Some knives can stand up to that, but I don’t know about “should,” especially for one with that tang style. That’s more axe/maul/wedge territory, except for emergencies. I think batoning is over-emphasized in knife testing (also tip testing). But I am definitely impressed at how well this knife held up to the abuse.
Why shouldn't your outdoor fixed blade hunting/camp knife be designed to survive emergencies? Like.. if this was a test for like, a Zero Tolerance, or Rike, or whomever with a little folding knife you'd kind of have a point. I'd still argue that the simple fact that those expensive knives serve no purpose because they're not proper tools.. but this is literally the entry way, and a heritage based company in, BUSHCRAFT. This knife should absolutely be able to hammer out a complete full shelter, be tied to the end of a stick and used as a speer, process a deer, and then make the campfire, without any trouble. It should literally be its designed task.
@@jackhall290 Nothing wrong with that All I’m saying is that expectations should be tailored somewhat to the design of the tool. Full tang is great but almost all knives have been stick tang since forever. Based on its design, the Buck exceeded all reasonable performance expectations. You can reasonably expect more performance (and also more cost) out of a full tang design. That doesn’t fix the tip issue which has to do with shape, grind, heat treatment and a whole lot of other things. Making the tip better for that test might compromise some other features.
@@James-dq3jo People are totally deranged mentally these days. Historical swords and knives nearly all of the had stick tangs. And they truly used their knife in combat and for a living. No fantasy bushcraft play. An axe is the tool for splitting wood like that..Right tool for the right job. or use wedges, you can carve those. Btw I can break the tip of an ESEE or Becker much easier than of these Buck 119 and 120 knives. Except for the ESEE5 and BK2, but those are as unwieldy as a cold chisel. They are thick chunck of steel with an edge. I had them all, and sold them 😉. A clip point on a Buck like that , and being able to stand that tip stress. Yeah, that's a good knife.
@@James-dq3jo Good knives. Mora is great. I know the talk on the tang of the Ka-bar. But everything can be broken. The Ka-bar is a better combat knife than the Becker's or ESEE in my opinion. The Becker's are the typical knives people love to baton with. That's all. Batoning. For chopping.. who uses a knife . A machete or a hatchet(same weight as their knife) is already way more effective than those knives.
I got a used 120 when I was 9 or 10 years old . I abused it for years . I am 55 now and still using the same buck 120 . It was used to baton down trees and much more abuse when I was young .
I'm very impressed how good it held up I was waiting to hear the iconic forged in fire blade ping when the blade breaks but it held up surprisingly well like I knew it would LOL and the handle coming loose is a common thing I hear about as well and no you didn't bend the Tang you bent the pin that holds the whole Tang on I'll tell you more about it when I send you a text can't wait to see part 2
Just a hint for you guys or gals that like me get sweaty hands when it hot outside , We all know that the handle made of phenolic is pretty slippery don't we? Well i came up with a great solution, which is , i put rubber bands that hold the lobster claws shut when you buy them , on the handle , 8 rubber bands cover the whole handle on my Buck 119 and also on my Buck 105 , on the 119 ,8 rubber bands brings you just at the limit of the Aluminium pommel, on the 105 , the handle is a bit shorter so i cut in half the last rubber band , the hold in hand is great, Here in Québec the bands are blue cause the lobsters come from Gaspé , or the Magdalene Islands , it looks real good!
I use ranger bands. Well actually, I take an inner tube of a bicycle and cut it at the length that suits me best. It's a bit of a task to roll it onto the handle. But after fitting it, it's like a Mora Companion in the hand. Grippy...
Good first test. Just finished my comment to you on the announcement of this series when this dropped. Never owned a Buck 119 even though there was a time when they weren't a lot of choices. Had a few 110s. Look forward to future installments of the Buck Special slow destruction tests !😁
EVERY QUALITY KNIFE NEEDS to be able to do this at least once at a minimum. You don't "need" a knife to open letters, or remove bits of string, or whatever it is you usually use your knife for. Those are not necessities that you "Need". If you NEED this knife, that means you need it to survive building at least one good all-out shelter, and to process game. That means you'll be chopping out notches to tie wood together, that means you'll be processing small amounts of firewood(probably not a full log, but you'll cutting limbs off trees at minimum and that's hard greenwood), and the edge will need to not chip completely if you hit a bone. if your knife "isn't designed for that" it isn't a quality tool. It may be pretty, it may be a great knife, but I don't care how well made or pretty something is if I can't stake my life on it. I could bejewel a pile of dung, doesn't make that dung worth anything. Every knife should be designed first and foremost to do a job, and if the only job your knife CAN survive is cutting up a cardboard box it is all but useless to you really.
Excellent video! My 119 & 120 are more of a collectors item than anything else. They were my first big blade knives that I managed to lose literally FORTY YEARS AGO so, I plan on hanging on to the ones I have now... Great to actually see what that 119 can do! Now, off to enjoy part 2!!!
I'm glad you brought up the size. To me, the knife isn't good for much else other than looks. If you want a knife for field dressing deer or pheasants, whatever: get something smaller and my personal recommendation, a different profile. That upturned edge makes things harder than they should.
Because it’s almost a legend, I gonna get one to supplement my Kershaw C10 in my bugout bag , also have a few others in there like a Swiss Army Hunter and a mora companion
It’s funny because I share your opinion on buck’s knives, the only one I ever had is a 110 and I really dislike it. I always thought the 119 were beautiful knives but based on my experience I never bought one, until I saw your tests 🤣 Here in France for a knife of this size, stainless with a nice leather sheath the 119 are pretty « cheap » I will use it only on deer hunting to cut through rib cage, so it should survive…
Things are getting interesting! Part #2 is going to be a good one! Haha! The Buck got you all worked up to the point you needed a brake! Lol. Do you have Buck fever now? Baaahaaaaa!😂
So my information is that the buck 119 is a HUNTING knife (i could be wrong) and in MY opinion are hunting knives for skinning,deboneing and processing meat
@@conradschulz1806 well. I can tell you that it may be promoted by buck as a (hunting knife) but after years of hunting and butchering, nobody uses a knife that big with that slippery of a handle to gut/skin/process game unless it’s an only option
I was definitely more worried about that deadblow hammer on the false edge like that haah. This test definitely gives confidence that it will hold up better than one would think. Not perfect but when I bought mine for 50 a few short years ago, I cant complain. Also why do people complain about using it hard. Its new production and not actually "grandpas" knife. If you purchased it, it holds no special sentimental, monetary or historical value. Its a tool after all.
Sorry but i think you did trally bad strong Batoning for a small camping knife half of your video you banged on it !! I am surprised that the blafe at the gard did not brake! I just bought this long history knife 3 weeks ago and i put down a few 2 -3 inches trees with it and losts of carving and even started a nice fire from the leafs that it did so far so good! I have in my collection many multi-fonction and survival knives like my last acquisition the Condor by Matt Graham and even the M-9 LAST MONTH AND I THINK THIS 119 SPECIAL FOR 50$ is more a really good camping or trail expeditions then only Batoning! Anxious to see your part 2! P.S. Do you think you can repair the loose crack or will send it back to the life time waranty? Thank for your work from Frank in the deep North of Canada!
@@peterbiltknifeguy you’ll find that has a hidden bolt in the pommel . That threads onto a Tang. Either from stretching or loosening that’s why the gap appeared.. which is common one Battening bucks
Honestly the only reason I hate on buck so hard is because people think they are the best thing ever. But most those people haven’t tried anything else and have a very biased opinion.
@@peterbiltknifeguy eeek yea no eese puts most buck to shame. tho i like bucks design, story, and heritage. theres not really any jack of all trades so cant be so biased if you want good steel for all occasions. my first knife was a 119 but lost it. thats why i think i have a special place for a nice newer one.
@@peterbiltknifeguy Ok, I understand now what your point is. Buck is not above other brands, I agree on that, Buck's good but not 'better'. But I prefer these knives more than Becker , ESEE, BRKT and a couple of other brands. I like Mora Companion also a lot, very good handy knife.. tastes differ. Tante teste tanti cervelli 😁😉. I had many knives, the brands I mentioned I sold. so there's that. They have their fare share of hardcore fanboys also. I'm not one of them. They are good knives. But I wasn't to keen on them.
Not that I'm against any of this but I've never had the need to baton. Never once was I in the forest and there's perfectly cut logs laying about I need to split. Lots and lots of dry dead fall to drag back to the fire and stomp into appropriate sizes but no nicely cut logs to be found.
Lmao I can’t get over you asking a stick tang knife to do what you couldn’t do in five minutes with a splitting maul … I’m not crazy about a stick tang myself , but I don’t batton wood with my knives , that’s what they make axes for . But if I was to develop an urge to batton with a knife , it Darn sure wouldn’t be that one I’d get a big ole esee with a 1/4 spine You ain’t likely to bust but it , but it wouldn’t be good for anything but battoning wood ….
Love the Impersonations of people complaining. Couldn't stop laughing. I like the buck 110 myself. You can never say anything bad about Buck or Case with out everyone complaining, even though the quality control is hit or miss.
The stupideity level is high here. On the same level as using a a non impact bit, in an impact level tool. This is a tool ment to be used with skill to open an elk, or deer.
I totally agree. The stupidity level on your comment is top notch stupidity. Nobody is telling you to use your knife this way. All it’s doing is demonstrating how tough it can be. And if you can’t understand that without typing out a retarded comment. There is no hope for you 🤦🏻♂️
Buck knives are not built for hard use. They have an overblown reputation. They may have a decent heat treatment, but they just aren't built for hard bushcrafting. Stick with Esee, Tops, etc. They are cheaper and better quality than Buck.
I recently purchased a Buck 120 in cpm35vn. $200. Sent it back after seeing the gaps where the blade enters the bolster. I can buy an Esee 6 for about $130. And it will last forever, or I can warranty it and get a new replacement. The Buck you tested in this video is 420hc? So maybe it is less than a comparable Esee or Tops. The Buck I purchased was quite a bit more, because of the s35vn steel.
I guess my point is just that, regardless of the quality of the steel or the heat treat, if the rest of the knife can't handle hard use, it's not worth the$
Some knives can stand up to that, but I don’t know about “should,” especially for one with that tang style. That’s more axe/maul/wedge territory, except for emergencies. I think batoning is over-emphasized in knife testing (also tip testing). But I am definitely impressed at how well this knife held up to the abuse.
Why shouldn't your outdoor fixed blade hunting/camp knife be designed to survive emergencies? Like.. if this was a test for like, a Zero Tolerance, or Rike, or whomever with a little folding knife you'd kind of have a point. I'd still argue that the simple fact that those expensive knives serve no purpose because they're not proper tools.. but this is literally the entry way, and a heritage based company in, BUSHCRAFT. This knife should absolutely be able to hammer out a complete full shelter, be tied to the end of a stick and used as a speer, process a deer, and then make the campfire, without any trouble. It should literally be its designed task.
@@jackhall290 Nothing wrong with that
All I’m saying is that expectations should be tailored somewhat to the design of the tool.
Full tang is great but almost all knives have been stick tang since forever. Based on its design, the Buck exceeded all reasonable performance expectations.
You can reasonably expect more performance (and also more cost) out of a full tang design.
That doesn’t fix the tip issue which has to do with shape, grind, heat treatment and a whole lot of other things. Making the tip better for that test might compromise some other features.
@@James-dq3jo
People are totally deranged mentally these days.
Historical swords and knives nearly all of the had stick tangs. And they truly used their knife in combat and for a living. No fantasy bushcraft play.
An axe is the tool for splitting wood like that..Right tool for the right job. or use wedges, you can carve those. Btw I can break the tip of an ESEE or Becker much easier than of these Buck 119 and 120 knives. Except for the ESEE5 and BK2, but those are as unwieldy as a cold chisel. They are thick chunck of steel with an edge. I had them all, and sold them 😉.
A clip point on a Buck like that , and being able to stand that tip stress. Yeah, that's a good knife.
@@Ve-suvius My personal favorite fixed-blade knives for general camping/outdoor/utility use are, in no particular order: Morakniv, ka-bar, and Buck.
@@James-dq3jo
Good knives. Mora is great. I know the talk on the tang of the Ka-bar. But everything can be broken. The Ka-bar is a better combat knife than the Becker's or ESEE in my opinion. The Becker's are the typical knives people love to baton with. That's all. Batoning. For chopping.. who uses a knife . A machete or a hatchet(same weight as their knife) is already way more effective than those knives.
I got a used 120 when I was 9 or 10 years old . I abused it for years . I am 55 now and still using the same buck 120 . It was used to baton down trees and much more abuse when I was young .
I like the "Stump of Truth"....Time for the Buck forever warranty....LOL...Nice testing....Good stuff...
😂
Gramps here. You had me cracking up. I'm waiting for the next video. It's The Young and the Restless versus the old and the cold.
😂 sorry for hurting your knife. Glad I had you laughing
I'm very impressed how good it held up I was waiting to hear the iconic forged in fire blade ping when the blade breaks but it held up surprisingly well like I knew it would LOL and the handle coming loose is a common thing I hear about as well and no you didn't bend the Tang you bent the pin that holds the whole Tang on I'll tell you more about it when I send you a text can't wait to see part 2
Been using mine 25 years it is my go to knife for skinning woodcraft and most any other task I have found for it.
Just a hint for you guys or gals that like me get sweaty hands when it hot outside ,
We all know that the handle made of phenolic is pretty slippery don't we?
Well i came up with a great solution, which is , i put rubber bands that hold the lobster claws shut when you buy them , on the handle , 8 rubber bands cover the whole handle on my Buck 119 and also on my Buck 105 , on the 119 ,8 rubber bands brings you just at the limit of the Aluminium pommel, on the 105 , the handle is a bit shorter so i cut in half the last rubber band , the hold in hand is great,
Here in Québec the bands are blue cause the lobsters come from Gaspé , or the Magdalene Islands , it looks real good!
I use ranger bands. Well actually, I take an inner tube of a bicycle and cut it at the length that suits me best. It's a bit of a task to roll it onto the handle. But after fitting it, it's like a Mora Companion in the hand. Grippy...
Good first test. Just finished my comment to you on the announcement of this series when this dropped. Never owned a Buck 119 even though there was a time when they weren't a lot of choices. Had a few 110s. Look forward to future installments of the Buck Special slow destruction tests !😁
That did pretty well to be honest. I wouldn't baton anything, because I measure in metrics, but that held up pretty well to your freedom violence.
EVERY QUALITY KNIFE NEEDS to be able to do this at least once at a minimum. You don't "need" a knife to open letters, or remove bits of string, or whatever it is you usually use your knife for. Those are not necessities that you "Need". If you NEED this knife, that means you need it to survive building at least one good all-out shelter, and to process game. That means you'll be chopping out notches to tie wood together, that means you'll be processing small amounts of firewood(probably not a full log, but you'll cutting limbs off trees at minimum and that's hard greenwood), and the edge will need to not chip completely if you hit a bone. if your knife "isn't designed for that" it isn't a quality tool. It may be pretty, it may be a great knife, but I don't care how well made or pretty something is if I can't stake my life on it. I could bejewel a pile of dung, doesn't make that dung worth anything. Every knife should be designed first and foremost to do a job, and if the only job your knife CAN survive is cutting up a cardboard box it is all but useless to you really.
I got a buck 119 & 120. The handles to slick & short..that my only issue with them
wrap it with the grip tape for baseball bats
thanks for the tests, in your opinion, are the newer Buck knives as good as the older vintage ones
Yes. Probably better
I think grandpa got mad at you and shook your camera lol i love how you make fun of the buck knives 😂
Lol. Thanks.
Ok, so when does the Rapala Flillet knife meet the Stump of Truth?
😂 I don’t want to hurt my stump
Don’t laugh , Repella makes a puko type knife
You genuinely seem like a knife expert.
Your grandpappy would be proud.
Excellent video! My 119 & 120 are more of a collectors item than anything else. They were my first big blade knives that I managed to lose literally FORTY YEARS AGO so, I plan on hanging on to the ones I have now... Great to actually see what that 119 can do! Now, off to enjoy part 2!!!
Awesome testing, gives me more confidence using my buck for harder tasks now.
I'm glad you brought up the size. To me, the knife isn't good for much else other than looks. If you want a knife for field dressing deer or pheasants, whatever: get something smaller and my personal recommendation, a different profile. That upturned edge makes things harder than they should.
Because it’s almost a legend, I gonna get one to supplement my Kershaw C10 in my bugout bag , also have a few others in there like a Swiss Army Hunter and a mora companion
It’s funny because I share your opinion on buck’s knives, the only one I ever had is a 110 and I really dislike it. I always thought the 119 were beautiful knives but based on my experience I never bought one, until I saw your tests 🤣
Here in France for a knife of this size, stainless with a nice leather sheath the 119 are pretty « cheap »
I will use it only on deer hunting to cut through rib cage, so it should survive…
Awesome. Should make a decent deer knife
Things are getting interesting! Part #2 is going to be a good one! Haha! The Buck got you all worked up to the point you needed a brake! Lol. Do you have Buck fever now? Baaahaaaaa!😂
Buck sweats for sure 😂
My first knife. Bought in the 70s.
I've skinned 2 T-Rexs with my 119 without issue
😂
Yeah, come back when you've done your first woolly mammoth, you young whipper snapper!
So my information is that the buck 119 is a HUNTING knife (i could be wrong) and in MY opinion are hunting knives for skinning,deboneing and processing meat
@@conradschulz1806 well. I can tell you that it may be promoted by buck as a (hunting knife) but after years of hunting and butchering, nobody uses a knife that big with that slippery of a handle to gut/skin/process game unless it’s an only option
@@peterbiltknifeguyi Just googled butcher knives and These Things Had Like twice the Blade length😂
Yes. It’s not a butchers knife though. Look up game processing knives
@@peterbiltknifeguy6 inch boning knives are very commonly used for de boning and butchering game nothing wrong with the blade length
I was definitely more worried about that deadblow hammer on the false edge like that haah. This test definitely gives confidence that it will hold up better than one would think. Not perfect but when I bought mine for 50 a few short years ago, I cant complain. Also why do people complain about using it hard. Its new production and not actually "grandpas" knife. If you purchased it, it holds no special sentimental, monetary or historical value. Its a tool after all.
True. It’s still in production. And definitely handled more than I expected.
Good video, push the limits with that knife
Thank you
Sorry but i think you did trally bad strong Batoning for a small camping knife half of your video you banged on it !! I am surprised that the blafe at the gard did not brake! I just bought this long history knife 3 weeks ago and i put down a few 2 -3 inches trees with it and losts of carving and even started a nice fire from the leafs that it did so far so good! I have in my collection many multi-fonction and survival knives like my last acquisition the Condor by Matt Graham and even the M-9 LAST MONTH AND I THINK THIS 119 SPECIAL FOR 50$ is more a really good camping or trail expeditions then only Batoning! Anxious to see your part 2! P.S. Do you think you can repair the loose crack or will send it back to the life time waranty? Thank for your work from Frank in the deep North of Canada!
The rat tail tang is wobbling around inside the plastic. That’s the reason it’s creating a gap. Micarta version hold up better.
It better for the price
@@peterbiltknifeguy you’ll find that has a hidden bolt in the pommel . That threads onto a Tang. Either from stretching or loosening that’s why the gap appeared.. which is common one Battening bucks
@@aprilnichols2806 no. The pommel is pinned on. Google buck 119 tang.
@@peterbiltknifeguy they might be now. But at one time there was a hidden nut. That they would grind off. Run into that several times rehandling one.
Well it didn't go to piece's yet! Although it is a little wobbly. 😄
You’re not supposed to do that with that knife, hur, hur, hur!
i dont have to believe or like your opinion on things, but i feel it best to understand that and have conversations.
Honestly the only reason I hate on buck so hard is because people think they are the best thing ever. But most those people haven’t tried anything else and have a very biased opinion.
@@peterbiltknifeguy eeek yea no eese puts most buck to shame. tho i like bucks design, story, and heritage. theres not really any jack of all trades so cant be so biased if you want good steel for all occasions. my first knife was a 119 but lost it. thats why i think i have a special place for a nice newer one.
@@peterbiltknifeguy
Ok, I understand now what your point is. Buck is not above other brands, I agree on that, Buck's good but not 'better'. But I prefer these knives more than Becker , ESEE, BRKT and a couple of other brands. I like Mora Companion also a lot, very good handy knife.. tastes differ. Tante teste tanti cervelli 😁😉.
I had many knives, the brands I mentioned I sold. so there's that. They have their fare share of hardcore fanboys also. I'm not one of them. They are good knives. But I wasn't to keen on them.
This would break any knife…
Not that I'm against any of this but I've never had the need to baton. Never once was I in the forest and there's perfectly cut logs laying about I need to split. Lots and lots of dry dead fall to drag back to the fire and stomp into appropriate sizes but no nicely cut logs to be found.
It’s a test of strength
The batoning fad on the internet is pure madness.
Nothing to do with survival. It's just bushraft play.
I think something loosened up
If it worked for Grandpa it can work for me!
i like this knife
Lmao I can’t get over you asking a stick tang knife to do what you couldn’t do in five minutes with a splitting maul …
I’m not crazy about a stick tang myself , but I don’t batton wood with my knives , that’s what they make axes for .
But if I was to develop an urge to batton with a knife , it Darn sure wouldn’t be that one I’d get a big ole esee with a 1/4 spine
You ain’t likely to bust but it , but it wouldn’t be good for anything but battoning wood ….
Pretty bad when the harbor freight Gordon 119 replica is better than the original.
Theres no Buck stamp on that knife that I saw.
Then you didn’t even look
Love the Impersonations of people complaining. Couldn't stop laughing. I like the buck 110 myself. You can never say anything bad about Buck or Case with out everyone complaining, even though the quality control is hit or miss.
40 doller knife can carve lol why didnt u batton it too see what it would do if it's as good
Not a fan of Buck, but I can batton wood with a lawn mower blade. You didn't even tests the sharpness after all that. Not much of an abuse test 🤨
The title literally says part 1
The stupideity level is high here. On the same level as using a a non impact bit, in an impact level tool. This is a tool ment to be used with skill to open an elk, or deer.
I totally agree. The stupidity level on your comment is top notch stupidity. Nobody is telling you to use your knife this way. All it’s doing is demonstrating how tough it can be. And if you can’t understand that without typing out a retarded comment. There is no hope for you 🤦🏻♂️
@@peterbiltknifeguy 🤣 Awesome comeback, might have to leave a like.
🤣👍
Buck is junk
Not completely. But definitely driven by fanboys and overhyped
For someone whom doesn’t even know the difference in a 2x4 and a 1x4, makes me wonder why i even watched this video half way through
And felt the need to comment 😂
Buck knives are not built for hard use. They have an overblown reputation. They may have a decent heat treatment, but they just aren't built for hard bushcrafting. Stick with Esee, Tops, etc. They are cheaper and better quality than Buck.
They definitely aren’t cheaper. But much better quality
I recently purchased a Buck 120 in cpm35vn. $200. Sent it back after seeing the gaps where the blade enters the bolster. I can buy an Esee 6 for about $130. And it will last forever, or I can warranty it and get a new replacement. The Buck you tested in this video is 420hc? So maybe it is less than a comparable Esee or Tops. The Buck I purchased was quite a bit more, because of the s35vn steel.
@@jeffhanson2621 yeah. The esee 6 is a standard knife. The buck 119 in 420hc is also the standard version. And was 83 dollars after tax.
Cool. Good deal.
I guess my point is just that, regardless of the quality of the steel or the heat treat, if the rest of the knife can't handle hard use, it's not worth the$