The new Buck Alpha Crosslock PBS

Dexter Ewing

Dexter Ewing

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
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4,670
The Alpha Crosslock PBS is the next installment of Buck's Alpha Hunter series and the next evolution of their Crosslock technology. This knife takes their old Crosslock Hunter and improves it by adding a T6-6061 anodized aluminum handle in either gun metal gray or camoflage finishes. Blades are 3 inches in length and are of 420HC stainless. The saw blade features a gut hook and the main spearpoint blade has a small swedge. As with all Crosslocks, the Alpha Crosslock PBS features the roll-over access for access of either blade with one hand. The PBS has a metal pocket clip and also comes with a black nylon belt sheath for carry flexibility.

The Alpha Crosslock PBS retails for $90.00 [camoflage handle] and $86.00 [gun metal gray]
 
I was very disappointed with the Crosslock. Wonderful idea, horribly executed. Overall ugly, cheap plasticky feel, thin liners, ugh. I really like the Alpha Crosslock PBS though ... or at least, the looks based on the pictures so far. Any pictures of the knife closed? It looks like each knife has a flipper. Hopefully, this will be what the Crosslock should have been.

Joe
 
I like the looks. The holes in the handle should help the grip. The shape is cleaner than the stranded whale effect of the original handle. The handle material is superior to the original, too.

I do think that camo is the least appropriate color scheme for a hunting knife, though :D Don't drop it in the leaves!

Is 420HC OK? I haven't been interested enough in any of the knives offered in it to try it.
 
Esav - "stranded whale look" - LOL!! I know what you mean :D

OK, I managed to get one of the Alpha CrossLock PBS's in yesterday and it's quite apparent Buck has really improved on the CrossLock design concept. As Esav pointed out, the handles are anodized aluminum, which give the knife more lateral strength in the handle area than the original CrossLock.

The blades are outfitted with flippers and yes, you can easily flip either out. Which brings me to my next point. I was pleasantly shocked at how easily the blades open and closed right out of the box. They are glassy smooth! A MAJOR improvement in this area over the regular CL's. The open blade's flipper lines up with that of the closed blade's, in essence, forming a simple but highly effective hand guard. Lockup is solid though the liners kick on over too far in my opinion. But there isn't any wobble in any direction.

The shape of the main spear point blade is thinner than the original CrossLocks. This kind of surprises me with a hunting knife, as one would want plenty of belly to the blade. But that modified swedge adds to the knife's styling.

The clip is pretty long, making it easy to clip onto your pocket or a belt [though this is highly discouraged when you're out in the woods in acase the knife works it way off of your belt by itself]. Each Alpha Crosslock comes with a heavy duty nylon belt sheath with a button flap closure.

The saw blade's teeth are very similar to those on some of my larger, dedicated pruning saws. It has been my experience that this cross cut style of saw teeth are very aggressive yet allow for smooth push-andpull action. It should work as easily on bone as it does on wood.

The 420HC steel won't hold an edge as long as ATS-34 / 154CM, BG-42, or even S30V but it is very easy to keep sharp.

Overall, I have to commend Buck for improving the CrossLock concept with the Alpha CrossLock PBS. "PBS", BTW, stands for "Portable Butcher Shop". All of the older style CrossLocks have now been discontinued.

Here's a pic of an actual production model:
 
Pic showing the large clip. The clip can also be moved to the other side of the handle for easy lefty operation:
 
Buck just made a sale. This looks like a nice utility knife for me. I can see losing the clip and going for the jacket pocket like I do with my Greco's. The flipper/guards are beautiful -- just big enough without being flashy or grabby.

Too bad they aren't making versions in the two steels like the Rush! I'd go for an ATS-34 PBS before I'd buy a camo model :D This may be their next great knife, although considering how nice the Alphas look, maybe their next second-best knife.
 
Word of caution though about the clip on the Alpha CL.

I noticed the clip on mine was loose late last night. No problem, just break out the Torx driver and cinch all the screws down and everything's good to go, right? Not exactly.

Seems that the top screw is also anchored into the internal stop pin all the way through both blades. When I cinched down on the top screw, that flexed the scales a bit and pinched both blades closed. Back off to where you can open the blades using the flipper, them there is no tension on the top screw of the clip. I guess there's a happy medium of proper tension of the top clip screw and the pivot screw to where you can once again open the blades using the flippers. Until then, I have to experiment with locating that happy medium. And LOC TITE the screws into place once I've found it!
 
Dexter maybe you commented on this and I missed it, I had a cross lock, and the liner lock was crap. Got it replaced with a new one, and within may 50 or less openings the liner slid all the way over and would jam against the opposite side scale and the tang.

Do you see this with this model?
 
DaveH said:
Dexter maybe you commented on this and I missed it, I had a cross lock, and the liner lock was crap. Got it replaced with a new one, and within may 50 or less openings the liner slid all the way over and would jam against the opposite side scale and the tang.
Do you see this with this model?
Click to expand...

I apologize if I'm way wrong on this, but isn't the liner lock supposed to travel across to the opposite side of a cross lock? I assume this is the same liner lock comstruction on the Strider Buck Tarani?
 
was only 50 bux, harder steel, and i have the more useful version (with the hunter blade and the other being a serrated sheepsfoot for line-cutting and seatbelts.

It was cool because you could have the best of both the serrated and plain edge worlds, no silly gut hook, and no skeletonized 'retro' feel.

Each to his own.

Keith
 
AT least in the knives I had it was just a liner lock, and it's not supposed to jam against the far side of the blade tang and the scale. Which makes it very difficult to unlock.
 
I think this knife could be a good utility knife since this model is improved from the oldest crosslocks.

Do someone know if Buck is gonna make a new entire series like the ancient crosslock?
A two blade model could be interesting
 
The only way to go. I wonder if the frame and fir allow for replacement of blades with previous model blades?

Keith
 
Excellent feedback gents...

I will bring up the thought of making a two blade version with the serrations.

cj
 
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