Which Steel ?

[JEBar]

I'm in the market for a new Buck 110 Folding Hunter .... the more I read, the more confused I get .... OK, no surprise there ..Embarrassment .. I've owned and heavily used 2 Buck 110 Folding Hunter knives .... the first used to the point where I had to send it back to Buck for a new blade ... that 110 has been given to one of our sons to keep for our oldest grandson .... we now have a second grandson on the way and his father will be given the one I use now .... in looking for a new one, I've found some are made from 5160 BOS Carbon Steel https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Knives-Carb ... ing+hunter .... some are made from 420HC (HC = High Carbon ???) steel https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Knives-Fold ... unter&th=1.... info as to which is best would be appreciated

[Deadwood Dutch]

Maybe this will help? For instance, my SOG mini trident which is an excellent little carry knife is AUS-8 steel which is one of the better steels but I read that it's best quality is the ease of resharpening but it may not hold an edge as long as others. I have no complaints at all. Then again, I suppose it depends on how much you use it and what you are cutting. I also have a Buck 110 Folding Hunter and have mainly used it for gutting and cutting deer. I have had it for about 30 years and never sharpened it. But then again, I don't shoot a deer every year.

http://www.knifecenter.com/info/knife-blade-materials

[Deadwood Dutch]

This is my favorite Buck Hunting Knife made with 420HC,

IMG_0389.JPG

[PT7]

On the Buck web site, they post the below descriptions of the two steel options you are looking at on the 110. As an intro statement, they provided a kind of rule-of-thumb. I guess there is not a perfect steel meeting all needs.

Types of Blade Steel
"No matter how good the blade steel, there are always trade-offs. Corrosion-resistance vs. edge-retention. Edge-retention vs. sharpening ability."

I also think that Dutch is right on when he noted, that it also depends on your planned use of the blade:

420HC Steel
This is Buck's standard blade material because it approaches the wear resistance of high carbon alloys while delivering the corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. Add our exclusive heat-treat process and you have a very user-friendly combination of superior corrosion resistance with excellent strength for wear resistance and durability. You also have a blade that is easy to resharpen. For best performance we harden to a Rockwell hardness of Rc 58.

5160 Steel
Commonly known as spring steel, 5160 has excellent shock absorbing properties making it resilient to shattering and extremely durable as a knife steel. We harden to 57-58 Rc to maximize its performance.

[JEBar]

link appreciated ... it appears that both are good .... with Buck's guarantee, they'd have to be

[Owly]

The 420HC is a decent stainless steel, but does not have great edge retention. The upside is that it's very easy to sharpen.

5160 is a carbon steel and will rust. It will hold an edge better than 420HC, but there are better carbon steels available.

The best steel choice in the Buck line is S30v. It is a steel with great edge retention AND corrosion resistance. The only down side is that it can be quite difficult to sharpen.

[JEBar]

based on that, the 110's I've owned used 420HC .... it might be interesting to give a 5160 a try .... info appreciated

[JEBar]

based on reading the links in this thread, with my other 110's being made 420HC so, as mentioned above, I decided to give their 5160 BOS Carbon Steel a try .... it should be here tomorrow .... guess its time to touch up the edge and clean her up really good so as to get her ready for our coming grandson .... looking forward to seeing if I can tell any difference

[Steve51]

All of the Buck knives I use regularly (110, 112, 301, 303) have blades with 420HC steel. They are easy for me to put a very sharp edge on the blades, they don't rust easily, and they retain their edge a reasonable amount of time. I sweat a lot working in our hot & humid summers and I need a pocket knife that will not rust.
I am kind of set in my ways (an understatement according to my wife) and will stay with the dependable and reliable - 420HC for me.

[JEBar]

All of the Buck knives I use regularly (110, 112, 301, 303) have blades with 420HC steel. They are easy for me to put a very sharp edge on the blades, they don't rust easily, and they retain their edge a reasonable amount of time. I sweat a lot working in our hot & humid summers and I need a pocket knife that will not rust.
I am kind of set in my ways (an understatement according to my wife) and will stay with the dependable and reliable - 420HC for me.

agree with your assessment of the 420HC used by Buck .... I am looking forward to giving their 5160 BOS Carbon Steel blades a try .... ours is supposed to arrive today so I should know something soon

[JEBar]

new 110 arrived a few minutes ago .... not bad, ordered Friday afternoon, delivered Sunday morning .... in the pictures below, its pretty easy to tell the new from the old .... any apparent difference is size is some sort of optical illusion .... the blade of the old one is slightly smaller from having been sharpened .... about the only difference I can tell in the sheaths is the stamp .... in all other regards the appear identical .... the knife is clearly stamped made in the USA, a tag on the sheath indicates it was made in Mexico .... the new one will be up to use for the first time tonight, it will be used to get some SD steaks ready for the grill

[PT7]

Very nice shots of the old and new 110s. At least you can see what the new will look like after its service!

I didn't have steaks today, but did have a very tasty rump roast cooked overnight in a crock pot. When I prepped the meat yesterday, there was a wide strip of fat on one side I decided to take off. The kitchen knife I generally use didn't cut it very well. I probably should start using my 110 for some kitchen duty, but didn't last evening. Rather, just for fun, I brought out my smaller, not-yet-used Tops/Buck CSAR-T 3" stainless fixed-blade (680 model). That roast almost hopped into the crock pot on its own after being stripped of that fat layer! A new knife with a sharp blade sure is a pleasure to use. Probably before too long the 110 will join the KP crew for some service.

Thanks for the report/photos. Enjoy your new 110.

[JEBar]

years ago my 110 was the only knife I carried and was used as a general purpose knife .... later we got into a catering business (BBQ'ing whole hogs) the 110 became a critical part of our prepping, carving, and deboning .... every since, it has been dedicated pretty much to use with cooking .... so far, I can't tell any difference in performance .... in short, it has performed well

[JEBar]

agree with your assessment of the 420HC used by Buck .... I am looking forward to giving their 5160 BOS Carbon Steel blades a try .... ours is supposed to arrive today so I should know something soon

I've been using the new Buck with 5160 BOS Carbon Steel for a couple of weeks .... reviewing the info provided by PT7 given below :

420HC Steel
This is Buck's standard blade material because it approaches the wear resistance of high carbon alloys while delivering the corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. Add our exclusive heat-treat process and you have a very user-friendly combination of superior corrosion resistance with excellent strength for wear resistance and durability. You also have a blade that is easy to resharpen. For best performance we harden to a Rockwell hardness of Rc 58.

5160 Steel
Commonly known as spring steel, 5160 has excellent shock absorbing properties making it resilient to shattering and extremely durable as a knife steel. We harden to 57-58 Rc to maximize its performance.

I have noticed a few things :

1... I can't tell any difference in sharpness, edge retention, or sharpening

2... I can't tell any difference in performance

3... the only difference I can tell is the 5160 tarnishes quickly where the 420 retains its new shiny finish


bottom line :

based on owning 2 420's and now having a 5160, if I ever order anther, I'll go back with the 420

[PT7]

Interesting eval results...thanks for posting your experience so far.

I tend to try to stay simple, and go after knives (and firearms, too) that are designed and perform requiring low maintenance. I'm not really all that lazy; just like "to stay out of trouble" with my stuff!

[daytime dave]

I like the new knife. It's funny you haven't noticed the 5160 to sharpen easier. My 112 (#4) touches up beautifully compared to it's 420 counterparts. They aren't far behind. Personal experience and preference I'm sure.

[JEBar]

420HC Steel
This is Buck's standard blade material because it approaches the wear resistance of high carbon alloys while delivering the corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. Add our exclusive heat-treat process and you have a very user-friendly combination of superior corrosion resistance with excellent strength for wear resistance and durability. You also have a blade that is easy to resharpen. For best performance we harden to a Rockwell hardness of Rc 58.

5160 Steel
Commonly known as spring steel, 5160 has excellent shock absorbing properties making it resilient to shattering and extremely durable as a knife steel. We harden to 57-58 Rc to maximize its performance.

UPDATE

I've now been using the Buck with the blade made from 5160 for just over 3 months .... while I like a good looking knife, my carry knives aren't for looks, they are work knives .... in the pictures below the tarnished 5160 blade in larger 110 Folding Hunter can be seen next to the 420 steel blade in the smaller Buck that I've carried for several years .... they both perform well but the 420 most certainly retains a better look .... I do plan to keep and use the 110 but I have no interest in buying another Buck with a 5160 steel blade

[tx gunrunner]

I lived in El Cajon Ca where Buck knife were made at one time . I owned 175 Bucks I got at a employee Discount [ Super knifes ] I sold 95% of them to a knife dealer 8 years ago in Tn . I made the knife below out of a Nickelson file [ best steel ] and reheat treated the backbone so if you drop it on a hard surface it wouldn't break . .. You can not dull the edge on that knife . It almost impossible to sharpen it too . .

[daytime dave]

Great knife tgr. You could use that as your slogan. Can't dull it and near impossible to sharpen.

JEBar, I'm still liking my 5160 blades. I haven't noticed mine to dull like yours have. Maybe I'm not giving them much use?

[JEBar]

JEBar, I'm still liking my 5160 blades. I haven't noticed mine to dull like yours have. Maybe I'm not giving them much use?

just to be clear, the 5160 blade performs fine .... I can't tell any difference in sharpening or it holding its edge .... the only real difference is the looks of the 420