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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1902; 123 years ago (1902), inSan Diego, California[1][2] |
| Founder | Hoyt Buck |
| Headquarters | Post Falls, Idaho, US |
Key people | |
| Products | Knives |
| Revenue | US$80 million |
Number of employees | 320 |
| Website | buckknives |
Buck Knives is an Americanknife brand and manufacturer founded inMountain Home,Idaho and now located inPost Falls,Idaho. The company has a long history through five generations of the Buck family from 1902[3] to the present day. Buck Knives primarily manufactures sport and field knives and is credited with inventing the "foldinghunting knife" and popularizing it to such a degree that the term "buck knife" has become associated with foldinglockback knives, including those made by other manufacturers.
Hoyt H. Buck became ablacksmith's apprentice inKansas in 1899 at the age of 10.[2][4] He learned to make knives and at 13, in 1902, developed a method to heat-treat steel for hoes and other tools so that they would hold an edge longer.[2] Hoyt left Kansas in 1907 for the American northwest and eventually enlisted in theUnited States Navy.[2] He made his first knife in 1902 in Mountain Home, Idaho.[2] Hoyt made each knife by hand, using worn-out file blades as raw material.[5] Collectors call these early knives "four strikes," because each of the letters in BUCK was struck with an individual letter stamp. In 1961, marking was replaced by a one-piece stamp.[4]
When the United States enteredWorld War II, the government asked the public for donations of fixed-bladed knives to arm the troops.[1] Upon learning that there were not enough knives for soldiers, Hoyt Buck bought an anvil, forge, and grinder to set up a blacksmith shop in the basement of his church.[1] Hoyt later explained, "I didn't have any knives [to offer], but I sure knew how to make them".[1]
After World War 2, Hoyt and his son, Al, moved toSan Diego and set up shop as "H.H. Buck & Son" in 1947.[1] These early knives were handmade and more expensive than a typical mass-produced knife. Hoyt Buck made 25 knives a week until his death in 1949.[1] In the 1950s, the company began manufacturing on a much larger scale and marketed through dealers as opposed to direct mail.[6]
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On April 18, 1963, two years after incorporating, the Buck board of directors authorized development of a new folding utility and hunting knife.[1] The new design featured a sturdy locking mechanism and a substantial clip point blade suitable for butchering and skinning large game.[1] This became the famous Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter.[1]
The Buck Model 110 has a 33⁄4–inch blade, a high-tension lock, and a low-pressure release; the handles are typically wood with bolsters of heavy-gauge brass.[1] Introduced in 1964, it was one of the first lockback folding knives considered strong enough to do the work of a fixed-blade knife.[7] Its debut revolutionized hunting knives, rapidly becoming one of the most popular knives ever made,[1] with some 15 million Model 110 knives produced since 1964.[7][8] Before 1981, the specially heat treated stainless steel used was440C, and from 1981 to 1992 the company used 425M steel. Since 1993, Buck has mostly used 420HC stainless steel for Model 110 blades, although CPM S30V steel has also been used for some production runs. Its design is one of the most imitated knife patterns in the world.[1]
In 2018, Buck introduced a new lightweight editions of the 110,[9] a thick-handled FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) version called the LT. The new 110 Folding Hunter LT should impress anybody who found the original 110’s 7.2 oz. too much to carry. Carrying the same classic lines and Bos heat treat 420HC steel but in a lightweight injection-molded chassis, the LT tips the scales at a stunning 2.1 oz.- a weight reduction of over 300%. It also keeps the price down.
In 1984, Buck introduced asurvival knife with a hollow handle for storage and a 7.5 inch blade with a serrated spine and prongs so the knife could double as a grappling hook.[10] Dubbed the Buckmaster (Model 184), it was marketed to the military and fans of theRambo films of the 1980s.[1] The Buckmaster was soon followed by theM9 Bayonet manufactured for the United States Army, with an initial order of 315,600.[1]
In 1992–1993, Buck introduced the Nighthawk, a fixed-blade knife with a 6.5 inch blade and a black handle made ofZytel for an ergonomic grip.[1] This knife (Best M9) was submitted to the United States Marine Corps for evaluation for use by the Marines.[11]
In 2000, due to a demand from major retailers to reduce prices, Buck opened a plant in China. Imports to the United States from this plant had reached a high of 30 percent at one time,[12] but have dropped to 13 percent with the majority of these knives going to large retailers as opposed to sporting goods stores or knife shops.[13]
In 2005, the company relocated to Post Falls, Idaho.[12] Leaders of the San Diego business community considered this move a blow to San Diego County's economic landscape and a symbol of the state of California's problems in attracting and keeping businesses.[12]
Buck Knives has collaborated with different custom knifemakers such as Tom Mayo,Mick Strider,[14] David Yellowhorse[15] and Rob Simonich.[16]
Al and Chuck Buck were inducted into theBlade magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1982 and 1996 Blade Shows respectively in Atlanta, Georgia in recognition for the impact that their designs and company have made upon the cutlery industry.[17] Buck's heat treater,Paul Bos, who heat treats knives for other custom makers and production companies at Buck's facility, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
Buck's first successful folding lock-blade was introduced in 1964.[1] Folding lock-blade knives and "Buck Knife" thereby became strongly linked in the mind of the US public, and the Buck design was much imitated, so that in the United States a Buck knife can refer to any folding lock-blade design, even while Buck Knife is a trademark and not limited to folding lock-blades.[18]
Today, Buck products are produced in countries including Mexico (e.g. sheathes) and China.
