My first 110 (finger grooved)

GundaManiac

GundaManiac

Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Messages
487
The first non-SAK folding knife I ever saw was a knife my friend picked up on a trip to France in high school. Neither of us knew anything about knives. It had the marks "Gigant" and "FES Rostfrei" on it, so we just assumed it was some quality German folding knife. It wasn't until this year when I bought my own first knife and was doing some research that I discovered his knife was patterned after the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. After buying a few one-handed openers for EDC and shop use, I finally broke down and bought my own 110, the finger grooved variant.

And boy, am I glad I did. It's got a good heft to it (may not be the most pocket friendly knife around) that adds to its feel of quality. The f&f is fantastic, minus one scuff on the front bolster that may have been because I bought the display model. And boy do I love the way this knife feels in my hands. The finger grooves seem to have been custom fit to my fingers. I'm having a hard time putting it down. I can see why the 110 has been such a mainstay for Buck.

Pics (compared to my friend's Gigant):
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(The Gigant is more angular than the 110. It also has flush mounting pins on the handles.)
P1060958.jpg

(Note how the Gigant is thinner.)
P1060966.jpg

(I found it interesting that the Gigant had a brass spacer in the rear bolster whereas the 110 has a steel spacer. Not sure which I prefer, honestly. The brass spacer makes the bolster look more uniform, but the steel spacer carries the middle steel band all the way around the knife for a consistent layered look.)
P1060971.jpg

(The Gigant has a narrower blade, and its grind starts halfway up the blade instead of near the top like the 110. It also has jimping on the blade spine.)
 
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Comparing my new 110FG with my EDC Vantage.

Closed:
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P1060940.jpg


Open:
P1060948.jpg

P1060950.jpg


The finger grooves on the 110 make the handle more comfortable than my Vantage. However, my EDC preference leans towards the Vantage. It is lighter and has a thinner handle while retaining the same blade spine thickness. The Vantage is also a one-handed opener (yes, I am fully aware you can spydie-drop the 110 or use the OAB or Buk-Bar, but the Vantage is designed as a one-handed opener). And while I think the 110 has a handsome classic shape, I prefer the equally handsome but more modern aesthetics of the Vantage.

That said, I love both my Bucks equally. They're fantastic knives.
 
Don't know what a SAK knife is but I'm amazed you've not seen a buck 110 or similar.

I have almost always opened my knives one handed long before they came out with these aids.
While holding the knife in hand like normal, use your thumb and middle finger to pinch and open the blade, then keep your thumb against it pushing it on open.
 
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Nice looking 110!Now you'll have to look up the Buck Custom Shop and have them make a custom 110 up for you.You get to choose blade steel,S30V or 420HC.Plus there is a wide variety of handle materials to pick from.The prices are pretty darn reasonable too.Once you do that you'll be hooked!
 
I really like the finger groove 110's as well, they're a good fit for me the handle feels right. When those first came out in 83 they were a up grade. They were boxed with a brown sheath as well. That is certainly one of my top favorite handles. DM
 
Nice set up man! Both blades will serve you well. And don't be afraid to thump on your 110. That thing can take all that you throw at it, come back for more and then be fixed up good as new by the buck shop! I know that I cut drywall with mine and it performed flawlessly. Just read the "horror" stories of what people have done with their 110s. Buck does really well with making heavy duty quality products that stand the test of time...I know I carry my 110 in my edc lineup. I actually had some old guys point out what I was carrying one day. "Is that a buck 110????" Yes sir it is. "man I haven't seen someone carry one of those in a while, I'm impressed."


Keep it, carry it, use it, and pass it on to your children!
 
Yup, I can open the 110 one-handed by pinching the blade spine and dropping the handle open, but I can't use the method described by st8yd to thumb the blade open. My fingers must be too slippery or the pivot/lockbar spring on mine may not be broken in enough or something. That's ok though, I can appreciate a traditional two-hand open. I also have a One-Armed Bandit coming in a week to try out on my 110. I'm a little iffy about the OAB though- I don't doubt its functionality, but I'm afraid it'll jar with the 110's aesthetics.

As for not having seen a 110-styled knife until high school, or not having seen an actual 110 until my college years, I'm a city boy in California (oh, us crazy californians). Until college, I'd never even met anyone who pocket carried a blade that wasn't part of a multi-tool.
 
One of my good friends carried a 110 to high school and on to college most everyday. It was a 2 dot. Guess you had to live in the right state. DM
 
That's a good-looking 110, and nice comparison to the Gigant. The Gigant, in particular, looks just like the Ka-Bar 1189/1199 model (the jimping on the spine, especially), which I think was also created on the coat-tails of the 110.
 
Gunda, you can get the brass spacer if you go back to 1970 or so and prior. 3rd and 4th versions are brass. 3rd is integral with one bolster and 4th has a seperate spacer.

3rd 6th
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4th 2nd
4thver2ndvar001.jpg

4thver2ndvar021.jpg



BTW, knice nives, I love the fg's as well:thumbup:
 
GundaManiac said:
but I can't use the method described by st8yd to thumb the blade open. My fingers must be too slippery or the pivot/lockbar spring on mine may not be broken in enough or something. That's ok though, I can appreciate a traditional two-hand open.

As for not having seen a 110-styled knife until high school, or not having seen an actual 110 until my college years, I'm a city boy in California (oh, us crazy californians). Until college, I'd never even met anyone who pocket carried a blade that wasn't part of a multi-tool.
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You can help it out by putting the point against your leg or some other object, I actually do this more than I force it all the way with my thumb. I wouldn't even consider trying to hold the blade and drop the handle to make it open.


When I went to school I think everyone carried a knife. Of course you weren't suppose too, but we did anyway.
 
st8yd said:
You can help it out by putting the point against your leg or some other object....
Click to expand...

Yep. I carry 110 FG on weak side, in left back pocket, point up, blade side toward the right, snuggled next to wallet (where I've carried single blade folders all my days - I've never used clips and have removed them from other knives I've carried this way).

Anyway, yeah, reach in, pull knife straight out with left hand, pinch/push outward with thumb and forefinger to just a little ways open, then lightly press tip area against pants fabric to click all the way open. Not as fast as most thumb stud knives, but certainly takes much longer to describe it than to do it! :)

- OS
 
I open it with just my thumb from the sheath with either hand. Just takes a little pratice and it helps to be ambidexterous. But you can train the mind for many things. DM
 
Wow. I thought the Gigant looked really close to the 110, but it looks nearly identical to the KaBar 1189.

I've got a question about the 110s. It seems the number of visible rivets varies widely. Sometimes I see them with three brass rivets and the one steel rivet that the lockbar pivots on, sometimes I only see the three brass rivets, sometimes there are no rivets visible at all, etc. Did they change from year to year? For instance, in the 3rd and 4th generation 110s that imafritz posted, there are only three pins visible. ?_?
 
Gunda,
There are many, many variations to the 110 throughout its history. I think that is what makes it so fun to collect. You'll notice a sticky at the top of the Buck forum page that has the 110 data sheet in it. Great reading. I'm sure you'll be hooked after you have a look at it.
Mike
 
GundaManiac said:
Wow. I thought the Gigant looked really close to the 110, but it looks nearly identical to the KaBar 1189.

I've got a question about the 110s. It seems the number of visible rivets varies widely. Sometimes I see them with three brass rivets and the one steel rivet that the lockbar pivots on, sometimes I only see the three brass rivets, sometimes there are no rivets visible at all, etc. Did they change from year to year? For instance, in the 3rd and 4th generation 110s that imafritz posted, there are only three pins visible. ?_?
Click to expand...

Seeing the pic of the Gigant, it wouldn't surprise me if it's a direct clone (knock-off) of the Ka-bar. The only significant difference I see with the Gigant, the blade's grind looks a bit hollow. I have a Ka-Bar 1199, and it's grind is more flat, making the blade a bit thicker towards the edge.

I think the 110 is probably the most copied knife in history. So much so, even the other 'legit' variants, such as the Ka-bar, have even been copied.

As has been pointed out, the sticky at the top of the forum page is the place to look, for all the variations in the 110 (including the rivets). It's an excellent reference.
 
One thing I'm quickly noticing about my 110 is the polished brass is really prone to scratches and fingerprints. The scratches don't bother me too much; I kind of expected them since brass is a rather soft metal. But the fingerprints bug the crap out of me. If I don't wipe off the bolsters each time I pocket it, I notice the fingerprints begin to tarnish. Is there a way to clean the tarnished prints off the brass without constantly going over it with abrasives like metal polish?

I know that knives are meant to be used and that they'll become damaged and dirty, but I'd like to keep mine looking well maintained, and I don't know anything about caring for brass.
 
GundaManiac said:
One thing I'm quickly noticing about my 110 is the polished brass is really prone to scratches and fingerprints. The scratches don't bother me too much; I kind of expected them since brass is a rather soft metal. But the fingerprints bug the crap out of me. If I don't wipe off the bolsters each time I pocket it, I notice the fingerprints begin to tarnish. Is there a way to clean the tarnished prints off the brass without constantly going over it with abrasives like metal polish?

I know that knives are meant to be used and that they'll become damaged and dirty, but I'd like to keep mine looking well maintained, and I don't know anything about caring for brass.
Click to expand...

If my experience with brass bolsters has taught me anything, brass is gonna show the fingerprints. The only 'brass' I've seen, that doesn't, is brass that's been lacquered or otherwise coated. The fingerprints, themselves, are 'tarnished' into the finish. So, I'd still recommend some polish to clean 'em up. If you're concerned about the abrasives, going with a milder polish, intended for softer metals (brass, silver, gold) might work for you. Among these, either Brasso or Nevr-Dull would fit. The Nevr-Dull is a 'wadding' type of polish (sort of 'cotton-ball-ish', impregnated with a chemical polish). Just tear a bit of the wadding off, and rub it on the brass, then wipe off & buff with a clean rag. And a very tiny bit of Brasso liquid, applied first to a clean rag, will go a long way. Won't take much to erase the fingerprints.

I don't worry about the abrasiveness of the other polishing pastes (like Flitz or Simichrome), myself. Applied sparingly, they do a great job.
 
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