When you purchase a Buck Knife, you buy a knife for life.
Written: Mar 06 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent construction backed by a lifetime warranty
Cons: The brass handle will tarnish
The Bottom Line: Buck is the industry standard in knives. Don't waste your money on anything else.
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| phungus's Full Review: Buck Ranger Folding Lockblade Knife |
To many young men, the legendary Buck Knife represents a rite of passage. To receive one of these as a gift is quite an honor. I was given mine at about 12 years old by my cousin Buddy. It was the first year he started driving all the way down from Indiana to deer hunt with my father and me, and he presented this knife as a gift. Buddy passed away a few years ago, and I will forever cherish what he gave me. I hope to one day pass it along to one of my own children.
The Buck Ranger comes in models 112 and 112FG. The 112 is the most common and is what you see in the photo on this site. The 112FG has a grooved handle and costs a few dollars more. This is a lock-blade knife with a 3 inch blade and a 4.25 inch body. It comes with a black leather case that snaps shut. The body is housed in wood and brass. The Ranger retails for $40-50.
There are many knives on the market that might look a lot like this one, but nothing is the same as a real Buck knife. The knock-offs are pretty easy to tell apart just by holding them because they don’t have the same weight and the handle construction doesn’t feel the same. Don’t waste your money on some $15 phony when you can get the real thing that’ll last forever.
I’ve had this knife for nearly 18 years now, and it has been used for everything from skinning a deer to cutting up kindling for a fire. I once used it to open up a tin can while on a Boy Scout trip, but I was too young to realize how stupid that was. Luckily, the well-made stainless steel knife did not break or scratch. The black leather sheaf that comes with it is made of thick cowhide and still looks pretty good after all this time. The stitching had held strong and the leather is not cracked or split. I carried it with me for several years while in Boy Scouts and on countless hunting trips, and I assure you this knife was made to be used.
This knife feels comfortable in your hand. The wood and brass handle has slightly sculpted edges to better fit in your palm. With the blade extended and locked into place, the knife is very solid. Nothing wiggles or feels loose. The blade itself does very well for holding its edge and is relatively easy to sharpen using a stone or whatever method you prefer. The tip also comes to an excellent point that helps get those skinning jobs started more easily.
If I had to give one complaint about this knife, it would be that the brass ends on the handle do tend to tarnish. You can easily clean that green stuff off the handle, but it can seem unattractive. The leather case holds it very firmly in place, and so it seems to traps in moisture and make the brass tarnish where the case makes contact with the knife. A little bit of cleaner can have the knife shining like new.
If you are in the market for a good lock-blade knife, a Buck is the only way to go. Remember that when people talk about these kind of knifes, regardless of brand they call it a ‘Buck knife’ because these are the industry standard for great cutlery and the company has been around for over 100 years. Buck also backs their knives with a lifetime warranty. My dad had to get a blade replaced on one that was well over 20 years old and they were happy to do it. As their website says, When you purchase a Buck Knife, you buy a knife for life.
Recommended:
Yes
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