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Maybe a bit on the pricey side, but I've had my eye on this one for a while:
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
New, Quality, Slipjoints
- Thread starter slipjoint01
- Start date
Hi,
Like everyone here, I don't think you can make a mistake in your choice from that list.
If I was you, I would lean to plain high carbon steel. I grew up using a Schrade 34OT Stockman in 1095 high carbon. Never had one rust, but then a knife that gets used won't get the chance to rust.
And I like the medium frames in the 3 1/2" to 3 5/8" range. Much easier in the pocket than the bigger knives.
As much as I like my Queen Whittler in D2, I don't think I would choose D2 as a working EDC steel. Because as Blues stated, it's more difficult to sharpen. And my preference is toward easier sharpening.
I know Buck holds a special place in the hearts of many here. But I'm not a fan of the 3 wide spring design. I think the secondary blades are too thick. But many here like the design.
Someday I have to get a Moore Maker because they look really nice.
So I'd pick either the Case either in amber or chestnut bone in CV. Or a Great Eastern in 1095. And because I like the medium size, a Case would probably be my final choice.
Dale
Like everyone here, I don't think you can make a mistake in your choice from that list.
If I was you, I would lean to plain high carbon steel. I grew up using a Schrade 34OT Stockman in 1095 high carbon. Never had one rust, but then a knife that gets used won't get the chance to rust.
And I like the medium frames in the 3 1/2" to 3 5/8" range. Much easier in the pocket than the bigger knives.As much as I like my Queen Whittler in D2, I don't think I would choose D2 as a working EDC steel. Because as Blues stated, it's more difficult to sharpen. And my preference is toward easier sharpening.
I know Buck holds a special place in the hearts of many here. But I'm not a fan of the 3 wide spring design. I think the secondary blades are too thick. But many here like the design.
Someday I have to get a Moore Maker because they look really nice.
So I'd pick either the Case either in amber or chestnut bone in CV. Or a Great Eastern in 1095. And because I like the medium size, a Case would probably be my final choice.
Dale
Maybe a bit on the pricey side, but I've had my eye on this one for a while:
That's the one I was referring to earlier. Really, really nice. Super fit and finish and snap. The recurve in the main blade of mine is more pronounced than it appears in that picture, which makes it a little problematic to sharpen on a regular flat stone. With a Lansky sharpener or a smaller stone it is not be a problem. I also have a Northwoods, which is almost as nice and also has D2 blades (I believe it was made by Queen) and doesn't have the recurved blade.
Carbon steel like 1095 is fine if you pay attention to your knife and keep it clean. My dad and I had matching carbon steel Old Timers years ago and his especially got sharpened until it just about wore out. I eventually lost mine, but neither one was allowed to get rusty. The carbon steel Bulldog I had rusted just sitting in my pocket.
Stainless is a lot easier to care for, but for the most part the 440C knives I've had wouldn't take the real razor edge I could get on carbon steel. I've had some AG Russell stockman knives in 440C that have been very good users, though. D2 is great stuff, IMO. It helps a lot to have diamond hones for it, but once you set the bevel the way you like it I don't think they're required for ordinary touch ups. I've dressed and skinned a couple of boar hogs at a time with my Ingram D2 skinner and not felt the need to touch it up after.
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2005
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Here's your Buck line-up, Yellow smooth, cherry colored wood with Chuck Bucks signature on it, Dymondwood and ole sawcut black. Metal in all is 420HC, may not be the best you can get but I hear the fellow set up the heat treating has a lot of friends. Blade set-up all the same. 300Bucks
Did I mention Bucks lifetime guarantee?
Did I mention Bucks lifetime guarantee?
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2010
- Messages
- 22
Hi,
Like everyone here, I don't think you can make a mistake in your choice from that list.
If I was you, I would lean to plain high carbon steel. I grew up using a Schrade 34OT Stockman in 1095 high carbon. Never had one rust, but then a knife that gets used won't get the chance to rust.
As much as I like my Queen Whittler in D2, I don't think I would choose D2 as a working EDC steel. Because as Blues stated, it's more difficult to sharpen. And my preference is toward easier sharpening.
I know Buck holds a special place in the hearts of many here. But I'm not a fan of the 3 wide spring design. I think the secondary blades are too thick. But many here like the design.
Someday I have to get a Moore Maker because they look really nice.
So I'd pick either the Case either in amber or chestnut bone in CV. Or a Great Eastern in 1095. And because I like the medium size, a Case would probably be my final choice.
Dale
I had forgot to mention that I had picked up a Case Stainless in amber bone, without doing too much research. Very nice knife, one thing I didn't like is that the spey and sheepfoot blades are literally touching, which creates blade rub when opening and closing. I'm not sure how common this is with stockman model knives.
Basically, I've read that Case CV is a modified 1095 steel, with a bit of chrome and Vanadium added. So a CV Case should be just as good quality as the more expensive brand's 1095 steel? I might consider exchanging the stainless for a CV.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2010
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Here's your Buck line-up, Yellow smooth, cherry colored wood with Chuck Bucks signature on it, Dymondwood and ole sawcut black. Metal in all is 420HC, may not be the best you can get but I hear the fellow set up the heat treating has a lot of friends. Blade set-up all the same. 300Bucks
Did I mention Bucks lifetime guarantee?
That 301 looks like a knife my father gave to me. His was model number 303 V, maybe you know something about it? Sadly, the spey and sheepfoot blades are both broken.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2010
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- 22
Out of curiosity, how do you guys feel about these statements? (taken from a blog)
Perhaps the best bet is the used market, it's not that hard to locate the older USA blades. As I stated, my Buck knives came down to me from my uncle, who first bought them sometime in the late 50s or early 60's, then I got them in the late 80s. I also got a good collection of Puma knives from Germany, also from the 60's. I know in the case of the Puma knives even though they still make the same knives, the steel has gone from high carbon on the ones I've got to stainless on the new ones. I know the stainless is easier to maintain, but the high carbon is much stronger and holds a far better edge, you just need to be sure to keep it clean and oiled- which for me is no problem because a good knife just begs to be handled.
In any event, I am discouraged by the poor quality of knives on the market today in general, it seems that manufacturers are seeking low market price over high quality and assuming the consumer won't notice the difference, but I for one don't mind paying for what a good knife is worth since it will be a better value in the long term.
Much ado is made about the steel in a knife blade and rightly so. The best overall is 5160 spring steel from which most of the older US and European blades are crafted. Japanese swords and some higher end knife blades are made from 10- series steel, 1045 to 1095 which is great for differential tempering. Both of these steel series take and hold a razor edge, have great strength, yet are flexible enough to bend during use if under stress and return to its original form without deformation of the blade. Clearly this steel is expensive, but lasts forever. 5160 is my personal choice for a knife blade due to it's superior edge holding, strength and relative affordability, but it will rust if not taken care of properly. The 10- series are better than 5160, but the required smithy work for the layering and differential tempering puts them out of my price range for day to day use, but if you can shell out the dough for hand crafted, then go for it- you'll have a blade that will last centuries.
440 stainless is the choice of most modern production blade manufacturers, but there are several types of 440, A and B being the worst for knife making but cheaper, I suspect most Chinese and Pakistani blades are of the 440A or B type and not proper 440C which is OK for blades. There are other more exotic stainless steels from Japan, such as what is found in Sharp brand knives which is great stuff, it can hold a razor edge and still maintain the flex of spring steel, again this is expensive but worth it if you can lay your paws on it.
Bottom line, the steel defines the blade, so ask about the metals of the blade, if the company can't answer or dodges the question, keep moving. Don't accept that "it's 440 stainless", ask what kind of 440 stainless it is, if it's high carbon ask what blend. Ask if the company has any destruction tests of it's products that show when and in what manner the blade fails- does it distort and bend out of shape or does it shatter- and at what reasonable point would you consider the blade may fail during normal use? Avoid anything that has "Damascus" in the name, that kind of steel is a forge welded blend of two or more kind of steel that can run the gamut from excellent to piss poor, but there is no way of knowing until the knife breaks. Damascus knives are more for collecting because they are dam fine looking knives and the patterning of the steel is an art of itself - I wouldn't want to actualy use one and take a chance of ruining it anyway. Damascus was the bomb in the 1200's, but there are much better choices today for your cutting needs.
Perhaps the best bet is the used market, it's not that hard to locate the older USA blades. As I stated, my Buck knives came down to me from my uncle, who first bought them sometime in the late 50s or early 60's, then I got them in the late 80s. I also got a good collection of Puma knives from Germany, also from the 60's. I know in the case of the Puma knives even though they still make the same knives, the steel has gone from high carbon on the ones I've got to stainless on the new ones. I know the stainless is easier to maintain, but the high carbon is much stronger and holds a far better edge, you just need to be sure to keep it clean and oiled- which for me is no problem because a good knife just begs to be handled.
In any event, I am discouraged by the poor quality of knives on the market today in general, it seems that manufacturers are seeking low market price over high quality and assuming the consumer won't notice the difference, but I for one don't mind paying for what a good knife is worth since it will be a better value in the long term.
Much ado is made about the steel in a knife blade and rightly so. The best overall is 5160 spring steel from which most of the older US and European blades are crafted. Japanese swords and some higher end knife blades are made from 10- series steel, 1045 to 1095 which is great for differential tempering. Both of these steel series take and hold a razor edge, have great strength, yet are flexible enough to bend during use if under stress and return to its original form without deformation of the blade. Clearly this steel is expensive, but lasts forever. 5160 is my personal choice for a knife blade due to it's superior edge holding, strength and relative affordability, but it will rust if not taken care of properly. The 10- series are better than 5160, but the required smithy work for the layering and differential tempering puts them out of my price range for day to day use, but if you can shell out the dough for hand crafted, then go for it- you'll have a blade that will last centuries.
440 stainless is the choice of most modern production blade manufacturers, but there are several types of 440, A and B being the worst for knife making but cheaper, I suspect most Chinese and Pakistani blades are of the 440A or B type and not proper 440C which is OK for blades. There are other more exotic stainless steels from Japan, such as what is found in Sharp brand knives which is great stuff, it can hold a razor edge and still maintain the flex of spring steel, again this is expensive but worth it if you can lay your paws on it.
Bottom line, the steel defines the blade, so ask about the metals of the blade, if the company can't answer or dodges the question, keep moving. Don't accept that "it's 440 stainless", ask what kind of 440 stainless it is, if it's high carbon ask what blend. Ask if the company has any destruction tests of it's products that show when and in what manner the blade fails- does it distort and bend out of shape or does it shatter- and at what reasonable point would you consider the blade may fail during normal use? Avoid anything that has "Damascus" in the name, that kind of steel is a forge welded blend of two or more kind of steel that can run the gamut from excellent to piss poor, but there is no way of knowing until the knife breaks. Damascus knives are more for collecting because they are dam fine looking knives and the patterning of the steel is an art of itself - I wouldn't want to actualy use one and take a chance of ruining it anyway. Damascus was the bomb in the 1200's, but there are much better choices today for your cutting needs.
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SJ,
Sappy is bored so here is your 303 Cadet info. It should look like the knife below. The date code of v is for 1989. They can still be found on A auction site now and then. IF you want to fix up your heirloom knife, I would get a decent one and take the secondary blades out and put them in yours. Any good knife guy could do it, but if you want some Buck history you can get Leroy Remer former Buck custom shop guy at Triple R Knives to fix it . Your call. good luck 300
Sappy is bored so here is your 303 Cadet info. It should look like the knife below. The date code of v is for 1989. They can still be found on A auction site now and then. IF you want to fix up your heirloom knife, I would get a decent one and take the secondary blades out and put them in yours. Any good knife guy could do it, but if you want some Buck history you can get Leroy Remer former Buck custom shop guy at Triple R Knives to fix it . Your call. good luck 300
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Did I mention Bucks lifetime guarantee?
Is it true that the tips on the spey blades of the U.S. produced Buck stockmans stick out when closed?
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- Mar 15, 2007
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:thumbup: My choice. :thumbup:
Although the 49CSB is carved stag bone and mine is a 49ACSB, amber carved stag bone (there is a difference), it is a fantastic knife. Definitely bigger, but I don't find it to be too big to carry at all. In fact, it is one of 3 knives in my regular carry rotation.
I have never been disappointed with Queen or their D2 steel.
:thumbup:
I guess I'll toss my .02 cents out there.
I've had one knife in my whole life that did everything you describe, and over the course of 25 years it was used hard to the point of abuse with no problems. It's the Buck 301 stockman I bought at an army PX in 1967, and it was my daily companion until I started to experiment with other knives. It was used for fishing in Germany and England, on construction jobs while serving in the engineers on 4 different continents, was used as an edc while working as a machinist after the army, and camping with my wife and three kids as a civilian. That stockman was called on to do some heavy duty jobs, and it held up fine. I've has some very expensive knives that didn't work out as well as the humble Buck.
I have a 303 cadet that belonged to a friend and co-worker, and I saw this friend take apart a nice deer on opening day with it. The 303 is just as rugged as the 301, just a tad more pocketable.
Buck's factory backing is second to none. If there is any problem at all, anything, they will make it right. They will probably fix your old cadet if you send it in.
As much as I love Case, if I were picking just one knife to do all you said in your original post, I'd go with a Buck 301 to start off with. The Buck 301 is like an old issue 1911A1; they ain't pretty, but they work and won't let you down.
I've had one knife in my whole life that did everything you describe, and over the course of 25 years it was used hard to the point of abuse with no problems. It's the Buck 301 stockman I bought at an army PX in 1967, and it was my daily companion until I started to experiment with other knives. It was used for fishing in Germany and England, on construction jobs while serving in the engineers on 4 different continents, was used as an edc while working as a machinist after the army, and camping with my wife and three kids as a civilian. That stockman was called on to do some heavy duty jobs, and it held up fine. I've has some very expensive knives that didn't work out as well as the humble Buck.
I have a 303 cadet that belonged to a friend and co-worker, and I saw this friend take apart a nice deer on opening day with it. The 303 is just as rugged as the 301, just a tad more pocketable.
Buck's factory backing is second to none. If there is any problem at all, anything, they will make it right. They will probably fix your old cadet if you send it in.
As much as I love Case, if I were picking just one knife to do all you said in your original post, I'd go with a Buck 301 to start off with. The Buck 301 is like an old issue 1911A1; they ain't pretty, but they work and won't let you down.
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SJ,
Sappy is bored so here is your 303 Cadet info. It should look like the knife below. The date code of v is for 1989. They can still be found on A auction site now and then. IF you want to fix up your heirloom knife, I would get a decent one and take the secondary blades out and put them in yours. Any good knife guy could do it, but if you want some Buck history you can get Leroy Remer former Buck custom shop guy at Triple R Knives to fix it . Your call. good luck 300
Yes, that is it. I had no clue it was that old. I know, I know. 1989 really isn't that old, but I'm only 18. My brother and I had discussed getting it fixed before, but we didn't know if it was possible. The handle is well worn with some of the grooves worn off and the end of the hammer on the logo worn as well. The clip blade is intact with slight rust on the thumbnail and edge, it is dull as a butter knife but I'm sure it would hold an edge again. I don't remember the exact age my father gave me this knife, but I think I must have been around 9 years old. I kept bugging him that I wanted a pocket knife so he took the Buck 303 out of his pocket and gave it to me. The spey and sheepfoot blades were broken from that day, but I didn't care. I still have a scar on my thumb from when I stabbed myself whittling wood. The inside is very slightly dirty/rusty is there any way I could clean that? You've given me a great idea, I'm going to contact Mr. Remer. It will be like carrying a part of my dad around. Do you think it can hold up to the ranch life?
The #49 at 4 1/4" is a great sturdy work knife, it will take anything you throw at it.
I carry it in a leather belt pouch
If you want a knife that carries easier in your pocket then the 4" #9
The D2 stays sharp once you sharpen it
And maintain it with a couple of licks on a E Fine DMT diamond at the end of the day
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There's nothing wrong with the Buck 301 & 303s. They'll handle whatever you throw at them. I think the suggestions of Queen's #9 Stockman is because of D2's better edge holding ability. It'll take more effort (Especially if you don't use/have a good diamond stone) to sharpen, but it won't need to be sharpened nearly as often once the edge is set to how you like it.
GEC's are another good brand, but they their Stockmans are pretty large & stout in comparison to the others suggested.
My only current Stockman is a '93 Bulldog Sowbelly. It has carbon steel blades & seems to work just fine. I don't know the exact type of steel, but it seems to be the equal to or a little better (Edge holding-wise) compared to Case CV blade knives I've had.
You've listed some good choices & honestly, any of them would work well for you. I'd suggest you pick the one that appeals to you the most (Maybe whichever one has a particular handle material/color that just speaks to you) & go from there.
While you might be thinking this knife will be your one knife for quite some time, it probably won't be. If you like slip-joints, you can't just have 1. You'll get more, so just start off with the one that appeals to you the most at this point in time.
As to which steel, they all work. As has been said, if you think you'll be using it in an environment that might make a carbon blade rust easier, then I'd suggest a stainless type blade steel. D2 could also work as long as you're not letting it sit wet & not doing ANY knife of maintenance to it.
For the $, it's hard to beat a Queen Stockman with D2 blades.
Good luck & welcome to BladeForums & the Traditional section.
GEC's are another good brand, but they their Stockmans are pretty large & stout in comparison to the others suggested.
My only current Stockman is a '93 Bulldog Sowbelly. It has carbon steel blades & seems to work just fine. I don't know the exact type of steel, but it seems to be the equal to or a little better (Edge holding-wise) compared to Case CV blade knives I've had.
You've listed some good choices & honestly, any of them would work well for you. I'd suggest you pick the one that appeals to you the most (Maybe whichever one has a particular handle material/color that just speaks to you) & go from there.
While you might be thinking this knife will be your one knife for quite some time, it probably won't be. If you like slip-joints, you can't just have 1. You'll get more, so just start off with the one that appeals to you the most at this point in time.
As to which steel, they all work. As has been said, if you think you'll be using it in an environment that might make a carbon blade rust easier, then I'd suggest a stainless type blade steel. D2 could also work as long as you're not letting it sit wet & not doing ANY knife of maintenance to it.
For the $, it's hard to beat a Queen Stockman with D2 blades.
Good luck & welcome to BladeForums & the Traditional section.
Will Power
Gold Member
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- Jan 18, 2007
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- 33,475
GEC have just released couple of Stockman models. The Cattle King and Cattle Baron, the latter has a punch as well.
None of the choices members have proposed are dubious or outlandish, they're all good. It will boil down to how you feel about the look of the knife.
I like the CASE Large Stockman in Amber Bone cv, it's tough,good looking and veratile. I certainly WOULD consider one of their stainless Large Stockman as well. Some people look a bit askance at stainless but CASE do it well, it's sharp and good to use,ideal if you are using it for fishing tasks for instance. It also gives you a lot of handle options.
None of the choices members have proposed are dubious or outlandish, they're all good. It will boil down to how you feel about the look of the knife.
I like the CASE Large Stockman in Amber Bone cv, it's tough,good looking and veratile. I certainly WOULD consider one of their stainless Large Stockman as well. Some people look a bit askance at stainless but CASE do it well, it's sharp and good to use,ideal if you are using it for fishing tasks for instance. It also gives you a lot of handle options.
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- Aug 17, 2007
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I just found them. They look like some hard working knives.
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