Thoughts of Buck Vantage Select

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DanR1

Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
51
I'm thinking of purchasing the buck vantage select small. Was curious about what others who may own this knife think of it.

Nothing too in depth, Maybe a 1-10 overall rating on the knife? 1 being junk, 10 bring awesome?

Thanks, Dan.

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Would really not recommend one.Bad centering , very soft liner lock on what seems like the majority of them. Mine was no different, the centering when new was very off, the liner lock wore to 100% during regular use in just 2-3 months, and had a tendency to slip.I liked the blade shape and ergos and pocket clip but the other points i said just ruined it. And the very small diameter phosphor bronze washers aren't great. The flipper tab is very small aswell.

3/10

I gave mine away, and got the CRKT Amicus instead, heavy but i like the weight and seem very sturdy. Only gripe was the off edge grind on the right side.

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I have a love hate relationship with mine. The Select is incredibly thin and light, making it a dream to carry. The blade profile is great for all edc tasks you could throw at it.

That said, it's no where near a hard use blade, and doesn't really flip out quickly at all. Mine have been centered, but one Avid I had needed to be replaced. My advice is pay a bit more and try to find one in a store that you can look over first.
 
Glenn056 said:
Would really not recommend one.Bad centering , very soft liner lock on what seems like the majority of them. Mine was no different, the centering when new was very off, the liner lock wore to 100% during regular use in just 2-3 months, and had a tendency to slip.I liked the blade shape and ergos and pocket clip but the other points i said just ruined it. And the very small diameter phosphor bronze washers aren't great. The flipper tab is very small aswell.

3/10

I gave mine away, and got the CRKT Amicus instead, heavy but i like the weight and seem very sturdy. Only gripe was the off edge grind on the right side.

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Click to expand...

+1. I finally bit and found out the hard way that this is all true. Ended up returning it. It's a great knife on paper, but the reality was exactly as Glenn says above. Maybe there are slightly better examples out there, but my experience was very much like the Boker Plus disappointments I've had. Lots of better options at that price too.
 
I like it on paper but when I finally got to handle one I was disappointed. Keep looking.
 
Nothing but positive experiences here and I've owned three. A Vantage Pro is currently one of my favorite EDC knives (and riding in my pocket now). Seems others have had bad experiences, so I guess the quality is hit or miss on theses. I'm sad to see that because if you get a good one it's really a great knife and a great value. So, if possible, I guess the best advice is to get to a store that has a few, handle as many as you can and pick the best one. If you can step up to the Pro version, I highly recommend it. The S30V blade steel is awesome and the upgrade on handle material is nice, too.

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Was able to improve the flipping action by lubing and loosening the pivot slightly.

Overall I'd grade it 8/10.

FYI - I tried the small but I wear XL size gloves and it was too small for my taste. Sold it and went back to my large Vantage Pro for EDC.
 
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I don't really care for mine and plan on giving it away as a gift. The liner lock probably is strong enough but it looks so thin and so weak that it bugs me. The flipper is not great as far as flippers go which also bugs me because I feel like flipper is not a hard thing to get right. My blade centering was perfect on it and the blade itself has excellent geometry and sharpness. My snooty and personal preference response we be that it's a good knife for "other people." :D.

Full disclosure though I also prefer larger blades so that's the grain of salt to take with my response, I prefer not to carry under a 3.5 inch main blade.
 
Not sure if people are replying about the larger size Vantage, but I own one of the smaller ones (believe that is what OP is asking about) and I don't have any problems with it. Takes a wicked edge and is capable of any tasks for a knife of this size. I've included a comparison shot with Spyderco Dragonfly, Chaparral and Delica. The handle is pretty much the same size as the Chaparral. It's cutting edge is actually as long as a Delica's, but it's really a three finger knife as it doesn't have the forward choil like the Dragonfly and Chaparral. It's a lot of blade in a small handle, but if you need a four finger grip, I would go with something else.

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I really like my Buck small Vantage Select! Bought it online last year. Blade was perfectly centered. The only thing I don't like about it is the flipper. It's much too small, can't get a good purchase on it. If I depress the flipper and give it a wrist flick, it opens fine. I love the blade shape and the small, thin size of the knife. Also love the deep carry clip. This probably wouldn't be the best knife for someone with extra large hands, however. I give it an 8 out of 10!


Alex
 
I give it a 4. The knife seems awesome from the specs, but in real life it consistently under performs for reasons already stated. I have a large and a small that I consider "acceptable" in terms of fit and finish, but it took about 20 knives to find those two. Now those knives live in a storage bag because I simply have so many other, better options.
 
Don't know about the Vantage Select, but I have a Buck Bantam BLW and it's a wonderful knife. Thumb stud with center back lock back. Light weight and came very, very sharp out of the box - cut several pieces of thick card board and then it still passed the phone book paper test with no trouble.

Rich
 
I have the large Vantage Pro. I considered the small version. but thought it would be too small for me. The Pro with great steel, great ergonomics and good strength is a good deal for the money. Fit and finish varies. Agree with the above poster about trying to find one in store that you can inspect before buying. My blade is not well centered, but doesn't t rub and slices great.Holds an edge well.
Overall a very good edc, 8/10.
 
I've got 2 small selects and I think for 20 odd $ they are great value. Both of mine have good lockup, centring and general fit and finish. One has a bit of a funny grind where the belly isn't a nice sweep but sort of straight.

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I found the small Vantage too small for my hand so I stick with the large of which I have 8 with no issues.
 
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