Buck Hoodlum ?

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coaldigger

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Jan 27, 2007
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Has anyone gave this knife a try yet ? the Buck Hoodlum designed by Ron Hood & made by Buck Knives. Is it worth the $169.00 price tag ? I've been wanting an ESEE6 or Junglas but this knife also looks good ! Whats your thoughts on this knife ?
 
coaldigger said:
Has anyone gave this knife a try yet ? the Buck Hoodlum designed by Ron Hood & made by Buck Knives. Is it worth the $169.00 price tag ? I've been wanting an ESEE6 or Junglas but this knife also looks good ! Whats your thoughts on this knife ?
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[video=youtube;ea2xP5nm53M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea2xP5nm53M[/video]

I'm not too sure about the tuning fork idea, seems like a intresting product. Not sure about the price
 
I think the nicest thing I have to say about it is the heat treat is probably very good. Design wise I can see nothing great about it. I watched that Hood character talking though it on 'tube a while back and not one bit of the design he drew my attention to did I think was special or especially useful in any way. I know Hood is a popular character over there in some spheres but exactly the same as when Tactical-Life cooed over the Hoodlum Hell Hound version I thought WTF, who would buy this over a decent machete.

At least Jeff Randall of Esee said of the Junglas “a machete will do everything the Junglas can do but these are fun”. I'm not into Esee knives but I do appreciate candor so I liked that.

If these or Hawke's Hellion and so on, are attractive because of a celebrity, or because they are more knifey and manly than a plain old machete or billhook 'cos they are cheap and agricultural then great, but I think you'd have to be delusional to think they could do anything of any significance any better because of the shape.
 
Ron should have used the blade notch to hook nutn's mic cord out, seriously cannot take much of him. I like the design and the angled handle shape, but I think it would be a great option to offer one without the notch too.
 
To me, it seems like it wouldn't pack enough weight. However, some people prefer less weight, and some more. I don't really like the notch in the blade, either. Just my opinions though.
 
I have owned several of the knife designs that Ron has come up with from the TOPS Anaconda to a custom Simonich Nordooh (Really wish I would have held on to that one) and he definitely knows how efficient a big blade can be. Though I have headed in the smaller direction, this design appeals to me quite a bit.
 
I like the design too...except for the stupid noch ... people try to get "too" clever with this crap.
 
I have one of the second runs of the TOPS-made Hoodlums. I’m indifferent to the notch in the blade; it works okay if you have a wire bail on your pot, but it’s not a big deal and I wouldn’t care if it didn’t have it.

This is a thin, light, fast “big blade”. I’m still leery of the tapered tip…for big blades I’m use to pretty stout pieces for digging and prying. With that said, I’ll not treat this like a sharpened pry bar. It’s also not the most efficient on hard woods chopping; it’s just too light. This is style does excel on lighter vegetation, vines, saplings, etc. The fine tip and narrow profile make it a great blade for “bushcraft” type tasks and it is fast enough to use as a short bladed machete, but as mentioned it’s never going to be as efficient.

I still like this design and the angled handle does allow you to execute some fast and efficient snap cuts but I’ve found it takes practice (at least for me). This is a niche large-bladed knife. It will do okay at hacking though green underbrush/vegetation without tiring you even like a heavier bladed parang or golok. You can still do some very effective and detailed work either at cleaning small game/fish (I clean a few hand-sized bream), whittling figure four traps, drilling a fireboard or notching shelter poles. Sure, every knife should be able to perform those basics, but the length adds efficiency and the weight isn’t overkill. As mentioned, do consider this a heavy duty chopper despite its blade length. I was able to out chop the Hoodlum with a Cold Steel shovel.

Big knives are not for everyone and I really believe you have to be just as skilled to use a large knife as with a smaller bushcraft blade. It’s a tool designed by someone who has been using large knives in the bush for several years. I like it for some applications and it can be very effective for some; it’s neither a great, heavy duty chopper nor a machete and it’s no Bird and Trout, but it can be used for all too some degree and while not the most effective it’s at least capable. I don’t know, I like it and that matters to me…I can understand that many would not be interested or even consider a simple machete as a better investment and tool for the price. I wouldn’t argue as I’ve always believed it’s the skill and not the tool that matters anyways. If you like the design, if it’s a sound blade, if it’s comfortable and you’re willing to learn how to maximize the potential of the design, than you’ll may really appreciate it.

ROCK6
 
I saw it & thought it looked like a nice knife but after watching videos reading on here...I think the KaBar/Becker BK9 would be the better choice & would save myself about $70 ! I traded my BK9 back in the winter & now I really miss it so I guess I'm gonna get myself another one ! Thanks everyone for the help !
 
I really see it as a more ugly version of the Fehrman HoodHunter to be honest. The HH i think was discontinued so this is probably why this was marketed anyway. It pretty much has the same handle and overall specs.

The HH wasn't a chopping machine compared to other similiar sized boat anchors on the market but i liked it more. It carried very well and i always had a hawk to do the heavier chopping anyways. I did find the handle and finger notch to be somewhat restricting though.
 
I try to approch the big knife world from a practical point of veiw. There is always a point where your paying for things other then blade performance, this seems to be a example.

$150-175 buys alot of blade, machete, becker's, etc. It just doesent fit a nitch I have
 
I am really likeing the Hoodlum!!
I don't have any other big knives to compair to (yet)!!
The price didn't seem bad to me !
The only thing I had to alter was I had to sand down the sharp edges on the handle!
As per the pot lifter-bone scorer-wire braker Buck/Ron would have sold more without it!!??
O one more thing the pot lifter does not fit the bails on my Lodge 10 DO!!
THANKS!!
 
I don't like the notch or the look of the mass distribution (looks too compromised for a chopper and too long to feel anything but awkward when used for fine tasks, especially with that angled handle) and while I realize that the further out the center of percussion is the less shock you'll experience when chopping, I don't buy the whole "tuning fork" thing. I'm pretty certain that the decreased perceived shock is actually because lightening the handle shifts the center of percussion forward.

Still, looks like a solidly built, high-performance knife that will do well for a lot of folks. It's just not for me. :):thumbup:
 
I'm interested in the knife, but something about the sales pitch bothers me. I'm not scientist, but if someone's using a big knife as a chopper, and they said the handle vibrates like a damn tuning fork... isn't that a bad thing? If anything, you don't want it to be like a tuning fork right? Maybe I'm getting this wrong, but you want it to absorb the shocks and vibrations away from the handle, not let the handle itself become the tuning fork.

I know some members have used this already; feedbacks would be highly appreciated.
 
TEFL0N_D0N_81 said:
I'm interested in the knife, but something about the sales pitch bothers me. I'm not scientist, but if someone's using a big knife as a chopper, and they said the handle vibrates like a damn tuning fork... isn't that a bad thing? If anything, you don't want it to be like a tuning fork right? Maybe I'm getting this wrong, but you want it to absorb the shocks and vibrations away from the handle, not let the handle itself become the tuning fork.

I know some members have used this already; feedbacks would be highly appreciated.
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It means the handle has even less vibrations than other big knives not the other way around.
 
crossada said:
It means the handle has even less vibrations than other big knives not the other way around.
Click to expand...

You should take a tuning fork and slap it on some concrete. It doesn't reduce vibrations, in fact, it vibrates longer. I'm not doubting their SMS concept. But to use a sales pitch "like a tuning fork" seems inaccurate to me. Yes, I play music and I have tuning forks. If they filled the handle up with cork or foam, it makes more sense. I also agree with FortyTwoBlades above that the curvature of the handle probably reduces the vibration effect, similar to a hockey stick or gold club. Anyways, I was asking for feedback on shock absorption from people that have tested out this knife.
 
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I can't see the issue with the notch, it's a tiny cut out, what's it really matter ?

For me the issue would likely be with the overly aggressive finger countouring on the handle !
 
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