Who likes Buck Knives

B

backpacker

Joined
Oct 2, 2000
Messages
201
I was given a Buck 119 General model. When I was through sharpening it, I could not believe how sharp it was. This knife took an edge as sharp as my Cold Steel Knives. Does anybody have an information on the edge holding ability of this knife.
 
Buck's definitely one of the underrated companies, probably because they're so boring - ALL they do is produce great knives and stand by them with great service. ;) I suggest you post this on the Buck forum under Makers / Mfgs. There are a lot of knowledgeable folks there, including a few from the Buck Co. Meanwhile, buy more Buck knives. You won't be sorry.
 
I abuse the heck out my Bucks, and they just come back for more. They sharpen easily, are quite rust resistant, and do the job. And Buck’s customer service is better than anyone’s I’ve ever dealt with. Lots of people pick on Buck for their choice of steel, but I’m perfectly happy with it.
 
I think the Buck 119 ib the Special. I have one with a 6 in. blade, and it is a great knife.
 
My favorite Buck knives are:

110 Lockback, which was my first real knife of any quality.

Vanguard, great for gutting deer.
 
I have a number of Bucks including the big 119, which I used to field dress a couple of moose, no problem. The steel is a little more difficult to sharpen than carbon steel and doesn't hold an edge quite as long, but what the heck -- it's still good enough for one LARGE game animal. Good product for the money, and great customer service. Hard to ask for much more.
 
It's hard to say enough good about Buck knives and and Buck Knives, Inc.

I've had a special for over about 20 years (+/-) and for a long time it was my camping and big game hunting knife. I dressed my first elk with that knife, countless deer and to this day it's our favorite kitchen knive. We even bring it on vacation with us as a kitchen knife.

The 110 and 112 are like family heirlooms and they have done yeomans service over the years. I still use the Skinner and Pathfinder and though my tastes have grown more expensive, I still go back to my Bucks. They are not the easiest to sharpen (at least for me) and may not hold an edge as long as the Chris Reeves or Busse knives, but they are very stain resistent and provide great bang for the Buck! (sorry).:rolleyes:
 
Almost forgot, the Buck/Strider is my very favorite "hard use" folder and the large Intrepid is my dive knife of choice. Did I happen to mention that I really like Buck knives for the price.

I should also mention that the Buck family are salt of the earth people and I take pleasure in supporting them, especially when I get a good deal in value.
 
I have a Buck MiniBuck lockback Model 425, in black. It currently resides on my keyring and takes much abuse without complaint.
 
Buck truly makes a great blade.

I have a model 102 Woodsman that's been with me since I was a Boy Scout many moons ago. That knife has dressed at least 40 deer and 1 bear that I can think of and countless numbers of other woodland critters. It's been a blessing in many a'camp. Although I have other great blades, it seems that old Woodsman has just become a trusted friend.

I drilled the butt to accept a lanyard and had Normark make me a concealex multi-carry sheath for it. It's now more useful than ever and more serviceable than many of my so called "premium" blades. I use this knife as a standard by which to measure the quality and performance of others knives.

Mike
 
Good to hear that someone else likes the Woodsman. I think that this one of the most underrated knife in the Buck lineup. I use mine as my primary small game and camp kitchen knife. I think it is perfect for these chores.
 
For over 20 years, my backpacking knife has been my 1975 Buck Pathfinder. It is the perfect size and weight and has the old 440C blade. What more could you want?
 
Although some of Buck's designs don't excite me, I've got to agree that the Intrepid is an excellent heavy-duty dive knife. You may not need it for harvesting scallops, but several of my friends are wreck divers and it's great for pounding/prying things loose.
 
I loved my Buck. It was great. Until...............I lost it.
Only complaint is that they are impossible to take apart.
 
Don't know a whole lot about them, but I just bought a Buck 119 from Tim Flanagan over on the For Sale board. I should get it this week. Tim says he bought it in the late 1980s and that the knife has never been used. From the picture, it sure looks new.

Anybody know what kind of steel Buck was putting in the 119 back in the 80s???
 
Hi Guyon,

Back in the '80s, Buck used 425M stainless steel. Unfortunately, it contains only half the carbon content of 440C which they used in the '70s. 425M is very similar to 440A with .5% carbon compared to 440C with 1.0% carbon. Today they use 420HC which is a slightly lesser grade of stainless. Regardless, I think you will be very happy with your 119 in 425M. Buck uses a good heat treat and that will make your 119 perform quite well.
 
I had purchased a second Buck 102 Woodsman in 420HC to send to On-Scene Tactical in order to have Eric (Normark) make the sheath for my original 102.

Anyways, that new 102 was used last week to skin and partially cut up a button buck and a spike buck I'd gotten. When I started, the knife was scary sharp ... arms hairs screamed in horror and jumped off my arm at its approach. Now, after going through two whitetails, it will shave hair with a little coaxing.

Mike
 
TAH: Much obliged for the info. I think it'll be a good knife for it's intended purpose, which is a general utility/camping knife. I have fixed blades with better steel for skinning. I got the knife today and must say it has a nice balance to it. Fits the hand well and should be a good user.
 
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