I got into the 301 a few weeks back due to a cool post with pics by user skyhorse, but he had the yellow Delrin version, which I liked a lot. Sadly Buck doesn't do yellow Delrin anymore (at least not for the 301) so I had to settle for what they called Rosewood, although I doubt it is actually Rosewood. :/
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What is currently the most popular blade of 2014?
- Thread starter TheBushWookie
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I got into the 301 a few weeks back due to a cool post with pics by user skyhorse, but he had the yellow Delrin version, which I liked a lot. Sadly Buck doesn't do yellow Delrin anymore (at least not for the 301) so I had to settle for what they called Rosewood, although I doubt it is actually Rosewood. :/
Are you Santa Claus?
If so, I've got quite a list. 
Our red-light-special mostly has Buck knives, and some imported Old Timers, and sometimes a few Swiss Army Knives. From Buck, they have some phenolic fixed blades and modern lockbacks; those are functional enough knives for sure, but I already have them.
Target's selection is the better of the two, but it's entirely Gerber and Victorinox. "Selection" is a misnomer. Kmart, though... Kmart is a mishmash of about 10 years of horrible decisions, all packaged in aging yellow clamshells, and for $10 more than anywhere else.
Are you Santa Claus?
I told Buck this year (my first) that we're moving away from tanto blades and G10 handles. Everything in the future will be wood or stag handled, and as much Made in the USA as possible.
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Buck calls their wood "Dymondwood," a fancy name for stabilized and pressured plywood. It does partially contain wood, but it's not natural. They have it in different stained colors: rosewood, cherry, ebony, cocobolo...
I'm uncertain if you get genuine wood even if going through the Buck custom order process. I would think considering the custom prices that Buck could spring for a few boards of actual oak and walnut to saw up for handles. But I can't tell from the pictures, and their website doesn't explicitly say one way or the other.
For some reason I'm fascinated by this and almost want to drive over just to see it.
Your mileage may vary. The last Kmart I was in was in Huntsville, AL last month. Before that, Key Largo in 2013. Both dumps. Apparently there's one about 20 minutes from my house, but no one knows about it. That tends to happen when you're in Walmart's backyard.
This is interesting to learn about Buck and rosewood. I have an as-of-yet unannounced Buck with a rosewood grip and it's beautiful. Kind of a bummer, but I guess you get what you pay for.
Looking at the big picture, dyamondwood is more durable. And from a manufacturing standpoint, I'd guess it's easier to consistently mass-produce and source than natural wood.
Still, other companies (Old Hickory, Opinel, Svord, Mora...) use natural wood even for the least expensive knives, and they seem to do just fine with it.