Buck Vantage Pro review

Orion's Belt

Orion's Belt

Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
1,554
At first I had a great idea for a longish review on this knife, but I'm tired and not feeling up to it. So, here's a short sweet review that I'll break down into things I like and don't about the Vantage Pro.

Likes:
-The G10 handle scales are nicely done. They are slightly polished, but not shiny. They still provide good grip even though they aren't highly textured.
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-The pocket clip is done really well. It holds tight and rides low. It also doesn't tear up pockets thanks to the smooth G10. It's mounted securely via two T6 torx screws on the butt end of the handle.
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- The blade shape and finish is great. I love the belly and nice, thin hollow grind. The finish is unlike any other I've seen. It's kind of a satin finish but has an almost stonewash to it. I tried to capture it in pictures, but it did not show.
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-The blade steel is another great aspect of the Vantage Pro. The Bos heat treated S30V is good stuff. It came nicely sharp and has held a really good edge through the 2 weeks of fairly hard cutting tasks. It seems like it may be on the harder end compared to the S30V I'm used to (various Spyderco models).
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-The lockup is solid with no play in any direction.
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-The action is nice and smooth (no pics here).

Dislikes:
-The fit of the scales is a bit off in places.
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Here, you can see the left scale isn't flush with the liner. Also, you can see the centering, which is a hair off centered.
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-The flipper doesn't work as well as I would like. I'm not sure if it's the positioning or the size of the flipper. Perhaps a combination of the both. Although, with a slight "flip" of the wrist, the flipper does work.
-The thumb hole is a bit occluded by the scale. It's definitely workable, but not optimum. If it were a round hole, a la Spyderco, it may not be a problem. But, the oval shaped hole makes for a bit harder deployment.
-The weight is a bit more than I expected. By my hand scale, it's about the same weight as a sprint run Manix. It's definitely heavier than a Para Military 2. This isn't totally a dislike, because the knife actually carries well. But, it's something to consider. I may try to mill out the liners a bit to shave off a bit of weight.

All in all, I really like this knife. It may not be perfect, but it does a lot right. The pros most definitely outweigh the cons. I would recommend the Vantage Pro for anyone who wants to try out S30V on a budget. If you do some searching, you can get one for around $50 + shipping. I got mine for quite a bit cheaper, though.

Thanks for reading. I know I said it would be short, but it turned out to be a bit longer than I expected.:foot:
 
Good review, There must be a lot of hit and miss QC on these. I guess I was lucky as mine was perfect except for the pivot screw had to be tightened out of the box. I concur on the flipper design, too flush......but I still really like it anyway.
 
I like them. I have an Avid level (mid-grade) and the blade rubs against the liner.:( For the money they are nice knives. I will get the Vantage Pro in Desert Tan soon.:D
 
I carry mine a lot.

The Bos heat treated S30V is as good as S30V gets. (And I've tried a few flavors.) I measured the hardness of mine at 59.7. But more than the steel, the blade itself is exquisitely shaped for slicing. Blade geometry is more important than blade steel when it comes to cutting. Put that steel into that shape and you've got a winner.

Love the clip. Love the thickness of the handle. I can use it all day long and not get a hot spot. Mine is a bit off center in the closed position, which doesn't bother me a bit. It locks up completely solid when open for business and that's what I care about.

IMO it's the most knife you can get in that price range.
 
It's a good value for sure but I have two tiny little problems with it: It's a liner lock (my personal bias) and it can't decide if it's a hole in the blade opener or if it's a flipper. The lock thing is really not much of an issue for 99.9% of tasks and the opener is just a minor annoyance as well.

The hole is too small and too low to find with your thumb easily and the flipper is too short to work every time. I ground on mine (Select, not Pro) to increase clearance to the thumb hole but that didn't help as much as I had hoped. Other than those it's a good design. I agree with Frank about the clip and the blade shape. It carries well and feels good in the hand. Even the lowly 420 version is a great cutter because of the well designed blade contour.
 
knarfeng said:
I carry mine a lot.

The Bos heat treated S30V is as good as S30V gets. (And I've tried a few flavors.) I measured the hardness of mine at 59.7. But more than the steel, the blade itself is exquisitely shaped for slicing. Blade geometry is more important than blade steel when it comes to cutting. Put that steel into that shape and you've got a winner.

Love the clip. Love the thickness of the handle. I can use it all day long and not get a hot spot. Mine is a bit off center in the closed position, which doesn't bother me a bit. It locks up completely solid when open for business and that's what I care about.

IMO it's the most knife you can get in that price range.
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59.5-60 HRC is the sweet spot for S30V.

Strider and CRK used BOS's formula and it really work well, CRK on the last runs of their S30V blades when the bumped the hardness to 59.5.

One can really tell the difference when removing metal compared to others.
 
The original review is a bit old (2012) so this qualifies as a resurrection. But I'll join in.

I've owned a Buck Vantage Pro since they were first introduced and I carried it daily for several years. I agree with those comments that it's probably the nicest knife with the best steel at that price point. Mine does have a slightly off-center blade. But it doesn't rub and the positioning hasn't changed any over time. Otherwise, fit is excellent.

I used mine as a general purpose knife and never abused it. It's as solid today as it was when I bought it. There is zero blade play after several years of use. On one occasion, I did have to use the knife to cut through some metal wires (it was something of an emergency with no wire cutters available) and I was surprised the blade did not chip in the least. My previous experience with S30V was that it can chip pretty easily when used like that. Maybe that says something about the Bos HT.

I'm not carrying this knife these days but it ranks as one of my all time favorites and one of my best buys. I would not hesitate to buy another.
 
I really love the Buck Vantage line. I have a Force Pro on the way, with those sweet blue/black G-10 handles. I'd been on the lookout for another one ever since I gave my Avid to a good friend. I'll probably own them all at some point. Just a beautiful, and beautifully done knife.
 
Further proof that Buck can still do some things right. I've owned several Vantages, a Rush, been through a couple of Marksmans, Bantams and 110s, even a Trio and one of their rescue knives. All good stuff.

To the OP, I'm glad you like your knife. It's definitely a winner.
 
I could not understand the odd shape of the hole, until I put a zip tie on it. Totally changed my perception of the knife. Try it.
 
I have the same blade, like it a lot so much so I got my son a avid. Then a second one after his first got lost.
One of my go to edc blades.
 
Does anyone know if the model like the one in this review are still being made? I think I'd like to get one but they seem difficult to find...or maybe it's just me?
 
Another vote for "this is a great knife." I carry mine often due to the deep carry clip. The scales flare just enough to fill my hand. Yep, the hole is a little small and the flipper could be more effective...but I have the Vantage (small) and the Avid and love 'em both.
 
My small Avid has a straight blade and everything is set up right on it. I carry it everyday and use it most days. I still can't find a knife that I want more.
 
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