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Schrade LB7 vs Buck 110 - Which do you prefer?

46K views 29 replies 27 participants last post by  Cuteandfuzzybunnies 
#1 ·
Which do you prefer?

TIA.
 
#2 ·
Buck 110. Have had one for forty years and it has never failed to date. Skinned about 50 deer, and elk and a couple of cows and unknown amount of small game including rabbits, groundhogs, birds of all sort and more than a few rattlesnakes. As far as the other I have never had one but they are just a brand name now. Quality if doubtful.
 
#6 ·
Schrade, no doubt.

I once used my Schrade to whittle a point onto a tire iron and killed a bear with it and it was STLL shaving sharp! My Buck broke the blade when I tried to slice some balsa wood and dropped it on a carpeted floor.

I'd rather have a Schrade with a nicked blade, a broken point, a dull as crap edge, a loose pivot pin and missing one grip panel than a brand new Buck.
 
#29 ·
Schrade, no doubt.

I once used my Schrade to whittle a point onto a tire iron and killed a bear with it and it was STLL shaving sharp! My Buck broke the blade when I tried to slice some balsa wood and dropped it on a carpeted floor.

I'd rather have a Schrade with a nicked blade, a broken point, a dull as crap edge, a loose pivot pin and missing one grip panel than a brand new Buck.
Tell me how you really feel. I agree.
 
#9 ·
If you can get the old LB7 stamped USA, you have a great knife...a touch wider than the Buck & not as rounded handle. Either one is a knife I would rely on if I had only one knife I could have in a survival situation. I have my father in law's old Shrade. Watched him cut hundreds of tomatoes to eat over the years. It lives next to my Buck knife now.
 
#10 ·
I have a Schrade LB7 stamped USA I got new 30+ years ago with the original leather case. It's been carried a few times but not used. I hear so much about the Buck 110 I just wondered how they compare.

I have several other old Schrade folding knives and they are top-knotch and I have several Buck fixed blade knives but I've never liked the looks of the Buck folders. I just wondered what others think. Thanks.
 
#12 ·
I have had several of each. Seems like the Buck has a better, more finished feel to it, although I think the Schrade has better steel in it. I took a 7OT and polished the handles on it with a palm sander, and what a difference!! Like night and day. No more sharp ridges on it, and it looked like it had been carried in a pocket for years, and yet it was brand new. The Uncle Henry LB7 has the wooden handle and is much like the Buck. I would say the Buck has a better rep, mainly due to the advertising and popularity in movies and such. In fact, if you look up Buck knife on the bay, not only Buck knives come up, but many other knives as well, because so many folks call any larger knife... a Buck knife. That being said, I used to collect Schrade knives and still have a few. Used to collect Buck knives and still have a few. I have a Schrade in my glove box and a Buck in the door pocket of my truck right now. I'd be perfectly fine with either one. The Schrades by the way, are the USA ones. The new ones, well, in my 40 years or so of knife love, I won't own one. If they were still made in the USA I'd still be buying them, but I am more inclined to support a knife company that makes most of their knives in our country. Buck does have an outstanding warranty too. I ended up with a small Buck folder, and it had a broken blade on it. I sent it to Buck with a note asking how much it would cost to have the blade replaced. About three weeks later, it came back to me with all new blades and a coupon for 25% off a new knife if ordered online! How cool is that! And all it cost was a couple of bucks for shipping it to them. THAT right there would make me more inclined to buy Buck.
 
#13 ·
Indeed. My Schrade (Uncle Henry) LB8 I have pictured in my previous post was made back in the early 1980's when they were still manufactured in America. I haven't bought a single Schrade since they became imports and I never will.
 
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#15 ·
From a pure engineering standpoint the Schrade LB7 "is" a heavier duty knife.

That said, the original 110 had 440C blade steel which held an edge forever and was twice as strong as the 420hc steel used in 110's today but 440c was a real bitch to resharpen!

Schrade also made special runs of LB7 with drop point blades for the hunters. I have two of the drop point LB7 knives and the quality is superb. Blade shape and handle shape work to give the user an excellent serious field knife!! The only other folder I own that is as strong as the Schrade is the Kershaw Folding Field Knife which is a bull of a knife that is a handful of cutting power. (note: the flawless kershaw I have was made in japan with aus-8 blade steel. The kershaw today is a chinese made knife so I don't know about their quality)

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/KS1...g-Field-Knife-3-18-inch-Blade-Plastic-Handles

So IMO the 110 is a classic everyday utility knife whereas the Schrade LB7 is a serious field knife for those times you're going to be in the field either a long time or times when your life might depend on it be it standard clip blade or drop point blade. (Note: this opinion applies ONLY to American made Schrade knives!)
 
#17 ·
I prefered the Schrade LB7

I compared both knives side by side. The Schrade had a a tighter fit and finish than the Buck which seemed rough by comparison, with no gaps between the bolsters and the wood scales there was absolutely zero play when you locked it open, side to side or up and down. The rivets on the Buck were raised while the Schrade were finished flush with the scales. I bought the one I have 30 years ago in 1985 right in the factory store. I think it was Ellenville, NY or near there. I also bought a rigger's knife for my sailboat that had a built in marlinspike. The LB7 came with a form you could mail in if you lost it. They would send you another one no charge. I'm not kidding. The US made knives from that time had blades made of 440C steel. I don't know what the Chinese ones are made from now. I carried the LB7 in my pocket for 20 years, and must have sharpened it close to 100 times. It still looks like the day I bought it 30 years ago. My tastes changed, and I preferred lighter smaller knives but I would trust that Schrade with my life in any emergency without a worry. If you can find an old one made in the US, buy it.
 
#18 ·
I have had several Bucks , including two 110s, and a couple of Old Timer pocket knives. They were all good knives.

But like posted previously, the Buck warranty can't be beat. I was once inspired to change out the barrel of my M-16 in a hurry. I did not want to take my time, since Charlie was showing hot interest in our position. I used the point of the big blade on my Buck Stockman to pry down the collar that holds the forearm pieces in place. The tip of the blade snapped. (The adrenalin was flowing and I pried too hard.) A few weeks later, when I returned to the real world, I took my Stockman to a store that sells Bucks. They gave me a brand new Stockman right off the shelf. The manager said they could return my broken bladed one to Buck and get a full refund.

That is real customer support.
 
#20 ·
I have the Schrade USA LB-7, that I bought back in the early 70's. I have it on my belt all time, been use for every thing you can dream of, including a hammer, still great. I bought a Buck110 first, about a half in of the tip broke trying to cut a 1/4 inch dowel rod, took it right back and they gave me another new one, same thing, tip broke off again. Got my Schrade, went home, cut the dowel no problem.
 
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