, the old Buck 110 is still an Ibest stainless steel tubing cutter

Yes, the old Buck 110 is still an Icon! The iconic character of the 110 saves it from being a total pass. Theres something to be said for trusting a knife. Who wouldnt want that for adventuring, whether into the backwoods, or the back yard? 6. Some steels, like VG-10, I can work and work and work on without getting past a certain level of sharpness. Ergonomics are wonderful. He doesnt hold himself out as an expert. The 110s Dymondwod and brass construction lead to a rather Rubenesque knife. In 1972 I carried it back to Vietnam with me. Of course we had (and I still have mine), the British Commando blade and knife. The knifes arrival, however, stirred old memories. Im still looking for a pristine, early era 110 at a reasonable price. Took it with him to Vietnam. My brother purchased this knife just after he earned his Green Beret in 1967. I think they sell something similar at bladehq these days. Ive heard nothing but good things about Bucks warranty. I own several Spydercos, Benchmades, ESEEs and other modern knives. This is a great point, and one that I am coming increasingly to appreciate. Maybe your dream car is not a split window Corvette with a 427; maybe you dont understand why Mohammed Ali was the greatest boxer to ever win the Heavyweight title, but for millions, there is a special place for this classic that will not fade with time. Like the song goes: I like my women a little on the trashy side.. Btw, I just got me a Cold Steel Lawman, 3 1/2 blade, so far very nice, aye, always collecting, using-touching knives! But he also has the larger Spyderco Military. There isnt a wrong way to hold the 110. 3. But yeah, definitely no better way to get a good one than to inspect it yourself. Perhaps that is unfair as the 110 is practically an antique, but its Bens honest take on the knife. But that young man can sharpen a blade better than his old man! A couple of years ago, I bought a new 110. The blade width has been reduced by about 10-15%, due to repeated sharpening. 1972?) I find balance to be an essential part of good knife design. Its a shame you lost it but Im glad youre enjoying the new one. All that for around $30-$50. No clip here. The bow shape handle is as neutral as it gets. The opening action is smooth and positive, and the sound when the lock engages is satisfying, and all of this was how the knife was out of the box. Its just too heavy to lug around regularly and mine has the exact same blade play issue you mentioned. I think one of the early ones was called the One-Armed Bandit, a sort of hooped thumbstud that fit over the top of the knife. All are beautiful! But yeah, they may be shoddily put together but they will definitely last a long time, so theres that. this is not a pocket knife so not fair to expect it to be carried like one. Thats not to say that the 110 is a bad knife. And, the Buck 110 provides heavy-duty use for a remarkably low price. I know I was raised such, and still am! It does make the knife handle obviously smaller. None of mine have blade play, all have good walk & talk, all came sharp and are relatively easy to re-sharpen. The model 110 joins other such nadirs of design like the Colt model P, the Winchester model 92, and other physical proofs of mankinds capability to demonstrate genius in everyday tools. Its definitely not the best knife in my collection in the sense of mechanical or technological advancement, but its the one I trust the most to do whatever I need, whenever I need it to. I was born in the late 50s, and my first good knife as a kid was a Buck 110. It may be old and outdated, but here aint many folders that can claim a history like that. And yes, I have a few 112s, and I like the newer one with the finger grooves! Balance is right in the middle of the handle, where the swell is most pronounced a decent distance from the pivot. Frankly I have been surprised to see how attached people are to this knife. But I see the same value in products by Victorinox and Mora. But where the weight really kills the 110, of course, is in carry. I got mine at a local academy sports store. Obviously still not as good as a delica, but might be fun to have if you want the full 110 experience. Spyderco has been tweaking their flagships for years and nobodys forgotten the significance of the Delica. How can you praise a budget steel like 420? And while I dont like celebrity knives either, at the very least Steve Austin does seem to be genuinely into knives. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It travels with me and never lets me down. *I have had people ask me to do theirs, and I have done just a few. Im not in any way suggesting anyone give up their Benchmade or Kershaw or whatever, but pointing out that in certain situations it may be practical to carry the knife that will draw less attention as opposed to perhaps no knife at all. I hate to say It must be good because everyone says so. but in the case of the Buck 110, I never heard (or read) any real criticism of the 110 other than its too heavy to be a pocketknife which is like saying a buzzard is too big to be a songbird. Here are his barely-maintained Twitter and blog. There are choices for nearly any taste or budget, and even color and material choices for knife scales have expanded beyond any other era in human history. You wrote that Buck customers are left in the lurch by some very shoddy production. If I stumble across one somewhere I might just pick it up for fun. Is it fair to hold the 110 to modern standards? BUCK got its reputation the old fashion way.. it earned it by making solid reliable blades and standing by what they sold. mark. Excellent review, Benjamin, and interesting reader comments and testimonials on the classic 110. Seems to be a nitpicky review. Thus, they struggle to understand why they were/are so damned popular with the guys who carried them. KA-BAR recently released such a knife and it is 2 oz. A backlock or locking blade do not a modern knife make. I especially adore the way Spydercos flip open, and treasure their excellent steels, such as S110V. Your email address will not be published. It is a true Forever warranty, not some For the life of the product or Original Purchaser Only/ Tragically, I hve recently been declared a member of a heretofore unheard of (by me) demographic, advanced middle age. Some with real wood scales, some with stag scales, and some with mammoth ivory scales. Charles, I dont see how Ben can, in good conscious, compare this knife favorably to a modern EDC knife. No history of the folding pocket knife is complete without the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. With the absolute glut of good choices out there, the Buck 110 still stands as a design monolith that stands the test of time and has proved its concept through millions of copies. The review may be the authors opinion and everyone has But indeed there are better knifes, and for a light folder (and the price) a few of my favorites would be Cold Steels Recon 1, and the Broken Skull. For the price, you are certainly getting a durable outdoors/heavy duty knife. Thanks for this great comment. I do not notice the weight. Very cool. I do think it is the only genuinely interesting design Buck has made since the Vantage. It fought with A-341 in the battle of Bu Dop, then flew 64 combat reconnaissance missions and lived through the final big battle of the war, Linebacker II. And in a way, a little slop makes you feel like the knife is primed to be beaten on at least, thats how I feel anyway, and I didnt have any compunction about hammering on my 110 out on hikes. I havent handled either the Recon 1 or the Broken Skull personally, but they do seem like clear improvements along the same design lines. Its a question of refinement. My first 110 had blockier bolsters, but the overall feel in the hand was like coming home. That said, if you enjoy your 110 then I hope you continue to enjoy it and carry it in good health. I couldnt wait to get something lighter into my pocket. This is real knife history that can be had for $40. The lines of the 110 are so familiar that I hardly need to go over them. As noted it is bulky and heavy and is not needed for most daily cutting chores. A low-slung, sharkish clip point, it leverages its length to great effect. But as a tool, in any application, I can suggest a dozen other knives that outperform it. Relatedly, Im kind of surprised there isnt a bigger mod scene for 110s than there is. Nail nicks are part of the charm of traditional knives, but the 110 isnt a traditional knife. buck makes plenty of models to satisfy every need and the 110 fits a perfect need for millions of people. More than other knife besides the Swiss Army Knife, the Buck 110 is an icon. Each time I walked out of the store having paid less than $30. Theres nothing unpleasant about this while holding the knife, but in use it means you lose so much control for finer work. I take issue with some of its quirks but I definitely dont want to see it disappear. Great idea and Id be interested in trying it out, but for me it lacks that classic 110 feel (visually, at least). Not all every day of course. None have blade play even after years of use. Im sure theyve produced nice ones but its too bad yours came out so rough. Im with you, I think the Broken Skull was probably already in the works when Cold Steel approached Steve Austin and asked for a partnership. totally disagree with this review but respect it. It is very good looking and sure it will last but the fold is so rough that it needs to be pushed home. What else can you ask for from a reviewer? I have clip point and drop points of various blade steels. I have never found them excessively heavy although in a pocket they might be, I have never carried one in a pocket so I do not know. Every knife has a niche and the buck 110 fits the bill perfectly. The 110s two-handed opening is a bummer. Best EDC Knives One..Mine differs dramatically from the authors as does the vast majority of Buck Knife owners I would suspect. The old style trappings of traditional knives and the Buck 110 just put people at ease in a way that modern knives dont. I hope yours continues to provide many years of faithful service. The Buck 110 was never intended to be a pocket knife. To me thats a steel for an American made icon. I followed that up a while later with a model 120 (General). Their SPA Treatment refurbishes any of their knives making it look new, for less than $10. Walmart has the Buck 110 (yes, still made in Post Falls, Idaho) with an every day not on sale price of under $30. I have almost every type of knife out there from all the good brands. When you start using a knife year after year is when you really are able to review them until then you arent honestly reviewing it.. you are writing a article simply to profit from it and that is my OPINION. That was sarcasm, in case anyone missed it. I have NEVER had a 110 with blade rock when it was open. You can get them new at wally for 34 bucks. Please dont take his critique of the knife personally. Yes, I admit to an addiction. The 110 works best as an outdoors/hard use tool, not an EDC. It is designed to perform heavy cutting chores while being more compact than a fixed blade knife with a 4 blade. I cannot imagine how 7 ounces is too heavy to lug around. Its all in the heat treat. Its less just bad than it is really unfeasible.. I also have a Cold Steel AD10, Original SOG Tomcat, and a couple from Lionsteel. And theres something to be said for that. As yours and other comments have shown, it has a deeply proven track record. It is not designed for fine cutting chores. This is an amazing story, thanks so much for sharing. Complaints aside, the nail nick on the 110 works well, as does simply pinching the blade as I normally do on my Opinel. Ive always been interested in the 112, as well as some of the even smaller iterations of the 110 design like the Prince. Required fields are marked *. I have owned Buck 110s for decades, buying me first one in the early 1970s (long since lost). Care to try and validate that? 2. I love each for its merits. DUH that is why they have always come with a belt pouch. There is no unqualified recommendation I can make for the 110 other than collectability. And people-friendliness is a big plus for me personally, just because Im around so many non-knife people, and while I dont share their anxieties regarding knives, I can definitely sympathize and dont want to make them uncomfortable. This timeless gem can be obtained for as little as $30 US. Ive since bought a couple of custom 110s S30v blade steel, drop point, and the traditional clip point too. I own 11 Buck 110s in many shapes (clip point old & new and drop point), blade steels (440, 5160, S30V), and handle scales(natural wood, stag, mammoth ivory, rams horn, carbon fiber). . comparing Apples and oranges. I have no reason to ever carry it, and havent since the review, but Ive kept my 110; its remained in the collection even as better knives have come and go, because I just like it. But, when it comes to moderate to heavy field chores, they handle these chores less well than the 110. The Buck/Bos 420HC is probably a smidge better than 8Cr13MoV, but not quite as good as AUS-8A. The desirability of a knife depends almost entirely upon the uses one envisions for the knife. Great design and execution of concept are timeless and remain useful. If you dont think Boss 420 is anything to write home about, remember that in informal cut tests (Cedric and Ada) Bucks 420 retains an edge about 50% longer than another 420. Can you provide a link or other reference for the Maryland case? Speaking of the 112, I think my one Army son just likes it small but with the rugged feel? The fact that the 110 is so cheap is impressive. Spencer, It has been fascinating to read the comments on this review. The gleaming brass bolsters and wooden scales have been copied by dozens and dozens of manufacturers over the years. There are many varied opinions about the 110, and no, it doesnt compare favorably with many modern folders. I dont even know that its a particularly good value at $40. Economy, I have purchased four 110s as gifts or to drop in this bag or that briefcase or stow in that center console. I know I am in the minority on these issues. I no longer carry this knife, except when I am out in the woods and do not wish to carry a fixed blade knife. It can be carried in a pocket. Not sure how that worked though. Thanks for your review. I cant tell you how many times over the years I have sent a 110 in for some minor thing only to have them literally change the blade at no cost and send it back polished brass and looking like the day I bought it. Some have the 420HC blade steel, some have S30V blade steel. I think that Buck is still trying to work out its priorities and in the meantime customers are left in the lurch with some very shoddy production. Im one of those crazy people that carried this knife on me every working day of my 20+ years in the Coast Guard, along with a whole bunch of other Coasties and Navy personnel, it was a tool you could depend on to save your life and the lives of others. After looking at overall quality, by examining materials, price, manufacturing QC, and warranty to determine value I purchased another 110 from the Buck Custom Shop. Still, even at this remove, the Buck folding hunter remains remarkable from every point of the compass. I carried one when I was a kid and let it get away from me at some point so I recently bought another one and carry it on my belt everyday. I think theyve convinced themselves that, by changing the 110, they are flouting the tradition it represents. We here all know that a knife is a tool, but to many of the inexperienced or uninformed in the world, certain types of knives are thought of as a criminals weapon (stilettos, balisongs) or killing tools (anything that looks too tactical). Notify me of follow-up comments by email. If anything, the review offers a different take on it. There is no better way to learn about the advantages of lightweight knives than to spend a little time with a Buck 110. My father and uncles were all WW II Vets (they are all before the Throne of God now). A lot of knives we think of as old like the Sebenza or the Delica are babies compared with it and even though sentimentality plays a role in why the 110 continues to sell, more importantly its also a strong, reliable blade. Much is made of Bucks Paul Bos heat treatments. That enables the reader to weigh the importance of an issue. that I lathed and polished down the handle so I could open it with one hand. An aluminum-framed 110 weighs in at 4 1/8 oz. I did ask for advice but was told to hit it on something hard! Those were gentler times and a kid with a ridiculously long-bladed sheath knife drew chuckles and good natured jokes from adults, but nobody seemed to think the kid would grow up to be a serial killer or something. Not through BS marketing and unnecessary design improvements If I am hunting, fishing, hiking or working. The price was so reasonable, I just bought it to have one again. This post contains affiliate links. Sometimes the 110s good looks work against it, I think its so handsome that you expect its fit and finish to be as striking as its looks, but Buck just doesnt seem capable of (or, more likely, just isnt interested in) consistent, high FnF. I got my buck in 1980.it was the best tool I had.I used to skin and butcher 9 moose and 2 beef,along with pulling nails and staples , and cleaning fishusing it as a hammer and plumb bob and a paper weight.I even used it to preform surgery( remove a sliver) when at the end of my holiday in Mxico I forgot to pack it in my luggage and they would not let me on the plane with it. For all of my complaining in the review I guess Im glad that the 110 has kind of stayed its same old beautiful and clunky self, too. Thats simply not true. Though some may find the 110 to be an old style relic, one thing this knife is not is shoddy. Buck is a company with a proud history, and the 110 is central to that history. I saw a video of Austin where he whipped out a Sebenza and talked about opening up bottles with it. Yes indeed us knife guys are a breed! Mine had no blade play came razor sharp out of the clam pack the fit and finish was pretty much spot on. Some have the original clip point, some have the newer drop point. I will say though that people in my current neck of the woods would probably be a little weirded out by the 110, less because of the way it looks than its overall size. steaks; when did 7.2 OUNCES become too heavy to carry on our belts. I feel that way about my good old saber grind Delica 4. In some ways this was the hardest review period for me. Its only a matter of time before both of these knives end up in my hands, but talking about them here has moved them up a couple places on the (always growing) list! But I had never heard of this aluminum framed model before if I ever pick up another modern 110 this will be the one I look for, thanks for bringing it to my attention. Thanks for the kind words! hamburgers and 10 oz. They have been upgrading a lot of old designs and the Lone Star was due for a makeover. If Buck is going to continue to espouse the virtues of stateside production, I really would like to see them recognize the level of competition out there and up their game. But when I was living in Colorado I saw more than one guy with a 110 belt pouch out and about, and nobody gave it a second glance. The heaviness does a lot of the work for you. At that size I have to assume it feels, carries, and functions more like a traditional knife. Its frustrating that there arent readily available modern variations on the 110 from Buck. I think it weighs just over 3 oz.! But most of those modern wonder-knives we laud so much are basically standing on the shoulders of the 110. I can order from other manufacturers online confident that Ill receive a well-tuned unit 99% of the time; I would like to see Buck hit that reliability as well. In relation to the handle, the belly is angled so that you can really push down and get through material quickly. The tip is acute for effective leading and good piercing. Dont know if Im brave enough to give the finger groove model a try, but they do look pretty cool. Ive heard theyre a little better in terms of quality and steel. I have ones with brass bolsters & liners and ones with nickel silver bolsters & liners. Crazy to think that the Crooked River (a clear tribute to the 110) is almost 2 oz. One of the enduring virtues of the 110 with Bucks 420HC is that it is available at a price almost anyone can afford, and Bucks 420HC has been demonstrated to hold an edge about 50% better than other manufacturers 420HC. But for all that it heralds modern folder design, the 110 is more antithetical to a Paramilitary 2 or a Griptilian than a traditional knife. I can see it being a good, reliable back-up knife for sure. Well said. Nostalgia, the 110 was the first good knife millions of outdoorsmen ever owned (Im one of them). They have proved reliable in millions of hands and on millions of belts for decades. Thats a very strong condemnation and I think uncalled for. The closer the balance is to the pivot, the more control we have over the blade. *Of course I meant a first type size blade looking like a fixed blade when opened. The history and lineage of the Buck 110 is something that no other modern folder can match. The authors review here of the Buck 110 sounds a lot like reviews of the M1 .30 Carbine. Im sure more modern designs at half the weight or less are theoretically as (if not more) durable than the 110, but the weight makes me feel like it the 110 is stronger. And crude doesnt necessarily equate to bad. I have an older 110 (Buck U.S.A. My 110 came with a leather sheath, the traditional carry method for this knife, but I find that to be impractical for day-to-day suburban life, so my 110 rode in the back pocket. It sounds like you had a similar relationship with that first 110 of yours. That is a heavy use, folding, outdoor knife. Warm regards, and long live this golden age of cutlery we are currently enjoying. If Ford still made the Model A, they would still sell too. Thats quite a damning condemnation. It came home with his effects, and I claimed it for my own. While its not awful its definitely not very reassuring. 1. I only have 9 (a couple from their custom shop, some I have customized the scales on and some that are just the plain old standar steel, brass, and real wood scales). They usually hover around $60-70 on the secondary, which is hard for me to choke up for something I will carry only occasionally. The lock on mine is real sloppy, but I didnt ever feel like it was going to fail on me. You expect these things to feel right on a classic, and they do. All are user knives. Padded pliers fixed that problem. I received my first 110 as a gift back in 69-70 as a young lad, and it served me well and faithfully through Boy Scouts, regular hunting/fishing/backpacking/camping trips and then 10 years active-duty Air Force on numerous global assignments and deployments I never left home without it.