Buck Knives 301 Stockman Three Blade Folding Knife Review

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It’s been some time since I’ve published the last review, but I am back and today I will be presenting my view of the Buck Knives 301 folding knife.

Folding pocket knives are without a doubt some of the most popular knives on the market. The Buck Knives company has been known to produce high-quality pocket knives with beautiful and functional design.

Buck Knives 301 Stockman Three Blade Folding Knife
  • TRIPLE BLADES- The Stockman features Three Blades; 2-3/4" clip point, 2" spey, and a 2" sheepsfoot...
  • VERSATILE - The clip point blade is used for detail work and cutting in tight places. The spey blade...
  • HANDSOME HANDLE - Rosewood Handle with Brass Bolsters provide a knife that is as handy as it is...

The Buck Knives 301 is a member of the Stockman family. Since I’ve never covered folding knives in my guides, let’s have a few words about the Stockman knives first.

Features at Glance

  • Three different blades
  • Time tested design
  • Weight – 2.9 oz (82 g)
  • Folded length 3 7/8”
  • Lifetime warranty

The Stockman is one of the most iconic pocket knives, dating its enormous rise of popularity to the 17th century. The knife gained its name because it was very popular among ranchers and cowboys. One of the reasons why it became so popular was the fact that it was extremely versatile. The knife featured three blades, and, in the beginning, it was mainly used for spaying and neutering livestock. Over time, the main blade featured on the knife has slightly evolved and nowadays it comes equipped with a large clip point blade instead of a spear blade. The other two blades on the Stockman are a sheepsfoot blade and a spey blade.

A couple of decades ago, the knife was sort of a symbol of coolness and style and virtually every man carried it. Nowadays, while it’s not nearly as popular as it used to be, it’s still a good choice if you are looking for a versatile pocket knife.

With the theory aside, let’s look at the Buck Knives 301 Stockman itself.

The first thing you will likely notice is the large size of the knife. When closed, it measures 3 7/8 inches or about 10 cm if you prefer metric measurements. The design of the knife is as classic as it could be.

The Blades

The 301 Stockman is fitted with three blades of varying lengths. There is the 2 ¾-inch (7 cm) clip point blade which is designed mostly to be used for general cutting. Then there is the 2-inch (5 cm) spey blade designed for sweeping strokes and can be used for example for skinning. And finally, there is the 2-inch sheepsfoot blade which is a good choice when you need clean cuts.

All three blades are made of 420HC stainless steel which is a good choice for such a workhorse of knives. The steel provides a good balance of durability, edge retention and it’s easy to sharpen. Let’s not forget that it is also quite rust-resistant.

The three blades provide great versatility allowing you to carry just one knife instead of three knives. This can be especially useful for camping or hunting trips.

The Handle

Buck Knives 301 Stockman Folding Knife - Black HandleWhen it comes to the handle, there’s an important thing to be aware of. And that is the knife comes in two versions. One has the handle made from black material called Valox, which is essentially a fancy name for a type of plastic. The other version has the handle made from rosewood with brass bolsters and rivets.

I guess it’s not necessary to say which version looks better. On the other hand, I would not immediately dismiss the plastic version because it could, at least in theory, offer better durability in wet conditions.

The rosewood version is usually slightly more expensive, however, the price difference between these two versions at the time of writing was mere two dollars.

Customers’ thoughts

As expected, the knife receives generally very positive reviews. Many of the customers praise the knife for its versatility and price-performance ratio. Some customers were happy to see the knife is made of the 420HC steel, making it corrosion resistant especially in the area that holds the closed blades. Also, the blades’ sharpness has been highly praised.

On the other hand, there were also some not so positive reviews. Some of them mentioned the knife they received had quite weak back springs making the customers worried the blade would be too easy to accidentally close during use and cut one’s fingers. However, this complaint doesn’t seem to appear often.

Final thoughts

Overall, I think this is a very nice and versatile pocket knife that’s capable of handling many tasks out in the wild. It can also be a good choice for an everyday carry knife. The price is also reasonable, and the knife comes with a lifetime warranty. Oh, and it’s made in the USA unlike some of the other Buck Knives lines.

Check on Amazon!
Rating
  • Build Quality
  • Edge Retention
  • Ergonomics
4.5

Summary

Excellent pocket folding knife with versatile blades

Last update on 2023-12-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API