Skyline or Buck vantage?

Strike while the iron is hot! Just get the custom blue Skyline currently offered by this forum and enjoy the benefits and sheer joy and karma that will come from doing so. (Disclaimer: I'm not a forum official, just one of many members.)
 
I'm pretty content with the Buck Vantage Avid. Although there was a little centering issue, a T6 torxscrew tightening fixed it and I have no other complaints. I guess it's preference though!
 
The Vantage is a bit beefier and available in several steels while the Skyline is a bit lighter in the pocket. I have both and usually opt for the Skyline as an EDC.

I think you'll be happy with either.
 
I own both and have carried both for quite some time.
While the vantage is a little beefier and slightly more ergonomic the skyline is extremely light as well as having fantastic cutting power.
I personaly prefer the vantage because i have the ability to beat on it a little more (It is also shaving sharp).
If your are going with the buck vantage go with the avid or the pro, nothing less.
if you decide on the skyline then the Bladeforums one that is available at the moment is a pretty sweet deal.
- Owen Winter
 
I edc a Buck vantage pro everyday and imo its perfect. deep carry clip bos ht s30v steel and pretty nice g10 handles
 
I own both a Skyline and a Vantage Avid small.

I would go with the Skyline 10 out of 10 times.

The Vantage is nice, don't get me wrong but some things irk me. The handle is way too wide, the edges are not chamfered, and you really have to know what you're doing to flip it with no wrist action.
 
Scurvy092 said:
with no blade play and a centered blade?
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Yep. My two cheapos, the regular select and the select with paperstone both flip open like a dream with just finger. Both are adjusted so there's zero horiz play, too.

My Avid and Pro are pretty good, but do need a bit of the old wrist action to make sure. Vantage Force Avid sucked from day one, sent it back, second one sucked. Lockup way over to end both times, second time actually developed horizontal play. Sent it back third time and talked them into just putting the aluminum scales on an Avid knife, as I really just wanted the scales + Sandvik, didn't care about the black blade.

It's one that I'm carrying now, but use a bit of wrist to make sure, probably partly from habit now, although a good finger flip only works, but needs to be pretty firm.

I also got a bummer Skyline, long story, cut to chase something wrong with detent didn't hold it firm enough long enough to get a flip with finger only. Finally they replaced that one, and second one is great. What are the odds?

It's tempting to just carry a cheapo Kershaw assisted opener. All those AO PRC babies are just aces, and I have carried the Tremor from time to time, just really like something about the Vantage. And Cold Steel Amer. Lawman is gonna be pretty hard to supplant out of my other pocket.

- OS
 
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Two pretty good knives with different philosophies I have both while having 2 of the Bucks the Avid and Pro.

The Skyline is unbeatable if you want something that disappears in your pocket and performs light tasks with ease. Killer weight, nice Sandvik steel, really thin and good fit and finish it just melts in your pocket. It's definitely not a heavy duty knife having a liner on only one side, but capable of handling most everyone's daily needs. Flipper works well without any wrist action and it opens smoothly, at least on the one I received.

The Bucks are different, a lot bigger in every way and heavier. It's a great beater knife and in my uses I find that it handles harder chores well having dual steel liners. I particularly like the newest version of the Pro with the milled/textured G-10 scales and jimping on the flipper. The Pro also comes with S30V, so all that at that price point makes it a very good medium duty knife. Yea the blade centering issue exists of both of mine tweaking the pivot minimizes it to some extent, but it's still there although minimally.

I prefer the Buck actually over the Skyline for its beefier build, but I end up carrying the Skyline more because at work nobody flinches when I pop it open. Smaller and friendlier in a sheeple environment....
 
Scurvy092 said:
you really have to know what you're doing to flip it with no wrist action.
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Not with my vantage pro... I took it apart because I hated the fact that the blade wasn't centered. I stretched the locking bar a bit in the other direction and I oiled the washers. My Vantage pro is now perfectly centered and smooth as butter. No wrist flick needed to open it with the flipper.

Anyway, @ the OP: I've got a Vantage pro and I've been looking at the Skyline for quite a while, but In my opinion, compared to the vantage pro, it's too pricey for what it is. Now that bladeforums is making an FFG skyline with s30v, I did not hesitate long to order one of those! So I'll get a Skyline eventually, but it won't be the regular one (maybe in the far future).

I'm really happy about the deep carry option from the Buck and its s30v with bos HT. It gets really sharp and it keeps that sharpness quite long imo. Yesterday I've been doing a lot of wood carving and in the end, the Vantage was still able to cleanly cut a nice piece off of my knuckle (which I did NOT do on purpose, duh). If you like some lasting sharpness and a nice classic look, get the Buck. If you like something lightweight, you probably ought to opt for the skyline. However, at the same price of a retail skyline, I often see BNIB or user Spyderco Delicas on the exchange forum. I'd take one of those anyday, everyday over a skyline.
 
Nobody has side by side photos?

I like the skyline and have a forum version on order.
 
I've got a Skyline and my only gripe (aside from it being well smaller than I imagined for some reason) is that there is no metal liner under the non-lock side. Being as this is far from a "heavy use" folder, it's a non-issue (and I appreciate the weight savings I guess - I don't mind heft to my carry knives though to be honest). I did remove the clip and just let it slide to the bottom of my pocket.

My biggest gripe with the Buck Vantage series is that they seem to pull a Benchmade and put out all of the prettier wood-scaled models in extremely limited runs and then you can't find them anywhere. I like the Charcoal Diamondwood ok, but I would love to get my hands on one of the Bond Arms models, or even one of the Avids with Rosewood but they seem to be gone from the face of the planet when I start looking.
 
jmsodpc said:
Nobody has side by side photos?

I like the skyline and have a forum version on order.
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Here ya' go, excuse the phone pics..

IMG_0350%5B1%5D.JPG

IMG_0346%5B1%5D.JPG


Sorry trying to get used to google/picassa images....
 
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