New Buck Cadet 303 (and 300 series) questions

[sticknstring73]

I just bought myself a new Cadet 303 from a big name online retailer and I have a few questions that I'm hoping one or two of you can answer.
First some back story:
I am not new to the 300 series. In the past I've had two Camilllus built 300 series knives; a 311 slimline trapper and a 307 Wrangler. I sold the 311 on an online auction a few years ago and have hung on to the 307 for dear life. I've used the 307 in the past and it really is the cat's meow for a big stockman.
Now the questions:
Are the handle shields supposed to be unpolished and rough looking? When I look at my 307 it is super polished. I was a little taken aback when I saw it given that the bolsters looked beautiful and very finished. I always liked that you could see the pins. It's really interesting.
The blade grinds: on the tip of the clip blade, the grind almost looks lopsided. I would imagine that this is done to strengthen the tip for piercing but I am not sure. The spey blade has almost no belly or at least not as much as I would have liked and a thick tip. Are these normal?
I have to admit, I thought real hard about returning it for a refund. It is a brutish looking thing compared to my old bucks and my Case knives (and I do not buy the real expensive ones). Did I get a lemon?

On a positive note I also bought a 112 Ecolite and couldn't be happier with it. Believe it or not it's my first Buck lockback. Before this I've had Camillus and Gerber. The Ecolite really is a nice little knife and I can't wait to take it into the field. The 303 would/will be my EDC if I can reconcile it.

 

[dogstar]

Are the handle shields supposed to be unpolished and rough looking?
Yes, the badge on my 309 has a matte finish.

The blade grinds: on the tip of the clip blade, the grind almost looks lopsided.
Are you talking about the swedge, or the edge itself?

I don't own the 303, so I can't comment on the belly of the spey blade. I believe the 301 has more of a traditional spey blade based on marketing photos. These modern knives are different from the old ones, for sure.

 

[STDK]

Send it back. I had a yellow 301 that missed the final buffing stage. I hated having to spend more money on a knife I had expected to be finished but knew I would never be happy with it the way it was.

 

[300Bucks]

Hello,

Photos are always encouraged. Crooked grind at tips is not a uncommon current complaint. Most will eventually sharpen them out of their knives. Prehaps QC allows this, I do not know.

You do not say which type of 'new' knife you have. Black, red, grey or yellow. The sawcut black scale version has a shield that is actually a pillar of metal attached to the liner. The other versions have a blue insert glued into the scale. The black sawcut shield should be fairly smooth, unless it was scratched during production or left unpolished before pressing the black sawcut scale over the pillar and onto liner.

Cadet 303s have a slightly different spey end shape than a 307 or even a 301. This is also part of the new grind shape started in the 90's. They will not be the same as the older Camillus made 303's. I actually think of them as 'almost' pen blades.

When you say you like the pins showing are you talking about bolster pins or some other pin ?

Here are some 303 spey ends, as you can see they are not as rounded as the old Camillus made models.

Here is photo of new yellow scale 301, you can see it has more belly than the 303. These are design differences that the buyer chooses to accept or reject in particular models.

300Bucks

 

[StuntDouble]

If you're talking about the swedge at the top of the blade being lopsided, I do believe that's normal. I'm thinking a lopsided tip may be within QC specs going by the last couple Buck's I've picked up. I don't think it will affect the function of the knife, unless it's blunted, it just doesn't look as nice. I believe the thick tip on the spey is normal as well, that's just the way Buck does them.

As far as the shield goes, the last one I had looked like the 301 all the way to the right in 300bucks' last pic. It didn't seem rough, but it also wasn't polished to a high shine.

 

[sticknstring73]

Here's a pic of the tip.

[/IMG]
I'm with stuntdouble; it doesn't look as nice. It kind of looks a bit sloppy, like the metal finishes mismatching. Just an opinion by the way.
Its a black valox model 303. I carried it around today it was like a mini tank in my pocket; probably the three spring design. Not a bad thing at all. 300bucks I looked at the 301 but I wanted something just a bit smaller (I'm in a very knife unfriendly city, any guesses?). By the way that's a fascinating bit of info about the shield. Yeah mine is matte I guess. It might sound petty but it would be nice if the metals matched a bit better, and by that I do NOT mean that they should make the bolsters matte.
About the pins showing, yes I mean the bolster pins. I just always liked the way they did them.

 

[r8shell]

I got a 309/10 and the shield looked unfinished. Kind of a frosty texture, I guess. I hit it with a little rubber polishing wheel, and it looks better. I didn't want to buff it too shiny, but it doesn't stand out so rough compared to the bolsters, now.