Its not a peanut, but can I join the club anyways?

Nice choice RSmith!
One of the best knives ever. The 309 is the first good quality pocket knife that I looked into when at an age thought I wanted a real good one.Was about 12 or 13 (45ish now)and still have it and an exact copy that I like to use and covet. On the 2nd blade issue, we like having two or 3 just in case, and having the small pen blade is always handy when in public and need to cut something without making the feeble scared folks faint. :->
 
dan oliver said:
Rs......yes a single blade. Do you use both blades much?
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you know dan, after thinking about this a little more i starting to reconsider my response
there are multiple posts about how in many other places in the world, most people seem to use just single blade slippies. How multi-blade folders are prevalent in America for some reason.

So, -I- prefer having the backup blade, but I would imagine you would probably get along just fine with a single blade if that is your preference...
In fact I think 300bucks has a few, wonder if he carries it, and how it works for him
 
runninmike said:
Nice choice RSmith!
One of the best knives ever. The 309 is the first good quality pocket knife that I looked into when at an age thought I wanted a real good one.Was about 12 or 13 (45ish now)and still have it and an exact copy that I like to use and covet. On the 2nd blade issue, we like having two or 3 just in case, and having the small pen blade is always handy when in public and need to cut something without making the feeble scared folks faint. :->
Click to expand...

well thank you! i am really excited to pick her up. I wont say its my first quality pocket knife, but like (i assume) many others, i had to go through several phases of life before I came around to really wanting such a small pocket knife. If it wasnt big enough to defend myself from a mugger or threaten a pack of wild boar it was a toy.

As I got older (33 now) I finally came around to realize that 1) never been in a knife fight in my life and 2) as Carl likes to say, how much knife do we really need in this day and age. I still keep a wenger SI in my other pocket (mostly for the tools, but the big blade for food prep if necessary and i keep a fixed blade and a machete in the truck. I am probably pretty good i would think
 
dan oliver said:
What do you all think of the Buck 302 for EDC? Fit & finnish? Blade sharpness? Thank you
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I have one of the 302 prototypes. Fit and finish on mine is very good. The blade snap is just right.
IMO, Buck supplies knives with the highest Out Of the Box sharpness of any traditional knife manufacturer. And the edge retention of the Buck 420HC is quite a bit better than that of my Case knives.

That being said, I bought the 302 as a novelty. I prefer multiple blades on a traditional knife and normally carry a 301 Stockman. Though, as I posted before, the 309 makes a nice small companion that gets everything done but is next to unnoticeable in the pocket.
 
Well folks, single blade answer yes and no.

Here is 302. The answer would be - No carry.
Yellowcloseup.jpg


Another view of 302s
Topview.jpg


This is the only single blade I carry besides a small vantage (I am saying an old TL-29 is a two blade). And then only as a second knife. A old 321 bird knife with the gut hook and second spring removed.
SlimBirdside.jpg


I think the 302 or any thing larger than a 309 or other brand same size, removes the 'Peanut' status of the knife. It then becomes a full fledged slipjoint meant for heavier work and use by larger hands when a knife is used often. Even the 303 might me large enough to be lumped into the standard stockman group. I sometimes carry a small Vantage Avid. The ease of carry is the shining light of the 'peanuts' and to some extent the same thing applies to the pocket clip in what lures me to the non-traditional Vantage for carry.

Everybody carry what makes you feel good and works, make or model....

300Bucks
 
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you know, i gotta say, that yellow 302 is awfully pretty...
its the same length as the 301 right? just 1/3 the thickness

yeah, it would be much bigger than peanut sized but still...pretty darn cool!
 
One last comment on the 301 single blade knife. I 'think' myself, that the 301 single blade prototypes had a little bit more polish than the 302s did. Which would figure right, you want to so off the new idea. So if you could find one of the single 301 protos in good shape it might be a 'bring it out and brag knife'.....300

I like this 309 also, like the jigging.
BBlimited-1-1-1.jpg
 
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Well Carl, Off the top of my head, 309's sold out of the factory door.

This will be the 'collectors' list *, strict users may wish to lump some details.

1- Old yellow
2- Black Sawcut
3- Red Sawcut
4- Red Smooth
5- Brown Jigged Bone with brass liners*
6- Brown Jigged Bone with SS liners*
7- Limited Edition Jigged Bone
8- Red Jigged Bone
9- Stag
10- Elk (1980's)*
11- Elk (2011)*
12- buffalo (simulated bone I believe)

Modern era
13- Smooth yellow
14- Dymondwood
15- Chairman series (no shield)*
16- Chairman series (blue shield on reverse scale)*
17- Green paperstone Boone and Crockett Club LE

I've scratched my head some, and I believe that is all of them. I can take a photo of all but the new chairman series.
300Bucks/Craig H.
 
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i gotta say, some of those other handle materials are pretty good lookin
but i really like the yellow comfort grip handles

enough that i am considering picking up a few more models with that handle material (buck 302 i am looking at you) :D
 
Back when Camillus was making Buck 309s, they had a single spring and doubled brass liners on both sides (the blades were both crinked to the sides). They were the same thickness as the later Buck made 309s with the two springs - I'm pretty sure the blade stock was the same thickness too.
 
So, just a small update
been just over a week and the 309 is still in my pocket...all by himself

i actually put my sears 4-way screw driver and p38 back on my keyring and took the Wenger SI out of my pocket
so far no problems (well Vic Classic still on my keyring too)

This little knife is really growing on me, I think I'm finally getting what Carl is always going on about with these little guys. Its amazing how much knife we THINK we need compared to how much we really do need. I couldn't recommend the buck 309 highly enough for someone considering a peanut/pen knife
 
Rsmith_77 said:
So, just a small update
been just over a week and the 309 is still in my pocket...all by himself

i actually put my sears 4-way screw driver and p38 back on my keyring and took the Wenger SI out of my pocket
so far no problems (well Vic Classic still on my keyring too)

This little knife is really growing on me, I think I'm finally getting what Carl is always going on about with these little guys. Its amazing how much knife we THINK we need compared to how much we really do need. I couldn't recommend the buck 309 highly enough for someone considering a peanut/pen knife
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Glad it's working out for ya:thumbup::thumbup:

But the credit goes to by buddy Wayne. After watching his use one for 20 years, I got convinced of it's effectiveness. And Wayne's a big St. Bernard of a guy. If he can make it work with is big mitts, anyone can. :D

Carl.
 
Was going to show a photo of 309s as described above by my friend Zerogee , but alas I had forgotten I did not own the first Camillus made
Buck 309. (And need one) Here is photo with second oldest Cami black sawcut on left then Buck's own first made model (86) next to the Red, then the Red with two springs and then the two spring SS linered model. In all these Cami Blk sawcut models the Clip appears crinked and the pen is more or less straight. These tangs measured the same even though the Buck appears thicker. I think it is because the bolsters on the Buck made are a hair thicker. .31 vs .328 The knife tang on the far left reads Made In U.S.A., 309 on reverse, no rivets in scales.
Details, details, details 300Bucks

Red is 1991 and the B Bone 1998. The difference in the second knife from left and the third is that one has a finger groove cut out of the scale top for the pen blade and the one doesn't......collector details.
309thickness.jpg
 
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Hmmm, I may be misremembering my old Cami made 309s construction. I'll see if I can find them.
 
just wanted to throw out another pic, one less fuzzy this time ;)
but as has been said before, it may be a little knife, but it cuts big :thumbup:

114.jpg
 
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