What is the very best year or years for the Buck 110 ?

[Jeff O]

I'm still partial to BG42 stamped in the blade near the spine circa 1999. Think about it, this is around when Pete's custom knife shop was coming online and we first started seeing the 110 in upgraded steel.... To my knowledge anyway.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Every year is good for the Buck 110.

Now some may prefer the older square edge regular wood version, and some may prefer the more modern rounded edge diamondwood version.
Take your pick, is the knife a Buck 110 ? Yes, well then it's a good knife.

 

[skyhorse]

Yesterday I drove my wife over to take one last walk around her parents home. They both passed in 2016 and the house will be sold soon.Inside the house amongst some things was this two dot 110 with a broken blade, surely belonging to my wife's father. She brought it with her and was very happy when I told her Buck will install a new blade for $10.

 

[Haebbie]

1963! The year it was created.

This is written in the "Story of buck knifes", TAH. As mentioned the first one was not the best.

Haebbie

 

[tiguy7]

View attachment 825844 1986 and 2017. You take blade out of the knife on the right and put it in the handle of the knife on the left.

 

[David Martin]

skyhorse, that is a early 2 dot handle. I've never seen one broken like that. DM

 

[Wowbagger]

I like my 80-81 3 dot 440C

That said, I think my favorite for right now is still Old Blue

Bos heat treated Buck 110
!
Is that Titanium nitride coating ?
There is a whole world here I didn't realize existed.
Looks like I should . . . (to quote one of my favorite books) : "Oh get a clue, or at least some kind of catalog."

 

[Wowbagger]

Go to one of the large chain sporting goods shops, like the one that rhymes with Rick's and see if they have some clearance Xmas tin can 110's. You can try a 110 out at a reasonable value and see if you like it,

I should have been more clear about why I was asking what are the best years.
I have one, see photos (same knife different photos) I bought it brand new in 1981 or so.

I am thinking of buying at least one more and either rehandling it my self, or buying it with handles that have significant texture and grip. Handle texture that is some where between the Case stag trapper and the Pendleton Hunter fixed blade shown here.

I will say that of late I have had the hots for a knife with the burlap scales like the Blade Forums knife or the "Old Blue" shown here . . . that could work nicely I suspect.
Some old photos . . . because we like photos right ? :

 

[Wowbagger]

The 60s models had thinner blade stock

Ha, ha, ha,
to most that sounds like a negative but if you look at my Pendleton Hunter in 3V pictured above I ground that sucker from a stock 5mm down to 2.2mm !
Cut ? Just be careful the first time or two you use it that you don't accidentally take your leg off with it.

So I'm not going to F up my nice old original one but by gosh if I got one or two (or three) more I would be tempted to flat grind one thinner. (you haven't lived until you try my Cold Steel Ti Lite IV flat ground to 1.9mm . . . but that's another thread).

PS : MT_Pokt,
thanks for taking the time to show the years and relative price difference and your other advice !
And to all who are helping me out; this is great !
Thank You.

 

[Wowbagger]

You could get many different opinions on that one.

My favorite is the Four-Dot finger groove model.

Haebbie, as it turns out, we had a major kerfuffle about that a while back here on the forum, and..........

The traditional story has now changed. Bos himself is now saying he heat treated most of the Buck blades for many years before 1980.

So mine . . . the one shown in my photos here . . . is : Four-Dot finger groove model
! Oh yah baby !
So if it is from ~1980-1981 (maybe a little older) it was heat treated by Bos?
Back in the day I found it very hard to sharpen . . . but then I found most anything hard to sharpen because I wasn't using coarse enough stones to get the apex.

As I understand it mine isn't 440C but from what I am seeing here it is 425.

 

[Wowbagger]

this two dot 110 with a broken blade

Takes some serious energy to break a blade like that. I once deeply scored an Opinel #12 with an abrasive cut off wheel then tried to break it off (I was making a special use work knife). I still had to bend the blade, held in a big vise, WAY over many times before it finally broke off and that was just a relatively thin $17 Opinel.

$10 for a new blade ! Now that is customer service.

PS: hey there's my first Buck . . . that little lock back. I always forget what it is called . . . a prince or a squire or some such. I have had it for ever ! I mirror polished the blade by hand rubbing it with just a full range of wet or dry paper.

 

[Old Hunter]

Nowadays, you can send your old 440C 110 to Buck and they will put the Edge 2000 on it if you request it (for seven or eight bucks......Call them to make sure).

I have not tried this or heard feedback from any who have taken advantage of it.......but........That should make for a very fine knife.

I had this done a year ago to one of my Two Dot Folding Hunters that I use for hunting. It is a good upgrade for a working knife, that knife has become my number one folding knife for deer hunting - the edge that came back from Buck is simply perfect . Hard to capture in a picture but this is before and after the Buck Spa with Edge-2000 applied. OH

 

[Old Hunter]

Got one add to Mt_Pokt's list (great list by the way - got to save it for future reference). I have a D-2 with a Clip Blade - I bought it from Silver Knights (SK Blades). Nickel silver bolsters and Cocobolo laminated grips. At this point I only own this knife, it hasn't been used. OH

 

[MT_Pokt]

Thanks for pointing that out OH! I corrected the "Drop" point to "Clip" point.
That D2 is wicked sharp!
I forgot about all of the Ion Fusion blades as well. I have one and it's an absolute laser!

 

[skyhorse]

Takes some serious energy to break a blade like that. I once deeply scored an Opinel #12 with an abrasive cut off wheel then tried to break it off (I was making a special use work knife). I still had to bend the blade, held in a big vise, WAY over many times before it finally broke off and that was just a relatively thin $17 Opinel.

$10 for a new blade ! Now that is customer service.

PS: hey there's my first Buck . . . that little lock back. I always forget what it is called . . . a prince or a squire or some such. I have had it for ever ! I mirror polished the blade by hand rubbing it with just a full range of wet or dry paper.

View attachment 826039

Lol,surely another incident of the wrong tool for the task.

 

[VorpalRain]

I had this done a year ago to one of my Two Dot Folding Hunters that I use for hunting. It is a good upgrade for a working knife, that knife has become my number one folding knife for deer hunting - the edge that came back from Buck is simply perfect . Hard to capture in a picture but this is before and after the Buck Spa with Edge-2000 applied. OH

Thanks for the report, Old Hunter.

This is the first report I've seen about how the change to Edge 2000 worked out on a 440C blade.

Younger guys should note that you don't want to do this on a collectible knife in perfect condition because some collectors would consider it ruined.........but for a user knife it sounds like a great improvement..........and a knife that will become your favorite.

 

[TAH]

View attachment 825742

This is written in the "Story of buck knifes", TAH. As mentioned the first one was not the best.

Haebbie

Haebbie, my statement that 1963 was the best year was more referring to the fact that Buck had the vision and created the 110 in the first place - hence the winking emoji. IMO, 1963 was the "best" year, because it was the beginning of an icon.

 

[Haebbie]

Haebbie, my statement that 1963 was the best year was more referring to the fact that Buck had the vision and created the 110 in the first place - hence the winking emoji. IMO, 1963 was the "best" year, because it was the beginning of an icon.

Yes, that's true. That new product marks a new area of knives.

Haebbie

 

[Hickory n steel]

Yesterday I drove my wife over to take one last walk around her parents home. They both passed in 2016 and the house will be sold soon.Inside the house amongst some things was this two dot 110 with a broken blade, surely belonging to my wife's father. She brought it with her and was very happy when I told her Buck will install a new blade for $10.

Was this thing narrowed down or something ?
Or did they come like this at one point ?

 

[skyhorse]

skyhorse, that is a early 2 dot handle. I'm never seen one broken like that. DM

My Father in law was a real DIY guy, could fix just about anything.Grew but on a farm in Alabama with no indoor plumbing or electricity. I'm pretty sure he had to pry something heavy with it and snap!