Isn there anyone at Buck that checks the quality of the knives anymore ?

I'm just concerned that the principals of quality i most associate with Buck seem to be slipping. My childhood memories are full of my dad's old 110. My first knives we're Victorinox, Schrade, Buck, and a Randle Model 3. Of these, Schrade is now a hollow shell. I would consider it a tragedy if Buck slipped down the slippery slope.
Click to expand...

Agreed, and a reasonable concern it is. I just sent a 110 back because it just isn't up to the quality I've come to expect from Buck. Blade wobble and proud being the primary reasons I sent it back.
 
Last edited:
I think the quality isn't there because they went with cheaper methods they never used before,to cut costs.Cookie cutter knives is all they are now,unless its a custom shop knife.The parts don't fit like they used to,i tore apart a 110 the other day and it looks like a cheaper bushing and back spring compared to what i'm used to.That explains a lot,no more new bucks for me until things get better in the quality dept.
 
So, the bushing has changed and the current Custom Shoppe knives have a better bushing than the regular production?

I've been under the impression that CS knives were the same as regular production except for slab options.

When did bushings change?

Has anybody made a comparison? I didn't know that any parts had changed recently.

Buck should comment on this.

:?:
 
I think one of our knife manglers should rip some knives apart and see exactly what's going on with bushings.

Unless Buck wants to clear up the mystery.

:)
 
Buck's QC department is the group who should be ripping open knives to understand the blade play issue.

And those of us who care about Buck and who have knives with play should take up Jeff Hubbard on his request to work with him. This will give Jeff the "ammo" that he needs to make his case.

If any of you have ever had to deal with a trouble-ticketing or bug-tracking system you will know that it's very hard to make a case to change things when you don't have the numbers to support it. If people are sitting on or just tossing out their Buck's that have play (more likely as prices fall?), then Buck's QC doesn't have any data to back them up when they try to mount a case that costly changes are needed. Repairing knives (or anything) is expensive but only when people return as warranty claims. If they don't get returned, they don't cost a thing. More to the point, the problem just doesn't exist (in terms of the data that is being used to make business decisions). I think we got a hint of that in Joe's forwarded mail.

I sent in 2 of my Buck folders with blade play to Jeff and would encourage anybody else on the forum with similar issues to do the same.
 
RAZORBLADES said:
I think the quality isn't there because they went with cheaper methods they never used before,to cut costs.Cookie cutter knives is all they are now,unless its a custom shop knife.The parts don't fit like they used to,i tore apart a 110 the other day and it looks like a cheaper bushing and back spring compared to what i'm used to.That explains a lot,no more new bucks for me until things get better in the quality dept.
Click to expand...

The bushing has not changed. The Bushing has been the same since it got added.
If by back spring you mean rocker, it has not changed either. If by back spring you mean the rocker spring, it has not changed either.
 
J Hubbard said:
The bushing has not changed. The Bushing has been the same since it got added.
If by back spring you mean rocker, it has not changed either. If by back spring you mean the rocker spring, it has not changed either.
Click to expand...


Kind of what I said in post 79...
 
So why do newer models display weak springslazy snap and blade play new out of the box if nothing has changed they shoukld be just as good as the older 110's,by older i mean 2004 and older.I have seen a lot of 110's with weak springs,its as easy as holding the knife in the closed position by the blade,weak ones will open up considerably,the older models the blade seems to stay in the handle.
 
RAZORBLADES said:
So why do newer models display weak springslazy snap and blade play new out of the box if nothing has changed they shoukld be just as good as the older 110's,by older i mean 2004 and older.I have seen a lot of 110's with weak springs,its as easy as holding the knife in the closed position by the blade,weak ones will open up considerably,the older models the blade seems to stay in the handle.
Click to expand...

The answer is obvious to me. Buck still has a good QC program and pull all the second grade knives from the line. Those "seconds" are all then exported to Canada. ;)
 
Might have missed it, but I don't remember seeing any pictures of the knife that started this topic. Was it posted?
 
The bushing has not changed. The Bushing has been the same since it got added.
If by back spring you mean rocker, it has not changed either. If by back spring you mean the rocker spring, it has not changed either.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the response, and for providing accurate info. Too often people make incorrect statements that get repeated, and before you know it everyone and their brother accept it as gospel truth. I for one am glad to hear that they haven't been "cheapened". The Buck 110 is a great knife. Probably my all time favorite.
 
dmattaponi said:
Thanks very much for the response, and for providing accurate info. Too often people make incorrect statements that get repeated, and before you know it everyone and their brother accept it as gospel truth. I for one am glad to hear that they haven't been "cheapened". The Buck 110 is a great knife. Probably my all time favorite.
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbup:

I have lots of NIB 110's. None of the pre 1980 NIB had any quality issues and only one of the post 1980 NIB required a trip back to BKI for adjustment.
 
J Hubbard said:
The bushing has not changed. The Bushing has been the same since it got added.
Click to expand...

J Hubbard, your profile page lists you as Manager USA Products at Buck. Perhaps you can clarify some things?

The discussion of bushings came up with respect to Buck knives that develop vertical play with hard use. See:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...orical-review-of-Buck-110-pivots-and-bushings

From that thread, it appears that the bushings changed from being integral to free floating and changed from steel (colored) to bronze (colored) over the years.

There is also discussion as to whether vertical play has more to do with worn bushings, worn pivot pins or both.

I donated my 482 and 486 to Jeff last week. The 482 is quite loose vertically and that happened within a year. Do I abuse my knives? All I can say is that I use them as hard but not harder than my $15 Opinels, which don't develop play. Jeff said he wanted his team to be able to inspect the worn knives to see what was failing. Perhaps you can talk with him?

Any insight as to why some Buck knives develop vertical play and some don't would be really helpful.

Thanks,
 
I wonder if the vertical play is more of an issue of tolerances between the face of the locking bar, and the locking surface of the blade tang itself. I had two of the newer Spyderco Delicas. One had no vertical blade play, while the other one had quite a bit. Not enough to concern me, but enough to annoy me. When I took the two knives apart, I noticed that the blades pivots were solid, with no wear. Same with the lockbar pivot. However, there was a tiny bit of difference in the dimensions of the locking surfaces on the two knives. This minor difference in lock geometry caused what I like to call "sloppy lock".

I'm not sure how the locking surfaces on Bucks are formed, but if they are ground then hand finished, I can definitely see the reason why some would be perfect, while others develop a bit of play right out of the box.
 
pinnah said:
J Hubbard, your profile page lists you as Manager USA Products at Buck. Perhaps you can clarify some things?

The discussion of bushings came up with respect to Buck knives that develop vertical play with hard use. See:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...orical-review-of-Buck-110-pivots-and-bushings

From that thread, it appears that the bushings changed from being integral to free floating and changed from steel (colored) to bronze (colored) over the years.

There is also discussion as to whether vertical play has more to do with worn bushings, worn pivot pins or both.

I donated my 482 and 486 to Jeff last week. The 482 is quite loose vertically and that happened within a year. Do I abuse my knives? All I can say is that I use them as hard but not harder than my $15 Opinels, which don't develop play. Jeff said he wanted his team to be able to inspect the worn knives to see what was failing. Perhaps you can talk with him?

Any insight as to why some Buck knives develop vertical play and some don't would be really helpful.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Good question.

Perhaps there are slight changes in material and tolerances that Buck does not identify as changes, but actually impact the play.

:?:
 
I've never bought a bad Buck in many years of blade buying. I had ONE that had a bit of a sharp spot on a rivet but it never bothered me enough to worry about.
 
I've never bought a bad Buck in many years of blade buying. I had ONE that had a bit of a sharp spot on a rivet but it never bothered me enough to worry about.
Click to expand...

After having watched this thread for a number of weeks, I think it bodes well for Buck for a few reasons...

1) I think Buck has shown itself responsive to their customers as evidenced by their responses in this thread.
2) I think it's evident in this thread that the complaints are relatively few in number, although they come in some cases from some very vocal individuals whose negative experiences have heavily influenced the tone of this thread. My comments are not at all intended to discredit them, only to say that...
3) I think that TatooBlades, comments above are far more reflective of most peoples experience with Buck knives as a whole, and the fact that there are relatively few complaints in comparison to the number of Buck fans on these forums, indicates that most are satisfied with the quality of Buck Knives.

Just wanted to summarize my thoughts on this, because I often see these forums as educational for "newbies" who may be doing their research here before deciding whether or not to buy a Buck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top