Buck Vs Case

M

mudguard

Joined
Aug 2, 2013
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309
It seems to me that a lot of people pick Case over Buck.. It may be because of functionality, looks or tradition. Why is it that you purchased or favour one from the other? They are both great companies with a long history. Pictures and stories of why you have loyalty to one or the other are very welcomed!
 
From comments here and elsewhere, Bucks are well respected knives, but I just don't have any luck with them. I've had about a dozen Bucks over the last 25 years, from traditionals to modern OHO, and I've had more duds from them than all the other brands combined. Weak pulls and lack of snap in most of the traditionals, and with moderns having off-center blades that rubbed so bad they couldn't be opened with the thumb stud at all. Their house stainless is marginally better than Case's, but not enough better to get me to buy them any more.

On the other hand, I've had many dozens of Case knives from the '70s to ones made this year, and hardly a bad thing to say about any of them. Mine have nearly all had centered blades, good grinds, they come sharp, and have beautiful covers. Pulls are usually medium (5-6) with good snap, although not gators. They also have the choice of CV, which Buck does not.

Considering everything in my experience with these two brands, I would give Case a B+ and Buck a C-.
 
Ca$e of yesteryear are much better quality, the Buck folders kinda remind me of Imperial or Schrade, but lesser quality steel.
 
My dad collects Case knives, so I've had more exposure to those than Buck. I have several Case knives, and I think they're good quality and all have come sharp out of the box, good spring tension, and nothing extremely off about them. I like Buck's 3 spring stockman design better as the blades don't rub, but the 303 I bought had really weak springs so I returned it. In Buck's defense, I could have, and probably should have, sent it in and they would have fixed it. So all 5 of my Case knives have been keepers, but the one Buck was a dud. The only complaint I have about my Case knives is that they cost a lot more than an Opinel.

If I could choose a knife from a dealer and inspect in person, I wouldn't hesitate to get one from either. Buying online or sight unseen, it's been my very limited experience that Case is a better bet. YMMV, and yes, despite the dud I got from the store named after the river, I've got my eyes out for a 303 I can inspect in person as it was the perfect size, great design, and maintenance is zilch with stainless blades and Valox scales.
 
Have used Bucks some as a kid and never used them enough to remember weither though descent or not. They weren't bad. Like Buck fixed blades. Have a Buck Large Trapper coming today actually. Had a Case Bone Sawcut Large Trapper pass through my hands that i from Mercyfulfatexx here^^^ that i bought for a trade for somebody.Thought it was good quality just from the feel and fit of things. Had a GEC #15 arrive around the same time. If i had to pick between the Case and the GEC i would take the Case. Though this IMO is just from fondling them upon arrival and not any use with them. My opinion might change after that. Probably going to get a Case for myself here soon. Bought a GEC Lumberjack today. Think it might be the GEC for me.
 
I like both. My experience is limited but I will throw in my two cents anyway :p
Note: I'm considering Buck US made slipjoints vs Case US made slipjoint.
From what I have seen, the Buck 300 series are very good knives. Solid, well built, made with a good stainless steel, and overall offer alot of value for their price. They are "working" knives, so handle materials are not really fancy. Their "weak" points, to me, are the limited selection of models, and the grind on their blades (I'm talking about the current production models). Their F&F seems consistent enough.
Case offer many more patterns, in alot of handle materials, providing a good quality knife as well. For unknown reasons, some models seems way more consistent in F&F than others. Their stainless steel is not that bad but I still think that they could offer something better at that price point (like Buck or Opinel, to name a couple). Their CV is better, but it's not offered for all models (and - incredibly - some of their bestsellers are not offered in CV).
Both brands keep their pulls quite manageable (I hate stiff backsprings), which I appreciate alot. :)
As a general idea, Case knives seem to target buyers who prefer fancier knives (or collectors), while Buck's slipjoints apparently aim at "pure users".
Both have their place in history and market :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
I've only been handling and examining both brands around a year now. Naturally, I'm exposed to current production stuff. IN that respect, I believe that so far as Case goes, I see a fit and finish in their Carhartt patterns that is better than their house models without co-branding. The Bucks seem to reflect similar quality.

That said, it's certainly easier on the eyes to LOOK at the satin finishes. of those models, than with the hi-zoot BLING dazzle of most of Case's other products.
 
Theres a few Bucks I've had my eye on for a while now like the 301 and I may get one anyway but I have just never had luck with them. I have had a handful over the years and I cant think of one that the tip didn't break off of, whether fixed or folding. On the other hand I have had a few dozen Case knives in SS and CV and have had nothing but good luck as far as functionality, aesthetics, quality and have never broken the tip on one.
 
With slipjoints, I lean toward Case for three reasons: flat(ter) ground blades, better snap, and rounded bolsters. Both companies make quality knives, though.

-- Mark
 
I own and use both, Case just offers more slip joints in frames & handle materials than Buck and might be why you see more Case knives on the forums.
 
IMO:
Buck - superior heat treatment and a GREAT knife for the price point. Never had a problem with any of mine. My 303 is 10 lbs of knife in a 5 lb bag

Case - superior blade grinds and selection of patterns and materials

Like a lot of BF members, I have both, use both and love both.
 
Apples & Oranges to me in a way.

My Buck 302 is very close in it's fit & I really like it for a large, slim slipjoint. But I tend to look at Case more because they offer CV steel and handle options I prefer over Buck's choices.
 
555 said:
I own and use both, Case just offers more slip joints in frames & handle materials than Buck and might be why you see more Case knives on the forums.
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Carbon12 said:
IMO:
Buck - superior heat treatment and a GREAT knife for the price point. Never had a problem with any of mine. My 303 is 10 lbs of knife in a 5 lb bag

Case - superior blade grinds and selection of patterns and materials

Like a lot of BF members, I have both, use both and love both.
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Halfneck said:
Apples & Oranges to me in a way.

My Buck 302 is very close in it's fit & I really like it for a large, slim slipjoint. But I tend to look at Case more because they offer CV steel and handle options I prefer over Buck's choices.
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I was composing something lengthy, but these posts nail it. I own and LOVE two Buck knives - a 301 and a 303. I would never want to be without them. If I were starting over, I would buy those two, and a couple of Alox SAKs, and that might be the end of my knife buying. If you don't have a 303, go get yourself one right now.

But Case has so many more options, that it gets more attention and discussion. I own many more Case knives than Buck, but they are different animals, and fill different niches.
 
  • Blade grinds: I favor Case's thinner, high hollow grinds (most patterns) over Buck's thicker sabre grinds. The thinner hollow grind will 'tune up' much quicker when re-sharpening is needed (or re-bevelling), and the overall thinner profile makes for a better slicer in general.

  • Pull/snap: Marginally light but 'just enough' on my Buck 301; the snap is more assertive on Case, so I would usually favor them. I've liked the snap & pull on my Case 6375 CV in Amber Bone, as it's just about perfectly-tuned between assertively snapping shut, and not stressing my thumbnail in opening the blades.

  • Steel: Comparing Buck's slightly harder 420HC to Case's 'Tru-Sharp' version of the same steel, I'm beginning to see there's little significant difference in how each holds their edge. More & more, my perception is that 420HC is still 420HC, by either measure of hardness; the low wear-resistance of the steel seems the bigger factor in how it'll hold an edge, and isn't really impacted much by the difference in RC hardness, within reason. This basically means either flavor of it is fine for all the things we normally do for 'EDC' tasks with traditional knives, and upkeep & edge repairs are easy when needed, on simple tools.

    Case's CV reminds me of Schrade's 1095 in ease of sharpening to very fine edges, though Schrade's 1095 holds those edges more impressively, and is still my Benchmark for best simple carbon steel, ever. As with the 420HC, CV is very easy to make sharp and maintain it as such.

  • Aesthetics: There's a very balanced 'hard-use encouraged' aesthetic to Buck's simple black delrin handles and satin-finished blades; much in the same vein as with Case's black Sod Buster offerings. Case obviously offers more options in handle materials, and with polished blades on most models, so a lot more to choose from there.
As an aside, I recently picked up my Buck 301 at a local sporting goods/outdoor outlet. The perceived 'advantage' of no blade rub in the 3-spring layout was quickly dashed when I looked at the display model. A combination of relatively weak pull and some slight rub between the sheepsfoot and clip blade, resulted in a sheepsfoot blade that wouldn't quite close fully on it's own. I asked the clerk at the counter to show me another one in a box; the 2nd seemed better in that regard, so I bought it. Upon taking a closer look at it when I was home, I noticed some light rub marks on the outward-facing side of the spey blade, where it had been rubbing slightly against the (edited) sheepsfoot steel liner. I also noticed the 'as ground' finish in the lower portion of the sabre-grind tends to (almost) hide some of those rub marks, in contrast to how they're more easily noticed on a high-polished blade (Case). In a nutshell, the blades in the 3-spring layout are still very, very closely arranged; so the potential for rub remains essentially unchanged as compared to a 2-spring stockman pattern. I noticed the same traits in Case's 3-spring '47 pattern stockman as well, as it's blades are also very tightly snugged together in the handle (with tell-tale rub marks as well).

Long story short, I see no significant reason not to own or use either brand. Both are pretty well-made for the money spent, and will be very easy to live with as a sensibly-used traditional EDC.


David
 
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I always thought of Buck knives as working man knives and Case as collector knives. I guess it depends on what you're looking for but if you get a good one, they are both good companies. It seems to be a hit or miss though with Case scales being inconsistent so if you can, buy them in person otherwise you'll be back n forth from the post office. I don't care for the ss, but the Case cv is easy to sharpen, stays sharp, and is like a scalpel. With Buck I like their stockman's and ready to pull the trigger on the 301 soon. Also love their 500 series plus the 112 and 110 are classic which you can now get custom for both. Bottom line is, nobody's perfect.
 
Ulf Krogstad said:
Have used Bucks some as a kid and never used them enough to remember weither though descent or not. They weren't bad. Like Buck fixed blades. Have a Buck Large Trapper coming today actually. Had a Case Bone Sawcut Large Trapper pass through my hands that i from Mercyfulfatexx here^^^ that i bought for a trade for somebody.Thought it was good quality just from the feel and fit of things. Had a GEC #15 arrive around the same time. If i had to pick between the Case and the GEC i would take the Case. Though this IMO is just from fondling them upon arrival and not any use with them. My opinion might change after that. Probably going to get a Case for myself here soon. Bought a GEC Lumberjack today. Think it might be the GEC for me.
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The antique Sawcut Bone is very nice.

Ive been collecting/using Case Knives since the mid 70s. You have better choices now as opposed to back in the day in terms of patterns and styles/models and that's a good thing but the old ones are.....................old and mysterious and great.

I had a 110 when I was a kid as well and a few others.Buck is Famous for a reason.
 
I prefer to look at and fondle case knives but when I need my knife to work I pick up my 301. I did not think Buck could do any better until they made a 301 in BG-42.

I rotate through a few stockman knives including the GEC 82 and Schrade 61ot but that Buck is my favorite.
 
JustinR said:
I prefer to look at and fondle case knives but when I need my knife to work I pick up my 301. I did not think Buck could do any better until they made a 301 in BG-42.

I rotate through a few stockman knives including the GEC 82 and Schrade 61ot but that Buck is my favorite.
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I wonder why they don't bring back that BG-42. Looks like it was a limited run for the collectors club.
 
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