I wrote this up for the Central Kentucky Knife Club's monthly newsletter. However, the more I use this knife the more I want to tell others how wonderful it is. I thought I would pass this article along to other Buck enthusiasts! Enjoy!
At the October club meeting of the Central Kentucky Knife Club my eyes spotted a Buck 337 Paradigm Pro knife. I was super impressed with the design, the feel, and the quality for the price. Upon leaving the meeting, I immediately started my mission to research and acquire one of these knives. Upon research I found that Buck carried two Paradigm models: The Avid, model 336, consisting of 13C26 Sandvik steel and Black Handles and the Pro edition, model 337, consisting of S30V Steel and Blue/Black G10 Handles. The Avid’s retail price was $150 while the Pro model retails for around $180. However, dealers usually sell them for $100 and $120 respectively. Both knives contain steels known in the knife realm as super steels so the decision really came down to steel preference. 13C26 is made by Sandvik and was developed for razor blade applications. The main advantage to this steel is its exceptional edge performance with scary sharpness while maintaining relatively good toughness. Sandvik is Swedish steel. S30V is made by Crucible Materials Corporation and was developed in collaboration with legendary knife maker Chris Reeve. This steel was developed specifically for knives using vanadium carbides which provide a very refined grain for maximum sharpness and toughness. After reading countless comparisons between the two steels it seems that the common consensus is that 13C26 will indeed hold its razor sharp edge longer than S30V. Although S30V will lose its razor sharp edge quicker, it will leave a working edge that will last much longer than any steel on the market including 13C26. People have reported that S30V knives stay working sharp for 10 times longer or more than conventional knife steels. For me, I picked the Pro 337 edition with S30V steel for three reasons. First, I like to buy American and S30V is made in America by an American company. Second, I really like the blue hue that was added to the G10 handles in the pro model. Lastly, I get a little relaxed on my sharpening often neglecting my carry knives from the proper sharpening they deserve. Since S30V stays working sharp for such an extended amount of time, I thought this steel would better suit my needs.
Now that I had made up my mind on the Paradigm Pro 337, I needed to make my acquisition. After checking several reputable dealers I turned to eBay where I found a reputable dealer clearing out some overstock at a deeply discounted price! Bingo, I pressed the “Buy It Now” button and the knife was in the mail! It arrived by USPS in a bubble mailer where the highly recognized Buck yellow box on the inside was crushed due to poor dealer packaging. I straitened the box up the best I could and decided it didn’t matter because I was going to carry and use this knife anyhow. The box proudly displayed a large American Flag on one end and “Made in U.S.A.” elsewhere on the box. At that moment I was proud of my purchase and investment back into the American workforce. Upon opening the box I found the knife undamaged, a copy of the forever warranty, a welcome letter into the Buck family, and directions on how to use the shift mechanism.
The knife is substantial in both size and weight. The handles are designed so that it fits well in my hand and the blade is a nice working length. My initial thought was that if felt a little heavy at 4.8 oz. However, the blade shape and the added weight make it feel both sturdy and functional. The handles of the knife are black and blue G10 Micarta material that have been shaped and contoured to perfection on a CNC machine. The handle embellished a BUCK shield picturing a “B” and an anvil that is classic in design. The back of the knife where normally a backspring would reside was open for easy clean out. The knife is equipped with a pocket clip to carry the knife tip up in the pocket. This clip is perfect as it is mounted with two T-6 torx screws on the butt edge of the knife allowing the knife itself to be completely concealed in the pocket when using the clip. The clip can be reversed for those who prefer the clip on the other side of the knife. Of course the clip can be completely removed for those who wish to carry by belt holster or some other means.
Buck’s website states that “Buck Paradigm boasts the latest in innovation as it offers Buck’s new Shift Mechanism/ASAP® opening technology. TheShift Mechanism bolster lock not only provides a robust locking mechanism, but also provides a blade safety preventing the blade from accidentally opening. The Paradigm also utilizes a blade flipper for quick and easy one-hand deployment with the ASAP® assisted opening technology.” What does all this jargon from Buck mean? It means the blade is spring assisted for easy opening; however, it has a safety feature where it locks both in the open and closed position and is only unlocked by using your right thumb to slide its moving bolster out of its normal position. To open the knife you slide the bolster over with your thumb and then slide your index finger down the blade flipper to open the knife and move the bolster back into its proper position in a single action. To close the knife you slide the bolster and close the blade until it clicks into the locked position. As you have probably figured out this sliding bolster innovation is not going to work out well for those who are left-handed. If you are left handed, you will need to hope that Buck introduces this knife in a left-handed version in the future. Overall this lock system feels natural after a few uses and pretty much leaves your knife inoperable by those who do not realize the bolster secretly slides on this knife.
The obverse side of the blade sports a tang stamp “S30V” and the word “Bos” with flames around it. Paul Bos is widely recognized as America’s foremost heat treat authority for knife blades. He runs a heat treating service for custom knife makers right inside the Buck production facility and serves as Buck’s on sight heat treating expert. Only high end Buck knives carry the “Bos” logo, which denotes his process was used in the heat treating of this knife.
I discovered only two negatives with this knife. I found that the markings on the knife blades are not actually stamped into the blade but rather “inked” in some sort of printing fashion. Secondly, I found that the blade in the closed position does not center perfectly in the handle. Mine is not bad enough that the blade rubs the liner, but it is noticeably off center. This off centering led me to start taking screws out of the knife to see if it was simply an alignment problem that could be adjusted. Each scale is held on by two torx screws. Two screws out of each scale and the handles fall right off, which makes me wonder why people are not selling custom handles left and right for this knife. The handles would be easy to produce however a little mill work would be required on the back side of the handle to support a few pieces that secure the bolsters. After removing the handles I found three screws under the back bolster. I loosened those and then proceeded to remove the screw/pin in the bolster. Upon removing that screw I noticed a noise, and I could tell the spring in the knife lost tension. Under the bolsters I found several pins, three springs (four in knife total), and some shims. With the knife apart I was able to conclude that the weightiness of this knife comes primarily from its bolsters and from the blade. WARNING: taking this knife apart is not for the faint of heart. It took me almost an hour to figure out how to get it back together. There is an art to holding the two pins, three springs, two shims, blade, two liners, and two bolsters all together just right to get the screw/pin back in the bolster. The trick is loading tension on the springs and getting the bolsters back on without one of the springs flying across the room. I would imagine that Buck has a jig they assemble this knife on. In the end the reassembly did not fix the blade alignment, but I was just happy I got it back together. I do not feel that the alignment is off enough at this time to warrant a return to the factory.
I think this knife will fit a large group of people. It has some of the best steel and handles, spring assisted opening, and a look and feel that leaves me to believe this thing is a real work horse! What I do hope is that someone sees an opportunity and manufactures some aftermarket grips (or maybe even Buck could offer some different handles). While I really like the stock shiny slick CNC machined handles, I also realize many will be looking for something with a little more grip. All in all I have found a real winner, and for the price, you won’t be disappointed either!
My Quest for a Buck Paradigm Pro 337
By Ches Fuller
By Ches Fuller
At the October club meeting of the Central Kentucky Knife Club my eyes spotted a Buck 337 Paradigm Pro knife. I was super impressed with the design, the feel, and the quality for the price. Upon leaving the meeting, I immediately started my mission to research and acquire one of these knives. Upon research I found that Buck carried two Paradigm models: The Avid, model 336, consisting of 13C26 Sandvik steel and Black Handles and the Pro edition, model 337, consisting of S30V Steel and Blue/Black G10 Handles. The Avid’s retail price was $150 while the Pro model retails for around $180. However, dealers usually sell them for $100 and $120 respectively. Both knives contain steels known in the knife realm as super steels so the decision really came down to steel preference. 13C26 is made by Sandvik and was developed for razor blade applications. The main advantage to this steel is its exceptional edge performance with scary sharpness while maintaining relatively good toughness. Sandvik is Swedish steel. S30V is made by Crucible Materials Corporation and was developed in collaboration with legendary knife maker Chris Reeve. This steel was developed specifically for knives using vanadium carbides which provide a very refined grain for maximum sharpness and toughness. After reading countless comparisons between the two steels it seems that the common consensus is that 13C26 will indeed hold its razor sharp edge longer than S30V. Although S30V will lose its razor sharp edge quicker, it will leave a working edge that will last much longer than any steel on the market including 13C26. People have reported that S30V knives stay working sharp for 10 times longer or more than conventional knife steels. For me, I picked the Pro 337 edition with S30V steel for three reasons. First, I like to buy American and S30V is made in America by an American company. Second, I really like the blue hue that was added to the G10 handles in the pro model. Lastly, I get a little relaxed on my sharpening often neglecting my carry knives from the proper sharpening they deserve. Since S30V stays working sharp for such an extended amount of time, I thought this steel would better suit my needs.
Now that I had made up my mind on the Paradigm Pro 337, I needed to make my acquisition. After checking several reputable dealers I turned to eBay where I found a reputable dealer clearing out some overstock at a deeply discounted price! Bingo, I pressed the “Buy It Now” button and the knife was in the mail! It arrived by USPS in a bubble mailer where the highly recognized Buck yellow box on the inside was crushed due to poor dealer packaging. I straitened the box up the best I could and decided it didn’t matter because I was going to carry and use this knife anyhow. The box proudly displayed a large American Flag on one end and “Made in U.S.A.” elsewhere on the box. At that moment I was proud of my purchase and investment back into the American workforce. Upon opening the box I found the knife undamaged, a copy of the forever warranty, a welcome letter into the Buck family, and directions on how to use the shift mechanism.
The knife is substantial in both size and weight. The handles are designed so that it fits well in my hand and the blade is a nice working length. My initial thought was that if felt a little heavy at 4.8 oz. However, the blade shape and the added weight make it feel both sturdy and functional. The handles of the knife are black and blue G10 Micarta material that have been shaped and contoured to perfection on a CNC machine. The handle embellished a BUCK shield picturing a “B” and an anvil that is classic in design. The back of the knife where normally a backspring would reside was open for easy clean out. The knife is equipped with a pocket clip to carry the knife tip up in the pocket. This clip is perfect as it is mounted with two T-6 torx screws on the butt edge of the knife allowing the knife itself to be completely concealed in the pocket when using the clip. The clip can be reversed for those who prefer the clip on the other side of the knife. Of course the clip can be completely removed for those who wish to carry by belt holster or some other means.
Buck’s website states that “Buck Paradigm boasts the latest in innovation as it offers Buck’s new Shift Mechanism/ASAP® opening technology. TheShift Mechanism bolster lock not only provides a robust locking mechanism, but also provides a blade safety preventing the blade from accidentally opening. The Paradigm also utilizes a blade flipper for quick and easy one-hand deployment with the ASAP® assisted opening technology.” What does all this jargon from Buck mean? It means the blade is spring assisted for easy opening; however, it has a safety feature where it locks both in the open and closed position and is only unlocked by using your right thumb to slide its moving bolster out of its normal position. To open the knife you slide the bolster over with your thumb and then slide your index finger down the blade flipper to open the knife and move the bolster back into its proper position in a single action. To close the knife you slide the bolster and close the blade until it clicks into the locked position. As you have probably figured out this sliding bolster innovation is not going to work out well for those who are left-handed. If you are left handed, you will need to hope that Buck introduces this knife in a left-handed version in the future. Overall this lock system feels natural after a few uses and pretty much leaves your knife inoperable by those who do not realize the bolster secretly slides on this knife.
The obverse side of the blade sports a tang stamp “S30V” and the word “Bos” with flames around it. Paul Bos is widely recognized as America’s foremost heat treat authority for knife blades. He runs a heat treating service for custom knife makers right inside the Buck production facility and serves as Buck’s on sight heat treating expert. Only high end Buck knives carry the “Bos” logo, which denotes his process was used in the heat treating of this knife.
I discovered only two negatives with this knife. I found that the markings on the knife blades are not actually stamped into the blade but rather “inked” in some sort of printing fashion. Secondly, I found that the blade in the closed position does not center perfectly in the handle. Mine is not bad enough that the blade rubs the liner, but it is noticeably off center. This off centering led me to start taking screws out of the knife to see if it was simply an alignment problem that could be adjusted. Each scale is held on by two torx screws. Two screws out of each scale and the handles fall right off, which makes me wonder why people are not selling custom handles left and right for this knife. The handles would be easy to produce however a little mill work would be required on the back side of the handle to support a few pieces that secure the bolsters. After removing the handles I found three screws under the back bolster. I loosened those and then proceeded to remove the screw/pin in the bolster. Upon removing that screw I noticed a noise, and I could tell the spring in the knife lost tension. Under the bolsters I found several pins, three springs (four in knife total), and some shims. With the knife apart I was able to conclude that the weightiness of this knife comes primarily from its bolsters and from the blade. WARNING: taking this knife apart is not for the faint of heart. It took me almost an hour to figure out how to get it back together. There is an art to holding the two pins, three springs, two shims, blade, two liners, and two bolsters all together just right to get the screw/pin back in the bolster. The trick is loading tension on the springs and getting the bolsters back on without one of the springs flying across the room. I would imagine that Buck has a jig they assemble this knife on. In the end the reassembly did not fix the blade alignment, but I was just happy I got it back together. I do not feel that the alignment is off enough at this time to warrant a return to the factory.
I think this knife will fit a large group of people. It has some of the best steel and handles, spring assisted opening, and a look and feel that leaves me to believe this thing is a real work horse! What I do hope is that someone sees an opportunity and manufactures some aftermarket grips (or maybe even Buck could offer some different handles). While I really like the stock shiny slick CNC machined handles, I also realize many will be looking for something with a little more grip. All in all I have found a real winner, and for the price, you won’t be disappointed either!
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