Buck, Cold Steel, and Chinese vs US Quality

By Joe Berk

The pocketknife craze continues unabated, and I am finding that in my collecting I am stabilizing around the idea of the large folding hunter style knife.  These are commonly referred to as a Buck knife, even though many similar available knives are not manufactured by Buck.

A Cold Steel Ranch Boss II (top) and a Buck 110 (bottom). The Cold Steel is a big knife.

Don’t get the word Buck confused with deer hunting, as if someone armed with a Buck knife is going to chase down Bambi for a knife fight.  The “Buck” in Buck Knife is actually the name of the man who founded the company, and that company is in Post Falls, Idaho (a stone’s throw from the Canadian border).  I know that because I recently chatted with a guy there.

What most of us think of when we think of a Buck knife is the Buck 110, the classic folding hunter knife style.   The idea Buck had back in the early 1960s was to create a folding knife (like a pocketknife) that could do the same thing as a fixed blade hunting knife.  Buck envisioned a folder with a thicker 3.75-inch-long blade that locked securely in place when opened.  The concept was that it would be able to do things a hunting knife could do (like skin and dress game animals).  The Buck 110 style (the large folding hunter) has been widely copied and the term “Buck knife” is often used describe any large folding knife (like Kleenex is used for tissues and Xerox means making a copy).

I like the Buck 110 a lot and I’ve written about my custom Buck before, so when I recently saw an ad for an “automatic” Buck 110, I was hooked.  An automatic knife is what we used to call a switchblade.  You know, like in West Side Story.  That would be cool.  I liked that movie and I always wanted a switchblade.  The automatic Buck 110 would scratch that itch.   When I received an email from Chicago Knife Works offering the Buck 110 automatic for a measly $153, I was in.

A week later my switchblade arrived.  I wasn’t happy with it.  The bolster cutouts around the blade lock had tool marks.  They weren’t mirror polished like they are on my other Bucks.  It bothered me, so I called Buck Knife’s customer service.

Tool marks on the Buck 110 automatic. You might expect this on a cheap knife, but not on a Buck.

The guy I spoke to at Buck knew exactly what I was talking about.  Buck changed their manufacturing process to remove cost and that’s why the tool marks were there (evidently, I wasn’t the first guy to call with this concern).  I get it.  I’m a guy who spent a career finding ways to reduce manufacturing costs in products ranging from bombs to biomedical devices, so I understood.  But there was still this nagging problem:  I spent $153 on the Buck and I wasn’t happy.  The Buck guy understood that completely without my being a dick about it.  “Send it back in to us,” he said, “and I’ll get it polished out.”  They’re going to engrave my initials on the blade, too.  That’s cool.  A personalized switchblade.  I felt even better when I went on the Chicago Knife website later that day and learned they had bumped the price of the knife I just bought from $153 to $199.  Wow.  It’s those Idaho tariffs, I guess.

The fact that I like pocketknives is out there now.  Siri has been listening and I’ve been on a lot of knife websites.  I get emails every day from companies selling knives.

The Ranch Boss II knife. It has a nice look and feel. I like it.

One of the emails that caught my attention was from good buddy Jeff Bezos.  It was for a Cold Steel Ranch Boss II that looked a lot like a Buck.  I guess I missed the Ranch Boss I (I came to the pocketknife craze late in life).  The Ranch Boss.  I like the name.  I especially like the price: $39.   Cold Steel.  I like that name, too.  There is a unit in the US Army (Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment) called Cold Steel Charlie, so named for their heroism and lethality.  The marketing guys at Cold Steel ought to get a raise for that bit of branding genius.  It sure worked its magic on me.

Amazon didn’t try to hide that the Cold Steel Ranch Boss II is manufactured in China.  That didn’t bother me.  I know from my CSC days and my many visits to Zongshen, Zebra, and other Chinese companies that there are companies in China making good products.  The Ranch Boss.  It has a John Wayne vibe.  I could be a Ranch Boss.  The Marlboro Man theme song played in my head.  Ranch Boss.  Yep, that’s me.

In the email and on Amazon, the Ranch Boss looked like a big, heavy folding hunter.  $39.  Complete with holster.  Man, $39.  That’s a sandwich with a beer these days.  Buy now, and I could have it the next day.  Yeah, it’s Chinese, and a real Buck is made in Idaho, but hey: $39.  Buy now, Baby!

The Ranch Boss II knife is sold with and without the case. When I bought mine, the price with the case was a few bucks cheaper than the one without the case.

My Cold Steel Ranch Boss folding hunter was on my doorstep when Susie and I returned after our Jameson Motorcycle Museum 800-mile weekend.  That’s one the porch pirates missed.

The spring-loaded liner lock. When the blade is opened, the liner lock moves over to prevent it from closing. To close the knife, the liner lock is pushed out of the blade’s way. You need to be careful when doing this.

You know, the Ranch Boss is a nice knife.  It looks and feels good.  It’s actually slightly larger than the Buck 110.  It uses a liner lock instead of the Buck 110 lock design.  The thing is sharp, as in razor sharp.  I like the looks of it.

The finish on both the Buck and the Ranch Boss is brushed stainless steel.  I like that look.  The Buck has polished brass bolsters; the Ranch Boss bolsters are the same brushed stainless steel as the rest of the knife.

The Buck 110 scales are real ebony wood.  They are riveted in place with brass rivets.   The Ranch Boss scales are fake sawn bone.  I imagine there’s a single supplier providing this material to several knife makers.  I recently picked up an ultra-inexpensive pair of Old Timer Chinese-manufactured pocketknives at (where else?) Walmart.  They were only $25, and the scales on those two knives look identical to those on the Ranch Boss.

Walmart Old Timer pocketknives, sold as a set for around $25. That little one is in my pocket all the time now.  The scales are identical to the Ranch Boss.

I like that the Ranch Boss scales are secured with little Allen bolts instead of rivets.  If I want to craft a set of custom scales of maple or walnut to match one of my six shooters, it will be easier to do than on the Buck.  A real Ranch Boss has to be properly attired, you know.

Cold Steel’s SK-5 blade material. The steel is Japanese; the knife is Chinese.

Buck’s standard blade material is 420HC, a tough, corrosion resistant steel that takes a good edge and is easy to sharpen.  The Ranch Boss knife blade is SK-5 steel, a Japanese steel that is well suited (or so I’ve read) for knife blades.  It has good durability and abrasion resistance, and is generally corrosion resistant.  The SK in the designation stands for steel kougu, which translates from the Japanese to “tool steel.”  For my purposes, the differences in steels between the Ranch Boss and the Buck are moot.  I just like looking at the things.

Both the Buck 110 and the Ranch Boss are big knives, with the Ranch Boss being a bit larger than the Buck.   These are not really knives you carry around in your pocket.  They’re cool.

The bottom line here is that I like both knives.  The Cold Steel Ranch Boss II, at $39, is a lot of knife for not a lot of money.  The quality of the Ranch Boss is better, in my opinion, than the Buck.  But Buck is standing behind their product.  I’m eager to see what my Buck 110 Automatic looks like when it is returned from the factory.  I’ll let you know.


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The 2022 ExNotes Gift Guide

Most gift guides are hokey.  Not this one.  In keeping with our theme of shooting, motorcycles, and other interesting things, here are our recommended gifts and associated links.  It’s good stuff.  Purchase the things we recommend through the links we include here and you’ll ride faster, you’ll shoot straighter, you’ll weigh less, you’ll be better looking, and you’ll be one of the cool kids. (I took an advertising class and that’s the essence of what good advertising is supposed to do.)  Without further ado (I have no idea what “ado” means, but if you say it during a wedding ceremony, you’re married), here you go.

Motorcycle Bungee Pack

Few things in our lives are as useful as a bungee cord, and it you want a nice gift for a motorcyclist, this Motorcycle Bungee Pack answers the mail.  It includes an assortment of bungees and a cargo net, and it’s a sure thing whoever receives a gift like this will put it to good use.

A New BMW R 1250 GS

Well, sort of, although if any of our readers want to buy us a new BMW GS, that would be nice, too.  Nope, what we’re referring to here are Maisto motorcycle models.  They’re pretty cool, they’re high quality, and at approximately $20, they won’t break the bank.   Maisto offers several other models, too, like the S1000RR you see at the top of this blog.

A Case of Mobil 1 Moto Oil

It doesn’t get any better than Mobil 1 4T synthetic oil for motorcycles.  If you want to really impress someone, give them a case of Mobil 1 4T for their motorcycle.  It’s only $79.00 and trust me on this, they will remember you every time they shift or blip the throttle.

Portable Jump Starter

We carried and used a portable jump starter on the Enfield Baja ride, and trust me, it was worth its weight in gold.  There are several models available, and they start around $52.  This Litake portable jump starter is small enough to carry on a motorcycle and it makes a great gift.

Lee Precision Reloading Gear

If you’re not reloading, your missing out on half the fun in the shooting sports.  Making the decision to become a reloader can be a bit initimidating, but the major equipment manufacturers make it easy for anyone to start.   If you want to start with a simple single-stage press, our advice is to go with Lee’s Challenger Kit for $229.

A single stage reloader is a good way to start, and the Lee Anniversary kit shown above is a good one.   You can buy it directly from Lee or from Amazon.

If the person you are giving the reloading kit to (which can be you, by the way) wants to reload at higher rates,  you might consider the Lee Classic Turret kit for $380:

You can buy the Lee Classic Turret kit directly from Lee or from Amazon.

With either kit, the person receiving the gift will need a set of dies specific to the cartridge to be reloaded.  We think Lee Precision makes the the best dies at any price (these are $78.00).

You can buy the above dies directly from Lee, or you can purchase them from Amazon.

Cool Watches

There are three or four you might consider.  We’ve recently written about Casio’s G-Shock GD400 series.  These are reasonably priced, they are incredibly accurate, they offer a world-time quick change capability, and a bunch of other features (illuminated dial, stopwatch, countdown timer, and more).   Casio offers these for both men (at $89.95) and women ($53.95).  I wear a G-Shock and so does Susie.

If you want something more formal, our recommendation is to get an automatic watch.  There’s something elegant about a selfwinding mechanical watch, and Orient is one of most exclusive brands out there at a very reasonable price.  Two personal favorites are the Moonphase (from $274.95 to $374.95, depending on color) and the Mako dive watches (at $147.95).  I wear an Orient rose gold Moonphase when I’m trying to impress Gresh, and it’s a classy timepiece.

Toolkits

We very recently posted about a Wohngeist toolkit retailing for $2,895 (we’re not advising buying it, unless you feel a need to flush money down the toilet).  A far better choice is any of several toolkits available at much more reasonable prices, like this one for $49.95.  These make great gifts, and they won’t break the bank.

Buck Knives

Give someone a Buck knife, and you’ll have a friend for life.  That’s how long the Buck will last, too.  Buck makes a bunch of different knives, you can have them customized, you can have them engraved, or you can buy one off the shelf, so to speak.  My personal favorite is the Buck 110 folder (shown in the photo below), but any Buck knife makes a wonderful gift.  Buck 110 folders start at around $60.

Trickle Me Elmo Battery Tenders

There are few things as useful to a motorcyclist than a Battery Tender.  I’ve been using these for decades.  A motorcycle with a topped-off battery runs better, and I’m coinvinced routinely plugging your bike into a Battery Tender extends the battery’s life.  I regularly get between 4 and 6 years out of a motorcycle battery, and the Battery Tender is the reason why.  These things are inexpensive ($39.95), and if they wear out, that would be news to me.  I’ve been using mine for about 15 years and it’s still going strong.

Stop and Go Mini Compressors

Get a flat on your motorcycle out in the middle of nowhere and you’ll wish you had one of these, and so will all of your motorcycle friends.  It happened to me more than a few times (on the Three Flags Rally, in China, and out in the boonies exploring the Mojave Desert).  The Stop and Go Mini Compressor will pay for itself the next time you need to inflate a tire out there, and if you’re one of those folks who drops the air pressure when you see a dirt road, this will get you back up to street pressures quickly.

Our Motorcycle Books

Hey, what can I say.   If you’re going to buy a motorcycle book, why not buy one I wrote?  They’re inexpensive and folks say they’re pretty good.  If you’re one of those folks tempted to wait for the movie instead of reading the book, don’t hold your breath.  There were some preliminary discussions for a movie series, but when I suggested Leonardo di Caprio play me, the studio responded with Danny De Vito and talks broke down (so don’t wait for the movies).

Take a look at this selection of outstanding moto stories, pick the ones you’d like, and Mr. Bezos will have them in the mail to you muey pronto!

Haix Boots

The problem with motorcycle boots is they’re uncomfortable when you get off the motorcycle, especially if you have to walk anywhere.  About 20 years ago I picked up a pair of Haix boots (a favorite of police, firemen, and other first responders) and I never look back.  They are the only boots I wear when I ride a motorcycle.  A pair of Haix boots lasts about 10 years, and they are extremely comfortable.  They’re a bit more than most combat boots at $259.99, but they last a long time and the increase in comfort makes them well worth the price of admission.

Bianchi Belts

I bought my Bianchi belt years ago and I think it is one of the best purchases I ever made.  I wear it any time I need to wear a belt unless I have to dress up for a deposition or a formal event.  The Bianchi is just plain comfortable, it doesn’t wear out, and for its intended purpose (supporting a holster) it is superb.  You’d be surprised how much of a difference a good belt makes if you’re carrying a firearm (unless you already have a Bianchi belt, in which case you wouldn’t be surprised at all).  But you don’t need to carry a gun to appreciate this belt.  Like I said, I wear mine all the time.  The Bianchi belt retails on Amazon for $66.02 (why they add the $0.02 is beyond me), and it’s worth every penny (even those extra two pennies Bezos tacks on).

Batdorf and Bronson Coffee

Batdorf and Bronson coffee is the best coffee in the world.  Yeah, that’s my opinion, but try it and you’ll agree.  Buy a selection of Batdorf and Bronson coffee for a holiday gift and you’ll make a friend for life.


So there you have it:  Our 2022 gift recommendations.  And don’t forget:

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