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Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:

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Originally posted by jhe888:
Grumpy Biker, I am glad those PM2s in jade an M4 are sold out. I already busted the knife budget and those were a sore temptation. Looks good.

I have been looking for a Hinderer but a “Friend” shot me the link when these were to drop.
I’d been wanting one so .... I guess I’m still searching for the Hinderer! LoL
This Hazard Pay we’re receiving is getting spent quickly !!! LoL

The grinds were the first thing to catch my eye. Finally a PM2 with a strong tip.

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Originally posted by Hobbs:

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Originally posted by Ogie:
Another funny thing: When I purchased my Buck 110 it was advertised to have a four inch blade. I never checked it until about a month ago. It's actually 3.75" in length. Go figure.

I thought the blade on the 110 was always 3 3/4". Buck does make a 4" blade but it's on a fixed blade Buck ... 103 Skinner I think.

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Originally posted by Ogie:
Apparently my memory has failed me with the blade length. I can't find anywhere where the blade was four inches. Also, I thought I bought my Buck 110 in late 1979, or early 1980. According to the handy page that dates Buck knives, I purchased my knife in 1981. Two dots on each side of the "110". Thanks for the info!

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One thing I do know about our 440C, 425mod, and 420hc is that we get the same basic rockwell out of each of them. 58 to 60 was the range and that was Chuck's law, never to be trifled with.

When we were using 440C the edge geometry was a lot diferent than our Edge 2000 geometry. The comment most often heard during the 440c years was that Buck knives held a great edge, but boy was it hard to get that edge on.

Those earlier knives had an extra operation in production that we called a "flat edge". Take a look at a new 110 from back then and you can still see a faint line running the length of the edge. That edge was slightly radiused too, thus lending to the hard to resharpen comments because how do you lay a blade edge flat on a stone if the edge is not flat to begin with? Those blades were thicker through the hollow grind which meant they could stand up to more prying, but again, made it a lot harder to resharpen as you got higher up in the blade.

VERY tough edge and tough blade for sure but our customers were telling us thay wanted something they could sharpen. Gradual changes in the blade and edge geometry took place over the years to address this need.

Off the top of my head I think we did away with the flat edge operation before we went to 425mod.

Before we changed from 425mod to 420hc, Chuck had to be convinced that we would still get our 58-60 hardness. We did numerous tests in heat treat, and backed them up on our C.A.T.R.A. machine, a device that tests several aspects of an edge, before we made the switch.

Many of our opinions on which steel is best are clouded by all the other variables that really need to be considered together. I hear someone swear that his 103 skinner from the 60's is the best knife ever and I know that if I took a 2007 Skinner, and ground the edge the same as his, it would likely perform the same. Does that mean that we should go back to the earlier geometry? Nope. It means that for that particular person, that particular combination of rockwell, geometry, angle, works best for him and his particular needs.

My opinion has always been that to a certain extent, everybody uses their knives differently, and sharpen them differently so they should find the knife and sharpening technique that works best for their needs. The best thing that Buck can do to help is deliver a consistent edge to begin with. We shoot for a 26 to 32 degree included angle, which our research has shown is a good all around edge. You might want a lower number for a fillet blade and a higher number for chisel. We also made the edge more visible, easier to see and lay flat on the stone. It may appear that the edge is actually higher but that illusion is due to the fact that we don't polish the burr off anymore in the final sharpening operation. To polish it would be to give it a slight radius so we now strop it off, leaving it good and flat, therefore easier to sharpen for the customer.

We changed from 440C to 425mod because we wanted to fineblank our blades. If we could fineblank them, we could get greater accuracy on our tolerances. Much more accurate than trying to mill and drill later. We could also make the blades quicker which translated into keeping our cost down, always a good thing. This is vastly different than saying we "went to a cheaper steel to cut costs". Remember Chuck's law, only then it was also Al Buck's law. That 425mod was a special steel the mill made for Buck, and we paid for it.

Then years later, at the mills request, we considered the change from 425mod to our current 420hc. We were the only ones that wanted 425mod and they mainly made it for us because they liked us...seriously! But 420hc was an on the shelf variety of steel and was basically the same so...Many test later, as mentioned above, and we made the switch. Again, not Buck switching to a cheaper steel, just Buck finding a better way to keep its costs down without impacting the customer. Its a win win, my employer stays in business and we continue to deliver a quality knife.

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Regardless of steel composition, enjoy your knife Ogie. All the steels Buck uses and has used, along with their legendary heat treat are some of the best steels and at a bargain price. That Buck 110 of yours is a true American classic and rightly so !!! ... VERY Nice

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Originally posted by Hobbs:
Doing what I'm doing. Sunday down time and idly busy developing my "Sebenza thumb". .....

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Originally posted by Ironbutt:
I know what you mean. I have a Sebenza 25 & two Inkosi's, and when I got my first CRK my right thumb was kind of tender until it started forming a callous.

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Originally posted by Hobbs:
Northwoods Knives was founded by Dave Shirley and was a one man operation. Dave would have folks like Queen Cutlery make (SFO) knives for him to high standards and branded as Northwoods.

Dave Shirley sold the Northwoods brand to Knives Ship Free founder, Derrick Bohne, a decade or so ago. There were two conditions to the sale of Northwoods from Shirley to Bohne ... 1) that it remain a made-in-USA brand; and 2) that the knives continue to be high-quality tools.

The knives that Derrick Bohne had produced by Queen and GEC as special factory orders for Northwoods, are not only of high quality, but always in high demand and often sold out within hours of each Northwood's knife release.

Sadly, both Dave Shirley and Derrick Bohne have passed away. I have several Northwoods that Derrick Bohne released and they are among my favorites. But I also have three Northwoods that were released back when Dave Shirley was at the helm of Northwoods.

This Green Bone Slim Jack (D2 steel) is one Northwoods from Dave Shirley. It's unique to me in that it is the only green bone handled knife I have. It's long and very slim. I've relegated it to letter opening duties ... and maybe a string or package tape here and there.