Buck vs. Case

R

Robert Ptacel

Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
314
I was always curious what performance differences there were between them? I've always bought 110's and 112's so I've wondered if the Cases (Mako, Sharktooth, Hammerhead ) were as good. If Buck's are better from a technical standpoint what makes them superior?
 
The only Case I have is a 3 blade stockman and I've never had to send a knife in for a warranty in my life except for a Benchmade. Does Case have a poor record in that department?
 
The "shark" line of Case, is not even in the same class as a 110 IMHO. Way over priced and not nearly as smooth and polished as a 110 and even though it's the same 420HC, the heat treat is not as good as Buck.

I have some Case knives so don't anyone take it this as a slam at Case overall, but that particular line of lockbacks has not impressed me much.
 
I always thought they looked nice but what I wanted was some feedback from someone that used them both. Thanks.
 
back in late 70's were i worked there was contention between owners of the two brands.
some clamed to be able to cut the edge off the other and in fact many put the knives edge to edge and tryed to "cut" the others blade...
i feel it come down to the shape of the edge many times as
to who put a dent in whos blade.

i had all kinds of knives brought to me to sharpen.. and so i got to handle many diffrent kinds ... some brownings had a nice shape and there is one shark had a simlure shape to it that i liked the shape of...
did not like the blade or the action of any of the ones i handled ...
no i did not collect bucks then...

only one blade has ever impressed me other then buck and it was a small gurber like a bucklite ...
i sold that knife for 2 times what i paid in for it at the PX
i bought another of the same exat model and the steel on it sux big time... tryed one more and again sux... so the one was a fluke... and to be fare i did observe some inconstanty with a number of diffrent brands then..
consistancy is one of bucks trade marks.. only one 500 was i never able to sharpen and i think it was because it was put on a sander or grinder and the temper pulled out of the blade... and some of the old no dots with thick blades seemed to be harder to sharpen when the blade was worn past half way...
but then a lot of guys would take and want a splinter picker thin blade and would grind to get it ... so some again had temper issues not from Buck..
today all of Bucks Steel is heet treated by
(drume roll please) /// tada >>
BOS - the man who cooks steel...
 
I have tried both knives. I just dont think this is a fair question to post here ;)
I think that answers would be different if it were posted in a "Case" forum...
Kinda one sided (IMHO)

With that said,
when I started collecting I had several different knife brands. The case knives I owned didnt hold an edge quite like a Buck. Now I mainly have Bucks, one hand made custom from a fellow Buck Brother and some RAT knives. Bucks by far though... prolly 20 to 1.
I would have to say that heat treat is probably one of the major defferences? I like Bucks knife designs better for sure though! I wont slam Case knives, they just werent my preference I guess.
 
I had a case lockback called the xxchanger,it had 3 interchangable blades,and a nice leather sheath.I did use it a few times and it was pretty sharp and a decent knife,but the action and lock weren't smooth like a 110.

The edge didn't last as long as 440c 110 or 420 hc 110,but i used it anyway and could get it pretty sharp with a bit of effort.

All in all it wasn't a bad knife,i wish i could get a 110 like it.lol
 
Robert...it was a great suggestion to post this on the Case forum and see what different responses you get.

I have not toured the case factory since Jim Parker owned it and at that time the processes were not well designed. Their saving grace at that time was dedicated craftsmen (and women) turning out good product despite the out of control processes. I do not know what changes have taken place since then.

We have spent much energy (aided by our relocation) improving the consistency of our designs, our processes, our machinery and the training of our people and meshing that with state of the art materials so we can deliver the most reliable knife in the industry. I do know that we get the most consistent heat treating results (read that getting all the hardness with the least brittleness everytime) in the industry because the people we buy our steels from tell us so...and when it comes to #110's we have had plenty of practice on that knife.
 
CJ Buck said:
when it comes to #110's we have had plenty of practice on that knife.
Click to expand...


I'm glad to hear that, I just bought another 110 today. Just a Great all round Knife.:thumbup:

BTW I'm a Case and Buck fan, you just can't go wrong with these Brands.:thumbup:
 
Personally, I don't see much to compare from these two companies. I think of Case as a maker of more "traditional" type knives, whereas, Buck seems to be more in touch with the evolution of knives. They appear to fill different needs in the industry.
 
I have collected Case knives for some years now. The earlier stuff(60's and 70's) were usually all very high quality... Then there was a period where they really lacked consistency in their products. Not sure how the current models are though. I have only dealt with their C.S once. They were fine to deal with
Now for the Bucks. I don't have all that many, YET.. However the quality seems to remain consistent. I have to give great credit to Joe for stepping up to take care of a problem that happened, even though it was clearly not covered under warranty.. Not a day goes by that I don't remember that, and am really enjoying learning about the Buck knives as I slowly start to accumulate some more of them. Seem to have a real soft spot for the 110 and 112 with finger grooves...
Another point for Buck is that it is still family owned, and to top that off they are accessible for normal folks like us here on BF......
Most Case knives are designed from the start to be collectible. Buck knives are designed to be used first, but still manage to become collectible over time.. That says a lot for their products.
 
Robert Ptacel said:
I was always curious what performance differences there were between them? I've always bought 110's and 112's so I've wondered if the Cases (Mako, Sharktooth, Hammerhead ) were as good. If Buck's are better from a technical standpoint what makes them superior?
Click to expand...

Having grown up with CV soddies, I can honestly say that if I could only own 1 knife for ALL things (Case vs. Buck), I'd take a Buck 303 over ANY Case knife (CV, or SS).
Bucks are the beaters that can't be beat.
 
Let me try this again. I just typed out a long message and got an error.
 
I have and use both Case and Buck. I'm also a life member of Case collector club. Personally ,(and I might get slammed for it) I like Case pocket knives better and Buck hunting knives better. The lock backs of Case(mako, hammerhead, sharktooth) do not compare imho to the Buck 110. I like the thicker blade of the 110 and the handle just feels right. The reason for my preferance on the Case pocket knives are the choices. Performance wise I think they are similar, but I do not have any newer Buck pocket knives. The two I have that havent not been stolen through the years is a colt and an older stockman. I do miss the long pull on the stockman as I feel it gave it nice look. The stock man was my first stepdads many years ago. I dont carry it anymore due to it has lost its snap. But I do carry a Buck 110 and a Case pocket knife everyday. Heck my fillet knife is a Queen. All my users are U.S made knives. If I could only own one knife it would be one of my 110s.
 
I got my first Buck knife, a 301 stockman, in 1967 and carried it till the early 90's. My dad was a case man, and carried a old Case peanut from 1937 to his passing in 1981. Both knives gave a life time of great service.

I still have a Case or two around as well as my old stockman and a newer 303 cadet. All are exellent knives. It's just a matter of taste and mood, which one I'll drop in my pocket for a day.

Case gives me old style jigged bone handles and carbon CV steel. Buck gives me near indestructable synthetic handles and stainless steel for wet saltwater conditions.

It's like a hot dog or a hamburger, which do you feel like today? both choices are good, and will feed you.
 
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