Vantage Force Avid grip question

[GundaManiac]

Hey there all! On my way home a couple days ago, I stopped by a local camping goods store and saw a new shipment of Vantage Force Avids they had just received. I asked to see one just to check it out, not intending to buy it. Unfortunately for my wallet, I liked the knife so much I left the store with it.

The knife is really quite nice. The blade coating looks pre-worn and scuffed, but I think I read somewhere that that's just the nature of coating 13c26. That's really the only negative I have to say about the knife's fit-and-finish. The addition of the hump and jimping along the spine really add to the knife's ergonomics (and I thought the original Vantage line had good ergonomics already). The aluminum grip's aggressive texturing feels absolutely amazing.

However, the aggressive texturing also leads to my only problem with this knife. I tried slipping the knife in my pocket and drawing it. The scales have texturing under the pocket clip that really snags and tears up the lip of my pocket. Does anyone else have this problem, and/or do any of you have recommendations? I've considered filing down the scales under the clip or filling the in the grooves under the clip with something like epoxy. Any tips would be appreciated!

 

[Skimo]

I wouldn't grind anything if there's a way to get around it. I know this question has come up here before but I'm too lazy to look it up. I'd go the epoxy route.

 

[GundaManiac]

Well, for the time being, to avoid any potentially irreversible and damaging changes to the aluminum scales, I've swapped them out with some regular Vantage (non-Force) G10 scales I had lying around. It kinda looks like a Vantage Force Select now, since the Force Select and the regular Vantage line share the same groove pattern in their handle scales. The knife doesn't feel quite as secure and locked in my hand now, but it's more than good enough for what I plan to use the knife for.

 

[hogger]

I have the same problem with my Force Pro, mainly on pockets with thick seams like jeans. This is why I would like to see Buck market handle scale kits so we could mix things up a little. A clear epoxy sounds like a great idea tho.

 

[GundaManiac]

I haven't been able to sleep yet; I'm having too much fun with the Vantage Force. There were two things I found interesting that I haven't seen posted yet and I thought I'd share below.

The washers in the pivot of the Vantage Force Avid appear to be some sort of dark grey plastic. Nylatron or nylon, perhaps?

The G10 scales from the non-Force Vantage Pro (which, again, I'm currently using on my Vantage Force Avid) came from the factory with white dust (from machining, perhaps?) all over them. I've tried many times to clean it off, even using detergent and a toothbrush. There was always still some residue left and as a result, I always thought the G10 scales looked a little rough and ugly. But while oiling the pivot on my knife just now, I got some mineral oil onto a patch of that white residue on the G10 scales. When I wiped the oil off, the residue disappeared and left a nice spot of G10 residue stain on my paper towel. I wiped down the whole knife with mineral oil and now the G10 scales look absolutely gorgeous and classy. I used to vastly prefer the Dymondwood scales to the G10 scales in the standard Vantage line; now it's a toss-up. They both look terrific in their own way.

 

[hogger]

Gunda
so far I don;t think that I like those washers. Cant seem to get the force pro as smooth as the rest of my vantages.

 

[Plumberdv]

I haven't been able to sleep yet; I'm having too much fun with the Vantage Force. There were two things I found interesting that I haven't seen posted yet and I thought I'd share below.

The washers in the pivot of the Vantage Force Avid appear to be some sort of dark grey plastic. Nylatron or nylon, perhaps?

The G10 scales from the non-Force Vantage Pro (which, again, I'm currently using on my Vantage Force Avid) came from the factory with white dust (from machining, perhaps?) all over them. I've tried many times to clean it off, even using detergent and a toothbrush. There was always still some residue left and as a result, I always thought the G10 scales looked a little rough and ugly. But while oiling the pivot on my knife just now, I got some mineral oil onto a patch of that white residue on the G10 scales. When I wiped the oil off, the residue disappeared and left a nice spot of G10 residue stain on my paper towel. I wiped down the whole knife with mineral oil and now the G10 scales look absolutely gorgeous and classy. I used to vastly prefer the Dymondwood scales to the G10 scales in the standard Vantage line; now it's a toss-up. They both look terrific in their own way.

Any tips on disassembly? I too really dislike the scales on the Force Avid and want to change to a set of G10 scales. Does the knife spring apart or do anything drastic when the blade pivot pin is removed?

 

[hogger]

no suprises, very simple, If you are careful not to let the washers come out. I use a small drill to push the pivot pin out. The pin has a flat to prevent rotation so that has to go back the right way. post a photo so we can take a look.

 

[Plumberdv]

Here you go. For those that try this, be carefull of the little bar that goes through the blade and limits it's travel. It dropped out on me and I had a heck of a time finding it.

Vantage Force Avid with Vantage Pro G10 scales. Much more comfortable in my hands than the aluminum scales.

 

[GundaManiac]

What hogger said. No surprises. The only potential surprise comes from a full disassembly of the knife- if the blade is in the closed position, the liner lock spring pressing against the blade will cause that liner to spring up a little when you unscrew the three inner screws. But you don't really need to tamper with that to swap scales.

Here's some pictures of my new Vantage Force with my normal EDC Vantage. I plan on EDC-ing both of them simultaneously, carrying the regular Vantage in my right front pocket and the Vantage Force either in my right rear pocket or my left front pocket, hence the flipped pocket clip on the Vantage Force. I may try putting a zip-tie on the Force knife to turn it into a makeshift waved knife.

Edit: I took so long posting that Plumberdv got his picture in first! Nice work Plumberdv. It looks good. I personally prefer the feel of the aluminum scales; to me, they're just aggressive enough to really lock the knife in my hand. Any more aggressive and they'd tear up my hands, but they felt good as they were. My big problem though was since they were so aggressive they wouldn't go into or out of my pockets easily at all; even if I could resolve the snagging under the clip, I have no doubt the aluminum scale on the other side of the knife would have been akin to rough sandpaper on my pants causing serious premature wear. I see the aluminum scales being ideal for carry in a holster, but not pocket friendly at all. The G10 from the non-Force line though makes a wonderful substitute for pocket-friendliness.

 

[Plumberdv]

I like the change on mine so well, I may change the other one I have and use a set of the the rosewood scales from a Bond Arms Avid.

 

[GundaManiac]

Ooh. Pics if you do, please! I love the scales on the Bond Arms Vantages. They look fantastic. (Can you tell I'm a bit of a Vantage fan? Just a weeeee bit?)

 

[Plumberdv]

Ooh. Pics if you do, please! I love the scales on the Bond Arms Vantages. They look fantastic. (Can you tell I'm a bit of a Vantage fan? Just a weeeee bit?)

I think the Rosewood will look the best with the black blade, but the other one would look good too. I'll have to check, but if I have two of the Rosewood models, I'll do a swap.

 

[GundaManiac]

Those are beautiful knives, plumberdv. What blades are on those, are they 420hc 345 Selects? Should be interesting to see wooden scales with a black blade; I don't think I've ever seen that particular combo before.

 

[Plumberdv]

The Bonds are Avids with the Sandvick 13C26 blades.

 

[Plumberdv]

 

[GundaManiac]

Wow that rosewood one looks really pretty from the clip side. And I suppose I should have guessed 13c26 since the Avids are the model with dymondwood scales.

I wonder how a Force Avid would look with the standard Avid's Dymondwood? Hm...

 

[hogger]

ok guys, we need to get the message to Buck that there is a market for custom grip kits. What you are doing could be just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Plumberdv]

Wow that rosewood one looks really pretty from the clip side. And I suppose I should have guessed 13c26 since the Avids are the model with dymondwood scales.

I wonder how a Force Avid would look with the standard Avid's Dymondwood? Hm...

I might check that out too. Here's a few of the Selects I have with Dymondwood handles. Any of them would look good (and be better for my tender hands than the cheese grater like factory scales ).

 

[GundaManiac]

While I enjoy the sleek look of the smooth G10 scales from the Vantage Pro, it admittedly offers less traction than textured G10 or the standard Vantage Force Avid scales. While looking around, I saw some customized Spyderco knives that had grooves cut into the handles. I debated over whether I wanted to try customizing my G10 scales, and then last night I stumbled upon this thread- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/733428-Customized-my-Vantage-Avid -where someone had already done exactly what I was thinking of doing, but with Dymondwood scales. It looked good, so I finally decided to pull the trigger this morning and give it a shot. Of course, words are useless without...pictures!

The effect isn't quite the same as Sawyer's horn imitation Dymondwood scales, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. It was actually kinda fun taking a Dremel to the scales and spontaneously deciding where to put the grooves (I'm used to coming up with a design or pattern beforehand and trying my best to follow it for projects like these). It feels very grippy now, but not sharp like the aluminum Vantage Force Avid scales. It also doesn't catch on my pockets as badly as the standard Force Avid scales do. I'm also pleased with the aesthetic effect, as the textured scales make the knife look much more rugged than it did when the G10 was smooth.

I'm finding it really fun to really personalize my knives by messing with their grips