Buck Knives – 110 Folding Hunter

Buck Knives originated in 1902 and has been a family-owned business since then. The company produces a wide range of fishing, hunting and sporting knives. However, the knife which made them famous was the model 110 Folding Hunter, a pocket knife with a sturdy locking mechanism and a substantial clip point blade appropriate for field dressing large game.

First introduced in 1964, the Buck 110 has become one of the most copied knife designs of all time. In fact, any lockback knife similar to the 110 is often simply called a Buck knife, regardless of who made it. The lockback mechanism has been around in various forms for hundreds of years, and although Buck didn’t invent it, they made it suitable for mass production and thereby revolutionized the pocket knife industry. The lock on the Buck 110 is heavy-duty but, of course, you are not supposed to pry with the blade.

The handle scales are Dymondwood, a laminated material that is made by layering wood veneers together with resin and dye. High pressure and heat are used to compact and harden the material. The massive brass bolsters at each end of the handle are both decorative and strengthening.

This knife is equipped with a 420HC stainless steel blade with a satin finish. Buck’s very own heat treatment process, which was originally set up by the legendary Paul Bos, optimizes the steel’s strength, edge retention, corrosion resistance, and sets the hardness to 58 HRC. Although the Buck 110 is marketed as a folding hunting knife, the general-purpose blade shape excels in a wide range of tasks. The blade has a nail nick for two-handed opening.

The Buck 110 has quite some heft to it. Because of its size and weight, it comes with a leather belt sheath, which is the preferred and most practical carry method for this knife. After all, the Buck 110 is a work knife and not a gentleman’s folder for everyday carry. In this regard, the smaller and more lightweight model 112 is the better option.