Is the 55 to small for anyone else?

Flatlander1963

Flatlander1963

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Jan 28, 2008
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I bought a 55 a couple of years ago and...well didn't work for me. It was just to small. I know lots of guys love it but I think there is still a niche Buck should consider filling in area of small lockbacks.

An exact copy of the 110 (as opposed to the mini-111) with the following measurements:
Length Closed-3 3/4 inches
Blade Length-2 3/4 inches
Width-3/8ths inch
Handle Options (two inlay rivets & rocker rivet)-Obeechee wood (base), picked bone, stag or elk,
Steel Options-13C26 (base), 154cm, S30V, CPM-D2

The measurements ought to be familiar because their the same as the Esquire/Squire which has been in continual production since 1974...so a very popular size. Oh, the squire is 1/16th thinner that what I listed above.

I personally think that a clippoint lockback in the size I layed out would be wildly successful.

Any thoughts?
 
>Is the 55 to small for anyone else?<

Hmmm, not for me. I been carrying one everyday for a couple of weeks now and it's a great fit in my pocket. Of course, I also have a full size (110) on my belt all the time.
 
LOL Gordon,

When I got a 55, I said "WTF"!!! To me it's not a 1/2 sized 110. It should be called a 27.5, because it's only about 1/4 the size of a 110 IMHO. But, hay that's just Gordon and I. I have to have a bigger knife;). The 55 is good at cleaning my fingernails!

jb4570
 
humm i have two of the custom ones..
cute have not tried to edc one..
i do note no one has them in a display!!!
would be a good niche to show in..
 
jb4570 said:
LOL Gordon,

When I got a 55, I said "WTF"!!! To me it's not a 1/2 sized 110. It should be called a 27.5, because it's only about 1/4 the size of a 110 IMHO. But, hay that's just Gordon and I. I have to have a bigger knife;). The 55 is good at cleaning my fingernails!

jb4570
Click to expand...

Yep. What John said. To me, it looks more like a shrimp version of the newer 111 (not the 111 Classic) more than a 110.

But I like it...use on my desk for teeny stuff...like cleaning finger nails. I think it is a nice little knife.

Actual blade edge is prob less than a 1/4" longer than the Smidgen/Hartsook.
 
I never held them up next to each other but it's definitely not exactly half-sized. That said, I love mine. It's my "food" knife, I only use it for cutting up fruit, or other non-nasty stuff, at least that's the intent! I use my Rush for the nasty stuff. The 55 is like a gent's knife on steroids, very solid and reliable but probably more like a 27.5 like jb said.
 
I still think the 55 looks more like a mini-111 and not the mini-110 that ya sometimes see it marketed as. Guess that's just it, "marketing".

Here's a comparo pic. Top Row: 55 and 111. Bottom Row: Harksook and 110 for scale.

Have a Bucky Day...

Click the pic:
 
Buckaroo661 said:
The 55 is like a gent's knife on steroids, very solid and reliable but probably more like a 27.5 like jb said.
Click to expand...

I find the 55 to be the perfect size for an EDC pocketknife. (But this is coming from a guy who gave up toting big, 110-like knives a long time ago. I just prefer the size-to-usefulness ratio of smaller pocketknives.)

I still think if Buck would put a smaller flyer touting the 55 in every 110 they sold, they'd sell a ton more 55s.
 
I know I saw something on a thread from a while ago and I agree 100%. Why did Buck discontinue the 500 DUKE?! I've had 2 of them(lost one:barf:). If you don't want to carry a 110, it's the perfect size. I carry mine to church and when I'm in shorts so the weight of a 110 does't drop my drawers like some of the kids today(no one wants to see that). It just seems to be the
perfect size knife and a hell of a good looker. Please bring it back Mr Buck!
 
Do you guys find the 303 stockman* too small as well?




* It's 3 1/4" closed, while the 055 is 3 3/8" closed.
 
Do you guys find the 303 stockman* too small as well?
Click to expand...

Yes I do. But then Buck has been nice enough to provide the 3 3/4" 301 Stockman. And if I really feel like struting the big stuff I'll carry the 307.

I guess my main point is that there is a gap in the line up.
No one has noted or noticed but the dimensions I gave were those of the LB5, one of the most popular small lock backs ever. Again, I think a 110 shrunk to that size would be heck of a seller. I suppose the question over at Buck is what a new knife like that would compete against in the market place. If they thought it'd take sales from existing Buck models like the Squire or 112 then its understandable why it was never done.

Anyway, I hope CJ and Joe see's this thread and gives the idea some consideration.
 
I almost bought a 55 online.
Then one day i noticed that walmart sells them so i asked to have a look.
Very nice knife but MUCH smaller than i thought it would be.
In the end i'm glad i had the chance to paw one first.
I'll probably still buy one someday anyway, lol.

I wish knife manufacturers would do group shots of their products so you can get a sense of their size compared to their other models.
Or at least take a nice pic of a new knife next to a familiar classic (110/112/119 etc).
I buy about 95% of my knives online so good pics are very important to reeling me in, lol!
You would think they would place more importance on good pics as i'm sure the percentage of knives sold each year are increasingly acquired through internet vendors.
If i want good pics of a knife i'm interested in most manufacturers websites (with some exceptions)are almost useless.
I think the pictures and picture threads posted here by BF forumites have made more sales than all the manufacturers websites combined!
:D
 
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