Interested in a Buck Vantage or Bucklite...

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pedalinbob

Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Messages
153
I believe the two appear to be excellent knives, but it is a tough decision as to which to get.

I would like a light-ish knife that can handle a bit of hard use. I will use this knife, but not abuse it. I prefer that it have good purchase (I know this is highly subjective). It will ride in my right front pocket, and I prefer tip-up carry. I really like Buck's blade geometry, and that the aforementioned knives seem to built for comfortable EDC.

I think these are the differences:
Vantage: overall heavier, thicker handle, selection of steels, drop point blade, screw construction, flipper and thumb hole, liner lock, Deep pocket clip (?), US made.

Bucklite Max: Pretty light, thin, 420HC only, drop point blade, pinned pivot, thumb stud, lockback, nice low-rider clip, US made.

I think there are some other differences, but cannot think of them right now.

My concern for the Bucklite is that it has a pinned pivot and that it may be too light (flimsy feeling).

My concern with the Vantage is that the handle seems like it could be a bit slippery, and allow the hand to slip onto the blade, there the Bucklite appears to have a contoured area for better purchase.

Also, I am lukewarm to flippers, so I would like the thumb hole to be functional, so if the flipper doesn't work for me, I can simply use the thumb hole.

I am leaning toward the Vantage in Sandvic steel (I have a soft spot for Sandvic stuff), though the Bucklite Max medium appears to be a steal at about $17.

Any added suggestions or comments are welcome! Which would you choose and why?
 
I have them both and really like each of them. I lean towards the Vantage also myself.

For the price, get them both:D
 
pedalinbob said:
Which would you choose and why?
Click to expand...

I have the Vantage Pro and the BuckLite Max large orange.

I carry the BuckLite and I couldn't be happier. Love the back lock, the larger size, the pointy point, the thumb stud and the clip. This knife carries well, looks terrific, hard to lose and a joy to use (the anatomical handle is a real plus).

Vantage Pro weighs 4.27 oz, feels heavy, it has full steel liners

Bucklite Max large 3.03 oz, feels lite, without any liners

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Don't let my personal preference, if you detect one, sway you one little bit... :D

oregon
 
Love the vantage, cannot comment on the BL max series as I dont have one but I like my bantam even though its chinese and would be similar i figger. New orange max's look good. Get both but if you want to save money get the vantage select. You could then compare same steels and write a comparison:thumbup:
 
I have been carrying the Buck Vantage Avid for my duty knife for awhile now.I don't notice the weight at all,and the deep carry pocket clip is great! The steel in this blade is fantastic as well as the blade shape(lots of belly).The deployment is quicker than a preacher with the collection plate on a Sunday morning.Good lock up and one handed closing.Strong enough to take on any task I may require of it.The knife came razor sharp from the factory.Guess you could say I'm more than happy with this knife.

I'm more than happy with this knife! Please excuse me if I offended anyone.
 
Wow, sweet orange color!!! GREAT pics (drool).

The Avid is the one with the Sandvic steel, right?
Hey, that was a funny analogy! No worries.

Maybe I will flip a coin.

As a side note, I notice in the pics that the blades slant somewhat downward (toward the closed position), which for me, is good, as I tend to use knives primarily for cutting/slicing, and that slight tilt toward the handle makes cutting easier.

I have a couple of knives where the blade aligns parallel with the handle (or greater than 180 degrees from) and cutting requires torquing the wrist down to engage the blade with the object to be cut (like an apple). This is not comfortable.

Apparently, steel, blade shape, handle shape and blade position all combine to create a total package of usefulness. Kinda like Victorinox knives: the steel is somewhat soft, but the darn things still cut reasonably well long after the hair-popping edge is gone. I guess this is a testament to good design.

I've loved knives for a very long time, but have never had time to really study them. So much to learn!
 
pedalinbob said:
Wow, sweet orange color!!! GREAT pics (drool).
Click to expand...

You can get the BuckLite Max with black scales if you like.

The orange color seen in the pics gets comments like: "that's peach, not orange" and "definitely on the reddish side of orange" and "wow is that ever bright." This terrific knife has quickly become a main character in my EDC entourage.

Thank you for the kind words.

oregon
 
You are welcome.

Seriously, it IS a very nice color, though it isn't a color I would normally associate with a knife. It seems to accent the knife's lines or something.

Aw, crap...I'm sounding all Oprah-ish...I better get back to my testosterone-laden roots:
Yeah man, that RAWKS! Did ya gut sum zombiez wit it? :)
 
I wouldn't worry about the pinned pivot or the light weight. My BuckLites have proven to be tough as nails.
 
I really like the orange, but I have the vantage pro, avid. And the pro with s30v is awesome! My vote is go with vantage pro or avid
 
I ordered the Medium Bucklite from SKMW.

Something tells me I will end up with the Vantage anyway...!

Addiction sucks.
 
Good choice Bob. What fun to have several available good choices.

You insult your addiction but I think that you really embrace it, revel in it. Passion. It is wonderful to be enthusiastic about the possible. My cutlery dreams have a tendency to come true and I love it when they do.

Please let me know how you like your new knife.

oregon
 
I have one Vantage Select, two Avids, and one Pro.

The only caveat I've seen on these is the tip of the edge hitting the metal part inside the handle as it folds.

This breaks or at the least messes up the tip of the edge.

I've checked mine and they have a safe distance. Just make sure your edge is not hitting metal and you should be fine.

The Vantage is a nice EDC, especially if you can get an Avid or a Pro. They're out there for what seems very cheap prices. I got my Pro for about 40 bucks (in all fairness though, they gave me that price because of a price tag error), and one of my Avids for about 20 bucks.

Xela
 
Well, Thanks Guys! After seeing a Vantage over the weekend with the blue paperstone handles, I couldn't resist temptation and ordered one. Now, I see the orange Buklite max and had to order one of those too!That pointy 110 blade is just too much to resist!
My wife is going to gut me with whichever one shows up first! --Does anyone have the number for 911?! :) What a nobel way to leave this world! :)
 
LOL! Seaplane, you need to figure out a way to fly those things in under radar...or get running shoes.

Yeah...I'm learning to be one with the addiction. The knife should be here today or tomorrow. I ordered the black one, but the pic of the red/orange Bucklite really stands out! Must...resist..temptation...

My wife is pretty cool about my interests because they are pretty harmless and I am judicious with our money.

On a related note, I had placed a Victorinox Classic on her keychain. During her bachelorette party, she used it a bunch of times, as well as on the day before our wedding where she was trimming things off dresses and doing a few other things.

Her friends were sold. They all ended up getting Classics, and I picked up one for her mom and grandma.
It is hard for her to criticize my addiction when it is so useful!
 
On my Pro Vantage I think of the flipper as a guard since it is a crappy flipper the hole works just fine. The G-10 is smooth but the grooves help over come a lot of that. I haven't really tried it wet yet but to me it's an easy knife to hang on to. I use to prefer the pealy ply G-10, but this one has changed me back to a machined G-10 fan!
 
Ok, I got the medium Bucklite a few days ago. About $24 with shipping.

There isn't much I can add to the excellent reviews posted (plus my son will be waking up any moment now), but I will give my impression.

The knife is indeed light, but not insubstantial-feeling. There is enough heft to make it feel sturdy.

The handle is comfortable and seems to give good purchase, though I could see it feeling a bit slick with wet hands. The handle shape is nice, but during use, I feel a slight sharp-ish edge where the index rests. I will hit the area with a fine sanding block.
It is linerless, but as stated above, feels very sturdy. I'm not noticing any flex.
The clip is pretty darn nice. Not to loose, not too tight (umm, no comments from the peanut gallery), just right. It slips into the pocket easily and rides nice.

There are two mild nit-picks regarding the clip.
The end of the clip flares outward quite a bit, which could potentially snag on something and dislodge the knife. Also, I was playing with my son, and he ended up crying that he "hit his head," and I think he may have whacked it on the clip.

The second issue with the clip is the depth of carry. It sits so deep in my pocket that when I slip my thumb into the pocket, it doesn't quite reach the stud. When the knife is withdrawn, I have to re-position it to open the blade, and this makes for a much slower draw than my Byrd Meadowlark or Boker Trance.
However, the trade-off is that it is discreet and it will likely not be accidentally pulled from the pocket (despite the flared clip).

The blade: nice. Not much more to say about it, other than it cuts well and seems to be holding a nice edge. Though it was pretty sharp out of the box, I gave it a good beating on the Sharpmaker, of course.

Opening is smooth, but requires high-effort. There is a lot of initial tension to overcome. Once beyond that point (the tip of the blade is about 2.5" from the handle) it flies open and gives a lovely and impressively loud SNAP!

The position if the stud is probably optimal for sharpening reasons, but if it were moved toward the tip one or two millimeters it would provide more leverage.
The high initial tension may make it a bit tougher to open, but it also serves to prevent it from opening in the pocket.

Overall, the knife really feels tight and solid, and I am impressed with how controllable it feels and how easily it zips through stuff.

Though there are some very minor shortcomings, this knife is a winner!
Many of us will employ it as a beater, but it really is a great all-arounder.

Now I have to order the Vantage...
 
I have a Vantage Avid in my hand now. I think the thumbhole and the flipper work equally well.

From my decades experience as a mechanic, I donot find smooth-handled tools to be inherently slippery; the shape has more to do with it than texture, although "grippy" tools will wear out your skin, and that's no small consideration.
 
Absolutely! There is a balance between shape and texture.

I am a (former) master wrench too...many moons ago. Funny how you become "one" with your tools.
 
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