A few years ago I was talking to a friend who swear his Buck 110 was the best knife in the world, he had his for years and used it for everything. From ED C to hunting to fishing, it has gone through years of abuse. I wasn’t sure if the Buck 110 is the best knife in the world, but I trusted him that it was good, so when I saw one on sale on Amazon, I bought it. It finally arrived today so I decided to throw a review on it.
At first glance, the Buck 110 is possibly the most boring knife ever. It is a folder (boring), cannot be opened with one hand (boring), has your typical wood and brass handle (boring), and does not have a belt clip (boring). The well made leather sheath it came with is black and unobtrusive. This knife was made for work, not to look cool and that’s what makes it so good.
It comes razor sharp with a nice pointy tip. The blade is 3 and ¾ in length and is made of 420HC steel which is better than 8Cr13MoV steel that is generally found in knives in it’s price range. The nice thing about 420HC steel is that it’s a reliable steel that is very easy to sharpen and stays sharp even after heavy use.
As far as fit and feel, the 110 is hefty, but not heavy. There is no play in the action or the lock. I like how the bow shape handle is neutral, some might say even boring, but that is what makes it so comfortable. It is annoying that it really does take two hands to open but again this isn’t meant to be a defensive knife. This is a knife that has been around for 50 years, and they have never changed the design for a reason.
Ok.. This review of a very boring knife is boring me to write. It must be very painful to read. Lets skip to the exciting part. I can tell you everything you need to know in one statement:
I gutted, skinned, and butchered a deer with this knife without having to resharpen it. When I was done it could still shave hair off my arm.
That’s all you need to know. Any knife that can do that is worth buying at any price. A $40 knife that can do that is a no-brainer. I think it is totally reasonable to say that the Buck 110 is the perfect hunting knife. Can it do other things? Absolutely. Are their better EDC knives? Yes. To be honest, there are better knives in almost every category, but none of them will do almost everything as well as this knife does. It’s not perfect, but it’s 50 years of history that does almost everything “good enough”.
Score: 7/10
Ben