what's wrong whit Buck Knives?

I don't think anything is wrong with Buck knives. For those who enjoy them, they're perfect. For others, they want something different in either design or materials. I have several Buck knives, some of which are 110s, because you have got to have at least one in your collection. That said, I generally haven't ever carried any of the 110s. A belt-sheathe just isn't appropriate for my office environment, and I have plenty of knives which are stronger in various ways. So, they're mainly collectibles for me. :thumbup:
 
Quiet said:
I don't think anything is wrong with Buck knives. For those who enjoy them, they're perfect. For others, they want something different in either design or materials. I have several Buck knives, some of which are 110s, because you have got to have at least one in your collection. That said, I generally haven't ever carried any of the 110s. A belt-sheathe just isn't appropriate for my office environment, and I have plenty of knives which are stronger in various ways. So, they're mainly collectibles for me. :thumbup:
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Always liked the 501 better than the others personally. :thumbup:
 
Ankerson said:
Yup it did.

All they would have had to do is add a screw pivot and it would have been awesome. :thumbup:

Was pretty perfect actually...
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I think I had one, when I was a teenager. It was drab olive green I remember cutting some pretty tough stuff with it and can't remember any problems.
 
jill jackson said:
I think I had one, when I was a teenager. It was drab olive green I remember cutting some pretty tough stuff with it and can't remember any problems.
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They were nice. :)

Kinda like Bucks version of the Original CS Voyager that was a lightened up version of the 110. :D
 
that's the bottom line, sounds like a good knife. "Budget" knife is the more emotional/subjective part.


singularity35 said:
My Tenacious is excellent quality, does what it needs to do. It is still a budget knife though, no two ways about it and no amount of emotion on my part will make it any less a budget knife.
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Quiet said:
Can't say I blame you, the 501 IS a beautiful knife.
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One of these days I will get around to ordering one from the Custom Shop. :)

Had like 4 regular production 501's over the years.
 
Ankerson said:
One of these days I will get around to ordering one from the Custom Shop. :)

Had like 4 regular production 501's over the years.
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I believe I have one also, but embarrassingly enough, I'm not sure where it is. Come to think on it, I may have given it to my father for a gentleman's/office knife. Might have to grab another.
 
Quiet said:
I believe I have one also, but embarrassingly enough, I'm not sure where it is. Come to think on it, I may have given it to my father for a gentleman's/office knife. Might have to grab another.
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I gave all of mine away too. :D

That's why I was thinking custom shop, that way maybe I would hang on to it. LOL
 
cchu518 said:
You gotta tread careful Duane, Ankerson is a BEAST when it comes to testing knives and steels he does more than what 90% of what most knife nuts would do. I do respect his opinion greatly as does probably most on the board. That said, I've learned that I'm ok with not having the latest super steels. For what I do with knives, I've beat up 8CR13, Sandvik, High Carbon, VG10, S30V all up to a moderate level of abuse and they've all held up well for my purposes. Really quite surprised how well too!

I really dig sharpening as it relaxes me, so I don't mind sharpening, it's not like I don't have half a dozen different sharpeners lying around and quite a few more portable touch up stones. But in any case 420HC isn't horrible, you're not getting a material with a poor heat treat. And in a field of $30 knives the 110 is quite decent.
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Rope cutting is to overall knife blade performance as the 1/4-mile is to overall car performance. To use this as a starting point to understanding overall knife performance is myopic at best and misleading at worst.

I agree completely with you take on steels. 420HC is a fine-grained steel. Talking about fine-grained steels is like talking about 4 cylinder car engines. Yes, you can talk about 1/4-mile times if you want, but most people buying a car with a 4 cylinder engine are primarily interested in other attributes; namely maintenance, longevity and fuel mileage. People regularly spend upwards of $100 on knives like ESEE and Becker with blades made from fine grained steels. They do so not because they're stupid or ignorant but because the performance characteristics they're looking for include: ability to take a keen edge, toughness and ease of sharpening (on crude sharpening devices). For people seeking this combination of properties, fine-grained steels make an excellent choice, just as a 4 cylinder engine is an excellent choice if you seek fuel economy and low maintenance costs for a car engine. Buck's 420HC is an excellent fine grained steel, just as Opinel's 12C27 is and just as is Mora's 1095 and 12C27 and ESEE's carbon steel and Ontario/Beckers 1095CV. Saying this is like saying Toyota and Honda make create 4 cylinder engines. Yes, you find motors that will produce better 1/4 mile results, but that's not the point.

Regarding the value of the Buck 110, that knife is a traditional lock back hunter. How traditional? It's the knife that literally defined the category. The direct competitors to this knife (still in production) include: Queen Mountain Man ($85), Canal Street Squeeze Lock back ($180), GEC Missouri Trader ($100), Schrade LB7 (who cares - it's a phony), and the Bear and Sons 5" lockback. Compared to it's competitors in this group, being able to get the 110 at $28 is just an insane value. One may hate this type of knife as a category, but for this style of knife, the 110 is insanely good.

Comparing the 110 to a different style of knife is like comparing the Ford F-150 to a sports car. It just doesn't make sense.

If people want to judge Buck against modern offerings, they should look at the new crop of modern hunting knives and their offerings in the modern flipper market.

I will say this in criticism of Buck... I think they've done a horrible job of brand management. Even if you can make a profit at a low price point and even if you can move a ton of products at that price point, doesn't mean that is the best pricing strategy. People wrongly associate low price with poor quality. Buck has priced themselves into the same quality perception trap that Mora, Opinel and Victorinox have. I think the perceived value of the 110 would be better if they held their price at $40.

One of the real legitimate problems that Buck has had (which really doesn't have any bearing on the use of 420HC or the 110 or 119) is that they've produced some real clunkers in the low end market. The Bucklite Max folders and the Bantam folders are (there is no other word for it) weak in terms of their construction. The Spitfire and Slimline were launched with huge problems in terms of sloppy fit - a problem that plagued the early versions of the Vantage. And perhaps most sad (to me), they moved a bunch of their traditional slip joint production overseas, which IMO reduces a traditional knife to the status of trinket as it's production is cut off from the culture that made it traditional (i.e. an SAK should be made in Switzerland, not Croatia, just as an Opinel should be made in France, not in Portugal.) Perhaps these mis-steps in the low end price point market is causing Buck to lower the price on the 110 lower than they should to protect it's reputation.
 
I have a Buck 110 in 420HC. A few divots and dings in the handle but nothing major. The blade is still very good. I carry it on occasion, usually in-pocket, sometimes in the case on my belt. It's been used a lot, mainly outdoors.

As others have mentioned, a Buck 110 is nearly essential for a 'collection' but I find mine to be a very good knife. I like the look of the blade, there is no play vertically or horizontally and it is still rust free. It's tight as a tank still. It takes an excellent edge and holds it well.

The knife is well balanced and feels very good in hand. It handles well with gloves on too. It's the only lock back I own and still a hell of a knife. I wish the brass didn't tarnish so easily, but a quick rub with some Flitz now and then is all that's required.

I have taken good care of it and I'll never sell it. If it ever wears out I'll buy another. It's a great knife when I do use/carry it.
 
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Ankerson said:
Yup it did.

All they would have had to do is add a screw pivot and it would have been awesome. :thumbup:

Was pretty perfect actually...
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Ahh the Buck Lite. Great knife, I bought 3 for presents. They were about $15-20. Better than the 110 regular. The peened pin construction was very stable. All three knives are still in use after probably 20 years. One person snapped the tip off, but still uses it as is.
 
pinnah said:
I will say this in criticism of Buck... I think they've done a horrible job of brand management. Even if you can make a profit at a low price point and even if you can move a ton of products at that price point, doesn't mean that is the best pricing strategy. People wrongly associate low price with poor quality. Buck has priced themselves into the same quality perception trap that Mora, Opinel and Victorinox have. I think the perceived value of the 110 would be better if they held their price at $40.

One of the real legitimate problems that Buck has had (which really doesn't have any bearing on the use of 420HC or the 110 or 119) is that they've produced some real clunkers in the low end market. The Bucklite Max folders and the Bantam folders are (there is no other word for it) weak in terms of their construction. The Spitfire and Slimline were launched with huge problems in terms of sloppy fit - a problem that plagued the early versions of the Vantage. And perhaps most sad (to me), they moved a bunch of their traditional slip joint production overseas, which IMO reduces a traditional knife to the status of trinket as it's production is cut off from the culture that made it traditional (i.e. an SAK should be made in Switzerland, not Croatia, just as an Opinel should be made in France, not in Portugal.) Perhaps these mis-steps in the low end price point market is causing Buck to lower the price on the 110 lower than they should to protect it's reputation.
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They have and are still going for that customer base because that's were the largest volume is.

That's outside the forums etc... Out there in the real world were ave Joe Billy Bob is buying knives.

If Buck jacked the prices the standard 110 it would likely kill their sales figures and people would be looking for knives in the old price range.
 
420HC is a LOW end alloy and 440C is a medium one and superior to 420hc any day of the week. 440C is VERY easy to sharpen, but with Buck fan buying a new blade when it dulled, it's no wonder «they» had a hard time getting an edge back on lol
 
Ankerson said:
Yup it did.

All they would have had to do is add a screw pivot and it would have been awesome. :thumbup:

Was pretty perfect actually...
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Was the first knife I learned how to open with wrist flick. I got mine in a trade for skateboard parts; had to have it the day I saw the guy flick it open, just had to learn how, and like a fanatic it had to be that knife.
 
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