Opinons on Puma or Buck Folders

Puma or Buck?

  • Puma

    Votes: 5 8.8%

  • Buck

    Votes: 52 91.2%

  • Cold Steel

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    57
  • Poll closed .
The old stag grip Puma folders were beautiful, but I don't think Puma could afford to produce them today. The newer ones don't seem as high quality. Just as aside, a good friend, who was the game warden in Bella Coola 40 or so years ago, had a twin blade Puma folder his wife had picked up in Victoria for $5 (the actual price was $50-something but his wife and the clerk thought that must have been a mistake because no knife was worth that much). When he and some colleagues sunk their boat on an icy coastal river, he damaged the Puma when batoning it through some tough spruce roots to build a fire. He sent it back to Puma, who repaired it and sent it back with an admonitory note that it was not intended for batoning.
 
I’ve never had a Puma but I have many Buck knives from over the years both fixed and folders. In various blade steels 420hc, 425m, damascus, cpm 154, s30v, s35vn, s45vn, 20cv, D2,3V, and Magnacut. I’ve never had any of my Bucks fail me even in some real rugged work and tasks. I don’t baby them but I don’t abuse them either. I just cut stuff. If one does fail I am confident Buck warranty will take care of it. Great knives!

I also like the company philosophy, great customer service and tops in warranty.
 
Chance Mc Call said:
If this were about fixed blades the Pumas would win hands down for any type of duty. It is a harder choice with folders for me at least.

I don't own any Buck fixed blades but I do own a number of their folders and most of their automatics. I like them a lot but somehow the Pumas seem to just be a better knife. They certainly are better looking.
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Have you seen the youtube video of the crazy guy that did everything he could to try and destroy a Buck 119 and a 120 ? I was totally blown away by the amount of extreme abuse those knives endured . The 119 finally did break after he drove the tip into a log with a hammer, not only once but dozens of times and at a 90° bend pulling with all his force it finally snapped and he went rolling backwards. The 120 he could never break it. Both knives endured far more abuse than I could ever manage but I don’t expect that to ever be a concern in my lifetime of use.
 
I went with Buck. I have an old pre-game warden puma I like. But modern pumas are Chinese-made I believe. Also, even old pumas were Buck copies. The 110 just keeps on being a fantastic knife and is made in America at an economical price.
 
Kettleman said:
Wanna bet?
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Im pretty sure that this is the specific warranty for Puma SGB knives, which is their Chinese made budget division. Puma Soligen might not repair your knife for free if its 30 years old, but they will overhaul it for a fee if you send it to them. Its not cheap tho, but neither are their knives. Ive read about that in German speaking Forums a few times. People have sent their 50+ year old puma in for service, came out like new. They even mention this repair service on their official website. They will do pretty much anything. Not free like a Chris Reeve spa treatment, but they will service them.

Lets also keep in mind that some vintage Pumas go for Randall money, so paying a hundred euros to have it serviced might not be a bad deal if youre looking to sell.
 
Lots of Bucks are reaching Randall money too. Vintage and new.

As far as new blades go. I know for a fact 110’s and 112’s blades replaced for $10 including spa treatment and return shipping.

Other models they will do the best they can, on a case by case basis.
 
Buck is my favorite knife company. Their customer service is excellent and they treat their customers very well.

Some of their older models, at least in my experience are very difficult to sharpen - at least for me. That doesn't stop me from liking the knives or using them.

Even though I have knives of various brands, dollar for dollar, design for design and materials for materials, I will always be partial to Buck.
 
When I was a kid I traded a German bayonet for a Puma folding hunter. It was missing a scale so I made one out of wood. It looked kinda weird with the black synthetic on one side and blonde wood on the other, but it worked well and I could flick it open quick!

That was real important for me when I was 12!

Sadly the Puma disappeared somewhere on one of my many moves.

If it were today, and I could trade that old Mauser bayonet for a knife, I’d choose a Buck.
Having owned both, the Buck is superior (I’m talking 110 &112 models as they are similar to the Puma I had).
Plus, I have had to use Buck’s warranty service before. The lady on the phone was wonderful. She sent me a ticket to ship it for free (both times I’ve used the warranty they were new knives with some issues) and when I got the knives back, they were even better than I’d hoped!
 
jude_061 said:
I went with Buck. I have an old pre-game warden puma I like. But modern pumas are Chinese-made I believe. Also, even old pumas were Buck copies. The 110 just keeps on being a fantastic knife and is made in America at an economical price.
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Hey its OK to prefer Buck but "modern Pumas", are not all Chinese made. They actually make several distinct levels of quality, one level made in Germany, the XPs, assembled from cheaper components in Spain, one the SGBs are made with German made blades and assembled in "Asia" which might or might not be China, and their HCKT which is made in China.

I should have specified comparison of only German Puma which is much more expensive than Buck, or perhaps the SGBs which is closer in price to Buck. To be more specific about my choices I have owned a few SGBs and they were not the same quality as the German made Pumas. That said, my first Puma was a set of a larger and smaller hunting knives that I bought in the 1950s and am still using. These knives have traveled from South Africa to Alaska and did their jobs. Puma has been around far longer than Buck by the way.

All of that said, I do also like Buck folders a lot, especially the traditional ones. The discontinued Buck 500 Ranger (converted to auto) is my most EDC. If I had a complaint about Bucks customer service is their policy on warrantee service on automatic knives.
 
My good friend in Vietnam had his Father send him 2 Puma Game Wardens ( 1968) and he gave me one. I preferred it to the Buck 110 as it was thinner and had a lanyard hole, which I put a gutted 550 cord on and carried it in my right front trouser pocket. . In 1971 my Senior Advisor was in a Huey flying low in the Central Highlands when it got shot down. Everyone who jumped out of the left side of the Huey was killed, he went out the right side and although injured evaded the NVA until the next morning. When he reached for his Buck 110 in its leather belt sheath, to cut open a survival canister smoke grenade, the 110 it was gone. Luckily another Huey spotted him and picked him up. Fast forward to 1984, one of my Team Sergeants jumping into mountains in Italy also lost his Buck 110, that had been given to him as a going away present from his team in Panama. Again it was not in his leather belt sheath. I gave him my Puma Game Warden to replace it, and he still has it. The ability to use a lanyard and not lose your knife was important to me. I cannot say the Puma was better than the Buck 110, but certainly as good. I have no experience with the current Puma productions, so cannot comment on them. John
 
As European - still voted for Buck. Better heat treat and no pot metal on frames.

But in all honesty - wouldn't buy either, unless those are only 2 brands I can buy. Then - I'd go with Buck.
 
I own my late father in laws very early Puma White Hunter. I have mainly collected Buck knives since 2012, but have always had a knife on me since I was about 14. Both Puma and Buck make high quality knives. You cannot beat a Buck 112 in its many various forms. It is rock solid. You can buy it in its old timey version, or you can get it slimmed down with g10, micarta and many different steels. If you like some thing a little more modern, order yourself a custom Spitfire 722 and spend half as much money as you will anywhere else.


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