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- Apr 20, 2001
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Here are the pictures for contrast and comparison of the American made Buck 301 and the Chinese made Buck 371 Stockman Pattern slipjoints.
Both knives are new 2005 manufacture, the 371 was bought by me at my local Wal-mart, and the 301 was sent to me by Buck as replacement for a new 301 I had recently purchased that would not allow the Spey blade to open until the Sheepsfoot blade was opened first.
Both knives have been carried and used some, but have not yet been sharpened. (UPDATE 08/19/2007:In the year+ since writing this original review, I have continued to use both knives and resharpened them both numerous times. I haven't really noticed a significant difference in the edge holding of either knife over the other.)
Technical Junk:
301
Blade Steel 420HC
Handles Sawcut Black Delrin
Bolsters Nickel Silver
Liners Stainless Steel
Origin USA
371
Blade Steel 440C (later models are 420HC)
Handles Stained Birch
Bolsters Nickel Silver
Liners Brass
Origin China
Both knives have good solid walk/talk and razor sharp blades out of the box.
Photo #1 Front View
Fit and finish are equal, I personally like the Birch handles better, but black Sawcut Delrin is a classic in it’s own right, so it’s really a matter of personal taste.
Photo #2 End View
As you can see, surprisingly enough, there is a clear winner of the two knives I have. The 301 has significant gaps between the metal parts, as opposed to the 371 that only has a gap in 1 place and it’s not as wide. The gaps really are cosmetic only; there is no looseness on either knife. I have done a random sample of about 30 of each knife from different retail stores, and found that overall; there is no greater problem with this with either the domestic or offshore knives. Both had roughly the same number of minor flaws like this, but I never found one that the gaps actually effected the knife. And considering the price point that both sell for (301 below $40.00) (371 below $20.00), either is an amazing value for the money.
Photo #3 Top View
From the top, both knives are pretty much the same,. If you look you can see that the 301 has the main blade “centered” better. It’s not really that the 371’s blade is offcenter, but it’s ground more on one side to clear the other blade. Doesn’t effect the use any, but does look odd when viewed from this angle.
Photo #4 Bottom View (and yes, I used a Schrade Old-Timer box to balance them on
)
Great fit on both knives here, handles, liners and back springs fit perfect on both!
The blades are where the really noticeable differences between the domestic and offshore knives shows up.
Photo #5 Spey Blades
The 301 has a much more typical Spey blade as found on most Stockman Patterns, while the 371 has a somewhat “sharks tooth” profile, similar to what you see on some SOG folders, and bordering on a Pen blade to some degree.. If you actually use a Stockman for the farm/ranch chores they have evolved for, then the 301’s Spey blade is the best. Since my farm days are over, I actually have come to prefer the 371’s Spey.
Two things stand out at this point also, the 301 has pivot pins that come all the way through the bolster, which the 371 does not. Noticeable cosmetic difference, but not sure it has any functional effect.
The other will be noticeable on all three blades, the offshore knives have MUCH larger and deeper nail-nicks than the domestic knives do.
Photo #6 Sheepsfoot Blades
Not much difference here, both have pretty much a typical Sheepsfoot blades, the nail-nick difference is easily seen, and the grind line is straighter on the 371.
Photo #7 Main Blades
Again, not much to say, the nail-nicks are different, and the grind line is better on the 371.
Overall, I think both knives are great users. Getting past the country of origin things, the only real difference is probably the blade steel, but so far I haven’t been able to notice much variation between 420HC or 440C by Buck. Both seem to have held there edges well under normal day-to-day cutting.
In the end, I think Buck has winners here in both series. Buck is obviously reaching out to all members of the knife buying world, those that may have tighter budgets, and those willing to pay more for American made products. Good knives that provide consumers of all economic levels with dependable pocketknives!
Sorry this was so long, I admit I have indulged my “wanna be knife writer” bug a little, hope at least some folks enjoy it!
Both knives are new 2005 manufacture, the 371 was bought by me at my local Wal-mart, and the 301 was sent to me by Buck as replacement for a new 301 I had recently purchased that would not allow the Spey blade to open until the Sheepsfoot blade was opened first.
Both knives have been carried and used some, but have not yet been sharpened. (UPDATE 08/19/2007:In the year+ since writing this original review, I have continued to use both knives and resharpened them both numerous times. I haven't really noticed a significant difference in the edge holding of either knife over the other.)
Technical Junk:
301
Blade Steel 420HC
Handles Sawcut Black Delrin
Bolsters Nickel Silver
Liners Stainless Steel
Origin USA
371
Blade Steel 440C (later models are 420HC)
Handles Stained Birch
Bolsters Nickel Silver
Liners Brass
Origin China
Both knives have good solid walk/talk and razor sharp blades out of the box.
Photo #1 Front View
Fit and finish are equal, I personally like the Birch handles better, but black Sawcut Delrin is a classic in it’s own right, so it’s really a matter of personal taste.
Photo #2 End View
As you can see, surprisingly enough, there is a clear winner of the two knives I have. The 301 has significant gaps between the metal parts, as opposed to the 371 that only has a gap in 1 place and it’s not as wide. The gaps really are cosmetic only; there is no looseness on either knife. I have done a random sample of about 30 of each knife from different retail stores, and found that overall; there is no greater problem with this with either the domestic or offshore knives. Both had roughly the same number of minor flaws like this, but I never found one that the gaps actually effected the knife. And considering the price point that both sell for (301 below $40.00) (371 below $20.00), either is an amazing value for the money.
Photo #3 Top View
From the top, both knives are pretty much the same,. If you look you can see that the 301 has the main blade “centered” better. It’s not really that the 371’s blade is offcenter, but it’s ground more on one side to clear the other blade. Doesn’t effect the use any, but does look odd when viewed from this angle.
Photo #4 Bottom View (and yes, I used a Schrade Old-Timer box to balance them on
)
Great fit on both knives here, handles, liners and back springs fit perfect on both!
The blades are where the really noticeable differences between the domestic and offshore knives shows up.
Photo #5 Spey Blades
The 301 has a much more typical Spey blade as found on most Stockman Patterns, while the 371 has a somewhat “sharks tooth” profile, similar to what you see on some SOG folders, and bordering on a Pen blade to some degree.. If you actually use a Stockman for the farm/ranch chores they have evolved for, then the 301’s Spey blade is the best. Since my farm days are over, I actually have come to prefer the 371’s Spey.
Two things stand out at this point also, the 301 has pivot pins that come all the way through the bolster, which the 371 does not. Noticeable cosmetic difference, but not sure it has any functional effect.
The other will be noticeable on all three blades, the offshore knives have MUCH larger and deeper nail-nicks than the domestic knives do.
Photo #6 Sheepsfoot Blades
Not much difference here, both have pretty much a typical Sheepsfoot blades, the nail-nick difference is easily seen, and the grind line is straighter on the 371.
Photo #7 Main Blades
Again, not much to say, the nail-nicks are different, and the grind line is better on the 371.
Overall, I think both knives are great users. Getting past the country of origin things, the only real difference is probably the blade steel, but so far I haven’t been able to notice much variation between 420HC or 440C by Buck. Both seem to have held there edges well under normal day-to-day cutting.
In the end, I think Buck has winners here in both series. Buck is obviously reaching out to all members of the knife buying world, those that may have tighter budgets, and those willing to pay more for American made products. Good knives that provide consumers of all economic levels with dependable pocketknives!
Sorry this was so long, I admit I have indulged my “wanna be knife writer” bug a little, hope at least some folks enjoy it!
I do like Delrin...maybe, if I have some cash left after payday... 
