Buck 110: are the new ones good?

[0122358]

So i looked but coudlnt find it, and didnt want to ruin the fixed blade thread by posting about a folder. The buck 110 is IMO a classic american woodsman knife. My dad has one that my mom got him for thier anniversery 27ish years ago. its still going strong despite all scratched up to hell and crap. Blade is still sharp too..i digress

ive always wanted one, and want to get one in the next couple of weeks for my Spring MBO exercise.

so two questions.

1. is the buck 110 a good camp folder?, (i know its heavy and bulky, but beside that)

2. Are the newly made ones still good qaulity? Id like to be able to pass this on to my son down the road (im 20 so i got a while )

[Haji]

Yes and Yes.

[jdavidboyd]

Got mine for my 16th birthday, and it stays sharp as a razor. Used it once to clean 3 deer, and trim the callouses off my dad's feet, and it still shaved the hair off your arm.

I just had my 53d birthday, and it still locks up as tight as the day I got it. A little verdigris on the brass, but other than that, in tip top shape.

Still have the original leather sheath as well...

[praharin]

I've inherited a few from my dad as he keeps breaking the tips while field dressing

I usually just fix them up and put them back. I have one that I've used a few times. Bucks 420HC is as good as ever, and all signs point to that not changing any time soon. If you like the style, go for it.

[ninja-elbow]

This is good to hear. I was wondering if Buck switched off to lower quality on the classics to make room for new and cool modern stuff like some of the other knife companies have. I may buy one and put it in the drawer with my other collection just out of respect.

I used a 110 my whole Navy career, with all kinds of satellite knives and tools ... but my 110 was the base, the standard. Tipped it in 1992 but just took a file to it and kept using it. Worked great. Handed it off to a kid I trained named Martine, some hispanic hesher kid from LA, when I got out.

[eugene]

Mine is only a few years old but quality seems fine. I was splitting wood with it the other day as I don't have a fixed blade knife.

[111t]

I have one about 8 years old. The quality is there. Locks like a bank vault.

[Three]

My father has had his 110 for 25+ years. Mine only lasted about a year, but that was purely due to me neglecting my "work knife". For the price you certainly can't go wrong. I generally only carry Benchmade's and am pretty biased when it comes to knives, but I can honestly say that I have no complaints with the 110.

[ninja-elbow]

Another thing I learned about 110s in the Navy was it's hard to "lose" them. I had an Al Mar my last WESPAC that lasted 2 months. Cost me $100 1993 dollars too. You could leave a 110 laying around for hours and no one would touch it.

[jitterypillow]

If you like the Buck 110 style, it still holds up as a good knife. A lot of people still like the 420HC they use, which is heat treated very well. BUT, if you want a little higher performance (and of course, a higher price to accompany it), Cabela's has their Alaskan Guide 110, featuring S30V steel. A stronger blade with a longer lasting edge, along with the famous leather sheath that the regular ones don't come with anymore. Check it out.

[crypto]

LOL, this conversation might go off the rails now, and if it does, Im sorry in advance:

The Cabelas Alaskan Guide 110, per the ad copy:

The original lock-back knife, the 110 Folder sports a 3-3/4" clip-point blade crafted of S30V steel with rosewood scales. Developed by Crucible Steel, S30V is made up of metallic powders fused together under intense pressure and heat. It is tempered under extremely high temperatures then cooled in a cryogenic freezer.

So, "metallic powders fused together under intense pressure" means metal injection molding, which means its not a forged blade. Does S30V have a well established reputation by now? I dont think Ive ever bought a knife with a sintered blade.

[ninja-elbow]

LOL, this conversation might go off the rails now, and if it does, Im sorry in advance:

The Cabelas Alaskan Guide 110, per the ad copy:

The original lock-back knife, the 110 Folder sports a 3-3/4" clip-point blade crafted of S30V steel with rosewood scales. Developed by Crucible Steel, S30V is made up of metallic powders fused together under intense pressure and heat. It is tempered under extremely high temperatures then cooled in a cryogenic freezer.

So, "metallic powders fused together under intense pressure" means metal injection molding, which means its not a forged blade. Does S30V have a well established reputation by now? I dont think Ive ever bought a knife with a sintered blade.

I know nothing about that, so I looked it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPM_S30V_steel
...and I still don't know much about it

[raxar]

This is good to hear. I was wondering if Buck switched off to lower quality on the classics to make room for new and cool modern stuff like some of the other knife companies have. I may buy one and put it in the drawer with my other collection just out of respect.

One thing to keep in mind is that Buck has moved some of it's production to china, I haven't heard anything about the chinese made knives but I would definitely check to see where one was made before buying it

[Three]

LOL, this conversation might go off the rails now, and if it does, Im sorry in advance:

The Cabelas Alaskan Guide 110, per the ad copy:

The original lock-back knife, the 110 Folder sports a 3-3/4" clip-point blade crafted of S30V steel with rosewood scales. Developed by Crucible Steel, S30V is made up of metallic powders fused together under intense pressure and heat. It is tempered under extremely high temperatures then cooled in a cryogenic freezer.

So, "metallic powders fused together under intense pressure" means metal injection molding, which means its not a forged blade. Does S30V have a well established reputation by now? I dont think Ive ever bought a knife with a sintered blade.

Buck apparently claims its the best blade steel there is. I never even heard of S30V till now . I always have and still do prefer the 154CM blade I EDC, but the 110 I'd still say it's a great buy for its price. I actually had to run down to the basement and dig my 110 out of the bottom of the tool box after reading about the powdered steel for further examination.

[Three]

Although I would much rather spend just a little bit more and pick up a Benchmade...

[eugene]

This is good to hear. I was wondering if Buck switched off to lower quality on the classics to make room for new and cool modern stuff like some of the other knife companies have. I may buy one and put it in the drawer with my other collection just out of respect.

One thing to keep in mind is that Buck has moved some of it's production to china, I haven't heard anything about the chinese made knives but I would definitely check to see where one was made before buying it

They haven't moved some production to china, they have a few newer products made there for them but have not moved any existing. They also note on their web site where each are made. Those chinese products are made specifically for stores that wouldn't sell them otherwise and thry have actually move more production to the us. Plus any company that won't give in to pcness a.d still has scripture on their paperwork is one i'll support.

[fungusmunkey]

The 110's and 112s are still US made and good quality.

Although I'm not 100% sure but the 110s at Walmart appear to have lesser quality wood and brass than ones purchased for higher prices at other places. Also the Walmart ones come with a nylon sheath instead of the leather which is still available.

[masayako]

I also considered buck 110 for a while. Turns out, I purchased a spyderco sage II as my main EDC folder. S30V as well.

[eugene]

The 110's and 112s are still US made and good quality.

Although I'm not 100% sure but the 110s at Walmart appear to have lesser quality wood and brass than ones purchased for higher prices at other places. Also the Walmart ones come with a nylon sheath instead of the leather which is still available.

They have a video on the manufacturing, showing how they are all hand inspected. I bet they give the still acceptable but not quite perfect quality to walmart.

[111t]

It looks like the sheath is available separately. Mine came with one that is just dandy so I may have a slightly older manufacture. Thanks to this thread I've pulled mine out of the dresser drawer and I've been varying it for a couple of days. Still a fairly good edc knife IMO.

[masayako]

Everything is good as long as it's not made in china.

[Haji]

LOL, this conversation might go off the rails now, and if it does, Im sorry in advance:

The Cabelas Alaskan Guide 110, per the ad copy:

The original lock-back knife, the 110 Folder sports a 3-3/4" clip-point blade crafted of S30V steel with rosewood scales. Developed by Crucible Steel, S30V is made up of metallic powders fused together under intense pressure and heat. It is tempered under extremely high temperatures then cooled in a cryogenic freezer.

So, "metallic powders fused together under intense pressure" means metal injection molding, which means its not a forged blade. Does S30V have a well established reputation by now? I dont think Ive ever bought a knife with a sintered blade.

No, it's not MIM. In very general terms, what happens is that the alloys in S30V are melted in a special crucible that has a valve on the bottom. Once it's ready, the valve is opened and the alloy is drained out through it. That valve has a jet of air blowing across it, which cools the alloy and blows most of the impurities out of it. What comes of that are "nuggets" of almost pure alloy. That is collected and then compressed under heat to make a homogenous mass. That piece of metal is then run through the mill processes to make whatever form they want to out of it. The upside is that there's a much higher concentration of desirable alloys, like carbon, than is possible with other methods of steel making. S30V was developed with Chris Reeve and Bill Harsey and Crucible Metals.

The original 110 uses 420HC in the blade and Maccassar Ebony for the scales.

[jitterypillow]

There are hundreds of articles out there from over the years written about S30V, and frankly I haven't read a bad one yet. Many of the top blade manufacturers have knives made from S30V including Benchmade, Spyderco, Buck, Kershaw, and many others.

[Haji]

More technical info than anyone should want about S30V:
http://www.crucible.com/PDFs%5CDataShee ... 202010.pdf