Month: October 2016

The 3 Best Pocket Knives 2016

Ohio Gun & Knife Show
Ohio Gun & Knife Show 2016

I’m in the knife business, and I examined many knives this year. These are undoubtedly the best pocket knives 2016.

  • Kershaw “Scallion” Knife, Camo 1620.  A beauty of a knife.

    1620-engraved-camo-scallion-smooth Kershaw “Scallion” Knife, Camo 1620

    The finest 420hc stainless steel and the design make this one of my favorites. It’s made in the USA by Kershaw in Oregon. The mechanism works very well, including a firm locking in the open position, and a safety latch that keeps it from accidentally opening. The full color camo design is a high resolution image embedded on the scales. The bead-blasted blade has a beautiful satin finish. It comes sharp and stays sharp. The Speedsafe assisted-opening system makes the blade pop open when you need it fast. It’s great as a gift since it comes in a genuine Kershaw gift box. Size: 3 1/2″ closed. It has a removable pocket clip.

  • Buck® introduced a new camo pocket knife in 2016. The Bantam BLW Muddy Water Camo Lockback 285MW.

    285MW Buck Bantam BLW Muddy Water Camo Lockback 285MW

    The handle looks different from knife to knife. Made in the USA, this “medium size” pocket knife is a collector item and an EDC (every day carry) for all knife enthusiasts. The size is 4 3/8″ closed. The thermoplastic handle adds to the strength and economy of the weight of this favorite knife.

  • Kutmaster® is one of the biggest knife makers in the Eastern United States. It’s quality equals that of Buck®, but it’s prices are lower.

    95-1832L Kutmaster Compact Rescue Knife 95-1832L

    A super popular Kutmaster knife is the Compact Rescue Knife 95-1832L. Rescue knives are real popular because you can save someone’s life by breaking a window and removing their seat belt after a car accident. This knife is rugged, and made of quality 420 stainless steel. It features a pocket clip, razor sharp seat belt cutter, liner lock, and a glass breaking point at the end of the handle.

 

What Will Buck Knives Be Like in 100 Years?

110b.jpg Buck Folding Hunter Lockback Knife 110

Funny you should ask. How can you predict the future of anything? Here are some basic techniques that knife predictors might use:

  1. To see what a knife will look like in 100 years from now, lets see what it looked like 100 years AGO.
  2. Then look at the changes that were made, and when they were made. Did most of the changes occur in the last 10 years? If so, then you could expect more changes to come at a faster rate. If changes occurred every 10 years for the last 100 years, then you could expect the same steady rate of change in the next 100 trips around the sun.
  3. See the health of the knife company, and how well they respond to the needs of its customers.

What will Buck Knives be like in 2116? To try and answer that, let’s follow the 3 steps shown above…

  1. I can’t find a picture of the original Buck knife, made in 1902 by Hoyt Buck, the founder. If you can, please post it here.
  2. Buck Knives have changed gradually over the last 100 years. At the halfway mark, the son of Hoyt, Al Buck, incorporated “Buck Knives“.  In 1963-1964, Al designed and started to manufacture the famous 110 Buck Folding Hunter knife. At 4 7/8” closed, this knife has been the flagship of all pocket knives. It made the name “buck knife” a household name. When someone would say that name, they would mean a good pocket knife.  Al’s son Chuck and his wife, Lori worked at the plant, too, since 1978. Then in 1999 CJ took over the company. His father, Chuck died in 2015. So CJ is the great grandson of the originator, Hoyt Buck.

    301.jpg Buck USA Stockman Knife 301

    You can say that the next hundred years may continue to show a steady development of methods, design, and products to keep Buck knives the major US pocket knife company.

    722gray.jpg Buck® Spitfire 722

  3. How does this knife company respond to the needs of its customers? Starting with the founder, Hoyt Buck, he was looking for a way to temper steel. A better steel would be able to receive and hold a sharper edge. He had the American people in mind. Chuck responded to the customers in 1963 when they wanted a hunting knife that would fold. Not only fold, but lock in the open position, so you wouldn’t hurt yourself. This 110 Buck Folding Hunter knife was the best thing since sliced bread. So point 3 gets a passing grade for Buck. Most Buck knives are USA made.

    buck nobleman knife Buck Nobleman Linerlock Knife 327

    But in response to the economic cries of its customers, Buck does import some fine pocket knives. Camo (camouflage) has become very popular, so Buck responded with a few camo handles and even orange camo handles. Tactical knives are now taking center stage in the pocket knife collectors. Buck has designed some great example of that.

    284CM.jpg Buck® Nano Bantam Camo 284cmo

    Buck® Folding Orange Camo Omni Hunter 395CM9 Buck® Folding Orange Camo Omni Hunter 395CM9

What Will Buck Knives Be Like in 100 Years? My best guess would be more of the tactical style, and survival style of knives. However, for those who reminisce, Buck will always produce the 110 Buck Folding Hunter knife that has survived over 50 years. It is the flagship of all pocket knives.

870-S Buck® Silver “Bones” Pocket Knife 870-S

870-TS Buck® “Bones” – Tiger Stripe 870-TS