What’s old is new again... Buck Knives 110 Oak 5160 High Carbon. It’s a classic old school steel with a classic handle material.

Until this morning I didn’t know the Buck 110 was available in 5160 so I ordered one in Oak. After ordering I noticed the Oak is Oak Dymondwood. It’s also available in Charcoal Dymondwood and with a drop point in G10, Charcoal and Oak Dymondwood. So what’s Dymondwood?
Dymondwood Handle Material

Oak has certain properties that allow it to age and take on a personality which made it a good match with the 5160 steel. I’m not sure that oak colored dymondwood will be quite the same. Hopefully it will feel like wood and not the bonding resin.

My 110 is on the table as I was reading this. I don't recall exactly how I received mine, but it has a blade of some sort of stainless steel and dark wood scales (non-laminated as far as I can tell). Nice solid knife, but a tad on the heavy side.

I'll bet both yours and mine will slice the bologna and cheese just fine. Really classic cutlery...

I still have one from the early 1970s. Still in good shape, though it has been sharpened a good bit.

Early 1970’s... IIRC the ‘70’s era Buck 110 came with 440C blades rather than the 420HC used now. The Paul Bos heat treat does wonders for 420HC though.

I have a couple 110’s from the Buck custom shop with BG-42 steel. And one from ?Cabela’s? in S30V. This new one in 5160 is almost as tight as the Custom shop knives and unlike one review on Amazon, the blade is well centered. The wood is oak colored, but it’s not Oak. Nice knife.

Russ, would you know if 440C was used in other models, specifically the 105 Pathfinder, back then? i have a 105 from 1972 and it is a fine knife, cuts the cheese nicely, so my interest is strictly academic....

It would make sense for Buck to standardize the steel they use in production models.

There’s a post on Bladeforums that may answer: Buck 105 Steel

Thank you for the informative reference. I have had this knife for years and it still gets nice and sharp, even if it isn't some super duper new variety of steel.

440C is a good steel for well suited to many uses. Better than 420HC imo, although possibly less corrosion resistant and maybe slightly less tough. That’s all in the heat treatment though.

Mine has been in a salt, coastal environment for m.ore than thirty years, and is showing absolutely no corrosion or damage, although not used on a daily basis

http://myarmoury.com/feature_bladehardness.php

For most of history, there was no available objective data on blade hardness, steel composition or heat treating and tempering techniques. Smiths worked the available metal into shapes that seemed to work and to please the customer. They made some pretty good knives, and some poor ones. Folks used the knives until they wore out, and got replacements. If the knife held an edge poorly, it got sharpened more often, If it was too brittle, it was broken and replaced.

Arguably, the least expensive knives currently available are of better steel than the best knives of the past. And yet, the old knives seemed to get all the cutting done that needed doing.

I guess this is a third world argument in a first world debate. OTOH, in a discussion about Randall knives with a Marine friend he observed that a Randall knife was a fine item, but it didn't make you any taller.

He was pretty Zen, for a Marine.

As an archaeologist, I would wander back even further into the past, into the paleolithic ("Old Stone Age") to be exact ,when cutting tools fashioned from stone, reigned.

The best were sharper than even the best edges possible today but were sadly lacking in durability. The very sharp edge began degrading with the first cut, dulling rapidly. Thus the iron Age, and the advent of today's super(?) steels

A little off topic, but we have had many discussions concerning knives. Many may remember that I have a strong preference (predilection?) for strong, durable knives, and no, not for elephant hunting.

I have one of these: Rustick Knives Crash Axe

I acquired it and used it for two years chopping, mostly wood but some other things, and it is still so sharp it will slice your finger if you run your finger along the blade (yes, someone did that).

Since the discussion turned toward types of steel, I though it was relevant. The producer is a friend of mine. This crash axe is now the official rescue axe for U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation (TF 160).

Well said, Hikermor. Cage Baker included uded a riff in one of her books involving some elder tribal members complaining about the younger folk demanding obsidian tools when the old-fashioned chipped flint was equally serviceable. Back in the days of radial keratotomy surgery for vision correction, the ophthalmologists were using dies bladed with obsidian. This would be in the eighth decade of the 20th century AIRC.

Today's knife market offers and embarrassment of riches. You can get some amazing high performance steels and there are myriad reasons to do so. The price of the upgraded steels is actually is pretty good. At the other end of the spectrum it's probably never been cheaper to get a decent, serviceable 'entry level' steel. You don't need to obsess over the exact steel but for those wanting to find knives with better physical properties there's a good selection at any price point.

I have plenty of cheap knives but I fall apologetically into the knife/steel-nerd camp.

A heartfelt +1!

It looks amazing!

It will cut a car apart. Not the frame, of course.

My two older Buck 110’s have now been cleaned up, and are sharp and in pretty good condition. One that was acquired in 1989 has 1988 markings, black sheath; the other which was acquired in 1998 has 1994 markings, a brown sheath and finger-grooves. Both are 420HC, neither has the Paul Bos logo, but he was with Buck long before either knife was made so I’ll just assume... .