- 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?
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.
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?

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.