Buck Knives in Use

I have a 119 Special that I have used for over 20 years that is still in great shape. It took an extremely sharp edge and will hold it quite well with normal use. I carry a 110 daily and it has proven to be an excellent heavy duty folding knife. Neither have demonstrated the slightest tendency to chip. The 420HC steel used in Buck knives isn't the same as the cheap 420J2 some other foreign makers use.

Keep in mind that Buck does have a good heat treatment on their 420HC. Like Centenniel in the post above, I think their blades are better than some others made of the same steel, or from different types of 420.

420 resists rust well, and is the outer steel in Fallkniven's laminated blades. They used to use straight VG-10, but now, only the core steel is VG-10. The blades are said to test even tougher than the straight VG-10 ones is flex tests.

It probably isn't fair to compare Buck to the far more expensive Fallkniven products, but I think Buck makes good knives. Other than their basic classic styles, I think their designs leave a lot to be desired, but I'm just not into modern "tactical" knives.

I think that as long as one avoids abusing the fairly slim tips, the No 119 and No. 120 (discontinued now, alas) are good enough for about anything that most people should be doing with a knife. And the price is very fair.

T-Star
P.S. Keep in mind that carbon steel blades will strike a spark better, but they also rust! I don't like to strike sparks with my knife, anyway.

I have, and have had a bunch of Buck knives over the years (including a 110) and I was never that impressed with them. For an everyday carry knife to open boxes, cut an occasional piece of rope, and open the bills with they are fine. The Buck knives I have are made of stainless steel which is difficult to sharpen and have hold a keen edge. I have come across a few OLD Marbles knives that were made by the original Marbles Axe Company and they will out perform a Buck knife any day. Unfortunately, they are not making those old knives anymore. Now what Marbles is putting their name on are those cheap imported knives made of cheap stainless steel from China. They look pretty, but aren't worth a crap. You can still by good knives from Queen, Shatt & Morgan, and a few other Company's, but they are few and far between now.

That said, I carried Buck knives for many many years until I found an old rusted Marbles knife that I restored. Now my Buck's are getting a well deserved vacation.

Some of my Buck Knives,Allso have the Buck Royalty Line Empress Trio (very rare.)
Dick

There's an article about Buck knives in the current (Sept./Oct.) issue of American Handgunner, which mentions their efforts to bring production back to the US. The model I referred to in my earlier post as a "General" is properly called a "Special", which is a large, heavy bladed knife, too long and heavy for most tasks, but apparently robust --- its the only knife among those I own that I'd even think about using for "chopping", a task better done by machetes and axes.

Minor thread drift... but the Bucks somewhat depend on what one means by a survival knive. The 119 was/is among the quintenessential American hungting knives. I may have spelled that wrong, oh well. The design of the blade is such to assist getting the insides of a deer or similar sized creature on the outside. I broke the tip off a 119 when I was in college, mid way through I think. I don't remember what I was doing with it, probably something I shouldn't have been. I just remember a snap noise and no more tip.

Anyway, those that tune in "Dual Survival", the latest popular pseudo reality survival show, will notice that Cody Lundin (who actually does have years of experience, despite being a bit odd) carries a Mora around his neck. The other guy has a more modern looking medium sized knife with a non glare blade.

Most people do not carry a means to sharpen a knive around with them. I do (Lansky pull through), but most people do not. That's where a stainless knive can be a problem. Find the right rock, or your leather belt for stropping, and a Mora can soon be shaving sharp. Expoxy a flint striker rod to the sheath and you can start a fire. Or find the right rock.

The trick to not having a carbon blade rust is to wipe it down. Worked well for centuries. Anyway, if the blade gets dulled - which batoning quickly tends to do on all but a few high priced knives - it helps to have a means to resharpen. The Bucks can be made passibly sharp with a Lansky or other field pull through sharpener, but a carbon steel knife... that you can get almost shaving sharp even with crude tools.

If someone is determined to use a stainless blade primarily, I'd suggest investing in a Douk Douk to carry with it.

GatorFarmer said:

Minor thread drift... but the Bucks somewhat depend on what one means by a survival knive. The 119 was/is among the quintenessential American hungting knives. I may have spelled that wrong, oh well. The design of the blade is such to assist getting the insides of a deer or similar sized creature on the outside. I broke the tip off a 119 when I was in college, mid way through I think. I don't remember what I was doing with it, probably something I shouldn't have been. I just remember a snap noise and no more tip.

Anyway, those that tune in "Dual Survival", the latest popular pseudo reality survival show, will notice that Cody Lundin (who actually does have years of experience, despite being a bit odd) carries a Mora around his neck. The other guy has a more modern looking medium sized knife with a non glare blade.

Most people do not carry a means to sharpen a knive around with them. I do (Lansky pull through), but most people do not. That's where a stainless knive can be a problem. Find the right rock, or your leather belt for stropping, and a Mora can soon be shaving sharp. Expoxy a flint striker rod to the sheath and you can start a fire. Or find the right rock.

The trick to not having a carbon blade rust is to wipe it down. Worked well for centuries. Anyway, if the blade gets dulled - which batoning quickly tends to do on all but a few high priced knives - it helps to have a means to resharpen. The Bucks can be made passibly sharp with a Lansky or other field pull through sharpener, but a carbon steel knife... that you can get almost shaving sharp even with crude tools.

If someone is determined to use a stainless blade primarily, I'd suggest investing in a Douk Douk to carry with it.

Click to expand...

Okay, someone has to ask...what's a Douk Douk?

Douk Douk is a cheap French slip-joint "customized" for the South Pacific area where the Duk Duk god is a big deal. French never could spell right(or fight either).

Bob

bk43 said:

Your Bark River was a convex grind when it left BRKT. Generally, you can reshape a convex grind to flat and visa-versa. The grind you can't change easily, if at all, is a hollow grind as there's just not enough metal to work with. It's worth the effort to work at keeping a convex grind on a blade as it works so well with a general purpose camp/survival knife. The maker spent a good bit of extra money making the blade that way so why not enjoy it?

BTW congrats on your knife...great choice. You can spend less on a production knife but those are special. Just tell yourself you've earned it.

Bob

Click to expand...

Sir, the Bark River does indeed have a convex edge profile, but the rest of the blade is a flat grind. In cross-section, it's shaped more or less like this: \/.

I don't know what edge profile the Buck came with when new (compound, probably), but back of the edge, the blade is hollow-ground in cross-section. It's shaped more or less like this: )(. This sort of grind leaves the blade thinner in cross-section, and thus not as strong as a flat grind.

This photo isn't very good, but it should help to illustrate what I mean. The Buck on the left is hollow-ground; you can see the radius of the wheel it was ground on. The Bark River at right is flat-ground.


Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

Most Pumas are flat-ground, as are most Fallkniven, as I recall. The latter also have the appleseed or Moran edge.

Both are expensive. The Fallkniven are designed and made (in Japan) for a Swedish company, headed by a knowledgeable hunter and angler. Don't confuse Fallkniven with cheap Mora or Frost knives from Sweden.

I wish that Fallkniven was better known here. They probably cost too much for shops in malls and most sporting goods stores to stock them. The average hunter or angler won't pay that much for a knife.

Flat ground knives are certainly stronger than semi hollowground ones like Buck, but if someone breaks a Buck, he was probably doing something 'way more than a knife should be doing.

I suspect that if a Buck breaks, it's either at the narrow point on the No 119, or at the guard, if the tang snaps.

I wonder if sticking a thrashing shark on deck could break a knife? That's got to be one of the more stressful things a knife might be asked to do. The very sharp point on the 119 and the discontinued 120 should stab well through the tough shark skin, though.

I figure that either of these models or the discontinued No. 124 (like the Nemo) should be okay if a cougar needs stabbing. (You can see No. 124's or Nemos in the photo above of the knives in a box. They're at the top and bottom in the pic.) In the case that I cited on Vancouver Island, a Schrade folder worked, and it is both hollowground and has a joint to weaken the knife. But the man using it told me on the phone that he had no trouble, other than getting the knife open after he was attacked. He was damaged; the knife wasn't.

T-Star

Ron H. said:

Sir, the Bark River does indeed have a convex edge profile, but the rest of the blade is a flat grind. In cross-section, it's shaped more or less like this: \/.

Click to expand...

Correct, sorry I was not as clear as I could have been. A convex grind at the edge(see, I'm getting better but probably still no hope) is also called the Moran or appleseed edge as referenced above.

Bob