The Buck ‘Thug’ fixed blade survival knife was designed by Ron Hood. It features a 7” drop point blade made from 5160 high carbon steel (Rockwell Hardness unknown) coated with a matte black finish to prevent corrosion. The blade also features a deep, hollow ground, bevel combined with a thick spine making it very sharp but still impervious to shock generated by light chopping tasks.
In addition, the handle is built from linen Micarta and it incorporates Buck’s proprietary Shock Mitigation System (SMS) to alleviate shock and wasted energy when chopping. Plus, it has a large finger choil and
a grooved section along the back of the spine to provide the user with
more leverage and greater control when carving or performing other
detailed carving activities.
Plus, it also features an exposed lanyard loop at the back of the
handle. Lastly, the Buck “Thug” is supplied with a heavy duty M.O.L.L.E.
compatible nylon sheath.
Although I am not personally a big fan of Buck knives, I have to admit that the Buck “Thug” is a well designed knife for the stated purpose of outdoor survival.
At 7″, the drop point blade is long enough to perform well as a
general purpose knife. The hollow ground bevel on the blade enables the
user to sharpen the blade to a very sharp edge. The matte black finish
helps to impede corrosion.
In addition, the 7″ length is long enough to serve effectively as a
light chopping tool but is not so long as to preclude the user from also
employing it effectively as a skinning knife.
In addition, I personally do not care for the large finger choil
ground into the back of the blade because it places the starting point
of the edge farther from the user’s hand which in turn, reduces leverage
when carving with the knife.
Also, the use of 5160 alloy steel has both good and bad aspects. For
instance, alloy steels exhibit higher strength, hardness and wear
resistance than carbon steels. Thus, they are used in a wide range of
industries. Therefore, 5160 alloy steel creates a knife with excellent
edge retention that is also very tough so that it will resist chipping
and breaking under hard use.
However, since alloy steels contain less than 4% chromium, they are
not stainless steels (requires greater than 12.5% to qualify as a
stainless steel.) Therefore, they do require extra care to prevent
corrosion unless they are coated with a non-corrosive finish.
In addition, the shape of the handle does demonstrate considerable forethought concerning the ergonomics of the knife.
Although Buck does not list either the overall length of the knife or
the length of the handle on their web site, the handle is designed such
that the handle slabs can be easily removed so that the knife can be
lashed to a stave to form a makeshift spear in the event that you find
yourself threatened by predatory animals.
In addition, I do like the textured, black, linen Micarta handle
slabs since Micarta is an extremely tough material that will not chip,
split or crack under extreme duress. And not only is it impervious to
changes in temperature, it is also waterproof and thus, it will not
absorb moisture the way non-stabilized wood slabs will.
However, I am of two minds concerning the fact that the handle slabs
are removable. On one hand, removable slabs do allow the knife to be
lashed to a stave for use as spear but, not having the handle slabs
permanently affixed to the tang means that they can come loose on their own or be lost if purposely removed from the tang.
Last, I really like the design of the M.O.L.L.E. compatible nylon
sheath since nylon is also an extremely tough material that is both
waterproof and impervious to moisture absorption. And designing it such
that it is M.O.L.L.E. compatible provides numerous different options for
attaching the knife to your gear.
Consequently, I am very pleased with the overall design and
construction of the Buck Hood/Thug (if not the price) and I would
certainly feel like I was well equipped if I were carrying it in the
field. But, with a retail price tag of $200.00, I feel like this knife
is overpriced compared to some others on the market. However, in all
probability, this is due to the use of the unconventional 5160 alloy
steel. But, if I were willing to spend that much on a hard use survival
knife, there are other brands and models of survival knives that I would
choose over the Buck Hood/Thug.
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