I have recently gotten into the more traditional pocketknife patterns (slipjoints and two handed opening lockbacks), and I blame my latest acquisitions on them....
about a year ago, I picked up a Buck 110, I figured every Knut needs at least one of the infamous, oft-copied workhorse of the Buck lineup, the mighty 110!, at the time I was fully assimilated by the "Supersteel" crowd, and I had my doubts that I would be satisfied by a "mere" 420HC blade, I figure that I'd give the 110 a good honest try, if I didn't like it, it'd go back into storage, or I'd trade it off for a different knife
Y'know something? I was wrong about Buck's 420HC, the alchemist Paul Bos must have put some incredibly powerful spell over that 420HC, but it holds it's own quite handily with the "Supersteels", *AND* it's a heck of a lot easier to sharpen, and to get to that atom-splitting sharpness level I like, it even retains the Atom-Splitting edge for an acceptably long time, yes VG-10, S30V, and ZDP189 hold an edge longer, but you know what, compared to Buck's 420HC, they're a pain in the arse to resharpen if you let them get dull, 420HC is a great *working man's* steel, it doesn't have the cache, mystique, or presence of the "Supersteels", or even Carbon Steel, but it's damn good for what it is
anyway, the 110 has ridden with me off and on for most of the year, sometimes it's a little heavy in pocket, especially if I'm toting more than my usual loadout of EDC "toys", so I regrettably have to leave it behind
I started thinking to myself....
"Self, you know how much you like Buck's 420HC, and how you love to get it Atom-Splittingly sharp, why not get a smaller, more pocketable Buck knife in 420HC"
(yes, I do talk to myself in the third-person, is that so wrong?
)
So, a week ago, I stopped off at KTP and picked up a 303, as I was at the height of my Slipjoint-obsession, took it home, brought it up to Atom-Splitting, and pocketed it, using it to whittle a bit here and there, to take the bark off a couple small Rock Maple branches I don't know what I'm doing with yet, but they were asking for some whittling to be done (once you get past the bark, Rock Maple lives up to it's name, it's some hard, hard wood, my *chainsaw* has problems cutting through the thicker stuff), and the edge held up admirably, needing nothing more than a few swipes on the Sharpmaker to bring it back to Atom-Splitting
Still, I missed the 110, it has a solidity and heft that's missing from the svelte, trim little 303
So, this evening, I went back to KTP, and checked out the 112, same tough, bulletproof construction as the 110, in a more pocketable size, in fact, thanks to the swell of the front bolster, it fits my hand a little better than my 110, it gives my index finger something to push against, wheras the 110 feels slightly loose in my hand, the 112 locks solidly into my grip, wheras the 110 has a small amount of "slack" for lack of a better term
it even fits quite nicely in one of my spare 110 nylon sheaths, sits deep in the sheath, with just enough bolster to grip for removal, and the sheath slides unobtrusively into the pocket for deep-pocket carry
I know I'm going to love the 112, it's basically a slightly shrunken 110, and it'll be slightly more acceptable for use in public, I have no problem using my 110 in public, sheeple be dammned, but there are times that a big, meaty, 4" Buck knife can seem a tad overkill, the 112 has the classic, timeless lines of the 110 in a slightly more socially-acceptable size
Now, time to get it on the Sharpmaker and bring it up to Atom-Splitting** sharpness....
My Buck collection now stands at the following knives;
110
112
303
I'm sure there'll be more to come
**why yes, I'm trying to get "Atom-Splitting" used more often as a sharpness descriptor, I think it implies a level of sharpness above Scary Sharp
about a year ago, I picked up a Buck 110, I figured every Knut needs at least one of the infamous, oft-copied workhorse of the Buck lineup, the mighty 110!, at the time I was fully assimilated by the "Supersteel" crowd, and I had my doubts that I would be satisfied by a "mere" 420HC blade, I figure that I'd give the 110 a good honest try, if I didn't like it, it'd go back into storage, or I'd trade it off for a different knife
Y'know something? I was wrong about Buck's 420HC, the alchemist Paul Bos must have put some incredibly powerful spell over that 420HC, but it holds it's own quite handily with the "Supersteels", *AND* it's a heck of a lot easier to sharpen, and to get to that atom-splitting sharpness level I like, it even retains the Atom-Splitting edge for an acceptably long time, yes VG-10, S30V, and ZDP189 hold an edge longer, but you know what, compared to Buck's 420HC, they're a pain in the arse to resharpen if you let them get dull, 420HC is a great *working man's* steel, it doesn't have the cache, mystique, or presence of the "Supersteels", or even Carbon Steel, but it's damn good for what it is
anyway, the 110 has ridden with me off and on for most of the year, sometimes it's a little heavy in pocket, especially if I'm toting more than my usual loadout of EDC "toys", so I regrettably have to leave it behind
I started thinking to myself....
"Self, you know how much you like Buck's 420HC, and how you love to get it Atom-Splittingly sharp, why not get a smaller, more pocketable Buck knife in 420HC"
(yes, I do talk to myself in the third-person, is that so wrong?
)So, a week ago, I stopped off at KTP and picked up a 303, as I was at the height of my Slipjoint-obsession, took it home, brought it up to Atom-Splitting, and pocketed it, using it to whittle a bit here and there, to take the bark off a couple small Rock Maple branches I don't know what I'm doing with yet, but they were asking for some whittling to be done (once you get past the bark, Rock Maple lives up to it's name, it's some hard, hard wood, my *chainsaw* has problems cutting through the thicker stuff), and the edge held up admirably, needing nothing more than a few swipes on the Sharpmaker to bring it back to Atom-Splitting
Still, I missed the 110, it has a solidity and heft that's missing from the svelte, trim little 303
So, this evening, I went back to KTP, and checked out the 112, same tough, bulletproof construction as the 110, in a more pocketable size, in fact, thanks to the swell of the front bolster, it fits my hand a little better than my 110, it gives my index finger something to push against, wheras the 110 feels slightly loose in my hand, the 112 locks solidly into my grip, wheras the 110 has a small amount of "slack" for lack of a better term
it even fits quite nicely in one of my spare 110 nylon sheaths, sits deep in the sheath, with just enough bolster to grip for removal, and the sheath slides unobtrusively into the pocket for deep-pocket carry
I know I'm going to love the 112, it's basically a slightly shrunken 110, and it'll be slightly more acceptable for use in public, I have no problem using my 110 in public, sheeple be dammned, but there are times that a big, meaty, 4" Buck knife can seem a tad overkill, the 112 has the classic, timeless lines of the 110 in a slightly more socially-acceptable size
Now, time to get it on the Sharpmaker and bring it up to Atom-Splitting** sharpness....
My Buck collection now stands at the following knives;
110
112
303
I'm sure there'll be more to come
**why yes, I'm trying to get "Atom-Splitting" used more often as a sharpness descriptor, I think it implies a level of sharpness above Scary Sharp
). The customer service is just astounding and you can take that to the bank.