What do you think of this little Buck??

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ATBackPackin

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I've been searching for a new EDC knife for a while now. I had a Kershaw Scallion that I really liked because of the weight and size, but of course I lost it. So right now I am using my ZT 350st which is a great knife, but becoming a little cumbersome to be a EDC because of its size along with everything else I carry.

Necessary characteristics:

Lightweight
Small
One hand open
Durability ( I would like something I could keep forever or pass down)
Descent steel
Made in the USA

Preferred characteristics:

Carry clip
Partially serrated (mostly for cutting cord or rope)
Something more sleek than tacticool
Liner lock (Let me clarify, doesn't have to be a liner lock, but I do not want a lock back)
Good steel

Today I came across this little knife from Buck. Apparently it's not available yet, but wanted to see what you thought of it.

Also would appreciate any suggestions that meet all or most of the criteria above.

Shawn
 
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The Buck will not be an "assisted opening" knife. Instead it will rely on the flipper for opening single-handed. All in all, Buck makes some good quality knives at a reasonable price.

Why not just buy another Scallion? It, apparently, had everything that you liked.

My wife uses a Scallion at her job, cutting cardboard, plastic ties and wrap, and various other materials. The knife is the right size for her, opens without a fuss, and holds an edge quite well. The price is right, too.

Before the usual "just spend a little more" crowd arrives, remember that you LOST the last knife, so you may not want to invest in the "oh, this is so much better", knives.:)
 
Flipper With Small Blade

A few months ago I tried one of the Buck Vantage series, the Vantage Select Small.

It has the same flipper action.

I have a Vantage Avid (large) and a Vantage Select (large), which have 3-inch blades. Same basic idea as the one you mention: light, flat, easy to handle.

The 3-inch blade opens easily with a kind of finger-flip-and-wrist-flick motion, snapping open nearly as fast as an AO blade.

The shorter blade required more force to flip open, and sometimes the blade would "stall" before reaching the full open position.

The difference in blade mass and therefore inertia for the flick motion is evidently just enough to make the Vantage "large" knives open more easily than the Vantage "small" knives.

Both are easy to open two-handed, it's just that the shorter blade is just a tiny bit light for easy flip-flick opening.

I'm going to guess that this new Buck will exhibit similar behavior, unless they've done something special with the pivot to lower resistance a bit.

Who knows? I could be wrong. Happens often enough. :)

However, if you already have a design that you like, and it's available and affordable, I'd pick up another one. Well, two, actually. You always need a spare.

 
I've been looking for an EDC with similar characteristics. The best (for me), I've found so far are:
  • SOG Flash I: Very light, great clip, AO, but not perfect.
  • Sypderco Dragonfly: Very light, good steel, nice clip. The one-handed opening is very smooth, and I like the blade shape. You can get it in VG-10 and ZDP.

I have a Buck Vantage Avid (small) on the way, so the search continues. :) The Scallion is nice, but you may want to consider the smaller Kershaw OD-2.

Whoops, noticed you are looking for a liner lock...I think the Buck and the Kershaw meet that requirement.
 
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I left out a couple of things in the criteria from the OP. Doesn't have to be a liner lock, but I'm not really looking for a lock back. I would like for it to be made in the USA.

I will most likely end up getting another Scallion because I did like it and it's quite reasonably priced, but I was really looking for something different for my EDC. It really sucked when I lost it because I know exactly what happened. I was opening a fishing reel box at a sporting good store and I sat it down on the shelf as I put the reel on the rod I was buying it for and forgot it. Literally ten minutes later I realized what I had done and went back to get it. GONE. I asked the gentlemen behind the counter if they had found it and of course they had not. So somebody got a nice little free gift. LOL, it could have been worst, it could have been an expensive knife or had sentimental value so I wasn't beating myself up too bad.

I think Spyderco's are great knives, but I don't like the scales that they use on most of them. The SOG Flash is the right size and weight, but I was looking for something other than the typical black textured scales. Nothing wrong with them, just want something a little more personable. If I didn't want something that is one-handed operable, I love the feel and look of the old classics. Hell I may still end up with a nice classic anyway and realize that it's not often that I HAVE to open a knife one handed.

Here is a nice little Benchmade I came across that I like. Does anybody know how that Axial Lock works?

Thanks
Shawn
 
For somewhat cheaper, you could get a Benchmade mini-griptilian. My suspicion is that if you don't like the handles on the Spyderco's you won't be gaga over the mini-grips, but you never know. I don't know much about the axial lock, but the AXIS lock is handier than a shirt pocket.

Plus, you can do this thing now on Benchmades website where you can custom design your knife. Blade style, steel choice, hardware colors, engraving, handle colors, the whole thing. If nothing else, it's kind of fun to mess around with. It is somewhat more expensive to do it that way than it is to just buy a stock griptilian from Knife Center or someplace, but you do get exactly what you want.

Also, for the money, if it were me I would go with a small Vantage over that other Buck you linked. Nothing wrong with that knife, but a small vantage in S30V is going to be cheaper, and in my opinion is just as handsome a knife.
 
I bought a Scallion about 8 years ago. After just a few years of very light use, the opening started to slow down. Now the flipper only opens it 1/4 of the way or so. I've cleaned and lubed it, with no luck. I assume the spring is basically wearing out...I like it, it's a nice knife, but I haven't purchased another.

The Mini-Grip is a good suggestion. Another to consider is the Buck Rush: http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3101
 
I recently bought a old Buck 110 from a friend in another state. I had seen a picture of it, but that was it. When I got the knife, the blade had been sharpened so much that the piont stuck up when the blade was closed. So, I called Buck and the tech told me he'd replace the blade for $10. I'd pay shipping on the way there and they'd pay it on the way back. I'm sure it will be in much better condition than when I sent it. I love Buck knives and would buy the one your are looking at in a heartbeat - if I had the money.
 
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Bill-

A couple months ago I did that with an old, beat up 501, and when I got it back it looked new. You're gonna be pleasantly surprised.

Chrisb-

Call Kershaw and they'll be happy to send you a couple new springs with simple directions to install one. If you prefer, they would probably do it for you if you sent the knife to them.
 
I used to like Spyderco, but when I hgad the locking mecanism fail during knife fighting training, I looked elsewhere and found a Benchmade. I would definitely look at the locking mechanism to determine whether it would hold up (depending on the uses you put it through).
 
I used to like Spyderco, but when I hgad the locking mecanism fail during knife fighting training
Click to expand...

A lock is a mechanical device, and as is true with any mechanical device, they can and eventually will fail.

Claims by various manufacturers that their particular lock renders some particular knife into something a degree away from a fixed blade always need to be taken with a grain of salt, in my opinion. That those locks are sturdy is not in question. That those locks might never fail for me is not in question. That somewhere, for somebody, under some condition those locks will fail, is not a question. That's as facty as a fact can be.

More to the point, I don't depend on locks anyway, and instead rely on safe knife handling. I know it's a tired old drum to beat, but it's just true. Pay attention and don't do dumb stuff, and your chances of getting cut are pretty slim. Act cavalierly and do stuff that the knife was never meant to do, and your hosed.

With that being said, I don't care at all about knife fighting, have no intentions of ever training for it, and so don't have any basis or benchmark for what I need a lock to do in those situations and so I can totally understand looking around for the best possible option. I mean, I don't necessarily depend on the lock, but I do want it to work!
 
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