The Buck 110 Turns 60!
“Legendary” Classic Folder Celebrates A Milestone
Bucking the system — The Buck 110 Folding Hunter goes against
modern trends in knives and still sells in staggering numbers.
Throughout history, very few knives can be called “legendary,” and hands down, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter is one of them. Celebrating 60 years of production in 2024, this enduring ideal continues to defy the odds to the tune of 1 million unit sales per year worldwide. Over six decades, it has earned the title of being the most-copied sporting knife in global history and has claimed more scalps from its imitators than Carter had little liver pills. Yet even today there are savvy manufacturers who feed at the 110 lookalike trough for nice chunks of income.
Simply put, the Buck 110 was the first folding knife hunters trusted to do the dirty work of processing game, and right on their heels, legions of blue collar workers were choosing it for their cutting chores. The most convincing feature was its beefy lock-back mechanism. Once users deemed it stout and capable, the floodgates opened. At 4.8″ closed, the 110 is bigger than most modern folding fare and weighing-in at a hefty 7.2 oz., it is two or three times the load of a typical modern EDC blade. Yet it still sells like hotcakes. The 110 Folding Hunter’s shiny brass bolsters and ebony scales would never find their way onto the Titanium and Carbon Fiber dream machines shown off around the water cooler. Yet it sells in numbers those can only dream of and furthermore the 420HC stainless steel blade was around when they were selling hula hoops! Yep, it still cuts plenty good for hordes of users.
Much of the Buck 110’s success can be attributed to its sturdy lock-back design. Once hunters and blue collar workers trusted the mechanism’s strength, it sold — and still sells — like hotcakes!
Why You’ll Like It
Though some Buck 110s are bought for sheer nostalgia, most get used by the folks who put it on the map in the first place. Hunters, carpenters, farmers, bricklayers, linemen, carpet layers, truck drivers — people who don’t inhabit the latest, greatest cutlery world — buy it because it gets the job done and will last beyond their years. At $64.99 suggested retail — complete with a real leather belt sheath — it’s money well spent.
(Editor’s Note: The January-February issue of our sister pub American Handgunner will have an expanded feature on the Buck 110 and its influence on other manufacturers.)
