Recommendation? Where to buy a good 501?

2

22Hornet

Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
170
I tried to order a Buck 501 from a dealer that I have had a lot of luck with. (Not sure if it is kosher to give the name). I requested one with centered blade, flush spring(opened and closed), no up and down or sideways play. They went thru the stock they had, and did not find one that met that criteria. They have had 2 shipments since then and still can't find one to that spec. I am at a loss as to what to do,

I'm not upset with the dealer, but I am surprised that Buck cannot provide a knife with those specs. I would rather get a good one and not have to return to Buck and hassle with that. I know Buck would make it right, but I would rather not go thru that.

Any tips or advice?
 
Advice #1: Lower your expectations. Not that there isn't an absolutely perfect 501 out there, but these are hand tools, not fine timepieces. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a dealer who will open every box just to find one that meets your requirements. Even if they tell you they've checked every one, I don't believe it. They won't work that hard to sell a $45 knife. Besides, when you want all your peperoni slices laid out perfectly on your pizza using a protractor and compass; you'll probably be refused service.

Advice #2: The best chance of getting one that's pretty close to perfect is to wait for SK Blades to do their 501 with Burlap Micarta. SK's team touches every knife to ensure the best quality possible before leaving their shop. Whether or not perfect centering is a quality they scrutinize is something only they can tell you. Of course, premium products and service come at a price, so I would expect this one will set you back more than twice a standard 501.

The more you spend, the more critical you're allowed to be.

That's my $0.02; don't spend it all in one place.
 
I’m with Mt_Pokt on this one......if you’re purchasing a knife to use none of that matters...now if you’ll be staring at it all day that’s a different story.
 
A $40 made in USA knife with $200 expectations. These are production knives made in the USA for cutting. Kind of like buying a Kia and expecting Mercedes quality.
 
Until I decided to look for a knife forum it had never crossed my mind about blade center and since joining rarely look at centering anyway, and I'm fairly anal about perfection. Same for springs. I wish they would fit better but even knives I redo generally only match in one position. Blade wobble has never been an issue with my bucks.

Moral to the story? Just get you a 501.

Pete
 
Your expectations are too high.
You can expect whatever you want for your money and there's nothing wrong with that as it's your money, but you need to be realistic with yourself.

And besides, unless a blade rubs it doesn't have to be perfectly centered, you can get passed it and eventually forget all about it.
 
I just picked up my 1991 501. Dead center after all these years. Why not expect perfection? It's your money.

Buy one right from Buck. It may or may not be better, but they offer a S30V blade and sweet handles. :thumbsup:
 
Just a thought but it's possible the dealer decided any potential sale wasn't going to be worth the hassle due to expectations and therefore will never be able to "find" the OP his knife.
 
I agree with BuckShack...get one from the custom shop. The one I got is absolutely perfect. I also had a regular production 501 that had a scale get loose after a while, which was not a big deal but it was really annoying. So I sent it to Buck and mentioned some of the other minor issues....a little off center and slight blade play. None of these things kept me from carrying it since they weren't a big deal, but Buck has a warranty department for a reason so I used it. It came back in awesome shape and I'm glad I sent it in. So there are ways to get a really nice 501. If you want a regular production 501...get one. And if it has issues you don't want to live with, let Buck know and they'll help you get everything resolved.
 
My remedy was to buy an old vintage and have a spa treatment done on it. Short of a spa trip, I agree with everyone else saying buy from the custom shop if you expect perfection (or close to it). The modern 501 I owned had flaws, but nothing I couldn’t live with on a user. Especially at the price point. Plus lifetime warranty. I am also very excited about the SK barehead 501 which you might think about as well :thumbsup:
 
I'm with kossetx, until I saw it on the internet, I never gave blade centering a second thought. I have checked all my single blade Buck folders, all are ok and some are perfect but they still cut good. I never notice blade centering while cutting.
 
I got a 500 Duke from the same dealer and it was perfect. I ordered the 501 from the same dealer today. I just hope I do not have to send it back to Buck to get corrected.

I placed the order today in response to everyones replies. Thanks to all for their replies!
I will let you know the result when I receive the knife,

Thanks all
 
MT_Pokt said:
Advice #1: Lower your expectations. Not that there isn't an absolutely perfect 501 out there, but these are hand tools, not fine timepieces. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a dealer who will open every box just to find one that meets your requirements. Even if they tell you they've checked every one, I don't believe it. They won't work that hard to sell a $45 knife. Besides, when you want all your peperoni slices laid out perfectly on your pizza using a protractor and compass; you'll probably be refused service.

Advice #2: The best chance of getting one that's pretty close to perfect is to wait for SK Blades to do their 501 with Burlap Micarta. SK's team touches every knife to ensure the best quality possible before leaving their shop. Whether or not perfect centering is a quality they scrutinize is something only they can tell you. Of course, premium products and service come at a price, so I would expect this one will set you back more than twice a standard 501.

The more you spend, the more critical you're allowed to be.

That's my $0.02; don't spend it all in one place.
Click to expand...

Hear hear! Thanks for the shout out. I'm meeting with Buck tomorrow to specifically go over my expectations for this 501. It should be a doozy!
 
I received the 501 on 6/24 and it is not left my pocket since. I got some grief here for being so picky, but I'm glad I was. The blade is centered and no blade play in any form. When closed the spring sits very slightly below the frame, only your fingernail can detect this. The spring fits flush when open and the blade and spring mesh perfectly. I like this 501 more than the 500. It is a better blade length to handle ratio, more elegent, but still a stout knife with class
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top