All About Pocket Knives

With a Lansky sharpening system in my future, I'm feeling more relaxed about (non-super) stainless blades. My search for a single blade lock back EDC has led me to these two options and I'm seeking input from folks who are carrying either one, or better, both.

Both have handles and blades that are just what I'm looking for and both are from Buck, an old emotional favorite of mine.

The first is the Buck Ecolite 112.


I've actually been able to get my hands on this one and love how it sits in my big hands. It's a bit thick and bit on the heavy side, but still pocketable. While the blade shape tugs on my heart being similar to my old 110, I'm not sure if it's the best for general purpose use.

The second is the Bucklite 428.


I've not been able to find one locally yet. I like that it's lighter, thinner and that it has a lanyard hole. I'm concerned it won't rest in the hand as nicely as the Ecolite 112, which is great on that point. My biggest concern is the durability of the joint and lock on the 428.

Thoughts?

If I was going to carry one of those...it would be the Bucklite 428. ..cause of the thumb stud and lanyard hole.
I recently picked up this Buck tempest.....its an assisted opener.

I find that I end up with the lightest knife for EDC , if I have to choose between more than one of similar kinds, and I'm carrying them in my pocket . I think that it ends up being a subconscious thing. I find the old knife sometimes and start to carry it again but find that after awhile I'm always back to the lighter one.

I was looking at a ecolite the other day in a local hardware store ,being a fan of the 110 and the 112 i would like to try one of these one day as a alternative to my 112, it did fill very comfy on the hand,

sharalds wrote:I find that I end up with the lightest knife for EDC , if I have to choose between more than one of similar kinds, and I'm carrying them in my pocket . I think that it ends up being a subconscious thing. I find the old knife sometimes and start to carry it again but find that after awhile I'm always back to the lighter one.

This is a great point and one I mostly agree with. But, only up to a point.

I was working on my brother-in-law's boat yesterday making preparations for Irene to hit. One of the things he asked me to do was to cut and split some old heavy duty garden hose to make covers to protect the lines from chafing. This involved making some plunge cuts. My Schrade 5OT was up to the task (but I was definitely wanting a larger handle in my hand). There was just no way I would have used my Opinel #8 for that task!!!

On the counter of the one store that stocks the Ecolite 112, the Ecolite and Opinel #8 are almost identical in length and girth when closed. The Buck is twice as heavy easily. Edge deployed is the other huge difference. There's no confusion at all about which is sturdier.

And that's the trade-off for me. I'm already not carrying the lightest knife on the key stand. The 5OT has nudged the Opinel to the side because of the sturdiness of the lock back. I just want a 50T plus a bit more.

Would be interested to hear if anybody has gotten hands on the 428 and could comment on both the feel in the hand and the perception of the sturdiness.

Great comments so far.

I don't currently own or collect Buck knives, but here are a few that are
available in the aapk.com storefronts that seem to fit the bill. The one
for sale by MM is WOW!!

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/aap ... tore_id=13

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/aap ... tore_id=13

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/aap ... tore_id=16

[quote="pinnah"][quote="sharalds"]I find that I end up with the lightest knife for EDC , if I have to choose between more than one of similar kinds, and I'm carrying them in my pocket . I think that it ends up being a subconscious thing. I find the old knife sometimes and start to carry it again but find that after awhile I'm always back to the lighter one.[/quote]

This is a great point and one I mostly agree with. But, only up to a point.

I was working on my brother-in-law's boat yesterday making preparations for Irene to hit. One of the things he asked me to do was to cut and split some old heavy duty garden hose to make covers to protect the lines from chafing. This involved making some plunge cuts. My Schrade 5OT was up to the task (but I was definitely wanting a larger handle in my hand). There was just no way I would have used my Opinel #8 for that task!!!

On the counter of the one store that stocks the Ecolite 112, the Ecolite and Opinel #8 are almost identical in length and girth when closed. The Buck is twice as heavy easily. Edge deployed is the other huge difference. There's no confusion at all about which is sturdier.

And that's the trade-off for me. I'm already not carrying the lightest knife on the key stand. The 5OT has nudged the Opinel to the side because of the sturdiness of the lock back. I just want a 50T plus a bit more.

Would be interested to hear if anybody has gotten hands on the 428 and could comment on both the feel in the hand and the perception of the sturdiness.

Great comments so far.[/quote]

I wouldn't consider a Buck Ecolite and a Opinel #8 similar knives.... Ecolite as a general utility and the Opinel as a slicer. The Buck 428 looks to fall right between the two. The Ecolite would be much better at cleaning large game, where the Opinel would win at slicing bread. I Love to Eat. The 428 would do both well enough that you shouldn’t have to carry both of the others at the same time. Although that thumb stud would get in the way on the bread job. For slicing hose, use your predominate hand to line-up and hold the knife and the other to put pressure on the back side of the knife to make the puncture to start the job. Tip sharpness is paramount for a lot of things.

sharalds wrote: I wouldn't consider a Buck Ecolite and a Opinel #8 similar knives.... Ecolite as a general utility and the Opinel as a slicer. The Buck 428 looks to fall right between the two.

Agreed and this is one reason I'm considering the 428. While the Opinel scares me off of pressing it into harder use (it's great as a slicer), I'm a bit concerned that the back of the 112 will be so thick as to be horrible slicer. I'll put the 110 into use in the kitchen for a bit on that front.

One of the reasons I'm asking about how solid the 428's pivot and lock are, are for exactly the issue that you're naming. I wonder which the 428 is closer to, the 112 or the Opinel #8.

pinnah wrote:

sharalds wrote: I wouldn't consider a Buck Ecolite and a Opinel #8 similar knives.... Ecolite as a general utility and the Opinel as a slicer. The Buck 428 looks to fall right between the two.

Agreed and this is one reason I'm considering the 428. While the Opinel scares me off of pressing it into harder use (it's great as a slicer), I'm a bit concerned that the back of the 112 will be so thick as to be horrible slicer. I'll put the 110 into use in the kitchen for a bit on that front.

One of the reasons I'm asking about how solid the 428's pivot and lock are, are for exactly the issue that you're naming. I wonder which the 428 is closer to, the 112 or the Opinel #8.

yeah opies are not a strong enough hard working knife but great as slicers plus easy to put a very sharp edge on, also very light in the pocket, but i would use my 110 or 112 for harder work