Buck Knives 110 Folding Hunter Knife with Finger Grooves and Leather Sheath

My father had one, my brother had one, and I had one that someone found and gave to me. I never felt that this one was mine. I finally bought my own buck knife and I am so impressed with it. It’s American made, very good quality and fulfilled a lifelong dream of having my very own buck knife. The case is awesome too. I just cannot say enough good things about this knife. I will pass it down to one of my sons, that’s the type of quality these are.

This review is for the Buck 110FG folding knife with finger grooves.The fit and finish are excellent; my copy has a very small nick in the wooden handle right where the 50th Anniversary logo is embedded. The blemish is difficult to see; if I had gotten the knife as a collectible I would ask for an unblemished one. However for me this is a working knife so a little 'character' won't hurt the finish.I am not a hunter (haven't been for decades) and don't rely on knives for self defense so I was looking for a pocket knife. (I'll agree that the Buck 110 is a bit large for one's pocket but a folding knife is a 'pocket' knife for me unless the proportions are totally outrageous). The knife will be used for the usual - opening boxes and letters, cutting line, cutting telephone poles in half, digging slit trenches, nothing out of the ordinary.The knife is heavier than expected - it replaced a similarly designed inexpensive knife (that I received as a gift) and I was used to the light weight of that tool. I much prefer the heft of the Buck 110.The blade was sharp right out of the box; no problem at all passing the old "slice a piece of paper" test.The knife, being new, is a bit stiff to open and close. I expect a little 'break in' time will make that right. It feels very tight and very solid. There is NO play in the blade (either up and down, side to side, or fore to aft) in the blade when open. Closing requires a firm push on the closing mechanism; this knife is not likely to close accidently. Ever.Being the 50th Anniversary Edition it has a small logo embedded in the handle and the base of the blade is also marked. I received the knife on 12/31, so there are some 50th anniversary models in stock as of this writing.The sheath (made in Mexico) is very stiff leather and required several minutes of "slide the knife in, slide the knife out" exercises before the knife could somewhat easily be housed and retrieved. Again, this is because the unit is new; like a new baseball glove I expect some wear will make things right. The belt loop on the sheath is likewise tight, but will accept a dress belt (say .75" in width) or a working jeans belt (say 1.5" in width).EDIT:I used the old trick of wrapping the knife in plastic (I used a sandwich baggie) and storing the knife in the sheath overnight; the next night I did the same process only reversing the knife (first night was emblem side down, next night was emblem side up) and that allowed the sheath to expand just a tad - enough to allow the knife to be placed into or taken out of the sheath without undue effort while keeping enough grip on the knife so that it doesn't fall out if the sheath is placed upside down while unlocked.I also added a drop of oil to the moving parts of the knife (I know there are newer lubricants out there, I use 3-in-1 oil)and then wiped everything down with a cotton rag.END EDITThe Buck 110FG Folding Hunter with Finger Grooves simply delivers on its promise - a quality knife made with quality steel by a quality company. Warranted forever by the factory the knife will be there, ready to go to work, when you need it - and you can't ask much more of a working knife.Heavily recommended.HTHJim

The great buck 110 is a throwback of quality that you feel in the heft of the knife and the crisp solid snap of the blade locking into place. Keep it clean and oiled and sharp and you'll understand why generations of men carried these knives since the 1960s.This model has the finger grooves which benefit the owner when working in wet or especially in bloody environments as when cleaning large game. When wet, a hard wood handled knife can get slippery but the finger grooves on this model give a little more grip and control over the original.The 110 is a folding belt knife meant to be in its sheath or in the hand. It's not a "pocket" knife nor does it have a pocket clip. It's heavy and stout and so long as you take care of it, you'll pass it down to the next generation. Though I like the look of the leather sheath, pair it with the nylon sheath to avoid any green tarnish that could show up on the brass ends.I have a lot of knives but this is one of my favorites. Not a daily carrier for my line of work but if I'm out on the road or in the outdoors, this will be on a sheath on my belt.

I have just about every production model of the Buck 110 ever made--and this one is by far my favorite. It's also been my daily front pocket carry, sans sheath for three years. My daily pocket loadout also includes a Victorinox Hunter (they're a great mid-sized knife and I beat the crap out of them--and they wear out) and also a Leatherman Squirt PS4. That sounds like a lot of pocket weight, but I find it to be manageable and I'm an average-sized guy.I do keep this 110 in top shape--and I don't abuse it simply because I want it to be razor-sharp when I need it. The factory edge is pretty good on all 110s, but I reconfigured this one slightly using a Lansky three-stone system and it's actually quite a bit sharper now than when it arrived from the factory. I find knife-sharpening to be pretty dull (bad pun), so I'm careful with the edge and don't abuse it. Buck says the hardness of this stainless blade is Rockwell-58-ish. I think mine is actually a little harder, based on edge retention. For most people, the Buck factory edge will suffice for at least a while; however, like all knife edges, they will need to be maintained.Corrosion: Zero visible corrosion on the blade. The brass body now has a really nice patina showing a bit of pocket wear; it's rather cool looking. It's still tight as a drum mechanically.The finger grooves really make the difference with this model, especially if you think you might be using it in wet or slippery environments--like real-life situations and want to lessen the potential of sliding your digits over the blade by mistake. Trust me--the finger grooves are worth the extra $20 above the standard brass-bodied 110 if you can afford it. I've occasionally carried the plastic, lightweight 110, and the lightweight aluminum-bodied 110. Nothing wrong with them, but I prefer the brass body--and of course the finger grooves.I'll probably buy a couple more of these to rat-hole for a rainy day in case Buck stops making them.Superior product--highly recommended.