Buck Knives105 Pathfinder Fixed Blade Knife with Leather Sheath

Keeps a good edge and is well built.

Very nice general purpose knife (#105 wood/brass), sturdy, great value and US made! I already have Buck Vanguard (4" skinning, rubber grip) and 119 Special (6", black phenolic grip) knives. First off, this is very well built, solid and well executed. Very surprising for a US made knife of this quality to be in this price range. I can't think of any US competitor that builds as nice of a knife as Buck for anywhere near this price. So you get way more quality than fair to expect at this price. Second, I really like the wood grip versus the black phenolic resin, especially in this smaller knife, because it gives it more weight and perfect balance. And it looks great. The blade was pretty sharp out of the box and touched up easily or a final edge with a extra fine diamond "stone" and honing steel. Buck steel is darn good for production knives: shapes reasonably easy, holds an edge, and is tough. Another fine example of the well earned American outdoor tradition of Buck knives.The 105 Pathfinder has a 5" long blade that has a somewhat narrow belly, but sturdy blade thickness. Compared to specialized skinning knives or larger models it looks narrow but it is actually plenty for skinning, gutting game and as a general purpose camp knife. Some knives have gotten so thick in the blade that they are not much use for anything other than battoning firewood! While the 105 blade is plenty thick enough to use for prying and digging in wood or bone, it is still thin enough for slicing food for the pot or pan. Also great for carving wood, shaving sticks for fire making, cutting rope/cords. This is now my general purpose hiking/camping knife. My dad got me the 119 for an elk hunting trip that never happened, so based his experience with elk the 105 Pathfinder may be on the small size for very large game like elk and moose and black bear. But the 119 is a bit big though probably liable for deer size game but definitely not for fish or small game. This 105 Pathfinder is much more versatile for most anything else. The handle is a little on the small size for my large hands, but still fine. It would be perfect for smaller hands.Overall, the 105 Pathfinder is about the perfect all-around size and style for most outdoor activities. And the brass/wood model is a great weight and balance. I much prefer it to the black and silver versions. The sheath is also very good quality. While it holds the knife very securely it is not fast access. I much prefer a pouch type sheath that is fast and easy to use yet encloses most of the knife securely on the belt. When I am holding something with my left hand and need to quickly slice it, and do that repeatedly during a task, the snap closure becomes a bother. The Buck sheath puts the snap on the back side of the wrap around collar rather than the face of it. This makes it much less likely to snag and come undone but slows down access.The other great value knives out there I like are Cold Steel and Morakniv. Cold Steel knives are well made, but usually in Taiwan and usually not pretty, sometimes on the ugly side. But they are great value and well made. Morakniv is from Sweden and makes outstanding general purpose knives in the 2"-4" range often around $12, including plastic grips and sheath. The Morakniv carbon and stainless steels are fantastic quality for under $100 knives let alone under $15!! They also come from the factory very sharp. For the fishing box, or to throw into the camp kitchen box I like the Morakniv Companion. But for a day outdoors the 105 Pathfinder is now my go to belt knife. I don't know how Buck can sell such great knives at this price point but I am darn glad they still do. One of the great American traditions and values still going strong.

The Pathfinder is a great mid-size knife with a 5-inch blade that weighs a mere 4 1/2 ounces. It is plenty of knife for most of the tasks you might encounter camping and hiking. It works well for fish cleaning, does fine as a hunting knife if you know your business, and has a handy, easily controlled blade that is very versatile. The handle is a good fit for mid-to small sized hands, but still works in bigger paws as well.The guard keeps fingers off the blade but doesn't interfere when you want to choke up for finer work or to brace your thumb on the spine of the blade for more powerful push cuts. Place your index along the spine towards the blade tip for precise detail cuts. The Pathfinder is a great knife because it offers excellent capabilities for its weight, has a low entry price, holds an edge well, is easy to sharpen and maintain (stainless steel, aluminum, and phenolic), and is simply a knife you come to appreciate more with use. Between my wife and I, we have 4 or 5 of them.Ultra-light backpackers are always pulling out the postal scale and weighing everything to the nearest 10th of an ounce. As the most essential tool, a knife is not something you want to skimp on. The leather sheath adds additional ounces, but the svelt, capable Pathfinder is a sensible investment in both utility and bad-breaks insurance when things don't go as planned. It is worth its weight in gold in the backcountry.The other great thing about the Pathfinder is the company that makes it. Buck produces a very good product for a fair price. Their blades are predictable, reliable, and reasonably priced. They deliver excellent bang for the buck, round for round and pound for pound. You can't really put a price on that reliability when you are dependent on the few ounces you carry on your back or on your belt. Pathfinder = woods savvy.

First and foremost, one has to appreciate the value in this knife; it has a 5 inch, full tang blade with excellent fitting on the aluminum tang, pommel, and phenolic handle. Likewise, Buck's 420HC blade reaches a superb RC Hardness of 58, while offering a very high level of corrosion resistance. It came razor sharp and has proven to have above average edge retention (I think it compares favorably to 8cr13mov from the likes of Kershaw and CRKT). It is also very easy to resharpen and has an excellent blade profile for any field tasks. All of this comes for under 50$, and there is really no equal competitor in this price range, or above it for that matter.When it comes to my personal experience with it, the blade has performed far above my expectations. No more than 3 weeks after I purchased it, I shot a blacktail deer during hunting season and used this knife to gut it and skin it. After all was said and done, the blade was still sharp enough to cut paper (and almost arm shaving sharp!). It cleaned up super easy with just water, showed absolutely no signs of damage or wear, and touched up back to razor sharpness in a few minutes. As mentioned earlier, the clip-point blade profile was perfect for both gutting and skinning, and I think the blade length is the perfect balance in regards to amount of working edge and control-ability.I would highly recommend this knife, both for a beginner and even an experienced knife-user who simply wants a very effective working knife that will last forever.

Great steel and good design. It’s the perfect hunting and skinning knife.