I'm impressed. Buck 40 Onset with Damasteel

Makael

Makael

Loving wife, kids and life.
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
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This is unlike other Buck knives I've seen . When I walked up to the table and saw the knife, I had to look twice. I had no idea Buck produced this knife. Titanium with ball bearing action, frame lock with replaceable strike and Damasteel blade and backspacer.. I wish they built more knives along these lines with everyday materials. Action feels like a marksman but with frame lock instead of G&G Hawk lock.
 
This type of knife is not what I picture when I think of Buck, but I guess they did a good job with it.
 
That is an awesome looking knife! It's not the type of knife I normally buy, but if it's not over priced who knows ;)

JB
 
Love it! It's awesome to see them step up with something like this. It's not "traditional Buck" style, but I like that it's different. I agree that it would be nice to see it in a material variation the common working man can afford. I'd be a buyer :):D:p
 
not big on damascus myself but it is pretty. this is a knife i wish theyd put in production. even if in 420hc steel.
 
It's a little too pricey for my blood for sure. I like the concept, bearings,flipper,pocket clip and the frame lock. Get that price down :)
 
I as well would like to see the price of that knife go down as well but it is inline with other manufacturers who make knives of that quality.

Buck just doesn't yet have a reputation of making knives in this line like some do. They have not yet gained a large following in that realm like others have. At least not yet.
I would like to see them come out with more along this type of knife in style, featuring quality in materials, and workmanship.
 
Not damascus but Damasteel. Powdered.

damasteel-vs-damascus-steel-explaining-the-materials-8.jpg
by Larry Connelley

For those looking for a damascus steel knife, you might notice another steel called Damasteel®. What's the difference, and which one makes a better blade? The difference really comes down to the manufacturing process of the two steels, and the different properties that come out of it. The short answer is that Damasteel is a proprietary process of creating damacus steel. Let's take a closer look...

Traditional Damascus -

In the traditional process of creating damascus steel, a blacksmith will weld and press two types of steel into layers. In forging, the steel is folded repeatedly, until there are as many as 100 or more layers in the piece. Damascus steel has a pattern that goes through the entire material - not a superficial exterior pattern - a common misconception for damascus steel. Both Damasteel and Damascus steel are "real".

Today, steelmakers still use this technique using two to five alloys through the pattern welding process, a process that starts off with the creation of a billet (a series of layered metal bars). The billet is heated, hammered, and folded repeatedly. The distinct patterns on the blade are created by twisting, folding and drawing out the billet. Overall, the process creates a very strong blade, but its durability is due to the steel alloys that are chosen to create the blade. Depending on the steels/metals used, damascus steel can be stainless or not. To become a stainless steel damascus both steels must have at least 14% chromium. The pattern in damascus steel is only visually revealed once the steel is cleaned, prepared and etched in acid. The two types of steel react differently in the acid oxidation process. One oxidized steel is lighter and the other is darker, only then is the pattern revealed on the surface that is hidden within the steel.

Damasteel® -

Damasteel is a modern, trademarked as well as patented powder steel process of making damascus steel. Damasteel (also the name of the company) is located in Söderfors, Sweden, a village with a long history of forging damascus steel. In fact, the steel industry began in Söderfors in 1676! The process of creating damasteel was developed in 1992 by Swedes Per Billgren, and employee at Erasteel, and knifemaker Kaj Embretsen. Damasteel takes the traditional forging process of damascus steel--and a history of steelmaking since the viking times--to the next level by using powder metallurgical steel manufacturing.

Damasteel® Manufacturing Process -

Damasteel starts with a gas atomization steel making process. Molten steel is forced through a nozzle and aerosolized. The resulting steel powders are created in a perfectly spherical shape with a high level of cleanliness and homogenous distribution of carbides (provide the cutting capabilities). The powders are then collected in a canister, which is sealed, compacted, and bonded (densified) by a process called Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). After the HIP process, the size of the steel material is reduced by roughly 30%. There are no welds in the steel making it structurally an extremely strong steel.

Afterwards, the capsule undergoes forging, texturing rolling in a specific way to obtain various patterns. This phase of creating patterns is extremely similar in both techniques. Damasteel comes in wide variety of patterns including ladder, rose™ (raindrop), Dense Twist™, Dden's Eye™ - some completely unique and trademarked by damasteel.

Damasteel® Composite Steels -

A benefit of the particle metal process, the damasteel includes less impurities and will contain far less inclusions than traditional damascus steel. Damasteel also carries the properties of the particle steel alloys RWL 34 and PMC27 steel. RWL 34 is a Swedish-made knife steel named after legendary knife maker Robert 'Bob' Loveless and is most similar to CPM 154 and chemically similar to ATS 34. RWL 34 steel is made by the Damasteel company. When etched, the RWL 34 is the lighter color pattern in the damascus. The second steel in damasteel is PMC27 stainless steel alloy. PMC27 is also made in Sweden. When etched is the darker pattern bands of the damascus. Both of these composite steels are manufactured using the particle metal (PM) process and provide increased toughness and edge retention compared to conventionally made steels.

Conclusion

Overall, BOTH damascus steel and damasteel have the beauty and artistry that makes damascus steel famous, and with the strength and durability both are known for. Damasteel however might be a better option when you are looking for high-performance damascus, or if you are looking for stainless quality as some traditional damascus is not stainless (because they utilize carbon tool steels). The patterning of damasteel® has somewhat of a different look (created by the HIP process) from traditional damascus and the resulting visual patterns/styles is distinctive. These two categories of damascus steels patterns are varied and a matter of individual taste - but I absolutely love both
 
So... I had this review typed out and the curse of the touch screen wiped it all clear. I won't go into great detail, but a friend here helped me get my hands on one of these. After contemplating the purchase because of the lack of reviews, I've passed on it to this point.

Nevertheless; here are my initial impressions right out of the box. I'll start with the bad since there's considerably less of it.

First, while the action is very quick, the friction between the detent and blade is a little gritty feeling. This may wear in or need a little lube, time will tell. It's really unfortunate though. Why slow the bearing pivot with the friction of the detent ball? I think nylon bushings might maven disguised this issue, and saved a couple of bucks in the process. Bearings in the pivot are to speed things up, not just there to be cool.

Secondly, there is slight left/right blade play when open. I suspect though that a careful tweaking of the pivot should straighten this right out. I've not taken any tools to this beauty yet. I'm hoping to find time for this later for another reason I'll get to next.

I had high hopes that the titanium frame would make this a featherweight fighter. To my surprise though, not so much. Compared to my EDC Vantage pro with S30V, stainless liners, and G10 scales, the Onset came in at 3/8oz heavier. Yes, the overall dimensions of the Onset are larger, I still expected it to weigh in at or under the Vantage.



That's it for the initial negative criticisms. On to the good...

I recently called the Yellow Jacket Buck's prettiest fixed blade; well... this is Buck's prettiest folder! And like the Yellow Jacket, the premium materials and most of the design ideas behind this should make it a reliable user for many, many years.

Damasteel... I won't go into too much detail since Makael educated us well, but if you do some homework, you'll find this is one of the best patterned blade materials available. It's quite expensive though but I think it's the right choice for this knife. A full production quantity knife though, perhaps not so much.
The pattern is vivid and beautiful. I've had many Damascus blades from many different makers and they've all looked like steel. The contrast between these two powdered steels is some really special.



It feels great in hand. I've long liked the pattern of the Vantage and Marksman, and while a little longer, it still fits like a glove. Very comfortable, finished well so there are no sharp edges, and simple.


Making the rear spacer from the same Damasteel is just showing off. Weight could have been saved by simply using standoffs like CRK, but that would have been the easy way out. Besides, that's more Damasteel for your money, right? Kidding, of course...



I really like the standoffs they used for the pocket clips. Someone finally heard my request for something a little more pocket-hem friendly! Yes, I've still got my lanyard attached to the clip though. after tugging on the string to get the knife out of my pocket for years, it's a habit that I'm not even considering trying to break.

I also like the idea that the part contacting the blade is serviceable. I don't know that this part fails often enough that ot needs to be serviceable though. It is a titanium frame though and probably better to have a serviceable part than rough up either the frame or blade which would be costly repairs. Good thinking...


Another good bit of forethought is the "stop" for the lock bar to prevent over travel that might fatigue the frame and lead to failure since the frame is so this at the lock bar.


To summarize, this is a beautiful knife with a lot of thought behind it. It's not for everyone, of course. At it's price point it's more of a connoisseur's knife. The action is quick but not so smooth, like they went for a frame lock + flipper. They've come pretty close though! It will flip, but it's no Marksman.





This will live in my pocket until I find something I like , or it fails. Treat yourself to one of these, it really is a fine example of Buck taking advantage of the most modern tech in the knife industry.
 
I would lube the bearings if thats possible. Should be perfectly smooth with no resistance.
 
this is exactly what Buck needs to have in the pipeline. High quality materials, great design, competitive pricing, and some "in your face" attitude. Congratulations Buck. :)
 
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