Buck 110 - A good choice

[Mk-211]

I think the Emerson wave makes knives look fugly.

I would rather use a zip tie on a spyderco than that. Even as dumb of an idea it is, at least it can be cut off.

 

[westernrover]

As a teenager from the late 60’s through the 70’s, you had not “arrived” as a knife guy unless you had a Buck 110.

Every kid wanted one, even every man. If I had a friend or coworker with one, you were envious.

If you had one, you were proud to show it off.

All of the above held true for every blue collar job I had. From the restaurant business, gas station, trucking, auto parts, to the marine industry.

Bucks held their own till the 90’s in my area until Spyderco showed up with one hand openers.

That’s when the Bucks died.

Glad to see them making a comeback.

I want a Buck 110 with the belt case, and a Dan Wesson belt buckle.

 

[md7]

Yes, you (and everyone else) need at least one Buck 110. They are superior cutting tools when you combine the hollow grind, excellent edge geometry, and the shape of the frame/handle and how it fits in your hand. Some dismiss them for being old, heavy, and challenging to open with one hand, but for actually cutting things, the Buck 110 excels. Some deride the humble 420HC steel, but with Buck's Bos heat treatment, it works well. While you may have to touch-up the edge more frequently than some of the modern stainless super steels, few can match the toughness of 420HC (comparable to AEB-L and 14C28N at similar Rockwell hardness) and it's really easy to get it really, really sharp.

And, they're just cool. And American AF.

About the steel….

Used the 110 Monday night to skin a buck. It was sharp enough after skinning it to start and possibly finish the skinning job on a second deer. A decent edge for sure.

I touched up the blade last night, and it took maybe 10 minutes to do. It’s sharp as it was prior to skinning on Monday night.

The steel seems perfectly fine to me for the use I would put it through. I have no qualms at all about the steel personally

 

[rhino465]

About the steel….

Used the 110 Monday night to skin a buck. It was sharp enough after skinning it to start and possibly finish the skinning job on a second deer. A decent edge for sure.

I touched up the blade last night, and it took maybe 10 minutes to do. It’s sharp as it was prior to skinning on Monday night.

The steel seems perfectly fine to me for the use I would put it through. I have no qualms at all about the steel personally

Agreed! Most people who dismiss it because it's "only" 420HC do so without actually using the knife.

 

[W.E.G.]

I am so old that when I was in high school two million years ago, nobody cared if you wore a Buck 110 on your belt at school. And I wore this one.

Then when I was a cop one million years ago, I wore the same Buck 110 on my duty belt. There it is with my off-duty holster and that old taper-barrel Model 10. Just like what we carried while driving Gran Fury cars in the 80's.

Then three decades later, when I was a volunteer EMT for a few years those lumbar disks finally threw in the towel, I wore that 110 on my EMT britches belt.

Never did "gut a deer" with it. Because truth be told, I can gut a deer WAY FASTER with a box-cutter and a fresh blade than I can with any "regular knife." I splurge and get a processor to do the skinning and butchering. I'm not saying the box cutter would be better on dead deer beyond simply getting the guts out. Need a sturdy knife - a 110 will surely do - for getting the hide off, and cutting through the major bone-joints.

Now that Buck offers the LIGHTWEIGHT 110 with pocket clip, the lightweight rides with me daily. The heavy original 110 just hangs out in my knife drawer with the switchblade version and other "that's cool" knives most of the time.

 

[rhino465]

I am so old that when I was in high school two million years ago, nobody cared if you wore a Buck 110 on your belt at school. And I wore this one.

Then when I was a cop one million years ago, I wore the same Buck 110 on my duty belt. There it is with my off-duty holster and that old taper-barrel Model 10. Just like what we carried while driving Gran Fury cars in the 80's.

Then three decades later, when I was a volunteer EMT for a few years those lumbar disks finally threw in the towel, I wore that 110 on my EMT britches belt.

Never did "gut a deer" with it. Because truth be told, I can gut a deer WAY FASTER with a box-cutter and a fresh blade than I can with any "regular knife." I splurge and get a processor to do the skinning and butchering. I'm not saying the box cutter would be better on dead deer beyond simply getting the guts out. Need a sturdy knife - a 110 will surely do - for getting the hide off, and cutting through the major bone-joints.

Now that Buck offers the LIGHTWEIGHT 110 with pocket clip, the lightweight rides with me daily. The heavy original 110 just hangs out in my knife drawer with the switchblade version and other "that's cool" knives most of the time.

I graduated from high school in 1983 for reference. Wearing a folding knife on your belt at my school was no big deal unless you did something stupid with it. I couldn't afford a real Buck 110 back then. I had a Schrade LB7, which was a good knife, but not a 110!

 

[9x56MS]

Plastic handles on any knife are ugly, and make it feel cheap, no matter how good the steel is.

 

[md7]

Plastic handles on any knife are ugly, and make it feel cheap, no matter how good the steel is.

I’ve got one or two knives with plastic/polymer handles. They’re ok.

But I do think the wood and bone handles on the Buck and Case knives look and feel better!

 

[W.E.G.]

I believe the 110 was a $20 knife back when I got my first one in the 70's.

Although, I traded-into the one in the pics above. Traded some arrows to one of my ne'er-do-well classmates. Not sure how he got it. Probably not through "honorable" trade. But at that time and age, I didn't see the need to ask too many questions. He wanted the arrows, and I had no use for them. Easy decision.

 

[W.E.G.]

Plastic handles on any knife are ugly, and make it feel cheap, no matter how good the steel is.

I have a hundred knives. At least.
Most of them have some aspect worthy of derision.

Wouldn't take most of them to a christening. But if I need a knife I can beat on, usually better that its an ugly cheap knife.

I can make even the ugliest knife sharp.

 

[Bazoo]

The main problem I have with the traditional Buck 110's (the brass/wood versions) is that they will usually allow the blade to hit the rear bolster spacer inside the blade channel if the blade is allowed to snap shut or if the blade is pushed closed while being carried. That tends to produce a dull spot on the blade near the tip. You can open the blade and look for an indentation on the bolster spacer inside the channel (or for the telltale dull spot on the blade) to see if yours is affected. The issue can be ameliorated by closing the blade carefully instead of letting it snap closed and by carrying it so that there's no pressure against the blade while it's closed.

Here's a discussion about the issue.

Tip damage from "over closing" Buck 110??

Hello all, I almost unquestionably love my 110. After unfortunately losing my early 1990s version on a hike, I purchased a new one for 2017. I like the subtle changes like smoothing the edges on the bolsters etc. One glaring fault has come to show, maybe on only my knife, maybe a common...

www.bladeforums.com

Here are some pictures from that thread showing the indentation mark.

My 110 does not show that damage, and I let the blade snap shut sometimes. I do close it gently most of the time, but if I'm in a hurry, then I will snap it closed and move on.

 

[JohnKSa]

Very good. They don't all seem to do it, but some do.

 

[Bazoo]

I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I've got a friend that has a 110, which I gifted him, I'll have to check it.

 

[Coyote3855]

I graduated from high school in 1983 for reference. Wearing a folding knife on your belt at my school was no big deal unless you did something stupid with it. I couldn't afford a real Buck 110 back then. I had a Schrade LB7, which was a good knife, but not a 110!

I am older than you. I graduated high school 1962. Vocational Agriculture teacher would deduct from your grade if the knife you carried to class was not sharp and lubricated. In Junior High, the science teacher had six .22 rifles in a locked cabinet. With a note from your parents, you could check one out for the weekend. He sold .22 SV for fifty cents a box. As a side note, no one shot up the school or stabbed another student.

My dad was a Buck fan, gave me a 110 for my birthday. Still have it and carry it occasionally.

 

[Spats McGee]

I have a Buck 112 in S35V in my pocket. My first knife was a Buck, and it just didn't seem right to not have a Buck. I went looking for something like a 110, but I got a really good deal on a pair of Bucks, one of which was the 112. I didn't care for its edge when I first got it, but a half hour on my Hapstone set that right!

 

[rhino465]

I believe the 110 was a $20 knife back when I got my first one in the 70's.

Although, I traded-into the one in the pics above. Traded some arrows to one of my ne'er-do-well classmates. Not sure how he got it. Probably not through "honorable" trade. But at that time and age, I didn't see the need to ask too many questions. He wanted the arrows, and I had no use for them. Easy decision.

And $20 had more value for buying stuff in the 70s than the current $70 price does now!

 

[rhino465]

I am older than you. I graduated high school 1962. Vocational Agriculture teacher would deduct from your grade if the knife you carried to class was not sharp and lubricated. In Junior High, the science teacher had six .22 rifles in a locked cabinet. With a note from your parents, you could check one out for the weekend. He sold .22 SV for fifty cents a box. As a side note, no one shot up the school or stabbed another student.

My dad was a Buck fan, gave me a 110 for my birthday. Still have it and carry it occasionally.

Every point you mentioned about is awesome!

 

[Vonderek]

I got lucky a few years ago at Walmart after Christmas. They had a bunch of Christmas stuff on sale including a Buck Christmas tin that came with a 110 for $17.

 

[9x56MS]

I got lucky a few years ago at Walmart after Christmas. They had a bunch of Christmas stuff on sale including a Buck Christmas tin that came with a 110 for $17.

That’s cheaper than they were 30 years ago. Congratulations good score.

 

[rhino465]

I got lucky a few years ago at Walmart after Christmas. They had a bunch of Christmas stuff on sale including a Buck Christmas tin that came with a 110 for $17.

I would have bought every one they had available at that price. They would make fantastic gifts.

 

[Bwana John]

While I carried a 112 with finger grooves on a leather belt sheath for many years as a utilitarian tool, and could do a thumb on the blade one handed opening or a hold the blade and let the grip drop with either hand, I never liked the clipped point for big game, and didn’t like the folders strength compared to a non folder.