What's the consensus on the Buck Spitfire?

tom19176 said:
I think the point in all of this is this model does not meet the normal high standards of a Buck product. As I said I am a Buck fan ( big time) but any model that needs this much tinkering out of the box is simply not a good product. I looked at mine again after reading this, and it is very loose and "sloppy". Perhaps if could be taken apart and some how made tighter but why is this needed for a NIB knife?
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I ask the same question for some of the lock back models that GEC puts out and has deterred me from buying any. I've read a few threads on some of their models where there's been some blade play. I wonder if Buck will address this Spitfire issue.
 
csisland said:
I ask the same question for some of the lock back models that GEC puts out and has deterred me from buying any. I've read a few threads on some of their models where there's been some blade play. I wonder if Buck will address this Spitfire issue.
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I think there are 2 issues here.

The first is the differences between various lock designs. IMO, vertical blade play is inherent to the lock back design to a large extent. It is possible to make a lock back with no vertical play but you have to get a lot of things right and hard cutting use will generally cause wear and tear that will produce play. Lockbacks from every manufacturer I've owned have various amounts of vertical play. For a hunting knife where you aren't really stressing the blade with high cutting forces, I think it's not a functional problem. For working with wood where you frequently generate a lot of opening pressure? I no longer use lock back of any brand for that type of work.

The second issue is whether or not current Bucks in general have more of a problem with vertical play compared to, say, the Bucks from the 70s and 80s. The issue of blade play has been raised and discussed on this forum a lot with respect to a wide range of models, including the 110/112 line, the Bucklite Max line, the Ecolite line and so on. One possible common thread is the move to fine blanking, by which the 420HC blades and lockbars are stamp cut, which produces a small amount of deformation along the edge of the parts. That is, they might not fit as well. This production move helps keep costs reasonable. I don't know if this is the core of the issue with the Spitfire/Slimline or if there are other issues with the pivots or screwed construction.

Bottom line, I think expecting rock solid lock up from a lockback costing less than $50 is too much. Each lock type has pros and cons so choose the lock type that fits your needs the best.

I'm carrying a script 500 today. No vertical play in it.
 
pinnah said:
I think there are 2 issues here.

The first is the differences between various lock designs. IMO, vertical blade play is inherent to the lock back design to a large extent. It is possible to make a lock back with no vertical play but you have to get a lot of things right and hard cutting use will generally cause wear and tear that will produce play. Lockbacks from every manufacturer I've owned have various amounts of vertical play. For a hunting knife where you aren't really stressing the blade with high cutting forces, I think it's not a functional problem. For working with wood where you frequently generate a lot of opening pressure? I no longer use lock back of any brand for that type of work.

The second issue is whether or not current Bucks in general have more of a problem with vertical play compared to, say, the Bucks from the 70s and 80s. The issue of blade play has been raised and discussed on this forum a lot with respect to a wide range of models, including the 110/112 line, the Bucklite Max line, the Ecolite line and so on. One possible common thread is the move to fine blanking, by which the 420HC blades and lockbars are stamp cut, which produces a small amount of deformation along the edge of the parts. That is, they might not fit as well. This production move helps keep costs reasonable. I don't know if this is the core of the issue with the Spitfire/Slimline or if there are other issues with the pivots or screwed construction.

Bottom line, I think expecting rock solid lock up from a lockback costing less than $50 is too much. Each lock type has pros and cons so choose the lock type that fits your needs the best.

I'm carrying a script 500 today. No vertical play in it.
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Are you saying it would be a wiser choice, if in the market for a 112/110, to look for one from the 70's/80's era?
 
That's my approach, yes. They didn't use fine stamping back then and some (not all, but some) of the older models don't use bronze bushings (smoother but softer).

This said, an old Buck can still have play. I had a 2 dot 112 that had some play. My conclusion is that if you like lock backs, to some extent, living with vertical play is a part of the package, imo.

I should add that I once saw an interesting thread/post in the General Forum comparing the lock back designs of Spyderco (I think it was Syderco, memory fails) and other lock packs. Very picture heavy. Anyway, the author asserted that Spyderco used a different shaped detent/lockbar shape that dramatically reduced vertical play issues on Spyderco knives. I can't say as I've never owned on and frankly don't have any interest in owning one. But it's worth mentioning that there may be hope that a design alteration could help improve things.

Anyway, I think there is a reason why several older guys on the forum prefer the older knives other than nostalgia.
 
Not to steer away from the Spitfire talk but the blade play doesn't seem to be much of an issue with the 500 series. My production 501 is rock solid and I've put it through hell.
 
This is the ONLY Buck model with terrible blade play new out of the box!!! They do it right with other models that are lock backs....I have over 200 Buck knives, so lets not defend Buck just because it is a Buck...this one is a bad design for blade play and a general sense of sturdiness. If I didn't get it from a good seller and see other examples of it with the same weakness, I would have thought they were China knock offs as to me that is how poorly they are designed/made....I actually was going to return the one I bought, but as I said I left it in my collection. There are lots of solid lock backs out there that at least new out of the box are rock solid tight. This is not one of them, and to be honest it is more than just a little blade play, the whole knife seems to "flex" as it seems to have little strength when opened. Ok I am done with my comments. I am a big Buck fan, but this one is just a miss for them. I bought five Vantages this week, and plan on a few more 110s soon, but I can't defend a knife that just because it has a brand name on it I love....
 
I've had a Spitfire for almost 6 months now. When I first got mine it had quite a bit of blade play. But as stated above you can tweak the screws in the frame and secure things up. Its not a heavy duty folder but used as intended its a really nice knife. I carry mine every time I go for a hike and has become part of my EDC rotation.
 
Blade play side-to-side is a result of the design. There are no bearings, bushings, or washers between the blade and frame, so if it’s tightened all the way, it wont open easily. If you loosen it to where the blade pivots appropriately, there will be a little blade play. It’s not an issue, and shouldn’t fail. I still like the knife a lot. Properly adjusted (as mine was ootb) the blade moves smoothly, and there is minimal blade play. The knife works great as is, and edge retention is excellent. Not as refined as some other knives, but youre not going to find a better heat treat on a modern styled knife at $50.
 
S Steveepmon ... Welcome to the Buck forum, your first post.
Using the "Search" function you can find many interesting things here, some of it is even newer than 2014 🤣 🤣 🤣
If you have a picture of your knife we would love to see it. Hang around and play awhile. /Roger
 
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