Buck 119 or 124. What’s a better buy? My rambling opinion on the subject

#buckknives #buck

[@tristanbarnett6271]

Yep you can see now why I carry a 119 so much I mean I am a Bowie Knife Guy at heart but I do agree that I don't have to carry a Bowie knife all the time and the 119 is the style I like and it's awesome for the price again you can't beat it and again the warranty as well I'm glad you did it my friend can't wait to see what other knives you testout

[@adamwright4969]

The price of the 124 is through the roof now.

[@Camposterity]

I also have both 124&119 and they’re awesome knives. I feel both handle needs to be modified to fit my hands, then it’ll approach to one of perfect knives. The edges are already legend.

[@bruceallen6016]

Good points. I've been looking at both. May wait anyway as I just picked up a 192 Vanguard, but these two are on a short list.

[@addisonesslinger3653]

The best buy is the Buck 105 pathfinder

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

Never had one

[@addisonesslinger3653]

@@peterbiltknifeguy You're missing out. Break out your dremel tool with a round engraving bit and a 3/16 chainsaw file and put some texture on the handle.

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

@@addisonesslinger3653 I’m done buying bucks for a while lol

[@gage4375]

Is it made in the usa

[@demo2952]

The handle on the 124 is micarta and the handle on the 119 is crappy plastic.

[@singingtoad]

I agree with your assessment as well. I think if your were only going to buy one, get the 119 instead as it's by far the better value of the two. 👍Thanks very much for sharing and Cheers!

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

Thank you.

[@beornthebear.8220]

I like my 119, and I have several knives. The 119 just feels right in my hand.

[@TheREALCaptainEdwardKenway]

119 is a classic & will never fail you. Personally I like the 124 because it doesn’t feel like a toy when I’m wearing big thick gloves in the winter.

[@joem4551]

Any opinion on the 120?

[@KnivesSurvival]

Nothing wrong with the hollow grinds. They make better slicers

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

For a strictly slicing knife. These are outdoors knives. A hollow grind isn’t optimal.

[@donjuanmckenzie4897]

They can be problematic in chopping

[@Roosterdad50]

Please explain a wobble on the blade on a full tang knife. Otherwise I'm with you brother. For a hunting knife, the 119 seems adequate and I agree with you that the weakness of a hollow grind gets worse with a wider blade. But Dang, that 124 looks nice. : )

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

It’s definitely a pretty knife

[@demo2952]

Sand the handle down on the 124

[@jamesm1]

There's this wild Austrian dude named Joe X that does super intense knife durability-destruction tests. The Buck 119 didn't do great, but the 120 was a true beast and he was super impressed. He stabbed it through a metal car panel dozens of times with no tip damage, hacked at an antler, hit its blade against a big granite stone repeatedly from multiple angles, etc... and finally managed to break the blade by jamming it about a third of the way down into a stump and pulling it by the handle with all his strength till it passed the limits of its flexibility. Definitely a knife that will last more than one lifetime of normal use, even without the beefy tang the 124 has.

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

Lol. I’m well aware. We are friends

[@lckgilmo43]

I have two 119, a 120 and 124. Buck 119 is the best buy. I use it more than the others. You can buy two 119 for the price of one 120 or 124.

[@marksaint2936]

Ok, got my 119 today due to your review and tests. The knife is awesome. The handle is perfect for my hands, no way could I have used the 124. Thank you very much. I've got 5 different Bucks, I guess I'm a fanboy now?

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

Lol. You’re definitely becoming one. I’m glad my review helped you out

[@marksaint2936]

Alright, I'm definitely sold for sure. 119 it is this week.

[@Joe3pops]

Myself maybe the 120 is the best. Order oxblood leather sheath with fishing line stitching too counter dampness. The profile of blade & its steel, with light weight overall, and very good value for your money, is what makes the 119-120 series the flagship design(s) IMO.

[@RexApplegate]

If you go back 56 years to when (as I understand it) Frank Buck created the 122/124, it was clearly intended to be a maximum capability hidden tang weapon that stabbed, sliced and chopped well above its size and weight class. It was also a near 7" blade in 440c. They shipped them with cards explaining that softer more rust resistant metal (like 420hc) wasn't used because that wouldn't take abuse as well. In those days, Seahunt made killing minded dive knives extremely popular, and I have a first hand account of 122 Nemos being issued to UDT guys in Vietnam. Plus, hold one in your hand and it's clearly a weapon, not a hunting or bushcraft knife. Shrink the blade, use gas station knife steel, and make the handle an uncomfortable overweight brick and you're left with an overpriced, poor excuse for a collectors item that does a sub par job of standing in the earlier versions shadow. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but I would challenge anyone who thinks I am to compare a recent one to a hidden tang 60's version. And I think Buck employees agree at least somewhat as evident from the sadly extremely limited 640xl.

[@enzoswoodshop1052]

while your critiques regarding the design changes are 100% valid, the materials switch from 440C to 420HC did actually the polar opposite of what you’re implying it did. 420HC is over twice as strong as 440C, so it resists chipping better and doesn’t snap as easily as 440C. All according to metallurgical testing done by Dr. Larrin Thomas. Which means that it legitimately is a more abuse-friendly alloy than 440C.

[@RexApplegate]

@@enzoswoodshop1052 I suppose the question has to be for what use, with what grind and thickness (which varied considerably on older Bucks), and with what Rockwell? In over simplified terms, an edge that chips vs an edge that dulls rapidly and gets smashed like a sharp point on an air hammer chisel, I don't much care either way I still look at it as a failure point that indicates low quality or improper blade selection. My experience has been that 440c, treated to about Rockwell 58 is quite resistant to chipping and holds an edge considerably better than 420hc. If you want easily resharpened, a more thin blade and more reliably able to take serious abuse more akin to bushcraft, 440c yes may not be so great. These days however perhaps it's a moot point because if they wanted these to live up to the originals in a modern way I think they'd probably be using something like 3v or magnacut.

[@joelverret4381]

​@@RexApplegater

[@toiletpaper5770]

Which knife would you suggest in its place?

[@RexApplegate]

@@toiletpaper5770 In its same niche already being made currently, I don't have one but the cold steel recon scout appears to be pretty fantastic. My preferred suggestion however is to take up knife making and build your own based on pictures and research data. It's quite a rewarding hobby.

[@jameswysocki6806]

I have never been a big fan of hollow grinds, not that they don't have their place. I have not owned a Buck knife since I was probably 10 or 11 (30 some years ago...), since the Mom and Pop store near my home in rural Virginia sold buck 110s and OG Barlow knives exclusively. Nothing against Buck, I know they are an iconic American brand, but I got bit by the Cold Steel marketing as a preteen and have just never bought another Buck knife... I am amazed that a knife with 420 steel can command such a high price...I know they have S35vn versions of most if not all of their sheath knives, I wonder how well that would hold up? Great video by the way...

[@jameswysocki6806]

Just thinking about all the lawns I mowed to afford a single knife as a kid...

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

I’m not a hollow grind or buck guy. I’m a cold steel/Ontario/benchmade guy myself. I agree that the want way too much for 420hc. And the s35vn models are extremely overpriced. Thank you

[@Roosterdad50]

I'm told that Buck's heat treat with the 420hc is phenomenal and is more than acceptable for a hunting blade. this is good news for guys like me that can't afford super steels. : )

[@WhatsthePOINT_EDC]

Hey man what more needs to be said? I believe your tests speak for themselves. The 124 would have been what I went for out of these two, but the 119 out preformed it. I am 100% impressed with the batoning of the 119. Your right about the tall hollow grind being the 124’s downfall. Good stuff brother.🔥🔪👊🇺🇸

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

Thanks man. I appreciate it

[@wamps3370]

I wonder what he meant by 'wobble'? On a fixed blade knife?

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

I meant the cutting edge had a wave to it that went into the main grid. Watch the hard use video I did and you will see

[@donjuanmckenzie4897]

Did you see JoeX test the 119? One of the strongest knives he's tried.

[@ChateauBeaufort]

PICKED THE 102❣️OLD ONE IN VERY GOOD 440-C & THAT ONE ROCKS

[@alfonsedente9679]

How does the 124 blade wobble, if its full tang?

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

The cutting edge warped

[@bdwillis8284]

But the 124 is just a sexy beast!

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

It definitely looks good

[@scottf.3808]

So, you are now a Buck fan....LOL....Good points and opinion....Good stuff....

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

Lol noooo. But thank you

[@scottf.3808]

@@peterbiltknifeguy 👍👍

[@stevek8829]

The handle weight balances the heavy blade.

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

The handle is far heavier

[@benediktmayr1701]

I do prefer the handle of the 124 though. I lovo my 119, but the handle looks very cheap.

[@stevek8829]

It’s a full tang fixed blade. How can the blade wobble?

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

The edge warped. I call it a wobble.

[@nathanskelly1942]

If you have a problem with the edge re grind it

[@raphlvlogs271]

a full width tang also makes it a bit more prone to rusting since more steel is exposed to the elements

[@stevecole2400]

For the price the 119 it's half the cost of the 124 that being said I have a 119 and I still want a 124

[@alsoadriver]

..the 124 is THE Knife..!

[@peterbiltknifeguy]

The knife for what

[@valentinesmith2424]

I have a buck 124. For $200. It was not a great buy.

[@valentinesmith2424]

My buck 650 nighthawk is best.

[@valentinesmith2424]

It is true buck knives are cheap steel. They use 420 or 440. It's the same for case knives. I have 9 spyderco knives all are vg10 steel. Best you can get.