Need help and some questions answered on the Solution 888

Joined
Apr 27, 2001
Messages
595
Hey all,
Just picked up a Buck Strider 888 Solution which I'm thinking I'll carry when they pack my keester off to Iraq or points unknown.
As for the one I have, there are a couple of things I'd like to know.
Doing a Coating Job-
1: Can you remove the scales on this thing? I unscrewed the two tourqe screws, but that's as far as I was able to go until I know whether or not I'm going to have to bust them off. I want to shoot GunKote on it and don't want to be baking my G-10.
On Quality-
2: Can anybody tell me why they don't grind this thing all the way down the edge. She's a shorty to start with and losing another 1/2-3/4" isn't my idea of a good manufacturing call. Also, after all of the good things that I've heard about them, I was rather surprised to find it with a rather lacking, and uneven grind.
3: The Sheath. The sheath that came with this one is a combination of Green with Black edging. I thought that the original SOE Sheaths were solid green. This one is not marked SOE, only Made in America. For non-Mil applications, I'd like to get a nice OWB/IWB combo made for it in Kydex or Concealex. Who's the go to company for it.

My initial overall impression is about 50/50. I am impressed with the design and feel that it will do the job I'm facing. However, I am by far unimpressed with the Quality Control from Buck. Paul Bos may be doing the heat treat, but the grinding looks lobsided, short of full blade length and dull again toward the tip with a really steep angle. The bead blast job on this one is just plain second rate, uneven and looks like they used 5 month old abrassive compound.
For a knife with a $220 retail point. I expect nothing but the best. Buck is known for outstanding quality that lasts and lasts. Hell, I've got a 110 from my Grandfather's estate back in 72 and it is still going strong. What happened here with the 888s? I'm for all intents and purpouses planning to stake my life on this knife and this is it? For the kind of money I just put down? :confused:
Just to let you know the kind of trust I've always put in the Buck name, you should know that I gave up one of Ed Kalfayans handmade, full custom Chute knives and a brand new Chris Reeve Yarburough to position myself to pick up a Solution. Did I pick up some pocket change along the way? Yep. But it's the Solution that I want strapped to my ass when it heads for the sand. I had handled a friends earlier production knife and was entirely impressed with it. The design just feels right in my hand.
I figured something was wrong when I caught myself out in the shop thinking of what I would need to do to get this knife up to standards. Then it dawned on me that I shouldn't be having to do anything to a $200+ knife to bring it up to standards. It should already excede them.
Thanks for all the information you can give. :End Rant:
Doc
HM3 Reagan "Doc" Bretz FMF 8404
4th MarDiv 4th Recon Bat.
 
I just got off of the phone with Joe Houser from Buck about this knife. He was very quick to take care of me. Answering his own phone (A trait which I highly respect). With very little in the way of questions asked, he offered to have the knife reworked as soon as it hits his desk and do a fast turn around for me.
Overall, a very pleasant experience. Hopefully, more folks in business will take this approach. I was prepared to go to war with them over this but it is totally uncalled for with their outstanding attitude toward customer service.
As a side note, I went out and bought a new 880-SP folder yesterday. The fit and finish of this one are absolutely perfect which is what I expect from Buck products. It's good to know that they are still going strong. I was worried that they had slipped.
The only point that still has me tourqed up is the fact that I'm still having to jump through hoops and dish out money for shipping to get a knife fixed. A knife that, for $220, shouldn't have had to be fixed in the first place.
A much more relaxed.
Doc
 
All of my dealings with Buck Knives generally and Joe Houser specifically have been top rate satisfcatory. They really do care about their customers, a trait sorely missing in today's marketplace.
 
I'm rather surprised to not see any response here from the folks at Buck.
If you look at thepicture herefrom Buck's website advertisement, and then compare it with the knives that are sent to distributors for sale, there are some questions that need answers. Why are the grind lines so different at the choil?
Also, take a look at the sheath quality in the pic listed abover compared with the earlier SOE sheaths shown here. . The stitching and corner reinforcement are gone on the newer ones. Instead of the quad stitching there is only a wide spaced double.
I don't know what the overall intention is. Perhaps they were not prepared to make a product of this type.
 
You havent heard anything from Buck because the Factory has been shut down for the past two weeks for the holidays.

I think that some of the problems that Buck has been having with these knives has just been that they are adapting their processes to a totally different style of knife than what they have been making for 100 years.

I have had one of the Solutions, it was a BG-42 one. I liked it, and thought it had decent quality for the price I paid(that was back when you could pick one up for $150:eek: ). I did notice that thing with the edge not being ground back all the way. I dont know if that is unintentional, or done on purpose.
 
I think that some of the problems that Buck has been having with these knives has just been that they are adapting their processes to a totally different style of knife than what they have been making for 100 years.

I don't mind that they are entering into a new product line at all. What I do mind is for them to want to charge the premium going rate that others, who have mastered this genre of knives are charging while still "learning" the game. If you want to play in the big league, you'd best bring your "A" game every time.
I personally can't say enough GOOD things about Buck's product line up to this point. Here, there is a hitch that needs ironing out.
I look at the situation and say that it can go a few different ways.

1. This was human error on a normally outstanding fit and finish knife and it just managed to make it out the door by accident.
If that's the scenario, then I don't have any beef.
2. They want to break into the tactical market but aren't yet machined and trained up to what it expected in that price range that they are shooting for. Fine by me but let's come off of that suggested retail price by about $100. I'd buy them up and beat the hell out of them and never look back. I would expect flaws in a knife that would retail on the net at around $75-85.
3. They started out taking their time to build a market share and then went shoddy figuring it would go on reputation and the Strider name. If that's the case, I've got a real problem with it. Now it's their company to run and not mine. It is however, MY business as to who I spend my money with in the future. Many a company have lost their butts from the same kind of deal.
(All of the above scenarios are on pure speculation and are not meant for anyone to draw conclusions about Buck from, I still maintain that I will withhold personal judgement of any kind until I see what the results from Buck are.)
So far, my conversation with Joe Houser on the phone was very pleasant and I genuinely expect nothing but the best from them. Perhaps I'm too much of an optimist, but a company that has made it as far as Buck certainly wouldn't risk blowing it away on something as frivolous as a QC issue to save some pennies on an item with one of the highest suggested retail prices in their product line. Especially when they are courting other top makers such as Tom Mayo for future collaborations. I put a lot of trust in Tom and doubt that he would affiliate himself with a company that would intentionally drop production standards after a deal was done. It just wouldn't make any sense for either party to be involved in something like that.
Doc
 
I forwarded your earlier thread on knife expectaions to our engineering and production quality folks. It is good to be reminded with a little dose of reality straight from consumers.

We put a lot into our collaborations as there are many reputations at stake and I do not like to hear folks are disapointed with the quality of workmanship. I want to keep those comments coming like how your folder was perfect...

Have you gotten your #888 knife back yet? Are we working on it?

Joe is out today as we had a serious wind storm last night and he had no power and some fallen tree issues at his house. I will touch base with him tomorrow.
 
CJ,
Great to hear from you. You were the first person I tried to contact but your email is closed out here on the Forums. I sent the knife to Joe last night via Expess Mail. It should arrive on his desk by this afternoon. Look for a couple of large, white, Expess envelopes taped together.
He mentioned that if I would Express it out, he would make sure it got to the rework guy ASAP and that they would try and get it Expressed back to me as quickly as possible.
The first 4 Corpsman from my unit got their activation orders today. I'm the # 5 man in line so I'm sweating sending this one quite a bit.
Thanks for getting back to me on this issue.
Doc
 
Hi Recondoc1,

Just getting to this thread after CJ forwarded it. We are still in our 'back from shutdown rush', so I apoligize for not seeing this thread sooner.

We are looking into your concerns, and I will post more info on this as we have it.

Jeff
 
Jeff,
When you get the knife in hand, you will see where I have marked my concerns with black magic marker on the blade and handle areas. The marker was, unfortunately, the jumbo one. (Only one I had on hand at the time.) If you have questions about what my meaning is on any of that, please feel free to email or give me a call 210-764-2671.
I have also included some photos from various websites with reference to the grind and sheath. They are marked up as to what I'm pointing out.
Thanks.
Doc
 
CJ, Joe, and Jeff,
According to USPS Tracking, the knife is now in your hands as of 11:17 your time 7Jan03. It was signed for by a C. Burdette.
I look forward to hearing back from you folks.
Doc
 
I just got off of the phone with Joe Houser at Buck and he is absolutely on the ball with this. He has my knife out on the production floor already and there has been some interesting conversations about it. Evidently Jeff Hubbard was waiting to see the knife in question as well. I gleaned some information about the line in general that should be shared with folks.
He explained to me that most of the add knives were in fact protos. It seems that dealer want photos or a knife to photograph as quickly as possible when a line is announced. Therefore the proto gets sent for the adds while final production is still being worked out. I can understand this. Business is business. I would have liked to know it before making my purchase choice however.
The flat section toward the back of the edge is a planned element. Joe informed me that that is the number one complaint from buyers and it is being addressed as to how to correct it. They originally figured it would offer a margin of safety for using the choil to choke up. Evidently the customer public doesn't agree from what he was explaining.
The sheath is still a mystery to him. I can understand that. He told me that he had not heard anything about SOE not doing the sheaths any more. He noted that there is a defined difference in the quality of the two side by side and that he would be making inquiries as to where they came from.
Overall, the customer service experience has been 110% from Buck. I've been contacted by Joe Houser, CJ. Buck, and Jeff Hubbard their QC Chief. All of them have demonstrated a very evident concern over not only my particular knife but the quality of the entire Solution line. I am glad that these guys understand their business so well.
I figure that a company that's been around for over 100 years has pretty much figured it out. They have demonstrated this at every turn. I'm still happy to call myself a Buck customer now that I understant how things happen with them and that they aren't the types to let a problem lie.
Doc
 
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