Vantage Love Anyone?

That used look on the blade is leftover from my stupidity of using it to baton a piece of wood. It worked but I would never use a folder again to baton. I'm not sure what possessed me to try it. :confused:
 
A little buffing wheel........a little mothers may and aluminum polish........ BOOM!!! Shiny blade. Put you some wood scales on there.
 
Man oh man do some of those fancy scales look cool!!

The Vantage is a very cool model from Buck. I bought two way back when I'd read about them being a good bargain on this forum. $19 Walmart specials. It took me a while to fall for mine, but I took a 3 week road trip and "forced" myself to EDC it. Found out that it was a great knife to use and carry for a number of different reasons. I ended up giving my other one to a buddy who was totally smitten with mine. He's not a real knife guy, but is notorious for taking good care of his stuff. He carries it every day at work, in the woods, on his motorcycle, and around town. I was admittedly late to the party on the Vantage but I'm definitely a believer these days.
 
You guys seen the 2014 buck catalog?
They are doing away with the avid and making changes to the pro. Looks like the pro will now be a G-10 insert in a nylon handle.
There will be 2 versions of the select now, one will have a cherry wood look insert in the nylon handle.

I think I am going to pick up a vantage pro full g10 handle while I can...
 
Wow! I'm glad I got my Avid and a Pro with full g10 grip. I really like both of them. Just got the Pro for Christmas and it came absolutely perfect. The Avid I've had for a while and it needed only very minor tweeking to be perfect. Both are very nice knives.
Bob
 
I have two Vantage knives, an Avid and a Paperstone. I think the Charcoal Dymondwood handles are very attractive. My paperstone Vantage is my EDC. Both of my Vantage knives snap open with just a flick of my finger. I think the Vantage is one of the best knife designs i've had the pleasure of carrying. So yes much Vantage love here!
 
I think mine is beautiful, but I don't like it. I wish one grip side protruded with the liner. When squeezing the knife the liner sticks out too far and is pretty uncomfortable. I also wish they used an external stop pin and a thicker liner as mine and a couple friends have experienced early wear. My blade shakes significantly and the liner sounds like a slinky when it "locks" open.

Quality control was also an issue on mine. The pocket clip came out of the box loose, and it appears one of the screws is cross threaded. I don't know if it's just that tight or thread locked, but I went through three torx bits before giving up on it. The action on mine also hints at the pivot washers not being flat as it gets really sticky about every 45 degrees of blade rotation. My serrations are also cut too deep leaving a wicked bur near the choil.

I know they have a good warranty, but the liner protrusion is uncomfortable enough to me that I can't justify spending the money to send it in. It is a heck of a pretty knife though. Wish I had gotten the unserrated model and used it only on light tasks.

 
This thread needs more photos:

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o4TG, I think it would be worth sending it back in, as I have the same knife and it has none of the issues you mentioned. It is by far my favorite. It costs $5.00 to send it in (USPS). I carry mine every day and use it for everything, and it is as sturdy as ever. Probably the sturdiest folder I've ever used for its size and weight. I have been carrying it for over a year without a single issue or complaint.
 
For well over a year I had a hard time not carrying my Rat1. I've had my Vantage Avid for 3 weeks now. The Rat hasn't seen the light of day since.
 
I have a couple of paperstone models, and love them. I would really like to find some of these great handles that you guys are showing and put them on. The Vantage is one of the most under-rated knives around, IMO. Great knife, rides nice and low, and very good quality. What's not to like?
 
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