Buck Knives 285 Bantam BLW Folding Knife with Removable Clip

First off I do not like knives with assisted opening. It's unnecessary and dangerous. That said years ago I bought a Buck 110 knife from a local store mainly because it was American made and it was all wood and steel. What a piece of junk. The blade had movement right out of the box and it was heavy as heck. I returned it immediately. That said cheap Gerber paraframe knives have been my EDC since. I decided to give Buck a try again because I was looking for a step up. This Bantam 285 fits the bill. Excellent quality blade. Super sharp. Guys the plastic handle is what makes it lightweight and isn't a problem for me. My only complaint is the pocket clip is too darned tight. I had to loosen it up.

My 20-year-old Buck knife is still going strong.But I wanted something just a little larger.I liked this one so much, I got a second one.They are just the right size and at a nice price.

I use the knife every day. It keeps a keen edge for a long while. I’ve only had to sharpen it once. Buck quality comes through!

Let me begin by saying I didn't do my research before I bought this knife, that is completely my fault and I'm not reducing this knife's rating because of it. There are four sizes of these Buck Bantam knives (nano, small, medium, and large). I purchased the small when I should have gone up to at least a medium. That being said, I'm not too disappointed with the small.I like my pocket knife to fit in my fist, this knife (when opened and gripped as designed) only reaches about half-way down my pinky. It's annoyingly close to being just big enough. Nonetheless, it's comfortable and could be useful for smaller jobs. Minimal jimping on this knife, can't downgrade the knife too much for this because it wasn't designed for heavy duty work. Thumb stud is effective, but not as fast as some of my other EDC knives. Stud does not extend as wide as the knife body which reduces speed trying to get your finger to the stud. Knife is a lockback (as opposed to a Walker Linerlock sytle) which really comes down to personal preference. I prefer the linerlock because of the much easier one-handed operation. A big disappointment for me was the lack of a belt clip on the small knife. Looks like Amazon mixed some reviews together and I assumed (again my fault) it would come with one. I hate having any odd shaped object sitting sideways in my pocket, bugs the heck out of me, so I was really worried about this knife in there. Luckily it's small enough and light enough that I easily forgot about it and it wasn't a problem.A lot of people are very hesitant of the plastic handle, first of all, it's technically thermoplastic, a polymer. This isn't a knife you see sitting on the gas station counter for $1 each. I'm fairly confident the rivets on the knife will wear out and loosen long before the plastic handle itself sees any damage or weakness. You WILL NOT be able to disassemble or adjust tightness of this knife, they are riveted. Time will tell how strong those rivets are but I doubt I'll see any weakening soon. The blade is just plain sexy. Clean, great contour, and 'BUCK USA' written across the top. No 'made in china' written on the blade, it seems like Buck is downplaying these knives are imported. I'm always a little hesitant when people claim the knives are razor sharp from the factory, they haven't seen my diamond wet stone yet. But they were right about this one, it's shave sharp no problem.Of course I have to note the price, GREAT VALUE!If you're thinking about getting this knife you need to think about what role it will fulfill.*Size - knife offers smaller size but that means less control and force can be applied. (Should be noted the knife fits my girlfriends hand perfect)*Speed of Deployment - it's going to take longer to 1) dig this out of your pocket (vs a belt clip) and 2) utilize a slower thumb stud (personal opionion)This knife is probably going into the girlfriend's purse, it just doesn't quite fit my needs. I've got a new knife on the way I'm excited to try out and test but will highly consider getting a medium or large Buck Bantam in the future for EDC or as a back-up to keep in the truck or tool box.EDIT: I finally bought a Bantam Large, It wasn't bought as a replacement to my EDC knife (Spyderco Tenacious) but as a back-up to go into the kit in my car. The small knife I bought was razor sharp when I got it, this one however was no where close to that. I had to work it for a while get a clean cut on paper. Oh well, I don't mind putting my edge on it. Anyway, this will work great for what I bought it for, not an EDC though. This large model just isn't that comfortable in my hand.

Probably one of the best knives out there for the money. Buck has been around for a long time for a reason. The clip is well made and the blade holds an edge well. It’s tight and feels of great quality, not flimsy and loosely constructed as cheap knives are. It’s not a hundred dollar knife but perfect for every day carry and use.

Easy to open and the lock is solid. I like the size and the blade came very sharp which I did not expect especially at this price point.

Perfect for a keychain

If you've ever searched for genuine American made products you've probably found that buying "Made in the USA" products usually cost an arm and a leg. The Bantam line of knives "Bucks" that trend (horrible pun I know), providing an excellent all around knife at an outstanding value. Quite honestly, if you want to buy a quality but affordable blade which also is made in the USA, then the Buck Bantam is the first (and maybe only) knife for you to consider. (Quick note, Buck states "Made in the USA of USA and Imported Parts". The Blade is clearly stamped "Buck USA")I purchased the 285 Bantam BLW which is the medium sized Bantam and have been everyday carrying it for the last year. This model with the 3 1/8" blade is about as big a knife I can keep in my pocket without it being intrusive. Additionally, the Bantam is incredibly light (see pros and cons) which makes this knife ideal for everyday carry.Pros:- 420HC Steel. I'm no metallurgist but this is a really solid all around knife steel. It holds it edge fairly well and is pretty easy to sharpen. Haven't seen any sign of corrosion whatsoever.- Very little blade play. I haven't use the knife to cut anything too tough but so far I have been very satisfied by the lack of blade play. After using the knife for a year I can detect the slightest bit of wobble in the blade but overall the blade is very solid.- Super light! While the blade itself is incredibly solid the handle is made from some thermoplastic which is very light. This is great for backpackers or anyone trying to save ounces.- Value. This knife usually can be found on Amazon from $16-20. For <$20 you're getting a heck of a knife.- Thumb studs on both sides. So righties or lefties can use the thumb stud with no problem.Cons- Cheap feeling handle. I know I listed this as a pro but some may construe it as a con. The plastic handle is light and feels very "cheap". Practically speaking I love that the knife is light but the light plasticky feeling will not impress knife aficionados.- Riveted not screwed. Instead of using screws, the Bantam is held together by rivets which means you cannot tighten or loosen the rivets. Some people might see this as a plus however. My last knife was kept together by screws and the center screw which held the blade tight fell out. I don't have to worry about that with the Bantam.- Difficult one handed operation. The Bantam uses the lockback mechanism to steady the blade when open. While steady, the lockback is much harder to one hand close than a liner lock. Additionally, my Bantam takes a ton of force to open one handed. If you're not use to lockback knives it might take a little time getting used to one handed operation.- Pocket clip not removable. Don't like pocket clips? Want to reverse the clip to put it in your left pocket? Too bad! The clip is riveted in so its not going anywhere! Honestly though I don't care about the clip and this is only a negative for those who want to reverse the clip.All in all this is one seriously good knife at this price. If you like to buy Made/Assembled in the USA products you can't go wrong with the Buck Bantam.