Comparing a US and Import Buck

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Doug S

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I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know anything about knives, so I won’t pretend to do a real review. That said, I thought I’d very superficially compare the American made Buck 301, I received today, with the Chinese made Buck 371, my son got for Christmas. I much prefer American made knives, and couldn’t bring myself to buy a Chinese Buck, but after looking at the 371 (and really liking the design), I decided to order the American made version. I’ve read a fair amout of Internet discussion about the Buck Chinese knives, and people being concerned about the possibility of their being of lesser quality. Well, I still would opt for the American made knife over the Chinese one, but if these two knives are at all representative, I’d only be doing so for the U.S.A. blade tang stamp. In truth the Chinese knife is put together better. There is no blade play in any of the blades on the Chinese knife, and it has a very strong snap to the blades when opening and closing. The blades are polished nicer (not that it matters), and the grind is a little more even. In contrast, the American made 301 does have noticeable side to side blade play on two of the blades (the main blade being the worst). I guess it isn’t bad, but after playing with the Chinese knife, I just expected the American one to be at least as good. Quite honestly it’s not. The one thing that I did like more on the American version is that the blades are thicker. I also like the synthetic handle material over the wood.

So, should I send it back and try to get another without the blade play, or is this pretty typical on the 301? Thanks for any feedback.
 
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I know how some folks feel about "buy American or don't buy at all" but unless you ordered the knife from Won Hung Lo himself in China then the majority of the money went to the American importer, wholesaler, distributor, or retailer. And of course Uncle Sugar got some import tax out of it. The Chinese desperately need the US to import their goods, as a result they do try their best to send us products of good quality or they know we will simply stop buying the products. Therefore it should not be a surprise that these knives coming out of China are of good quality for the money.

I am surprised at the blade play in your US made knife as this is not (or at least it wasn't a few years ago) normal QC from Buck. I think I would send it back to them and ask the knife be made right, should be covered under warranty after all.
 
I have been impressed quite a bit lately by Chinese imports, go figure, why? Well to say the least I have seen some better fit and finish on the Chinese imports lately than on the domestic brands...Is this just my perception or are our industries lagging in QC (used to be the other way around).

TS
 
I hope that isn't normal for the 301. I think I've said before that my Chinese Buck is a fine knife for a great price ($18 CND at Walmart). That being said, my Case peanut is fitted together a little bit better and has some mysterious charm about it (it also costs twice as much). Pretty much the only reason I don't carry the Buck.
 
I don't mind buying an Asian import for a cost-effective beater---I like the Byrd line, and some of the Red Class Benchmades, for instance. I usually don't buy knives in this price range, but they're certainly not bad.

However, my feeling is that if I'm going to go traditional, I prefer American-made. Case, Buck, Queen, etc.---it isn't as mentally or aesthetically pleasing if I know my fellow countrymen didn't make it; perhaps it's only me. I won't buy a Chinese-made Buck in a traditional pattern, I'd forego any Chinese Case, or Queen---God forbid they ever become existent or rampant. There are some things that can be imported, and some that just have to be made in the good old United States of America.

Just my two cents.
 
Thank you all for keeping it on topic and leaving the politics out. :thumbup::cool:
 
Bear Claw Chris Lappe,


Now yours was a real review. Very nicely done. I agree with you, they are both nice knives.

So would you send it back due to the blade play, or keep it and use it as is?
 
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Since we are on the topic of the quality of Buck knives, I forgot to mention it earlier in this thread, but I also received today, a Founders Edition Buck 110 that I bought on Amazon. The fit and finish are excellent, and it only cost $19.99. Now that I think about it, the Chinese tin that it came in is darn nice too.:D
 
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Funny you should mention this. Just yesterday I bought clamshelled Buck 375 Deuce at Walmart, closeout priced at $9. The pattern has always appealed to me and the price was right. Never got around to finding a US equivalent Lancer, so I picked it up. I've been satisfied with this purchase. Fit and finish is very good. Reminds me of a Rough Rider small Stockman I have, only smaller. Made me very curious about the US made counterpart. I may have to get one for comparison.
 
Doug S said:
I’ve read a fair amout of Internet discussion about the Buck Chinese knives, and people being concerned about the possibility of their being of lesser quality.
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Really? I've read a ton of threads about Chinese Bucks here on Bladeforums and generally speaking the main objections to Bucks produced in China are about the country of origin, the very idea that Buck is producing knives overseas, etc. But I can't remember anyone posting to say their Chinese-made Buck was inferior.

Doug S said:
So, should I send it back and try to get another without the blade play, or is this pretty typical on the 301?
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If it were me, I'd send it back to Buck. That's a company that really stands behind its products. I suspect you'll be quite impressed with their commitment to making things right for you.
 
Doug S said:
So would you send it back due to the blade play, or keep it and use it as is?
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If I bought it new and it had blade play like you describe, I'd send it back. I bought a 301 a few years ago, that you couldn't open the Spey blade without opening the Sheepsfoot blade first. Buck replaced it no problem. :thumbup:
 
Bear Claw,

Thanks for the advice. That's most likely what I'll do.

MNblade,

You are right, most of what I've read seems to have concerned the country of origin, not so much a quality issue with the Bucks. I guess, I kinda insinuated that the issue with China would relate to quality, when maybe it was simply just an issue of the country of origin.
 
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I have a couple of the Chinese Bucks as well as the American-made 301, and I personally prefer the American version. My main objection to the Chinese models is the wood scales- they have cracked at the pins on both of mine, and seem cheap. The Chinese Bucks are fairly well finished, and have acceptable action, and are good values for the money. But the American 301 seems more solid, and feels like it will hold up better over time. That said, if the Chinese were to make the 301 to the same specs as the American version, it would probably be about the same knife. Aside from the scale material, the only significant difference that I can tell between American and Chinese Bucks is the finish on the blades. The American blades have a nice satin finish, with some grind marks showing, while the Chinese models are more highly polished. I like the finish on the American Bucks, it's unusual, and looks different than most of the other other slipjoints on the market. I also like the nickel silver (?) liners, it looks better to me than brass. I'd like to see the American models made with stainless steel liners and bolsters- that would be great.

I'd like to see the Chinese versions use delrin instead of the wood they're using now, but then there would be no easy way to tell the Chinese vs. US models apart. It's not like delrin is expensive. Maybe the Chinese models could use red delrin or something. There is no reason why the Chinese can't make knives that are just as nice as those made in the US. The tools and manufacturing techniques are basically identical.
 
Hi,

Does Buck specify the same 420HC steel and heat treat for their imported knives that they use in the domestic line?

dalee
 
I have to agree that if there is any problem with a Buck knife, USA or China, it should be sent back to Buck for correction. I don't think there is a more stand up buisness family on the face of the earth than the Buck family. I've seen badly abused Bucks, that if it were up to me, I wouldn't have replaced for the idiot owners. But they got first class service from Buck, and Buck sent them a new knife.

I don't have a China made buck myself, but a couple of my non-knife knut friends do, and they seem to be very nicely made knives that work well. Sharpen up good, and hold an edge well.
 
I've got a China Buck large trapper and I like it a lot. I was impressed with the quality of it.

I most likely wouldn't have bought it for myself simply because I feel that if I do not buy the higher priced American made knives, then sooner or later I may find myself without the option to buy American made knives. But that's just my philosophy and has nothing to do with the quality of the Buck.

My father in law bought it for me and it really means a lot to me. It's weird that I've attached sentimental value to a China knife, but I have. As I've already stated, I'm somewhat against Chinese made knives. My father in law didn't care that it came from China as he's not really picky about knives and what not. He bought it and gave it to me after he'd bought one for himself and really liked it's performance. In the end, I imagine I'll pass this knife along to my children along with the story of who gave it to me. I mean what can I do? I've found that the little china stamp on the back of the blade doesn't really mean that the knife can't gain sentimental value. Obviously this one has.

I've carried it for more than a year and I really do find that the knife is made well and it certainly performs well.

I'm kind of rambling and I don't know if I've contributed, but that's my Chinese Buck story. :o
 
mnblade said:
Did you send them back to Buck? They'll stand behind them for sure.
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Nah, I didn't send them back to Buck. I bought them just to check them out really. I never intended to use or carry them, I just wanted to have them in my collection as examples of Chinese Bucks. I never send a knife in for warranty service unless I think there's something really wrong with it. Cheap wood cracking in Georgia's humid/ arid climate is to be expected, IMO. It's not worth the shipping or the trouble to mess with for me.

I'm not disappointed with the Chinese Bucks in any way- one cannot expect a sub $20 knife to be held to the same standards as a +/-$100 knife. If I have an ebony Queen or GEC crack on me, then I might consider sending it in for service.
 
An import/US thread and no controversy and bitter bickering---I like this section of BladeForums for sure. Class acts, all of you.

:thumbup:
 
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