Smoky Mountain Catalog.... I find it odd...

You have a point to a certain extent. I sell US made Military and Civilian knives at the gun show. I had a guy in his late teens early 20's come up to me with a Chinese Sword that he just bought. He was proud as a peacock until he talked to me about it. :D When we were done talking he asked me if I wanted to buy it for 50$ Less that he paid for it? Nope!!! :D:D:D:D

There's alot of people below the age of, let's say 35, that don't understand what it means to buy US products. It's not just the jobs it creates it's the Quality of the item...
 
sassafrassdogs3 said:
You have a point to a certain extent. I sell US made Military and Civilian knives at the gun show. I had a guy in his late teens early 20's come up to me with a Chinese Sword that he just bought. He was proud as a peacock until he talked to me about it. :D When we were done talking he asked me if I wanted to buy it for 50$ Less that he paid for it? Nope!!! :D:D:D:D

There's alot of people below the age of, let's say 35, that don't understand what it means to buy US products. It's not just the jobs it creates it's the Quality of the item...
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mostly true except if made in America at a place that doesnt care or have decent qc such as bear and son....:)
 
sassafrassdogs3 said:
There's alot of people below the age of, let's say 35, that don't understand what it means to buy US products. It's not just the jobs it creates it's the Quality of the item...
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Buck's imported knives make me sad, particularly the low end slip joints. I would probably own a Selkirk if it wasn't imported (would prefer a traditional Buck phenolic handle on it, fwiw) and the lack of BOS heat treat is a complete deal killer for me.

jbmonkey said:
mostly true except if made in America at a place that doesnt care or have decent qc such as bear and son....:)
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Buck's low cost American made lock backs with (regularly reported) poor lock up (e.g., Bucklite Max, Spitfire/Slimline among others) also make me sad.

IMO, maintaining the tooling necessary to produce good quality products at reasonable prices is a hard thing to do in the US. Opinions differ on the reasons why and how to fix it. I'm pretty sure that large capital investors aren't the solution (e.g. Remington and Marlin), so I'm glad that Bear and Sons are independent. Aren't they nursing along some of the original Schrade tooling?

I'm no purist here. I don't think I'm wearing a single item of clothing made in the US as I sit here and type this.
 
jbmonkey said:
got today. 13 or so pages and a front fold out of case, and 1 page of buck.

not much on the buck unless ya like the rivals, quickfire, and Chinese made traditionals.
View attachment 984220
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To me, it is easier to find the pocketknives there than on the website. I might not be the most computer literate person, but finding the pocketknives that us old guys like is near impossible for me.
Larry
 
boykinlp said:
To me, it is easier to find the pocketknives there than on the website. I might not be the most computer literate person, but finding the pocketknives that us old guys like is near impossible for me.
Larry
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I love getting print catalogs. It's nice to be able to flip through and just look at stuff. The only bad thing is that this catalog is starting to be filled with junk....
 
Guess I should have looked at it. Usually their notes have nothing I am interested in so I just deleted it. OOOOPS...
 
pinnah said:
Buck's imported knives make me sad, particularly the low end slip joints.
....
Buck's low cost American made lock backs with (regularly reported) poor lock up (e.g., Bucklite Max, Spitfire/Slimline among others) also make me sad.
....
I'm no purist here. I don't think I'm wearing a single item of clothing made in the US as I sit here and type this.
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I agree with all of this. In general, I haven't been very impressed with Buck. Sure, there imported stuff is pretty unimpressive... but so is much of their USA made stuff. They use way too much 420HC (I don't care if it has a BOS heat treat or not, 420HC just isn't very good anymore) and lots of their designs are either completely boring or too funky. The prices on some of their USA knives are also unreasonable. The 124 is a standard 420HC fixed blade that retails for $150. That's asinine. It looks like a great knife apart from the price, but I guess I'll never know for sure because I'm sure not buying one.

There are, of course, exceptions. The Marksman with the G&G Hawk SLS is a sweet knife that seems reasonably priced and uses BOS 154CM. I want one so badly it makes me drool. I wish Buck would do more in that price/material range with emphasis on good design. If one really solid knife has them on my radar, imagine what a dozen could do for their sales to the knife nerds.

I'm no purist either. USA made is a selling point that I admire, but not the most important to me. I love me some American made knives (most of my favorites are made here in the US), but I appreciate several imported knives as well (especially when they have a really high value for their quality). I'd take my Kizer Domin over a $50, USA made Buck any day.
 
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CoolBreeze135 said:
I agree with all of this. In general, I haven't been very impressed with Buck. Sure, there imported stuff is pretty unimpressive... but so is much of their USA made stuff. They use way too much 420HC (I don't care if it has a BOS heat treat or not, 420HC just isn't very good anymore) and lots of their designs are either completely boring or too funky. The prices on some of their USA knives are also unreasonable. The 124 is a standard 420HC, partial-tang fixed blade that retails for $150. That's asinine. It looks like a great knife apart from the price, but I guess I'll never know for sure because I'm sure not buying one.

There are, of course, exceptions. The Marksman with the G&G Hawk SLS is a sweet knife that seems reasonably priced and uses BOS 154CM. I want one so badly it makes me drool. I wish Buck would do more in that price/material range with emphasis on good design. If one really solid knife has them on my radar, imagine what a dozen could do for their sales to the knife nerds.

I'm no purist either. USA made is a selling point that I admire, but not the most important to me. I love me some American made knives (most of my favorites are made here in the US), but I appreciate several imported knives as well (especially when they have a really high value for their quality). I'd take my Kizer Domin over a $50, USA made Buck any day.
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I wouldnt call the 124 a partial tang. it's pretty much a full tang....15380056547965802859016303231265.jpg
I get the unexcitement of 420hc. it's a decent steel but hardly exciting, but it does work well and easy to keep sharp.

bucks been playing with 20cv and cpm154 as well as s35vn s30v and a s90v in some limited edition knives. I expect they may do more as demand happens.
 
jbmonkey said:
I wouldnt call the 124 a partial tang. it's pretty much a full tang....View attachment 992934
I get the unexcitement of 420hc. it's a decent steel but hardly exciting, but it does work well and easy to keep sharp.

bucks been playing with 20cv and cpm154 as well as s35vn s30v and a s90v in some limited edition knives. I expect they may do more as demand happens.
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Forgive me for the tang error. I got it confused with some of the other fixed blades that have a hidden tang. My comment about the value still stands, though.
 
CoolBreeze135 said:
Forgive me for the tang error. I got it confused with some of the other fixed blades that have a hidden tang. My comment about the value still stands, though.
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no apology needed. wasnt really meant as a criticism, more of an info share. hope you took it as I meant it. 120 and 119 have the partial or rat tail type tangs. they are radiused though so strength is there even though not a full tang setup.

it is what it is......buck makes lots of stuff I really like and buy and use and other stuff I dont.
 
CoolBreeze135 said:
I haven't been very impressed with Buck. Sure, there imported stuff is pretty unimpressive... but so is much of their USA made stuff. They use way too much 420HC (I don't care if it has a BOS heat treat or not, 420HC just isn't very good anymore).
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How is 425HC "not very good anymore"?
It's not a "Super Steel", but that does not make it worthless or unuseable.
It's resistant to corrosion, easy to sharpen without needing an expensive SiC or diamond stone, or some powered sharpening system, it's tough, and holds an edge well. In short, it does the job very well for the majority of Buck's customers.

If you want a "Super Steel", check out the Custom Shop (S30V is an option on some) and the SFO's by SK Blades and Copper & Clad.
SK. Blades' Smoke Jumper 110LT, for example, has a CPM-154 blade. As will their soon to be released blue handle 110LT with a drop point blade.
While not my style of knife, SK Blades also has some of the OHO Buck knives with upgraded steel, as well.
While not a "Super Steel", C&C has most, if not all, of the 100 series fixed blades and folders available with a 5160 carbon steel blade, and different handle options.

As for their Imported knives being "unimpressive" ... I can only speak of the 371, 373, 374, and 389 knives, since those are the ones I have.
They are "impressive" in what matters:
They get the job done.
They might not be the most impressive in looks, but they are impressive in functionality.
(They also have the same Forever Warranty as the USA made knives.)

FWIW "Affordability" is based on income.
I'll agree the Marksman looks like a great knife.
However, with an effective fixed income of roughly $650 a month (before paying bills) it is not "affordable" for a thing like me ... not much is, to be honest ... :(
(I am a "thing". I almost look "human", but I've never claimed to actually be one. :) )
 
afishhunter said:
How is 425HC "not very good anymore"?
It's not a "Super Steel", but that does not make it worthless or unuseable.
It's resistant to corrosion, easy to sharpen without needing an expensive SiC or diamond stone, or some powered sharpening system, it's tough, and holds an edge well. In short, it does the job very well for the majority of Buck's customers.

If you want a "Super Steel", check out the Custom Shop (S30V is an option on some) and the SFO's by SK Blades and Copper & Clad.
SK. Blades' Smoke Jumper 110LT, for example, has a CPM-154 blade. As will their soon to be released blue handle 110LT with a drop point blade.
While not my style of knife, SK Blades also has some of the OHO Buck knives with upgraded steel, as well.
While not a "Super Steel", C&C has most, if not all, of the 100 series fixed blades and folders available with a 5160 carbon steel blade, and different handle options.

As for their Imported knives being "unimpressive" ... I can only speak of the 371, 373, 374, and 389 knives, since those are the ones I have.
They are "impressive" in what matters:
They get the job done.
They might not be the most impressive in looks, but they are impressive in functionality.
(They also have the same Forever Warranty as the USA made knives.)

FWIW "Affordability" is based on income.
I'll agree the Marksman looks like a great knife.
However, with an effective fixed income of roughly $650 a month (before paying bills) it is not "affordable" for a thing like me ... not much is, to be honest ... :(
(I am a "thing". I almost look "human", but I've never claimed to actually be one. :) )
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I didn't say 420HC was worthless or unusable. I don't think that it is either of those things, but I do stand by my two statements:

1) 420HC is not very good anymore (didn't say it's total junk or that it is not acceptable for a knife)
2) Buck is charging waaayy too much for some 420HC models.

When the Marksman (a more intricate folding knife) in 154CM is running around $110-$115, there's no reason that they should be using 420HC in $150 fixed blades.
 
420 HC is as good as it always was, although there are lots of options these days. A lot of companies still offer knives in same or similar steels they always have. How many people would be upset if Case moved completly away from CV?
 
Did you mean Case Tru-Sharp, which is their stainless reported to be 420HC hardened to 56Rc (and more prone to wire edges and rolling if sharpened acutely)?

CV is their carbon steel and I suspect the traditional Case fans would rather see Tru-Sharp gone than CV.
 
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