appreciate another 1/2" - 3/4" of handle. I'd also like to see the pivot be a little beefier and the flipper tab get just a bit bigger. Wouldn't hurt my feelings if they skeletonized the liners to drop some weight as well.
 
I got mine Friday. Fit and finish is nice, grind is good, very sharp. Lock engages perfectly. Blade is a tiny bit off center, nowhere near contacting the liner. Pretty tight out of the box, requires a wrist flick to flip it, but it seems to be loosening up, I'll let it wear in. Scales have darkened nicely just from handling and rubbing skin oil in. Wasn't too sure about this color, but I'm really liking it now.

All in all I'm really happy with this knife, for a reasonable premium over the standard Vantage Pro.
 
Received my knife last Friday. I prefer the lighter shade, so will be keeping mine natural. The blade was not exactly centered when I got it; Yes, I'm one of those that likes it centered. I adjusted the pivot, which made it very stiff. I preferred centered, I would put up with stiff. At first, it was v difficult to open with thumb hole. Flipper didn't move. Since then, I have been opening and closing, and it is breaking in. Thumb hole works, flipper goes about half way, but still loosening up. Much better and still improving. Bottom line, I'm happy with it and it will most likely be a user for me. Really like the feel/texture of the handle. This is my first Vantage and I like the size, fits my hand well. Much thanks to SK for making it happen!
--Larry
 
Got mine today!!! Love it, razor sharp!!!
RsluZMP.jpg
 
Wish I could keep that light shade, but hand oils and sweat have already darkened mine considerably.
 
olywa said:
Wish I could keep that light shade, but hand oils and sweat have already darkened mine considerably.
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It should lighten up again if you wash it with some dish soap on damp towel or sponge.
 
I've bought a few Vantage knives, so I expected it would need some tuning up but I had my hopes up that because it was a special edition with micarta and 20CV that it might not show up as rough as some, but such was not the case. It had the whole usual range:
  • Off center blade unless you tightened the pivot until it was tough to open
  • Terrible action, even when loosened and off-center
  • Very stiff detent
  • Fairly late lockup (about halfway across)
As has been the case with other Vantage knives I've owned, I was able to resolve most of the issues pretty easily. I pulled it apart, cleaned it and gave it a bit of fluff and buff here and there. With the pinned construction take care of the four washers if you remove the blade. The lockbar tension was a bit too stiff for my taste, so I eased it back just a hair, tidied up gave it a couple of drops of oil at the pivot and carefully reassembled everything. Now it's just about perfect. It's centered, it I can light-switch or push-button it open reliably with no wrist action, and it's running just like the 13C26 version I keep in my carry rotation.

I like the decorative backspacer, but the knife is a bit heavier than the one I usually carry as a result--if it wasn't pinned I'd probably switch to the barrel spacer from the 13C26 Vantage Avid I carry most.

Long story short, it took a tune up but I'm super happy with the result. Here's a photo for the pics-or-it-didn't-happen crowd:

egg2Nqi.jpg
 
evilgreg said:
I've bought a few Vantage knives, so I expected it would need some tuning up but I had my hopes up that because it was a special edition with micarta and 20CV that it might not show up as rough as some, but such was not the case. It had the whole usual range:
  • Off center blade unless you tightened the pivot until it was tough to open
  • Terrible action, even when loosened and off-center
  • Very stiff detent
  • Fairly late lockup (about halfway across)
As has been the case with other Vantage knives I've owned, I was able to resolve most of the issues pretty easily. I pulled it apart, cleaned it and gave it a bit of fluff and buff here and there. With the pinned construction take care of the four washers if you remove the blade. The lockbar tension was a bit too stiff for my taste, so I eased it back just a hair, tidied up gave it a couple of drops of oil at the pivot and carefully reassembled everything. Now it's just about perfect. It's centered, it I can light-switch or push-button it open reliably with no wrist action, and it's running just like the 13C26 version I keep in my carry rotation.

I like the decorative backspacer, but the knife is a bit heavier than the one I usually carry as a result--if it wasn't pinned I'd probably switch to the barrel spacer from the 13C26 Vantage Avid I carry most.

Long story short, it took a tune up but I'm super happy with the result. Here's a photo for the pics-or-it-didn't-happen crowd:

egg2Nqi.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice job!
 
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