Traditionalist and True

Hoyt Buck produced the first Buck Knife in 1902. Hoyt and his son Al moved to San Diego and set up shop as H.H. Buck & Son in 1947. Al Buck revolutionized the knife industry in 1964 with the infamous Model 110 Folding Hunter. The company's innovative history and attention to quality have made for many great collectible knives.
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Legend
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Traditionalist and True

Post by Legend »

I just thought I would like to write my thoughts on the iconic Buck 110 and 112 from the point of view of a non American . Obviously as we all know , the Buck 110 and to a slightly lesser degree the Buck 112 Ranger are an iconic and integral part of American society and rightly so as the company was started and is still owned by the same Family group all these years later , and lets be honest , there are not many companies who can lay claim to that these days .
I was born and bred in the North East of England in quite a tough working class area whose roots lay in its ship building and coal mining heritage and as such had extremely proud working class ethics . These days Britain in general is just a shadow of its former working class glory and the freedom I had as a kid is overshadowed by the politically correct and overtly soft society our children are being forced to endure now. Like many American kids growing up through the 1950s and 60s I ran with the wind , climbed rocks and trees , scraped our hearts and scraped our knees (as the song goes) and the one item that never left my side throughout my childhood was some kind of a pocket knife . We all carried them , they were cheap and they were readily available in most corner shops (or candy stores as you guys called them ) . There was no thought of using the knife as a weapon but just used to throw and stick in tree trunks or in the grass , and like kids the world over we would be always whittling away with pieces of wood , it was a part of growing up. Later in my teenage years I would use them to gut fish on our many fishing trips .
It has been said that the Buck 110 is the most copied knife and of that I have no doubt . as I became a teenager I bought myself a fixed blade antler horn sheath knife made in Sheffield England which at that time was the knife making capital of the UK . This knife (around 6" in length) was a solid piece of kit with a nice leather sheath and had the same style of clip point blade and very similar in style to a Buck 110 . To me it represented the most beautiful knife in the world and I looked after and cared for it for many years until it was probably discarded by my Mother along with other childhood artifacts when I left home to join the Army . I know in the US it is almost a right of passage in many families for a Father or Grandfather to pass down their 110s to the younger members of the family , and why not , I think this represents sealing the bonds between Father and Son , and I am sure many of the members here will have fond memories of this happening !
Over the years I have collected and also made my own knives and still have a small but quality collection of Pocket knives and Khukuri knives which in turn , one day will pass on to my Grandson and special friends . It is still a habit of mine to sleep with a knife under my pillow as I feel empty without one there , usually an M3 US Fighting knife made as a joint effort between myself and a good friend or a Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife . I carry various makes of pocket knives as EDC and no law in the UK will ever stop me doing so as I have carried since around eight years old .
What I would like to say is , in my experience and opinion the American made Buck 110 / 112 are amongst if not the most iconic style pocket knives in the world , yes they are quite heavy but in my opinion that is how they should be . I am a traditionalist and purist and am really not into many of the modern day lightweight super steel EDCs that are raved about , the Buck 110 / 112 are solid , well made and reliable knives with that old world aesthetic charm , and that is what you need in an all round carry .
eveled
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by eveled »

Thanks Legend. It was interesting to hear your perspective on the subject. Although an icon of sorts. I’m the only person I know who regularly carries one and they are not omnipresent anymore in the US either.

Most folks don’t even wear belts. Let alone belt knives.

Times have changed.
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Thanks for the story and for sharing your perspective. I know something of the area where you grew up, as my nephew married a girl from Sunderland and moved there. I’ve visited them there a few times. Their children were raised there and I’ve heard it is still a “rough” area. They sometimes speak of the changes socialism has brought to the U.K. in general, and the Sunderland area in particular, and not for the better. Working class jobs gone away, replaced by government “welfare” payments, the resulting loss of self-respect and self-worth, pervasive alcohol and drugs, crime and petty vandalism, etc.

Buck, Case, and Utica are the last of the traditional knife makers still manufacturing knives in U.S.A., all having the “hand me down” through generations traditions you speak of. Unfortunately the cultural changes you (and my relatives there) speak of are happening here too. And also not for the better.

Ken
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.

If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.

When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.

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Legend
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by Legend »

Hello Guys ,
It is sad to hear that the changes that I see here on a daily basis are also happening in the US , AND YOURE BOTH RIGHT , NOT FOR THE BETTER !
I was under the impression that Patriotism was still a proud flag to wave over there and that Buck knives was an integral part of that same patriotism .
Sad !!
Azretired
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by Azretired »

I carry a 112 almost daily in a homemade open top sheath I made and I always wear a belt. Helps keep m pants up too!
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garddogg56
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by garddogg56 »

Most of the guys in the trades still wear belt sheaths,be it a buck 110,LB7,or a Leatherman.heck I saw a guy still wearing a Puma on his hip..I have to say modern knives are being seen on a lot of job sites.I personally carry both.
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Legend
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by Legend »

Thanks for the replies Guys
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JonTerry
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Re: Traditionalist and True

Post by JonTerry »

Great Post !!!

From a fellow Brit I get everything you have said, and so many of your words reflewct my childhood, I am hoping for Grandsons that I can pass my Knives to as they grow, and hopefully teach them the important things about nature and morality.

JT
You do not have a soul, you are a soul, what you have is a body
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