I have been teasing part 2 of my Buck Knives trip for a while now, but life just has a habit of getting in the way. Press Week, AAU Basketball and Lacrosse tournaments, and family time over the holiday all conspired to set me behind schedule.
Part 1 focused on the factory tour in particular, and you can read it here if you missed it…
Visit to Buck Knives Part 1
As promised, Part 2 is going to focus on their new folding knife, the Range.
I wrote about it in the upcoming August print issue. Here is the text from my Knife News column, as it is the most succinct description I could come up with.
Buck’s first crossbar lock is American made Range
When you have been around as long as Buck Knives has, you don’t need to jump on every trend right away. So while there was an explosion of companies that debuted crossbar locking knives when Benchmade’s Axis lock patent expired, Buck took the time to make sure that when they did, they had a great design to pair it with. The new Buck Range series turned heads when it first appeared at SHOT Show this year, and they are now beginning to arrive at retailers.
The Range is manufactured at Buck’s Post Falls, Idaho facility, which is celebrating 20 years since the company moved from southern California. It is available in two sizes, the standard featuring a 3.375” blade, and the mini with a smaller 2.625” blade. Each size comes in Pro and Elite versions. Pro models feature 154CM steel, and come with injection molded handles in black, grey, or olive green. MSRP for the Range Pro is $160 with the Mini at $150.
MagnaCut steel highlights the Range Elite models, which also sport aluminum handles. Again, black, grey, and olive green are the colors on offer. MSRPs are slightly higher with the standard coming in at $275 and $260 for the Mini.All versions are fully ambidextrous thanks to the crossbar lock and reversible deep carry pocket clip. Questions? Call Buck at (800) 326-2825 or visit www.BuckKnives.com
Here is the Range Elite data sheet…
And here is the Mini Pro. Between the two, you get the picture. Just swap the steel and scales to flip from the Pro to the Elite and back.
No, Buck didn’t merge with IKEA, rather they had us each assemble our own Range Elite.
Each model has a 3d Printed fixture, which holds the parts in place, while the assembly takes place…
Then you stack the two halves, and screw the body together…
I can say from personal experience, assembling a crossbar locking knife with the aid of a fixture is considerably easier than doing it freehand. Especially setting the Omega springs in place…
One bright side from my delay in getting this out, is that I have had the chance to test the knife out myself now. My personally-assembled Range arrived in the mail shortly after my return home.
I have been remiss in taking pictures of the knife in use, and I will attempt to remedy that soon, but here are my first impressions.
It is the first knife that has the potential to be a “Bugout Killer”. Others have tried, notably Gerber with the Ascent, but that was the same price as a Bugout and not as good.
Regular KNIFE readers know that my custom Bugout spends the plurality of time in my pocket and I am intimately familiar with it. So when I say that the Buck Range is as good as a Bugout, that is not meant to disparage either. If less than a half an ounce is a major factor for you, then you will prefer the Bugout. However, if that isn’t a big deal, you will get a slightly more robust knife, with otherwise very similar feel, for a street price enough lower, that it becomes a significant selling point.
As far as blade geometry, Buck did a good job. I will add photos of apple peeling and slicing, onion dicing, and a few other things. But I wanted to get this post out in a less untimely manner than it already is.
Read the full article here