Buck isn’t just synonymous with folding lock-blade knives because they make great folding lock-blade knives – the company actually pioneered the way for what is standard in the pocket knife world today. The first Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter, in 1964, was the first folding lock-blade knife available. And, they’ve had nearly forty-five years since to build on that successful design.
The problem is, they haven’t done much with that forty years. This Buck 284BK Bantam knife has a 2.75-inch, drop point, plain edge blade made from 420HC stainless steel – decent wear resistance and a good strength. Thumbs studs on each side of the blade means ambidextrous, one-handed opening is a cinch. The handle is a textured thermoplastic decked out with additional grooves along the top for better grip.
But I look at a knife like this compared with some of the handy designs being put out by Kershaw – the Cyclone, for example, or the Centofante-Onion design. The Kershaw SpeedSafe technology has set the bar for one-handed, ambidextrous opening, making the thumb stud obsolete. These Kershaw knives are a little more expensive than this Buck Bantam, but — in my opinion — a dozen times better.
