Buck Hartsook - My Opinions

S

steelscout30

Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
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I finally received a Buck Hartsook from my local outfitter the other day after putting one on order from them for $22. Prior to seeing this design, I almost bought a Shiv Works Lil' Loco several times (and I'm still in the market for one, if anybody owns one and wants to get rid of it or knows a good source for one). For under half the price, when the Hartsook came out it becamse a priority to get one.

At a total lenght of 4.25 inches and the weight of the blade coming in at under an ounce, it's a very small, convenient, lightweight piece. The stock, my closest measurement could come to, is 1.5mm, or about 1/16th of an inch (this may be slightly off---+/-). Made out of Paul Bos-treated CPM S30V, its a high-quality piece for not a lot of money.

It comes from the factory with a razor sharp edge and holds it well. Lately I've used it primarily to open (and then practically destroy) FedEx and UPS boxes. I've also cut through several magazines worth of thin, glossy pages and it still holds its factory razor edge. The edge has not been affected by any of the work I have put to it. It cuts through parachute cord (550-pound official test) with ease despite its relatively short (something like 1.875") blade. This little knife is a handy cutter and with a smaller aftermarket Kydex sheath would be a great keychain knife.

It is designed for a two-finger grip (the handle is only long enough to accomodate a pair of finger groves) and is comfortable in such a hold, although it does take a very short amount of time to using such a small knife. A piece of cord is fitted from the factory that, when wrapped around the fingers, makes the grip feel larger and more securely anchored in the hand. With this knife, in self defense applications, there would be no reverse or icepick grip methods without significant damage against the user, however. I have found that a palm-reinforced gripping position (such as those used with push daggers) is an effective self defense system and is very secure and tightly seated in the hand and could be used effectively. This little, all-jurisdictions-legal neck knife would make a fearsome last ditch weapon should the need arise and I have been practicing with it and carrying it as such. Piercing is surprisingly good, I'm glad to note.

The finish, while I'm not sure what exactly is it (whether it be a phosphate, Teflon, BT2, etc.), holds up nicely and is nonreflective. It doesn't scratch too easily but has worn slightly since I started carrying it a few weeks ago.

The sheath is relatively nice and retains the knife well. I took a black-coated ball chain and ran it through the integrated loop and have worn the knife as a necker. I've seen better sheaths but this is good quality for the factory and it has also held up well. The knife has fallen out twice, at which I was annoyed, but I realized that it had been after I was driving and my lap belt had loosened the Hartsook as it tighted when putting it on; the sheath itself was not at fault but be careful with the blade if you are driving and are wearing sandals (as was the case with me). A Hartsook equipped with an HAK or Nealy MSC II system would be a neat piece to use as a concealed last ditch tool. If there are any developments or any aftermarket makers who would help me to this end, please let me know.

In summary, a very nice knife for a very nice price. If you want a back up to your EDC folder or camp knife, this would be a good design that would add a minimal amount of weight.

Good job Buck, and Mr. Hartsook.

God bless you, America, our men and women overseas, and our Allies.

KATN,

Wade
619G6
 
It is a nice little knife from my favorite company.

The edge on mine wasn't nearly as sharp as I'd have liked it to have been, but Buck's grinds are always spot on so it doesn't take much to get one sharp.

I don't like the sheath though and don't trust it as a neck knife. It could be a little more than annoyance when that thing gets loose in your shirt. I think I read somewhere that Buck was going to address the sheath problems. Doesn't matter though as I don't like the idea of a neck knife at all, but I really like the design of the Hartsook (at the other Buck necker).

I also don't really see the point of coating S30V, it's pretty corrosion resistant, and don't like black blades in general (though I use a few black coated 1095 blades, but rust is an issue there). After about a day of playing around with it, I stripped the coating.

As a self defense tool I think it would be a poor choice, not because of its size, but because neck knives in general are a poor choice for self defense. Granted you don't have to deal with opening them in a sticky situation, but you do have to fish it out from underneath your shirt, hope you don't drop it, try not to gut yourself, etc.

I bought the knife because it was an interesting design, great steel, great price and a potential platform to work from. My plan is to add some exotic wood scales to the handle and a fairly substantial fob of some sort to extend the grip. I'd also like to have a leather sheath with a pocket clip made for it. Not sure when I'll ever get around to doing it, but it's at least fun to think about.

It hasn't seen much use, but it's been used for some cooking chores and does a great job at that.

If I ever do get around to adding some scales to it, I can see myself getting addicted to them and buying more to put different scale materials on (same thing with Spyderco SS Crickets, I've had one of them sitting here for a year waiting for some sort of scales).
 
Thanks to you both for the review and comments. It looks like I will have to pick one of those little beauties up.
 
Good review----but too small for me when I actually saw one in person.

I've been trying to come to terms with my Mini-Grip---which I consider too small---but its any state legal---so I'm trying to learn to live with it----even got a serrated yellow one to make it even more PC friendly------see, its a rescue tool---not a knife.
 
A.P.F. said:
Thanks to you both for the review and comments. It looks like I will have to pick one of those little beauties up.
Click to expand...

I know I said more negative than good about the knife. But I was simply pointing out what I don't like about it.

What I do like about it is the size actually. It's a tiny little knife. You can read the numbers all you want, but until you actually see it and handle it, how tiny it is won't sink in. Despite that, it's very usable and very stable in the hand. I added a noose-like coil of para-cord to mine to give some extra grip, but it doesn't really need it. Even someone with large hands should be ok with the knife as is.

I toyed around with attaching it to my wallet for little daily chores where I didn't need my large BM710, but I decided against it. It would have worked, but to keep it secure would have needed some velcro tape and that would add too much bulk.

Like I said in my previous post, I'd like to add some exotic wood scales and have a leather pocket sheath made. With the coating stripped and a nice wood handle and fob it would be a very classy little knife. Sheath retention would be an issue though.

It's a great little knife to keep sitting around on the desk for opening letters and packages, or cutting your sandwich. Feels kinda silly to have an S30V letter opener, but what can I say?

For the price and for the steel, if you have the need (or hell, just want) for a knife like this, by all means get four.
 
Hey Guys...

SteelScout...

As far as I'm concerned a knife that falls out of a sheath is Absolutely worthless..
you were lucky you caught it in time, before it was lost,, or you cut yourself with it...

I make an aftermarket sheath for the Hartsook...

Unfortunately I haven't taken a picture of one....

The knife will Not fall out of this sheath,, Ever...
However is still easy to access..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Psychopomp said:
I also don't really see the point of coating S30V, it's pretty corrosion resistant, and don't like black blades in general (though I use a few black coated 1095 blades, but rust is an issue there). After about a day of playing around with it, I stripped the coating.
Click to expand...

How did you do that?


Chris B.
 
I started with ~200 grit wet/dry paper and worked my way up from there. I still need to go a little higher for a good polish, but it looks good. The steel under the coating wasn't all that well finished, so it took some work. I'll probably finish it with some sort of metal polish... I don't want a mirror finish, but I'd like to get rid of the dullness left by the coating after sanding.

It wasn't easy because the knife is so small, so sanding the coating off the blade was a bit tricky, but I managed to do it without cutting myself or damaging the edge.

I've got grand visions in my mind of what I want this knife to look like when I'm finished, hopefully I can pull it off.
 
Psychopomp said:
I started with ~200 grit wet/dry paper and worked my way up from there. I still need to go a little higher for a good polish, but it looks good. The steel under the coating wasn't all that well finished, so it took some work. I'll probably finish it with some sort of metal polish... I don't want a mirror finish, but I'd like to get rid of the dullness left by the coating after sanding.

It wasn't easy because the knife is so small, so sanding the coating off the blade was a bit tricky, but I managed to do it without cutting myself or damaging the edge.

I've got grand visions in my mind of what I want this knife to look like when I'm finished, hopefully I can pull it off.
Click to expand...

I have access to some wetordry sand paper all the way up to 2000 grit, so I'll have to give it a try as well. I was fortunate that I found my Hartsook...I was wearing under my ACU shirt, and it fell out one night when exiting the HMMWV. Lukily, it fell just outside the door and I went back and found it. The phosphate coating sucks in my opinion. I had a huge back spot on my chest when I first started wearing it under my T-shirt.

I'm going to have to add Normark's Hartsook sheath to my next order with him. Right now, I just wrapped some 100mph tape around it which has helped. Buck's concept is good, just poor execution on the sheath. For a very small, unobtrusive neck knife, I really like the Hartsook. As a neck knife, it is easy to forget about...I really like it.

ROCK6
 
I have the Buck Hartsook and I love it. The only negative thing that I found was like some of you, the knife wasn't as secure in the sheath as I'd like it. I wrapped a small clear elastic around the sheath a couple of times and that has done the trick.

I took it one step further and contacted Buck. They said if I mail the sheath back to them that they will mail me back a newer version of the sheath that will hold it better. For my trouble, they said they were going to include a free sharpener for me.

Good service in my opinion.
 
I've been carrying a Hartsook since last December when I received it as a gift. It's opened my eyes to how handy a small pocket sized fixed blade is. I've used the heck out of it, and its been great. The sheath was a bit loose when I got it, but I dipped the sheath into some hot water for a few seconds and pinched it shut and ran some cold water on it to set it, and now its nice and snug.

I love my hartsook.
 
chrisbrogden said:
Thanks! I was hoping there was some magical chemical that would dissolve it, but that's good to know.
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Chris,

acetone may do the trick, but I doubt it. At least drug store variety finger nail polish remover won't do it.

Your best bet will be to start with the low grit sandpaper just to start removing the coating and move up from there. A Dremel would work, but you'd need something that could hold the knife securely because you don't want that little thing flying out of your hand (it would certainly do some damage to whatever it finally found to hit).

Work your way up as high as you want to go to get the desired finish. 400 grit should be enough for a good satin finish.
 
Psychopomp said:
Chris,

acetone may do the trick, but I doubt it. At least drug store variety finger nail polish remover won't do it.

Your best bet will be to start with the low grit sandpaper just to start removing the coating and move up from there. A Dremel would work, but you'd need something that could hold the knife securely because you don't want that little thing flying out of your hand (it would certainly do some damage to whatever it finally found to hit).

Work your way up as high as you want to go to get the desired finish. 400 grit should be enough for a good satin finish.
Click to expand...


Buck uses a black oxide finish on the Hartsook. That is an inorganic oxide layer, not a paint. Solvents and paint strippers will have no affect on it. Any chemicals strong enough to affect the oxide finish will damage the blade. Abrasives are your only recourse if you are wanting to remove it.
 
Hey Guys....

The black oxide is easily removed with Scotchbrite....

you can also try plumbing flux paste..
This should also remove the black ox....

flux is slightly acidic so it should work....

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
I just got the replacement sheath from Buck today. I'm not sure if it's the best solution though. The new sheath has a small nipple that fits into the first hole of the knife. So, instead of just reaching up and pulling the knife out, you have to push the nipple in and pull the knife out at the same time. I might just stick with my old sheath (wrapped a small clear rubber band around 3 times and it holds great). They also sent me a free diamond coated sharpening stone and a Buck band-aid dispenser with band-aids.
 
I have one of Normarks sheaths on mine and an it's been a joy to carry.

Matador-
 
I also have the sheath issue with mine. I took a small thin piece of wire and wrapped it around the sheath then twisted it with a set of pliers( similar to a bread twist tie). It pulled the sheath sides together just enough to hold the knife securely.

Before I did this I filed a small groove on each side to keep the wire from moving. Finally cut the remaining wire and bend back into the same groove to keep it from hurting you.

I am also glad to here Buck has a new sheath.
 
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