Buck Knives Inc. is one of America's best known manufacturers of quality knives used for hunting and fishing. Operating near San Diego, California, the company is run by the fourth generation of the Buck family, which is deeply religious and prides itself on quality workmanship. Buck Knives is also known for its innovations over the years. In the beginning its tempering process set it apart from the competition. Later on, superior knife design was important in establishing the brand. The introduction of a folding hunting knife in the 1960s was a key factor in the company's growth, as was the MP bayonet developed for the military in the 1980s, as well as the Crosslock Series of knives, named knife of the year in 1994, and the more recent BuckTool, a popular multi-tool utensil. In all, Buck Knives offers hundreds of knife styles, most of which are produced at the company's 4.5 acre El Cajon, California, manufacturing facility. It also crafts expensive limited-edition commemorative knives that are highly valued by collectors. More recently Buck Knives has begun to extend its brand to a wide range of outdoor products via licensing agreements.
Slipjoint knives
Most pocket knives for light duty are slipjoints. This means that the blade
does not lock, but, once opened, is held in place by a spring device that
allows the blade to fold if a certain amount of pressure is applied.
These knives often have more than one blade, including an assortment of
knife blade types (serrated, plain edged, saws) as well as a myriad of other
tools such as bottle openers, corkscrews, and scissors. A large tool
selection is the signature of the Swiss Army Knife. These knives are
produced by Victorinox
and Wenger and issued to the army and
sold to the public. The German Army knife is large but light, with
two blades opening from each side. It has hard plastic grips and aluminum
liners. The United States Army knife, made by the Camillus Cutlery
Company, used to have carbon steel blades and brass liners (both vulnerable
to corrosion), but is now more durable with all-stainless steel
construction. It has four blades opening from the same side. The handle, as
manufactured, has rough edges, but these can be rounded, yielding an
excellent and versatile knife.
Stockman's penknife with clip, pen and sheep's foot blades; wooden grips,
brass bolsters and liners
Enlarge
Stockman's penknife with clip, pen and sheep's foot blades; wooden grips,
brass bolsters and liners
Some names of blade shapes are:
* Clip—the upper part of the blade is cut away to form a sharp point
directly in front of the handle.
* Spear—edge and back curve together to a point
* Pen—similar to a spear but smaller
* Sheep's foot—wide with straight edge and no point, common on boats and
ships
* Spay or spey—clipped at the back to form a sort of point, but the clip is
very short. These were originally for castrating live stock and are used for
delicate work.
There are many traditional types of folding knives:
A pen knife is a small and often thin knife with one or two pen blades, that
does not interfere with the appearance of dress clothes, when carried in a
pocket. They were originally intended for making and sharpening quill pens
but are versatile and have remained fairly common. Knives with three or four
knife blades are also common. A whittler is slightly larger than a pen knife
and has tree blades. A stockman has a clip, a sheep's foot and a spay blade.
They are usually middle-sized. A trapper is large, with a clip and a spay
blade.
The Leathermans and similar combination tools now compete with multi-bladed
knives, but most of these are rather large for carrying in a pocket. The
"main blade" is typically a pair of pliers and there is typically one
non-locking knife blade.
Locking knives
Medium-sized lockback knife with deer-antler grips, nickel-silver bolsters
and brass liners
Enlarge
Medium-sized lockback knife with deer-antler grips, nickel-silver bolsters
and brass liners
The 1900s brought a new system to the knife world with the popularization of
locking pocket knives. Companies such as
Buck Knives, Benchmade,
Camillus, Gerber, Kershaw, Leatherman, Spyderco, to name a few, have created a wide
range of products with locks of all types. The most popular form, the
lockback knife (or buck knife) is similar to a slipjoint, except that
instead of the user releasing the blade with pressure, the user has to press
on a lever located on the back of the knife handle to release the blade,
adding a level of safety. There are other types of locks; some of the more
popular ones are the liner lock, the frame lock, and the Axis lock (a
Benchmade patent). Even the Swiss Army knife product range has adopted the
locks on some knives. Leatherman tools are now available with locking
blades.
Most locking knives have only one blade, as large as can be fit in the
handle. An electrician's knife typically has a locking screwdriver blade but
a non-locking knife blade.
Other features
Traditional knives were opened using nail-nicks, or slots where the user's
fingernail would enter to pull the blade out of the handle. This became
somewhat cumbersome and required use of two hands, so there were innovations
to remedy that. The thumb-stud, a small stud on the blade that allows for
one-handed opening, led the way for yet more innovations, such as the
opening hole (a Spyderco patent where the user presses the pad of his thumb
against a hole and opens the blade by rotating his thumb similarly to using
the thumb-stud), "assisted opening" systems pioneered by Ken Onion and his
"Speed-Safe" mechanism, as well as the Emerson Wave system, where a hook
catches the user's pocket upon removal and the blade is opened during a
draw. One of the first one handed devices was the automatic spring release,
also known as a switchblade.
Another innovation of Sal Glesser, Spyderco founder, was the clip system,
which he named a "Clip-it". Clips are usually metal or plastic and similar
to the clips found on pens except thicker. Clips allow the knife to be easy
to accessible, while keeping it lint-free and unscathed by pocket items such
as coins.
Nevertheless, they retain a significant following, associated especially
with the outdoors and those who enjoy camping, hunting, fishing, and so on.
The Boy Scouts offer merit badges that involve knife work, such as Wood
Carving.
Schatt & Morgan knives are produced by Queen Cutlery and
are arguably the finest work knife made today. The fit / finish
is now rivaling all competition. This combination is working
hard on the collectability of this brand.
