422 Bucklite info?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
Messages
6,135
Just purchased my first Bucklite and had some questions while it's flying in from Hawaii. I went with a 1993 model for the 420HC and lanyard hole. Anyway, I searched and couldn't find the answers to my questions. What is the actual handle material and how much does this little guy weigh? I'm planning on using it for backpacking, so hopefully it's fairly light.

Here are a couple of eBay photos for my viewing pleasure. :D

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Nice knife. I have a 422 that looks a little different. Mine weighs 82.4 grams, or 2.9 oz.

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I don't know what the actual material is but TAH, yours is a one piece handle and blee, yours is a two piece. I would think the one piece to be marginally heavier.

I think one was nylon and the other just plastic.

I'm really only guessing here and probably should mind my own business and wait for someone in the know.... ;)
 
The 1993 catalog says, "BuckLite handles are made of Valox, a high-test thermoplastic." My black '92, same version as TAH's, feels really good and solid in the hand and weighs in at 2.50 ounces on the shipping scale. Surprisingly, Blee's early version is listed in older catalogs as having Valox handles too.
 
Thanks everyone! Valox and 2.50 ounces!

One more question - would you say the 422 that I purchased has a black or a dark OD handle? I thought it was black in the photos, but in this photo, it appears to have a green tint to it. Could just be the lighting.


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Well, at least, it's not pink - not that there's anything wrong with that. :D
 
So, how durable is Valox compared to Zytel, as far as being wear and chemical resistant?
 
Zytel is a mineral reinforced Nylon. So it is stronger than Valox. It is also more heat resistant than Valox.
 
We have, used and carry one of each handle styles, like those pictured above. We have carried and used them for around 10 years. Mine is a 1994 and her's is a 1992. So, 420 & 425M steel. We do a lot of general cutting with it. Not crazy stuff like slap cutting or malleting. They hold up very well and are easy to maintain. The handle material is valox. The hollow grind is good on these. The edge 2000. For camping or backpacking use it will work. Couple it with a light saw or hatchet and you have a very dependable pair. For camping I throw in a 1"x 6" piece of sanding belt 220 grit and use this to sharp on and strop on the reverse side. It will keep up w/ you on your adventures. DM
 
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TAH said:
So, how durable is Valox compared to Zytel, as far as being wear and chemical resistant?
Click to expand...

Valox is not Zytel. It is polyester whereas Zytel is Nylon. It can have glass reinforcement or not, depending. It has good impact resistance but is not as rigid as other materials. It should be fine for what you want.
 
When it comes to replacing the blades on Valox knives: Joe Houser warned me, before successfully replacing two blades on two 422s, that they might not survive removing and replacing the pivot pins (however, they both did survive quite well).

I had acquired a couple terrific one-piece 422 oldies. Each had excellent handles. Unfortunately, they both had shortened blades that had their tips re-profiled. When closed the tips protruded a bit above the handles just waiting for finger/accident to happen. So I showed them to Joe at OKCA and he kindly took them into custody and bang they showed in the mail a short time later with new metal. We did some horse trading as Desert Chris knows about. Thank you Chris for your kind generous in that endeavor getting Joe that British pearl Buck knife he'd wanted for a decade.
 
Thanks everyone! David, when was Edge 2000 introduced? Also, has anyone had any problems with Valox coming in contact with Deet?
 
You can get a lot of information about Bucklites... Go down a few threats and look at the thread... All about Bucklites and Selectors... post 431 through 438... You can learn a lot about Bucklites...

:)
 
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Yes, it was officially Announced in 1999. But they had been giving blades a thin hollow grind from 1992. Atleast. DM
 
ItsTooEarly said:
You can get a lot of information about Bucklites... Go down a few threats and look at the thread... All about Bucklites and Selectors... post 431 through 438... You can learn a lot about Bucklites...

:)
Click to expand...

blee said:
Here's a link to post 431: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...klites-and-Selector-s?p=12780619#post12780619
Click to expand...

Early and blee,

I skimmed through most of that thread, but it was too long to finish at the time. Thanks for pin pointing that section. Looking forward to reading it! :thumbup:
 
Bucklite arrived yesterday! Initial thoughts: This little guy is super lightweight and very comfortable in the hand. It has great lock up, but the blade has a little wiggle when closed. No big deal. One of the first things I noticed was, when open, the blade spine and lock bar line up perfectly. They fit together like a custom knife, which was a nice surprise on a relatively inexpensive knife. The knife is in new condition with original factory edge. It is fairly sharp, but needs a little work. Overall, I am very pleased with it. Does anyone know why Buck went with finger grooves on the Bucklites (422 & 426) and not the standard handle shape? Anyway, I think I found my new backpacking knife. :D :thumbup:


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Yes, it's a light knife and will work for backpacking. I don't know why Buck went with finger grooves on these. Finger grooves first appeared on the 110 in 1982. DM
 
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