Is Vantage Blade Centering as bad as I've heard...

M

MaxFisher

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Feb 5, 2005
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I'm interested in getting a Buck Vantage. I'm thinking an Avid or Select Model but possibly a Pro. Are the issues with blade centering as bad as I've heard. Most of the reviews I've seen knocking the centering are 1.5-2 years old, so I'm wondering if the QC on these is still having issues. Any info anyone can provide would be great.
 
I am pretty sure they fixed that problem a while back.

Mine was very off center when i got it but i took it apart to clean it and put it back together and it was way better but still a bit off.(Mine was a old one BTW)
 
I bought my Pro back in August (it was made in February) and it came with the blade perfectly centered, but the opening action was so incredibly stiff that the flipper was rendered useless. After sending it back to Buck, it was returned to me in the exact same state. I ended up buying some locktite, loosening the pivot screw to an acceptable compromise between centering (originally the blade contacted the liners) and opening ease, and then locktiting the pivot screw in place. No problems from there on, but the blade is definitely off center. Still a great knife though.
 
As much as I love the Vantage line of knives, centering has been an issue in every Vantage I've bought (two Vantage Force Avids and a Vantage Pro of 2011 manufacture and a Vantage Avid, Vantage Select, and Vantage Dymondwood Select of 2010 manufacture. also, two small Vantage Pros and one small Vantage Select of 2010 manufacture). They were all off centered to varying degrees, the worst of which were my small Vantage Select and my two Vantage Force Avids. I was disappointed that the Force Avids were off-center so much, considering they carried the 2011 blade marking. I managed to center all of the blades except for my Force Avids and small Select; those three blades weren't even a quarter of the way over before they became impossible to open one-handed and the pivot was impossible to tighten further.

Then again, of all the liner and frame lock knives I've ever seen (including my own, my friends' knives, and all the knives I've handled at the local surplus, outdoors, sporting goods, and knife shops) I have only ever seen one that looked perfectly centered to me prior to adjustment, and that was the display model of a Spyderco Tenacious. I'm even critical of backlock knifes; my Buck 110, large Bucklite MAX folder, Spyderco Native, and my friend's Gerber Gator all have blades that look off center to me.

So with that in mind, take my input with a grain of salt. If you're looking for flaws, you will find them. If I were you, I'd buy a Vantage and then pick up a T6 torx driver for a few dollars. The T6 screwdriver will let you play with the pivot if the centering is not to your satisfaction, and the tool is also useful for fully breaking down the knife for maintenance and thorough cleaning so it's a good tool to have anyway.
 
Well,I just picked up 4 at Walmart for $|15 each,and all of thrm were absolutely perfect,mwith perfect blade centering,not to mention$15 ,not many knives out there in this category for $15.I love these little knives!
 
Funny, I've never checked a knife to see if the blade was centered and it's never hurt me a bit.

All my folders work fine.

:D
 
Mine was off center but i purchased a torx driver and centered it. This did make the knife stiff to open so i put some knife oil on the pivot and opened and closed several times and now it flips open with no problem.
 
So in summary, I just have bad luck but general experiences with the Vantage line as of late have been positive.

Regarding any potential issues, the blade centering when closed doesn't affect the knife when open because the blade centering issues are caused by the really strong spring rate of the liner lock when the knife is closed. As long as the blade isn't touching the liners, there should be no cosmetic wear from opening and closing the knife; even if it were touching the liners it wouldn't affect functionality. If the blade centering bothers you, pick up a T6 torx driver and adjust it to your heart's content. And the T6 is good to have for maintenance of the knife in general anyway.
 
Thanks for the response guys. I'm not requiring perfect centering but I've heard a lot of stories of Vantages with blades that are touching the liner. That's just not acceptable to me at any price. I went today and checked out several Vantage Force Selects at my local sporting goods store. They were all clamshell packed so I took the 6 or 7 available off the rack and examined them. All but 1 were well centered and that 1 was acceptable (i.e. no liner contact). I'm sure I'll be pulling the trigger on a large and a small soon as I'm fairly confident now. Unfortunately no local stores are carrying the regular models and I'm not into black blades so won't be getting one of the Forces I looked at today.
 
Yeah IMO buck has really tightened up their QC on the Vantage line, most of the earlier models I've seen in person were pretty bad but all of the recent Vantages I've checked out have had perfectly acceptable blade centering I really think Buck has a winner in the tactical knife world with the vantage force.
 
I've owned 3-4 vantages and they've all been great. I don't care much about blade centering unless it's rubbing. I did have one Vantage Select that sounded gritty while opening/closing. Took it apart, cleaned it up, put a little lithium grease on the pivot and all is now well.

So, anyone out there think that the Vantage may be the next Buck flagship? I've heard a LOT about them, mostly good.
 
ono724 said:
So, anyone out there think that the Vantage may be the next Buck flagship? I've heard a LOT about them, mostly good.
Click to expand...

I haven't used one yet, but I could very easily see this being the case. It's a great design and seems very popular. It's also one of the few models offered at all three product levels which makes it very universal in terms of customer appeal.
 
it is already becoming the flagship for buck, for the newer generation of knife people.

most newer knife collectors. that have never owned a 110 ,119 or a slipjoint. that are younger will be more attracted to the vantage.
 
kidcoyote said:
it is already becoming the flagship for buck, for the newer generation of knife people.

most newer knife collectors. that have never owned a 110 ,119 or a slipjoint. that are younger will be more attracted to the vantage.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, perhaps..but I've owned a 110 for almost 40 years, yet find myself liking the Vantage better. So I either just blasphemed, or I'm in the very small minority....;)
 
I have an Avid Vantage and it is perfect in every way, no issues at all. In fact it is a GREAT knife and a joy to carry in the front pocket. The blade shape is one of the best designed blades of all time, I actually like it better than my "pointy" 110's. (did I just admit that???)
 
The Vantages I have ( several) are all fine. As to them becoming the new "110", they may fit that in the modern day world of Buck. They are light, easy to carry and well made. For some one looking to carry a knife that meets those needs they are a home run, and in today's world with a cell phone on your belt, the room for a pouch carried knife ( a 110) is becoming less of a common sight. Pockets clips are everywhere now.......
 
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