Buck Vantage knives: Design Excellence!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- The Buck Vantage folding knives rock. They are high value, handsome, low profile, hard cutting designs that make stellar EDC choices. The Vantage also offers the buyer several options in steel and handle material: Vantage Select Large and Small with 420HC and sculpted Zytel scales; the Vantage Pro with S30V and sculpted G10 scales (good looking!); the Vantage Avid with 13C26 Sandvik® and again G10 scales. Large size Vantages have 3 1/4" (8.3 cm) blades; the Small Vantage 2 5/8" (6.7 cm) length. The looks on these knives are striking and yet provide solid ergonomics. The sculpted Zytel handles don't provide a lot of traction but are good looking, light, and thin. The CNC contoured G10 scales on the Pro model add even better looks (the Avid features CNC contoured Charcoal Dymondwood® scales). The blade shape is superb and reminiscent of the uber-expensive Sebenza to me. It possesses a near-perfect form for all kinds of everyday cutting tasks with nice curvature (belly), sweep, swedge, polished flats, and a strong tip. It is hollow ground. Blade finishes are good with the S30V version showing a smoother satin finish with less pronounced striations. Any of the three steels offered should be excellent in role as well and I have been happy with the performance of my other Buck 420HC knives. Many will prefer the S30V Vantage Pro model for just a few more dollars/euros; it is an amazing value at around $40 (price, models all subject to change without updates here). The Vantage deploys fast and smooth with its unassisted flipper design and features an oblong deployment hole for secondary actuation as well. The liner lock design is thin and adequately strong and produces a very thin carry knife in pocket...another big advantage (or vantage!) to the design. Lockup is tight and solid in all directions in all models used and examined. Another homerun in design department is the deep carry, low profile, polished, high strength pocket clip: 10 out of 10. This is the best EDC pocket clip design I've seen. If its carry tension (against the pocket) is minimal, it is easy to rectify with removal of the Torx screws and do a little tweaking of the clip (I did). Carry weights are reasonable at 4.0 oz for Vantage Select Large, 2.4 oz Vantage Select Small, and 4.4 oz for Vantage Pro (G10 adds some micro ounces). As shown in the video however, blade centering in handle seems to be a quality control issue with current Buck Vantage knives and needs to be corrected; some models have the blade rubbing the liner. These knives will be sent back to Buck for service. But if Buck can square this issue away, the Buck Vantage is an amazing design and value achievement for this quintesscential American knife maker. Already it is a fast seller in their line and I predict it will be one of their most popular models ever. And even as it stands now, it achieves impressive ratings from me and enters into my BEST EDC playlist. /////////////////////////// Nutnfancy LIkability Scale: 10 out of 10 (price, centering problem fixed) /////////////////// Music: www.partnersinr...
Very Happy and very impressed with my purchase! I have this knife with a different handle... Ive had it now for nearly 3 years, and i absolutely love it! Abused and abused and still looks like new! I use it to carve with, and outdoor tasking (ODT) and every day carry (EDC)! It's for people that live in the real world! Most impressive though.... MADE IN THE USA WITH PRIDE!!!!
Looks like I get lucky on Vantages! I ordered all three large and small select and they all came with no issues, all perfectly centered! Now they are great EDC for me!
Liberty - I accidentally closed a folder knife on my fingers when I was much younger and can sympathize with your dilemna. I avoided all knives for a while and then I had to slowly integrate them back into my life..a little more frequently and cautiously before I felt comfortable with them again. It took a long time. Baby steps. =) -- Veri (Nutn's sister)
13C26 Sandvik steel. Used in surgical instruments and industrial food preparation knifes.
Swedish quality steel, made about 2-3 kilometers from where i live. ; )
I still think the Buck Vantage Pro is the most Bang for your Buck ;) in a USA made knife. S30 steel, G10, great build and lockup- for $58!?!?
Just picked up a Vantage Pro in S30V. Had slight centering issue, but deploy was a little loose. Tightened the pivot to adjust the deploy and the blade centered up in channel. No further issues. Thanks for the review.
I bought the small Select and it's been a great EDC so far. Used pretty much daily for about five months and it's holding up beautifully.
I just got my Vantage Pro. Your Corner Store has great customer service. The knife is fantastic, smooth action, feel great in hand, and it just looks great with that broad blade.
Thanks for the recommendation for both the knife and Your Corner Store.
I added some jimping along the liner lock and the top of the handle with a fine diamond file, the grip is now much improved. I wish Buck would start doing this at the factory.
I bought the vantage pro it is my edc knife I love it, you can put a good edge on it and it holds it very well. it holds both kinds of cool for me thanks for reviewing these knives and saving me money and helping me figure out what I want/need to get.
Excellent video. A picked up a Vantage Pro about 2 years ago and it's been my EDC ever since. I agree with your points; it's a good looking piece of equipment with a smooth action, a solid lock and a great blade. Amazing value. Nicely done.
"And in many ways this is "blade TV" for my dudes"
You hit the nail right on the head Nutn. That's exactly what this is for me. You know a lot of younger people just don't have the attention span but truth be told most of those people just want to see cool stuff and have zero intentions on buying any of it. From my experience people who actually intend on buying this stuff appreciate the long, super thorough reviews so we pretty much know everything there is to know. Thanks.
I use the vantage select as my edc blade. I recently went kayaking in salt water for the better part of the day. The steel liner did get some very light rust, but overall I was very impressed with it's resistance. You are right about the blade not holding an edge long, but it works for me. Great value for a great knife.
nutn: thanks for doing these videos. your review on the 5.11 taclite pro pants convinced me to buy them, and they are the best pants i have ever owned. i can't imagine how many people you have helped by providing honest reviews that have helped people choose the gear that is right for them.
Every USA made Buck gets a Paul Bos heat treatment! They really make 420hc perform like a much more expensive steel.
I like the longer reviews. More top free entertainment. This is not a buyers guide to be concise. This is for the people with a hobby.
I still have a Buck Crosslock from 13 years ago, LOVE IT!
Out of all my blades in D2, S30V, and others, my Buck 110 in 420HC takes the SHARPEST edge. I cant say why. It doesn't hold it the longest but DAMN. Sliced to the bone on my finger months ago. Love it.
Thanks Veri. You can also let him know I'm enjoying "High Skies" with bugget and allie - it's refreshing to see the Rockies now that I've been away from the states for a while (studying in Scotland)
Another conundrum resolved. You don't cease to amaze, do you Bearr? Big thumbs up.
I watch a lot of your vids fancy as you do a great job imo, I just picked up a 347 pro from my local gun shop, it's a 2009 model with perfect blade centering and as a plus, got it for $35 might go get the other one they had even if the blade centering was not perfect. This is a very smooth knife and the flipper works perfectly. Slips in and out of pocket easily. Ordered the newer one last week with a slightly different handle as this one. It will go into my rotation of benchmades and spydercos edc knives. I passed on this knife for years.....that was dumb of me.
No, actually he just got 1000 subs in the past week and a half. The point is, you don't have to watch OR whine. He's doing a good job at what he does and he works HARD to do it., if you dont' like it... Shoo! -- Veri (Nutn's sister)
Just got one. Love it so far. I'm not a hard use blade kind of guy but I like a good blade. I think this one will work well in my POU. Thanks nutn.
Twenty bucks? Outstanding! Forty bucks for S-30 V? FANTASTIC!!! You see? You CAN get made in the U.S.A. quality and craftsmanship for a great price if you just shop around a bit! These blades are more affordable than most big name brand companys chinese knives!! I freakin' LOVE it! Thanks Nutn.Outta the park!!
I was thinking about this knife but no one had an in depth review! Great coincidence that you put this video out today because I was going to be buying either this or the kershaw ram tomorrow!
nutn that's what I love bout ur channel and reviews like this that u do a little of everything and give affordable product reviews and not just all the expensive stuff cheers man
I love this knife I have used it for about a year. I now have a Kershaw brawler great blade as well!
Recently picked up a Vantage Pro and really like it. Mine came razor sharp, and the blade centering and lock-up are perfect. (Date on box was 1-23-2012). I was unsure about the weight, but its heft feels good in hand and the clip allows the knife to disappear in your pocket. The flipper is a bit small. I prefer to use a little thumb pressure in the deployment hole combined with a quick turn of the wrist -- the blade locks up quickly and with authority! Just a great knife for the money.
I just picked up a vantage select large for $29 after tax. The second I picked it up I knew I would walk away with it. This is actually my edc knife and I used it heavily and even after a lot of use it still cut me pretty good.
This is one of my favorite knives that I own :)
Nice review. I just purchased a vantage pro yesterday, and i'm guessing they've fixed their quality control issues. No problems here.
Nice review, just picked mine up and love it. The blade is a little off center but doesnt rub so it works for me.
steven, you are always so nice, and I look for your comments..thank you. -- Veri (Nutn's sister)
got a select today, so far it seems good, we'll see if it holds up to a heavy day of utility tomorrow.
This is by far my favorite knife, why? not really sure maybe just because its so simple and awsome
i got the avid model about 3 and a half months ago and i haven't had to really sharpen it since its so sick im so addicted to buck knives and knives in general!
Just received a large Vantage BOS with gray laminated wood grips, from my employer for a production bonus. It is current production 2013, and blade is centered perfect.
Canadian Tire here in Canada sells Vantage Selects for $35 regular but they are going on sale for $17.49 in a few days. Assuming the centering is good I might pick one up.
great knife. saw one just this afternoon and I remembered your review.
If you come back to this video, I'd love to hear if Buck ever fixed the issue with blade centering. I was considering getting this before your review, and the video all but confirmed my choice as a good one. Thanks!
I have a buck vantage select and the alignment is perfect on it
Super reportage sur cet excellent couteau, que j'ai immédiatement acheté.
Merci NutnFancy, You're the Best !
The blade on liner lock type knives is offset to give a more secure locking point for the liner. The rubbing you hear is the liner lock mechanism sliding on the pivot of the blade. some companies use a more acute spread on the offset...to give a more sucure lock as the knife wears...just my 2cents from a knifemakers POV
Hey there, it is now 2012 and the price has gone up.
People can get one on eBay for $54.00 (free S/H).
I bought one and love it. I think the quality control issues have been fixed now.
Thanks Nutnfancy for all the time you have invested into your videos. I have been carrying the Buck Vantage Select for two years now. It was really sharp out of the box but requires sharpening fairly frequently. I have also noticed that it does not lock up tightly anymore. I have abused it heavily over the years but has never closed unexpectedly on me or failed me in any way. I highly recommend this knife to anyone that is on a tight budget like myself.
Just ordered 3 for Christmas from the corner store. One for me, one for the brother in laws.
"dude i loved it
can't wait for the "high skies part 2" vid too ;-)" Thanks tons. High Skies Part 2 is coming; believe it or not I fit these last vids in during some high work (job) obligations. HSkies takes a bit more time but it's at the top of the list. Peace.
Ok here's the deal about talking points and knives. I talked to Nutn last night about this and he says he does talking points on guns and multitools, not knives. Not that he doesn't want to, but organizing talking points slows him down and he's got a gajillion knives he wants to review so he's going "raw" so to speak...just to get the info out there. Hope that helps by way of explanation -- Veri (Nutn's sister)
great review, I bought and have all 3 models. I posted pics on Bladeforums on the Buck forum - yep I had blade centering problems also, but fixed it by adjusting the pivot screw. Excellent Vid Excellent knife. I love supporting Buck.
The blade on the Select can be centered 100% but it takes some trial and error adjusting the pivot and even reversing the pivot bolt.
A bit of work with fine sand paper on liner edges and thumb hole is recommended.
Using the following combo works great:
5.11 TacLite pants
Fenix LD20+ in the "knife pocket"
Buck Vantage in the right rear pocket
Even though it's 4 oz you completely forget that you have it on you when carrying this way.
Oooo nice clip. I am going to do little EDC kits for Christmas and that is a nice inexpensive knife for them.
One each for my three brothers and one for me :)
I leave for Marine bootcamp, cant wait to use your tips in the field!
You're right! AWESOME!!! First responder in Texas, I can vouch for this! lol
Hooooo Rah! Marine, keep us in touch with you when you're away and thank you! We are so proud of you. -- Veri (Nutn's sister)
Dude, Nutin'! Just saw the Buck SHOT 2011 booth review, and I realized that the thumb hole on my Buck Vantage Select is an Oxygen Bottle wrench!! Lol! That's awesome.
Who cares about the production value as long as Nutn is rockin out the vids. We want the jimping, the full flat grind and the "how ya doin", how ya doin.
Great vid, keep em coming Nutn.
Found an older large select at Kmart on clearance for 16 bucks. It was a 2011 model with perfect blade centering.
I have the small pro vantage. Great little knive. It's actually bigger than what I thought it'll be like. It fits prefect in the watch pocket of my jeans. It was centered good (2011 model). It needs a little flick of the wrist to open, but I don't mind. But, I don't like that the middle of the blade makes contact with the frame. There's a very small dent in the middle of the blade because of it. Overall, I like it.
I just received the small vantage select.
I like it well enough and is just as you described it.
My only gripe, is that the blade looks like it was ground with a bench grinder.
The grind striation marks look much more coarse than your video shows.
Not very attractive, but for 20 dollars it's pretty good.
Comparable to my Winchester Parfive in size and function,but probably uses better steel.
Great! The Select is going to be my next blade, Ill just wait to see more "my knife is centered" comments :) and hopefully a happy updated video by nutnfancy.
I like the "RAW" format :), like someone said is your personality and enthusiasm that keep us watching the vids!
Cutleryshoppe website has the S30V ones I think. Peace.
its great to see another EDC knife review
hey nutn, no worries about less production on your videos. I was looking over your knife and gun reviews from summer '08 and they are still interesting. Simple works too!
I bought a Vantage Pro for $59.34 at Amazon, plus shipping, and all the problems listed in the video appear to have been corrected. It's got good clearance between the blade and liner, opens easily, locks solidly, and it's sharp enough to shave with out of the box.
I would REALLY appreciate a response to this:
Do these knives lock? I dont mean a safety lock, nor do i mean the lock you were talking about in the video. I mean when the knife flips out, does it lock in place so it doesnt flip back in on accident? (when I thrust a knife I wouldnt want it to flip in) Because that's a big issue for me personally.
RE: Belt clips. Would you trade the logo engraving on the Buck blades belt clip 17:50 for the more helpful (and thoughtful) raised thumb strips on the Sog flash? These thumb strips help the withdrawing of the blade from pocket. Blades should be about attention to 'practical' detail. Great video by the way
I have great experiences with the Buck customer service
after sending me a knife back unrepaired the made up for it and send me a new one and a nice knife extra!!
(and I live overseas) so I am not surprised that Nutn. received a pair of nicely centered new ones
I picked up a Select model at a local Gander Mtn. here for around $30 (Gander Mtn. is always a little overpriced, but in this case, a few extra bucks was fine for the convenience). Anyway, and this is just my data point, but my Select model came perfectly centered and VERY sharp right out of the box. It's interested to see that all of yours have had that problem. Also, the thumb hole is a little hard to use, but the flipper makes it fine (just my data point).
The Torrent does use standard forged 154CM blade steel.
CPM stands for Crucible Particle Metallurgy.
I love that blade shape!
5 stars
Yea my vantage is centered too, no issues with mine. melbourne you may be right it may be a bad patch.
Hey Nutn, I just got one of these. A 345BKS the larger Vantage select and the blade is perfectly centered. I mean dead on perfect. There appears to be a date below the upc of 08-05-09. I dont know if this is indicative of lot quality or not? I love this knife. Rock On Nutn...
I will do it; I love them myself. Enjoy Scotland though, I know its just gorgeous! -- Veri (Nutn's sister)
Beautiful blade shape. Amazing looking knife for that price.
Nice knife, nice review...have owned a Vantage Select for over 12 months now in EDC use. One issue that people might want to know is that this model has plastic washers between the blade & liners. To keep the action fast & free you really need to pull it down after a few months and clean it up and re-lube it. Phosphor bronze would of been nicer - does anyone here who owns the Avid or Pro know if the washers are metallised?
Just scored a buck vantage Avid for 32 bucks on eBay. 1st high quality knife. Just a start to my addiction of the blade.
Received pro today, good knife but I did have a blade shipped rubbing the liner. I tightened the pivot screw and was able to center the blade with ever so slight drag in deployment, so that's acceptable to me. The liner appears fairly thin and engages at about 70% out of the box...little concerning. However over all the knife is great, if the liner lock becomes an issue, I hope and expect that buck will make it right. At the price point its an awesome knife.
Vantage Pro all the way, smoothest knife I own.
very happy with my purchase. thanks for the review.
I had the small vantage pro. Let me start by saying that I was working as an electrical helper last year. And decided to get it to help me out. I absolutely put this knife through hell everyday for 5 months. I cut through basically everything that had to be cut out there. Wires, hard plastics, rope. You name it. I threw it in the dirt multiple times a day. Ive even used it to cut things submerged in thick mud on a regular basis. Never really maintained it except for a WD40 spray down about once a week. Throughout the 5 months the s30v blade maintained a useable blade, ive never even sharpened it, ever. The action was always smooth. It developed a very slight play left and right but thats about it. Sadly I lost it, now im looking for something a bit bigger.
Oh, and outside of work I found it to be the perfect EDC knife. It's size and tip up carry made it perfect for watch pocket carry.
Well, my small Vantage Select arrived. Got it from New Graham Knives (highly recommended - actually had to email them and they were awesome). Blade is almost parallel to the liners. Lockup is good and deployment is nice and smooth. The blade is sharp enough for most tasks, but not razor sharp. Overall, money well spent.
Thanks for the review. I just ordered a small Select; I'll add another comment when it arrives about the quality control.
I just bought one and love it already, came super sharp. Only thing is, im not a fan of the grip. When i first looked at it i thought it was more of a rubber or at least more grippy. I would have been awesome for them to use the same stuff they had on the Buck Alpha Hunter folder.
Repaired mine of the back of this vid! There are two 0.015" bushes either side of blade, I replaced the one badge side with a 0.015" Large D shaped bush, this eliminates the liner lock pushing the blade over! The small round original bush is to small and acts as a pivot point, a larger bush allows you to centre blade without over tightening the pivot adjustment!
Sierra Trading Post has the 2.4 oz, 420 HC stainless blade, Charcoal Dymonwood scales Vantage on sale and with the deals flyer discount it is only $19.77. The sweet flyer deal is today only.
cheers for this vid in goung to get this soon. The avid model has a diamondwood handle which is resin injected wood really grippy apparently
would you go for the vantage or the bantam foe edc and camping or would you go for a different knife?
I have to admit to having a bit of a stuck up attitude toward Buck knives because of the blade steel to cost ratio. Recently, though, I've found a couple of Buck knives at what I think are appropriate prices for the quality. I picked up a Parallex, the smaller model, for ten bucks. Nice EDC, buries completely in pocket. Perhaps a little small in the hand, but otherwise has a good solid feel to it.
the only thing i would change is the colour of the pocket clip to black. looks like an awesome blade though! tks for the review!
i just ordered the buck vantage select after watching your review your great man
I really want to get a Buck Vantage Pro Large (Black G10, S30V) for my father in law. This is an old video, do you know if Buck has corrected the blade centering problem since this was filmed?
Thanks.
I got the vantage select yesterday I love it do far
How hard would it be to skeletonize the liner yourself? Maybe you could do it as TMP shop project if time permits.
Great value thanks for the info. 5*
The CRKT has the same problem with the blades not being centered..
Its the tention on the pivot adjustment that does it I guess, when I adjust my pivot the blade position changes.
I got a buck knife i got for about 30$ and i love it, great blade
keep doin your thing nutn' we appreciate it more than you know
Notice that the spring catch is on the left hand side? That may be the reason the blade is tending to push to the right. Over time the wear-in of both knives have brought about a centered blade upon folding.
I just received my small vantage select today and after all the comments I had read about this one of the first things I checked out was the blade centering. Sure enough as I look at the blade with the point down it is pushed over to the right. However I watched carefully as I closed it all the way. It looks like it is nicely centered until the blade detent kicks in at the very end. This seems to be pushing it off center. Any thoughts?
i got the pro model and it came supa dupa mega sharp!sweet vid btw.
A buck knife review! I almost did a double take. Great review Nutn and great to see a high value review. awesome
i strongly believe this off center blade issue lies in the liner lock. i got the vantage select knife today and the blade was dead center and the liner lock ended up in the middle. after opening and closing the knife several times the lock 'broke in' and now it goes all the way over; i noticed the blade wasn't center and the lock was pushing on the blade making it off center. i have no idea what would cause the liner lock to do this but apparently its an issue. just tighten the screw for the blade and that will fix it