Choosing the Right Knife

4 Steps to Buying the Right Knife
Types of Knives
End Use
Blade Shapes
Blade Features
Blade & Handle Materials
Quality & Craftsmanship
Knife Sheaths

Blade and Handle Materials

A good knife begins with the finest quality materials for the blade, for the handle and for the other components that are essential to producing a dependable knife. Buck is always seeking ways to improve the quality, durability, look and performance of their knives. The information below reflects Buck's commitment to using the most appropriate combination of time-tested and innovative materials to make the highest quality knives.

Blade Materials

Since the blade is the heart of the knife, let's look at the metal as our starting point. Buck Knives uses steel for its knife blades. Steel is essentially a combination of iron and carbon. Steels used for knife blades are called alloy steels, which means they are enhanced by the addition of key elements, such as chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, manganese, zirconium, tungsten and more. The choice of steel is determined by the performance expectations of the blade. Different types of steel are produced by adjusting the chemical composition and the different finishing processes used; such as rolling, finishing and heat-treating. Stainless steels, the steels most commonly used for knife blades, are alloy steels with chemical additions that make them corrosion-resistant.

Types of blade steels
Different elements contribute different performance characteristics to the overall mix. No matter how good the steel, you are always faced with trade-offs: corrosion-resistance for edge-retention or edge-retention for sharpenability. To compare extremes, S30V steel provides the very best in edge retention and tensile strength, but is more difficult to re-sharpen and needs proper care. 17-7PH steel resists even salt water corrosion but cannot match the edge retention of harder steels.

S30V S30V - The absolute best blade steel available, and made in America. Contains carbon as well as high amounts of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium. Double-tempered, it can be hardened to a Rockwell hardness of Rc 59.5-61.
BG-42 BG-42 Steel - An extremely high-performance, bearing grade, martensitic stainless steel with significantly increased amounts of carbon and molybdenum content plus vanadium for improved edge retention and strength. This steel can be hardened to Rockwell hardness of Rc 61-62.
ATS-34 ATS-34 Steel - A very high carbon, chromium martensitic stainless steel, with additional amounts of carbon and molybdenum that add significant edge-holding properties and corrosion resistance. This steel can be hardened to Rockwell hardness of Rc 60-61.
420HC 420HC Steel - This is a High Carbon (HC) version of standard 420 martensitic stainless steels. These steels are hardenable, straight-chromium steels. They combine the excellent wear resistance of high carbon alloys with the corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. That means 420HC, Buck's standard blade material, along with our exclusive heat-treat process, offers superior corrosion resistance and excellent tensile strength, hardness and wear resistance. It can be hardened to a Rockwell hardness of Rc 58.
17-7PH 17-7PH Steel - This alloy is used for high-strength applications that require high salt-water corrosion resistance and better edge retention than austenitic stainless steel. 17-7PH is defined as a chromium-nickel-aluminum precipitation hardening stainless steel, a process that develops hardness at relatively low temperatures, allowing hardening with very little distortion. This steel is excellent for water sports applications. It can be hardened to a Rockwell hardness of Rc 54-56.

 

Handle Materials
Wood - Beautifully grained natural woods and laminated dyed birch wood are chosen for more traditional knives (such as the 110 Folding Hunter). Some distinctive woods that Buck chooses are Cocobola, distinguished by its rich coloring, and Obechee with its unusually dark grained look. These woods are treated with an environmentally sound resin to protect their natural beauty.
Horn / Antler - Chosen for a distinctive, natural look, authentic horn and antler add extra distinction to any handle. They can be inlayed or hand-carved (Buck's black buffalo horn has been carved to replicate the natural grooves of Impala horn).
Phenolic - This hard, ebony-colored compound is almost impervious to heat, cold and shock, making it practically indestructible. This type of handle is best suited to a fixed blade knife that needs to withstand vigorous use.
Plastics - Buck uses various engineering-quality thermoplastics, including a molded plastic with a hard, textured surface and a rubber-like plastic with a textured finish. On some models, we use a two-shot molding method, combining a hard, glass-reinforced thermoplastic base with soft Dynaflex® to create a two-tone, sure-grip comfortable handle.
Aluminum - High-tech aircraft-grade aluminum 6061 T-6, machined from solid sheet stock can be used to create a lightweight and durable handle. The aluminum can be anodized in a solid color or with patterns and pictures. Buck Knives discovered a process that allows original artwork to be anodized on the handles.
Kraton® - Ideal for fish fillet knives, Kraton is a slightly pliant plastic, fully resilient when dry, for maximum comfort. Kraton becomes tacky when wet so you have a sure grip, even when hands get slippery.
G10 - An almost indestructible resin laminate that is resistant to heat, cold, chemicals, impact and other abuse. That's why Buck uses G10 for some of the handles on the super-tough Buck Strider tactical knives.
Titanium - An amazingly strong but surprisingly lightweight material; as close to corrosion free as you can get.
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