What Buck Steel to Choose?

Yup. My BM Griptillian in 154cm was pretty much my only pocket knife for about ten years until the bug hit me about a year ago. In ten years of use, that blade has served me very very well. I'm sold on the benefits of 154cm. It's an awesome compromise steel that really speaks to an all-around kind of knife.
 
westgin said:
Lets say your next Buck knife purchase is available in the orginal 440C, 5160 and D2, which steel would you choose and why? Lets say it will be a fixed blade knife in the 100 series. Price is no factor in choice. :)
Click to expand...

Horses for courses.

I wouldn't use a hollow ground 100 series for anything other than hunting. The shoulders on hollow grind make for horrible slicers and the thin edge isn't the best for wood working. But the design works great for hunting, fishing and meat cutting.

With this use in mind, I'd pick a steel with carbides, so either 440C or D2.

I don't understand 5160 for knives in the sub-chopper size range.
 
Thanks for all the input guys!! I have always liked the older 440C knives so I guess I'll not change!
 
The design of some of my hollow ground Buck blades are good slicer and not just for hunting or meat processing. Apparently you don't have the ones I have. As they compete right along with the full flat ground (your love) blades in many types of cutting. And some of these models I have and you don't have. DM
 
Last edited:
David Martin said:
The design of some of my hollow ground Buck blades are good slicer and not just for hunting or meat processing. Apparently you don't have the ones I have. As they compete right along with the full flat ground (your love) blades in many types of cutting. And some of these models I have you don't have. DM
Click to expand...


wood working becomes a pain with hollow ground blades
 
Perhaps so and that I don't do. Still, I do much more varied cutting that others don't. But don't flag a blade as a bad grind type based off whittling. DM
 
David Martin said:
Perhaps so and that I don't do. Still, I do much more varied cutting that others don't. But don't flag a blade as a bad grind type based off whittling. DM
Click to expand...


true that. I watched the bladeHQ chris reeves factory tour not long ago. Chris Reeves explained well the advantages of the hollow grinds over full flat. I personally prefer FFG, but I love no less my vantages. I t really depends on the intended application I guess
 
Good. I know people love their full flat grind blades. I have several and have built some. I see little difference between them and a thin full hollow grind in the way materials are cut. I've cut lots of stuff with these different grinds and notice little different amoung them. Now we are no longer on the original 'steel' topic but another subject. DM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top