Folding Hunter
I have to agree that the Buck 110 is an outstanding, time tested, and proven design. I would certainly not feel under-equipped if that's all I had with me.
Buck, however, has not stood still, and has some newer designs that are certainly worthy of some consideration. For example, the Buck Kalinga Folder is specifically designed for hunting applications and, frankly, it's a hell of a knife. I don't own one, but I have handled one at their factory outlet here. It's a piece of cutlery for which one need never apologize. At the other end of the scale, in the more compact, easily carried, everyday-sized knife, the newer Buck Vantage series (Select [420HC], Avid [Sandvik 12c27], and Pro [S30V]) is a very usable family of knives that open one-handed, ride flat in a pocket, have and hold an excellent edge, and have a blade shape that will handle skinning, along with most other general tasks. I have a Vantage Avid in my EDC rotation. I would be comfortable using it in a camping/hunting setting.
Along more traditional lines, there's the Case XX Folding Hunter. This has been a popular design, having a main clip-point blade (not unlike the Buck 110) and a full-sized skinning blade as well. The blades do not lock open, but are serviced by a strong spring. It's just a bit larger than the Buck 110, but very much in the same class. I have one of these, and I would stack it up right along with the Buck 110. (Schrade [Taylor] currently makes a Folding Hunter as well, and it's US-made, very sharp, very tight, and a little expensive. But good.) Case also makes the Mako, which competes directly with the Buck 110 (lockback design) and is about the same size. Choosing one over the other is largely a matter of personal preference. (
My personal preference between them is the 110.) Also from Case is the XX-Changer (or X-Changer, depending on where you search). I also have one of these. The leather belt holster holds both the knife and the other three blades. The clip-point blade compares favorably with the Buck 110. The other three blades will either be a drop point, saw, and gut hook or, if you prefer, a drop point, saw, and boning blade. My set has the boning blade. Of the blade changing designs I've handled, this one is the best constructed. The blades fit tight and the lock is solid. I would happily carry one of these.
Finally, we head over the Sweden for my remaining suggestions. The city is Esiklstuna, company is EKA. The web site, for this exercise, is
www.ragweedforge.com (Ragnar's Forge). The knives (if they are still available) are the Swede 82 and Swede 92 (same knife, different handles.) They can also be found online under the name "SuperSwede" especially in European and UK outlets. Also by EKA we have the Nordic T8. Both the Swede 92/82 and the Nordic T8 are full sized folders with an exceptionally stout backlock mechanism, Sandvik 12c27 steel with good edge sharpness and retention, and excellent handle ergos. I own both models. They're both in my EDC rotation.
If someone reached into my boxes and pulled out one each of the above,
- Buck 110
- Buck Vantage Avid
- Case Folding Hunter
- Case XX Changer
- EKA Swede 92
- EKA Nordic T8
. . . and told me I was about to be turned loose in the woods for a week or two hunting trip, and to choose just one of them for the duration, I'd be hard pressed to choose a "best" knife from among them. Since the Swede 92 winds up in my EDC more than any of the others because it's the one with which I'm most comfortable, it's likely I'd choose that one. But I'd probably be looking for a way to smuggle one of the others as well. It's the candy store syndrome. I mean, how can you just pick
one from all those?
Keep in mind that these are simply knives with which I have a personal acquaintance, and they don't represent the whole spectrum of what's out there.
Don't overlook Spyderco. They have some really compentent entries in this same size range, and they make top notch stuff. I just lack personal experience with them. (JShirley, on the other hand, knows them well.)
