VIDEO HERE (25:20 minutes)
*****
The Buck 110 was what I carried most of my life because it's a tough rugged knife, replacing them only when the blade was worn thin from hours and hours of stone sharpening or the tip broke because the blade was so thin. It would take 2-3 years to hit that point, though.
The very first thing I'd do with a new knife was to put valve lapping compound into the pivot point and work it back and forth over a couple days to where I could flip the knife open with a flick of my wrist which made it a great knife for work.
The 110 and its smaller cousin, the 112 are great work knives and can take tons of abuse. I don't believe I've ever broken one.
I'm not even sure why I quit carrying a 110. I'm pretty sure Buck pissed me off somehow, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was.
Buck has a lifetime warranty. Break the tip , they will replace the blade , polish up the brass.
ReplyDeleteMan, I just realized that I've had my 110 for over 45 years. I never carried it much, but I love the shit out of it. I got it for my 12th birthday, so it means a lot. It's heavy and stiff. I've got to try the valve lapping compound trick!
ReplyDeleteStart with the roughest grit and work your way down to to the finishing grit, where it stays closed but opens easily with your thumb sliding up the blade and a flick of your wrist. Don't over do it.
DeleteMy parents gave me my first 110 for my 12th birthday. I'm 57 now & don't know what number my present one is.
ReplyDeleteOne of the pictures in my senior yearbook, on one of the photo montage pages, is of me walking down a hall in the school, 110 on my hip, hemostats poking out of the holster it's in, and me with a (no-doubt-buzzed) grin.
--Tennessee Budd
I wore my 110 to school as well. I still have it after 43 years. Like Wirecutter, there came a time when I simply stopped carrying it. When I was 15 and went to take my drivers permit test, I was chastised by an older state trooper for carrying it. I don't remember what statue he cited, but I kept on wearing it and never saw him again. I did take it off when I turned 16 and had to go to the same office for my driving test, just in case. It mattered not, as Mr. Penis Head wasn't there anyhow.
Deletemy 110 that is older than hell still has hemostats and bud scissors in the scabbard, or whatever the black leather snap fucker is.
DeleteOriginal Grandpa
I loved the brass fittings, whenever I sharpened the blade, I polished the brass. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteRemember the ad where a buck knife was struck on the back of the blade to cut through a nail? Well, I tried that with my 110. Actually cut a couple of nails before it broke at the hinge.
ReplyDeleteCarried one for 22 years on my belt. Right behind my cap crimpers. The crimper sheath had a small pouch inside that held a Camillus demo knife. Only used that one to strip wires on electric caps or firing wire and sometimes as a small digging implement. Still have all three items ( I looked to make sure). My EDC now is a Spiderco I can open quickly in a pinch. EOD1SG Ret
ReplyDeleteThey moved some of their knife production to China btays
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to Buck,,,I bought a new one on the webs and when it showed up It was a made in china knife. I sent Buck an email and they replaced it with an American made one. btays
DeleteI have a couple of 110s,quality blades but back in the day I always had a Schrade LB7 in my pocket.
ReplyDeleteKlaus
Carrying one now. As close to a do-all knife as there is, in my opinion. Good company. good design.
ReplyDeleteLeft one out in the hills of Wirt county. I hope someone found it and got some use from it.
ReplyDeleteDaryl
I had one back in the 70s and had it for years, don't know what happened to it. Might have given it to a nephew. Couldn't find one for a while, and bought the Schrade/Uncle Henry equivalent in a nice leather sheath that I carry hunting. That thing stays wicked sharp and I can typically field dress 5 or 6 deer between sharpenings. I bought a new 110 about two years ago, a N.O.S. commemorative type with a tin box with a nylon sheath. Made in China, very hard to unlock to close, finish not as nice as I remember my old one. Should send it in for repair so I can close it without risking a finger. I'll probably keep carrying the Schrade when I hunt or when need a dress knife.
ReplyDeleteEd
Yet another company that began in California and headed for friendlier pastures.
ReplyDeleteAnd in breaking news, Caterpillar Global Corporate bails out of Illinois and heads for Texas.
Governor J.B. Pritzker was unavailable for comment. I wonder why.
Its because their steel is shit. I chipped so many 110s on deer bones,
ReplyDeleteI had a couple 110's when I was in the Navy. There was a guy who worked in the machine shop who would put finger grooves on for $20, this was before the company sold them like that.
ReplyDeleteFirst knife when I was 4 years old ,from my uncle , boy scout knife , cut myself, said it's sharp! Haven't been without a knife since 1957 . Carried one all the time . It's a tool.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the classic knife companies have moved production to China. Any "affordable" knife is now suspect until proven otherwise. I'd rather get on fleabay and bid on an antique honest American made knife now rather than get some chinesium shit. Of course I have a full drawer of knives collected over the past 50 years that'll probably last until my death, but still searching for something just a tad more perfect. How many knives do I need? Just like guns, I need at least one more.
ReplyDeleteGot my first 110 about 1978. Back then the brass was not rounded in the least.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started remodeling apartments, I broke it. Got a replacement at Walmart. Didn't send the old one off. not sure what happened to it. Broke the second one and exchanged it. After about four, Walmart said NO. I was abusing the knives and walmart's policy. Paid for another. They gave me five exchanges on that one. I think I've got four scattered between my various vehicles, rhree of which have broken tips.
I've had Schrade and Uncle Henry, as well as others. The Bucks hold the edge best and stand the most abuse.
Yes, I'm hard on cutlery.
Have some 110’s. Like the well enough. Gotten to carry ceramic blades of late. Metal detectors don’t see them. Blade won’t pry but the stay sharp and easy enough to get them sharp.
ReplyDeleteGot a horizontal cross draw belt sheath for my old square brass style 110. It’s more comfortable than the standard sheath.
ReplyDeleteHad one that was issued to me in the Army in 1969. Treasured it because of all we had seen together. Carried it until 1980 in my right rear jean pockets. Sharp brass edges would cut thru the jeans material and create a hole if you weren’t careful. I had directed 20each 8 yard concrete trucks pouring parking and driveways around a new hotel in north Dallas before lunch when I went to reach for it to cut an apple.....Nothing there....I hope one of the laborers saw it and picked it up...if not, it’s been under 5-6 inches of 3,500 psi concrete for the past 42 years..
ReplyDeleteTold my brother long distance about it and after his extended profanity, he said....”Metal detector.....crank it up it’ll work thru the concrete...”
I replied, “Josh, #4 Rebar at 18”o.c. for God’s sake..!!”
Buck 110s are made in Idaho. The sheath is made offshore.
ReplyDeleteI have a 110 with aluminum bolsters that’s really light (for a 110), but I don’t carry it regularly. I typically carry a 55.
Iconic knife. When people hear the term 'Buck knife', this model is usually the 1st one that comes to mind. I own several versions of these 110s, they are a working man's knife. They were made with 1095 carbon drop point blade even for a while (BOS 5160) and a Bucklite V52 model that allowed switching out various blades. The 110 is probably the flag ship of Buck knives.
ReplyDeleteI still my 110 my Dad gave me when I was a teen but I carry the one he had but never carried. It's pretty sweet carrying a brand new 40+ year old 110. And for those that don't care for the black leather pouch, there is a friction fit alternative on A..zon that is real nice and modern.
ReplyDeleteGot mine in the navy. I use smaller pocket knives now. (Old timer) To my surprise buck now makes a 110 switch blade but a bit too pricey for me.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to be a buzz-kill, but some states have laws against flip-knives. Be careful out there.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad gave me one for Christmas back in '65-'66. Back then I was carrying a Gerber locking folder of a similar, lighter design. Most of my knife usage over the years has been gutting fish. Still have both in my BO bag.
ReplyDeleteNemo
True story, I had to use mine in a legal self defense situation. Got the job done. I have been carrying Spyderco Endura, and Delica partially serrated the last 25 years. The thumb studs on the buck slim or any knife just suck. Use the holes like spyderco does, mo' better.
ReplyDeleteBought my first 110 in 1973 for a wilderness survival course in the Absaroka mountains. Before Buck moved from El Cajon, CA to Post Falls, ID they had a factory sale. I spent way too much money and still regret a couple of things I didn't buy. One knife I did buy, for an absurdly low price, was a titanium handled 110. It rides in my car's center console.
ReplyDeleteI am on my third 110. My first 110 was lost on a motorcycle ride somewhere in Mississippi. The second one I wore out the blade sharpening it - I sent it in for a blade replacement and they sent it back as non-repairable. I was done with the 110 until mu father-in-law gave me the Tigershark limited edition 110. I only use it when hunting. My daily carry is a Benchmade auto.
ReplyDeleteHad to go look at my folding knife to check it's brand; it's a Buck 110+. It's the only knife I ever used to field dress a deer. Since I dont hunt anymore it spends most of its time on the dresser.
ReplyDeleteAbout 20 years ago I came upon a miniature Buck knife in some store. Lockback, ebony scales, brass bolsters - marked Stainless Steel Japan on the blade.
ReplyDeleteOAL 5 1/8", closed length 3", blade length 2 1/8". It'll fit in a watch pocket in your jeans and is absolutely a full-blown knife which keeps a fine edge. I may have paid $20 for it.
Way back when, our company and our subs went 2 million + manhours without an official lost time accident. We gave out safety awards based on your personal and the overall injury rates. One time we gave out 375 engraved classic Buck knives. Great idea until one of them was found in a dead homeless person and one of our labourers was charged with murder. How's that for PR in a small, 1-horse town. Mine was confiscated and I was nearly charged with possession of a locking blade in Folkstone, England. So keep that in mind if you ever have a notion to visit there.
ReplyDelete