In the late-'70s I got a Buck 110 Folding Hunter. Sometime in the early-'80s I was walking along a desert road and found another one – in its leather case, yet! YOINK! Somewhere along the line I bought a Folding Hunter with Finger Grooves. I used my first one all the time. As a teenager it was always on my belt (including one time I forgot to not put it on and went to school with it. :eek: ) I Brasso’d the bolsters regularly. Later I switched to a Swiss Army Knife. If I needed a larger blade, I’d grab my FH, or else the one I found; whichever was handy. I can’t say I’ve ever used the finger-grooved one. When my mom’s husband died she gave me his Buck 120 General, which he’d apparently bought for ‘protection’ and kept in the night stand. Dude was six-and-a-half feet tall and weighed 250 pounds. If I were an intruder, he wouldn’t have needed a knife! It’s brand new. When I was ten, I coveted this model (unless there was a larger one). Not anymore. This one is still unused.
I wonder what I used my Buck knife for back when I was a teen? Oil came in cans then, and I know I opened more than a few with the knife’s stout blade. Boxes were opened. I probably used it from time to time when we were making our super-8 films. But what did I regularly use it for, that I had it on me all the time? Can’t remember.
How many of you have had a Buck knife? When? What model? How did you use it?
A family friend/hunting buddy of my fathers gave me a limited edition one for my birthday one year. It came in this really nice case and everything, and is a very sharp knife. I get looked at like im crazy when I gut deer with this high-dollar limited edition knife, but im not one to set it on a shelf and look at it. It really is a great knife.
I remember as a kid thinking my Dad’s was kinda dumb (it only had 1 blade!?). To me, a real knife had to pack a bunch of crazy tools, can opener, saws of various kinds and even a ballpoint pen.
Years later, as an adult, I came to appreciate how nice that Buck was. I remember the blade seeming massive, yet balanced. I also remember how smoothly it rotated out of the handle and how easily the locking mechanism was to operate.
I had a Buck folding knife as a teen. Felt good but a bitch to sharpen 'cause you have to get the angle right. Or at least that was my understanding. Lost it.
(Not to derail this thread but I moved onto Gerbers, which I prefer. My favorite though is a 3 bladed jack knife suitable for whittlin’.)
I still have a 110 that my grandfather gave to me. Like yours, he had found it by the side of a road. He was a hiway worker though, he found lots of things by the side of the road.
Buck folders were quite popular among military people for awhile. I had one, but ended up selling it, opting for a smaller knife that wasn’t so bulky in my pocket.
Many years ago I bought my dad the 110 with stag handles for Christmas. He liked his Buck knives. Then I bought him a Puma lockback (Cadet). The Buck ended up in his sock drawer and the Puma went with him in the field.
For myself, I used to carry a variety of knives. Boker was my favorite. I have this one with the damascus blade. I also have it plain with mother of pearl handles and plain with wood handles. I also have this one with red bone handles. I also have some Gerber pocket knives, a few old Case knives, and a few SAKs.
Unfortunately, my office is now under security and no knives allowed. So I have a drawer full of knives. All dressed up and no where to go. sigh
I used to work in technical theatre as a stagehand. When I was just getting started I saw a lot of the guys had knives, and I felt that having one would be really useful. I solicited recommendations from some of the long-timers and the consensus at the time was for a Buck 112, so that’s what I got. This was probably around 1986.
Still have it in my toolbag. It’s an awesome knife.
I typically have this cheap little Buck Parallex in my pocket. It’s more silver than blue, since the paint has chipped and worn off in the past two or three years since I got it.
I occasionally carry a Leatherman if I have reason to believe I’ll need something more than just a knife, but my little Parallex is always there.
I faithfully carried my 110 for years. But since it’s like carrying a cinder block around in your pocket (or on your hip), nowadays I carry my Gerber Evo or my CRKT My Tighe.
I got a 110 back when I first started working at the Harley shop. Mostly I used to to pop the metal bands on bike crates, carve cans to get that last drop of Pre-luxe out of them, cut rags and a lot of other general things. I was (and had been) a hunter but I rarely used it for that despite the model name; I really preferred my Queen or Case for skinning and dressing game. But for an “abuse blade” it was, and IMHO still is, the best knife out there.
(Mine turns 38 this year and its on my belt right now)
IANA hunter, nor have I ever been. But last month I was curious about squirrels and found a YouTube video of a guy dressing a squirrel, and he did it with a Buck 110.
I remember having a knife like the Buck 110 in the '70s but it must have been a knock-off. I think it got stolen with a box of stuff when I was in college.
I still have my swiss army knife from way back within easy access.
I used the nice blade in my leatherman for a while, but it’s too much fiddling around to get it situated.
I got myself a CRKT pocketknifefor Christmas when I ordered a bunch of other stuff from Duluth Trading but I haven’t used it yet.
That Buck 110 Folding Hunter I mentioned in the OP is in my Big Box O’ Knives in the storage unit. My original one is probably in there too. The one with the finger grooves is in my bedroom. I Brasso’d the bolsters today. I decided to get another 110 Folding Hunter (without finger grooves) just because I don’t want to go to the storage unit. Now I have the one with the finger grooves, and the one without, right at-hand.
I still can’t remember what I used it for in my teens and 20s. I still don’t know what I can use it for now.
I have a 110 on my dresser. It was my go-to camping knife during my Scoutmaster days. I put a lot of miles on that thing. I wanted something that was big enough to be useful but also a folder, as that’s what we taught the boys to use. I had a Kershaw Wildcat Ridge as a backup – similar in size and weight to the 110. I’ve had that one for almost 30 years and other than lots of scratches and scuff marks, it’s as solid as it was when I bought it.
I gave 110’s to the boys who earned Eagle.
A Leatherman Wave was my choice when camping without the Scouts. The scissors and pliers were quite useful on a multi-day rafting trip or hike.
Today my EDC is a either an OG Leatherman PST or more likely a Victorinox Tinker, also from my Scoutmaster days (has the BSA logo on one of the scales even):
I have a 119 Fixed blade in the garage. Bought it at a teen and never used it for anything “legitimate” but I still own it. My actual need for that sort of knife is pretty minimal but it sure looked and felt nice when I got it.
I have a Buck 105 Pathfinder (I think it is) that belonged to my late ‘stepfather’. He got it for ‘protection’ and it lived in a drawer until the day he died. I’ve never used it for anything.
