How many big old lock back fans we got around here?

Grateful

Grateful

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Oct 5, 2002
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I know that smaller knives get more talk and attention around here but I am just curious how many of you carry, even occasionally, a Buck 110 or 110 type folder. Or maybe you just use them around the house, in the kitchen or maybe out in the yard.
I grew up using a 110 and have always had a soft spot for them and there clones. I have recently started carrying and using them a lot along with my regular pocket knives. To me they are easier and safer to carry than a fixed blade when I want something bigger and stronger despite the weight of them.
The 3 3/4" blade is really about perfect for most of what I need and the handle is very comfortable in my opinion for prolonged use. I have used lockbacks enough that I have faith in them to trust them as much as I will any folding knife.
So tell me, how many other fans are hanging out on this forum who like and appreciate these old lockback folding hunters?

Jim
 
I sometimes still carry my Buck 110. I've had it since the late '60's.
 
I sometimes carry my 7OT that I have had for 28 years. It is still a good knife and I could probably still get away with having it as my main knife.
 
I've had my Buck 110 since I bought it new in 1979. It's one of the 440C models. I don't carry it due to the size and weight. I just don't have any tasks where I need it. I can't really remember the last time I had it on my belt. I used to carry it daily at work but that was over 20 years ago in a different profession.

However, it sits right in my desk drawer, with the original leather sheath, all sharpened and cleaned up and ready for work whenever I need it.
 
I have a Buck 112 that 30 years old and a a Puma 970 Game Warden that 40 but I don't really consider them as traditionals. Are they?
 
Best I can remember, out of all the knives I've owned, I never had or felt like I needed a lockback until just recently. I liked the looks of the Grohmann Mini Russell, so I bought one and really like the feel and quality of it. I think it will suit all my lockback "needs" for now. Regular "slipjoints" have always done the job for me.

On a side note, does anyone else have a bit of a problem with the term "slipjoint"? The joint doesn't slip, it pivots. If the spring/blade relationship is working as designed, it is sort of held in place, but not locked. When I hear "slipjoint", I always think of one of these...
angletool_zps466a5d4c.jpg


Anyway, sorry for getting sidetracked... as you were.
 
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I have had many lockbacks, but never a Buck 110. I might have one if it was the only folding knife left available, but it's no certainty. I would probably just go with a fixed blade.
 
I use my Buck 110 several times a year. I carry it when hunting, had it with me yesterday. I know I could do whatever I needed with one of my other knives,but I do like the big ol thing. I may continue to carry it while hunting for the rest of my life, I may not, it does have its place though.

Chris
 
No longer. The knives are too big and bulky, and newer designs fill that gap better.

Even though I have used a Buck 110 a lot over the years, I don't own one. I am down to the Browning equivalent of that knife as well as a 80s vintage LB7. The are too large for my pocket to be carried there, and I don't like the look of a belt sheath to carry them.

The Browning folding hunter, circa 1977:



Now I can get a nifty work knife about that size with every bit as much (more for me) utility value as the 110, etc. With a pocket clip, modern grippy scale materials (as opposed to resin impregnated wood), and no heavy brass bolsters, newer work knives are lighter and easier for me to carry. Still carry a bigger knife when going to the job, though.

Robert
 
I have several Buck 110s and love them, but they are more collection knives that see rare carry. The old Kabar 1179 in all wood handles is a more traditional lockback to me as it is in the order of the sod buster style. I have a few of them too and carry one on fishing trips...
 
I like me my big folders.


Big folders by Pinnah, on Flickr

The 110 is a nice hunting knife and ok for veggies. Tip is a bit frail and found my 2 dot with a bent tip after wife and kids pried off the pumpkin lid this fall.

The SCHRADE 51OT is a great kitchen knife. Flies through potatoes!!!! Was known as "the pocket buster" for a reason.

The Buck 500 Duke is the best somewhat big lockback from the Buck line for EDC pocket catty, IMO. big enough to be useful and still able to carry.

I find all lockbacks to be frail as the mechanism is prone to develop play under hard use.

As near and dear as big Buck and Schrade lock backs are to me, the Opinel #9 Inox remains my most carried knife. More durable. More versatile. Easier to carry.
 
I like my 20 year old Katz Cheetah its a tank of a folder with a 3 3/4 inch blade. I worked steam plant and used it a lot cutting gaskets stripping wire and peeling my apples. Today I carry a lighter Buck 119 folding Kalinga. Its lighter and more comfortable on the belt and does its chores well.
 
One of my favorite knives is a Buck 501, even though I have never found a reason for having a lock back. It's just easy to open and carry.
I remember in the early 70's looking at the Buck 110 & thinking I don't need a knife that heavy even as a hunting knife. In the field I'd rather carry a Bark River Rising Wolf, it's 3oz lighter and a slip joint like the Northwoods IRJ for the smaller cuts. Two knives and the same weight as a Buck 110.
 
I carried a Buck 110 often when I was a teenager but don't even own one now. I do have some Queen Mountain Man lock backs and the Smith & Sons Mudbug based on the GEC 21 that I like, but when I need a blade that big I tend to carry a fixed blade.
 
I had an old Browning lock back with 2 blades my dad gave me in the late 70's. I was a stupid kid then and didn't appreciate what I had. Broke the tip on the main blade and later lost it. It was a good knife and deserved better than who I was then. I'd love to find another one. It was beautiful when I got it.
 
Wow. Some nice knives. ^
An AG Russell Folding Hunter, in Yellow, waits for me if I get Xmas money.
rolf
 
I own several, but don't carry one. Just too heavy and bulky for my needs. For hunting, I'd prefer a fixed blade. For hiking, I want something much lighter weight. For daily carry, I want something that rides comfortably and unnoticeable in my pocket.

Although I have some Buck 110 knives, most of mine are Old Timers since that's what I collect. 6-OT, 7-OT, 51-OT...
 
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