vantage vs vantage force

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PatrickKnight

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Jan 24, 2012
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One or the other is going to be my next edc knife but i cant seem to find out what the difference is other than the vantage force seems to cost more. Also the models in question are the pro with s30v steel.

Thanks in advance
 
Well if you don't have a Vantage at all, i'd get the Vantage pro. The differences are that the blade is "coated" on the force. Its not a true coat, its some sort of acceleration rust thing that I don't quite understand. The "coating is really nice and holds up very well. The Pro force has more aggressive handle scales and it wears on your pocket a bit more. The Pro force has a textured spacer/back bone on it as apposed to the pro which has an open handle. other than those differences they are the same. The price difference doesn't equate to the differences in the knife. What I mean by that is paying for the pro force is only worth the extra money if you really want the pro force. I have both and neither is better than the other.
 
I'm inclined to recommend the Vantage Avid (Sandvik steel).

I find the Dymondwood handle is smooth enough that it doesn't tear up the fabric on trousers.

I have the Vantage Avid, Vantage Select (Paperstone), and Vantage Force.

The Avid is easiest on the pocket fabric. The Select w/Paperstone scales is a more "grippy" handle, but rougher. The Vantage Force is heavier, has a black coating that rubs off the blade, and the handle is aggressively rough.

If you don't anticipate needing to crawl around in the dark with a blade that won't reflect light, and if you don't think you'll be needing the slight ramp/bump on the back of the blade for thumb support, and if you won't be needing a handle that could conceivably stay grippy when wet, then it's possible the Vantage Force is a little overkill for you.

If you spend most of your time in everyday environments, offices, stuff like that, then the Vantage Avid is my top recommendation. I own and use the Vantage Select as well, and I have no complaints about the 420HC steel blade, but I prefer the Sandvik myself.

I have no doubt that the Vantage Pro is and excellent knife. I have only two reservations about it: 1) the handle (in G-10) is a bit rough for my tastes, but I do have G-10 handled knives and can attest that it's a good handle material, 2) I haven't been able to convince myself that the extra cost for S30V steel yields that much more useful quality than the Sandvik steel.

I'm therefore going to recommend on of the original Vantage models for your first one. Once the addiction takes hold you can grab one of the Force models.

:D

 
Well im a cable installer and avid outdoorsman (im outside about 70% of the day, not to mention i rarely ever wear pants that would tear from a handle) so the extra grip on the handle is nice for me. Also i have tendancy to be hard on everything i own so the extra strength of the s30v steel is nice. I guess im looking at it as better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it. The one thing im not liking about the vantage force is the coated blade. Also does buck make a g10 orange handle by chance for either of the pros?


Also how does the vantage force pro compared to a pm2 spyderco. From what I can see they both use s30v and g10 handles but i dont understand the price difference. I know most of the bf is completely in love with sypdercos im sure they make a great product but i dont see that there warrenty even comes close to the one buck offers. Reason im asknig is my brother doesnt leave the house without his pm2 in his pocket and keeps trying to convence me to get that instead of a new buck. Wondering if i can get you guys veiws on this.
 
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Spyderco makes a great product. I have several spydercos and like them just fine. I love all of my Buck knives. Buck has a forever warrenty, and there product is made in the US. I would take a US made knife over an off shore product any day. Spyderco in made in Japan, Taiwan, China, and a very few are made in the US. You say you want the s30v for its extra strength, well S30v isn't any stronger than any other steel. It may hold an edge longer, or have more corrosion resistance ect. but its not stronger. It will fail if used inappropriately or rough. As for s30v, The steel is used in several brands of knives but Bucks heat treatment (BOS) is the best in the market and i'm pretty sure Spyderco isn't having Bos heat treat their steel. I vote for BUCK, and which ever Vantage you choose, I'm sure you will love it. The vantage is a great knife.
 
mbjannusch said:
Spyderco makes a great product. I have several spydercos and like them just fine. I love all of my Buck knives. Buck has a forever warrenty, and there product is made in the US. I would take a US made knife over an off shore product any day. Spyderco in made in Japan, Taiwan, China, and a very few are made in the US. You say you want the s30v for its extra strength, well S30v isn't any stronger than any other steel. It may hold an edge longer, or have more corrosion resistance ect. but its not stronger. It will fail if used inappropriately or rough. As for s30v, The steel is used in several brands of knives but Bucks heat treatment (BOS) is the best in the market and i'm pretty sure Spyderco isn't having Bos heat treat their steel. I vote for BUCK, and which ever Vantage you choose, I'm sure you will love it. The vantage is a great knife.
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I agree with the made in USA part i wouldnt purchase a knife that wasnt made in america. Was totally unaware that buck heat treated and spyderco didnt, and as i said earlier the Buck warranty is amazing currently all the knives I own but one are Bucks and have never had a single issue just wanted a bit of feed back on the spyderco but i knew for sure if i posted in the general section i would get a wave of people who say Buck isnt as good since it seems to me anyways that most people on bf seem to think spyderco is the only knife anyone should edc. Thanks for the info. Also I took a trip to Bass pro today and checked out the vantage avid and pro first hand and im completely in love with the pro mainly for the handle the avids handle seemed a bit slick in my hand. They didnt have any of the vantage force models though so im gonna have to find some place that sells them locally in the Cinncinati area cause I really dont want to make the purchase till i have held both the vantage and vantage force models
 
PatrickKnight said:
Was totally unaware that buck heat treated and spyderco didnt,
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Spyderco and every other knife co. has some sort of heat treatment they do on the steels they use. What I meant was that Buck uses the BOS heat treatment and if you aren't aware of this process, refer to Google and search Paul Bos who revolutionized the heat treatment process and is famous for it. Several other knife co. use his heat treatment process as well. But I don't believe Spyderco does. This process makes steel prefect for knife applications. It can make regular 440c just as hard as any premium steel on the market. Again Spyderco is a great knife, but in my opinion for an EDC the Vantage far surpasses the Spyderco. The "BANG FOR THE BUCK" is on the Buck. A reasonable priced Spyderco with S30V is going to run you $100 +, and you can pick up a Vantage with all the bells and whistles for half that. We're is hard times and your money is hard earned. There's no reason to waste it when you dont have to...
 
Patrick, you might be well advised to handle the Force models before making a decision. The aluminum handles on the Force Avid are VERY AGRESSIVE and may not work for you. I know they don't for me, I changed them to G10 scales off of a regular Vantage Pro. The scales on the Force Pro are the same design as the Avid's but are much gentler on the hands and pants fabric.
 
Plumberdv said:
Patrick, you might be well advised to handle the Force models before making a decision. The aluminum handles on the Force Avid are VERY AGRESSIVE and may not work for you. I know they don't for me, I changed them to G10 scales off of a regular Vantage Pro. The scales on the Force Pro are the same design as the Avid's but are much gentler on the hands and pants fabric.
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Oh i most deffently will, even though the buck is moderate in cost I dont want to throw away money on a knife I hate to pick up because I dislike the handle so much. Also im pretty much set on a pro just cause I have never owned a s30v steel knife before and I want to give it a shot cause it seems alot of people really like this steel.
 
What would really be ideal would be to have the blade of the Vantage Force Avid mated with the G10 scales of the Vantage Force Pro. Perfect! :D
 
ono724 said:
What would really be ideal would be to have the blade of the Vantage Force Avid mated with the G10 scales of the Vantage Force Pro. Perfect! :D
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My ideal one would be a pros s30v blade with some kind of orange g10 handle on it. I wish people made custom handles for these knives.
 
PatrickKnight said:
My ideal one would be a pros s30v blade with some kind of orange g10 handle on it. I wish people made custom handles for these knives.
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I asked Jerad from JAG Knives if he would do some custom Vantages. He does great things with Micarta and G10. It really doesn't seem hard to make new scales for the Vantage.
 
Just to chime in, the Spyderco Para2 is made in the US, so don't let that deter you from the knife. As for the Vantages, I agree that the regular line is better for office edc, while the force is better for outdoor use. I personally find the regular vantage handles extremely slick when wet, so if that is a factor, go for the force. Also, if you find the G10 to be too aggressive, you can always sand it down a bit.
 
mlanghornes said:
Just to chime in, the Spyderco Para2 is made in the US, so don't let that deter you from the knife (...)
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+1 :thumbup:

PatrickKnight said:
Also how does the vantage force pro compared to a pm2 spyderco. From what I can see they both use s30v and g10 handles but i dont understand the price difference. I know most of the bf is completely in love with sypdercos im sure they make a great product but i dont see that there warrenty even comes close to the one buck offers. Reason im asknig is my brother doesnt leave the house without his pm2 in his pocket and keeps trying to convence me to get that instead of a new buck. Wondering if i can get you guys veiws on this.
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Like Buck, Spyderco is a great company with an excellent warranty. To be completely honest, I've never had to use either... maybe I'm just lucky in this regard, but I think it has more to do with each company's attention to QC--never got a lemon from Buck or Spyderco. Since your brother has a Para 2, I'm assuming you've had a chance to handle it. Ultimately, you will have to decide which you like best. Both are excellent.

Good luck! :)
 
timberweasel said:
+1 :thumbup:



Like Buck, Spyderco is a great company with an excellent warranty. To be completely honest, I've never had to use either... maybe I'm just lucky in this regard, but I think it has more to do with each company's attention to QC--never got a lemon from Buck or Spyderco. Since your brother has a Para 2, I'm assuming you've had a chance to handle it. Ultimately, you will have to decide which you like best. Both are excellent.

Good luck! :)
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Well I have handled all the knives I had in mind and I will be purchasing a Buck vantage force pro. Hopefully soon there after a sypderco manix 2. I dont know what it is with the pm2 but I just really dont like it I much prefer the feel of the manix. However for 70 bucks for a s30v blade with g10 handles from what I have found I cant seem to find a better bargin than the vantage pro. Now I just need to find some orange g10 handles for it. Also thanks for all the input and help guys.
 
Wait for the new Vantage Force models to come out this year. One of the models has light colored g10 scales which could be dyed orange =P
 
GundaManiac said:
Wait for the new Vantage Force models to come out this year. One of the models has light colored g10 scales which could be dyed orange =P
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No need to wait, a whole bunch of the new 2012 Vantages just hit the auction block today.
 
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