Buck Spitfire Knife Review

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Buck knives have been around for a long, long time – over a hundred years as of the date of this review. Sometimes in the world of knives and cutting implements, it seems as if buck is the standard for all other knives – especially folding knives. It’s been stated in the knife industry that Buck may have invented the modern folding knife we know and love today – but even if they didn’t, there’s a reason that most of the old timers in the know refer to all folding knives as Buck Knives. They certainly perfected it, and the Buck Spitfire Knife is an excellent example of an everyday carry folding knife.

The Buck Spitfire Knife – meet your new everyday carry

Initial thoughts on the Buck Spitfire Knife

Right out of the box (standard packaging, plain box, traditional Buck logo – this certainly is in line with the no-frills, no BS approach that Buck is known for), the Buck Spitfire Knife has a solid feel and great heft to it. The anodized aluminum coating is pleasing to the eye, and the metal accents are sharp and tasteful. This is designed with an all metal exterior (as opposed to Gerber’s GDC Tech Skin Pocket Knife, reviewed here). As mentioned above, Buck products tend to be no frills, and all business. I like this from a knife company – I’d rather have a quality, durable blade any day over a bunch of hidden bottle openers, key rings, and other crap. The opening and closing action is smooth, and easily completed with one hand, which is another quality I desire in a knife. Usually, I’m holding whatever I need to cut in my left hand, and hate having to fumble around for the knife with my right, and then struggle/pull some kind of ninja move to open it in the right.

The Buck Spitfire Knife is easy to open with one hand, left or right.

Testing the Buck Spitfire Knife

The easiest way to test an everyday carry knife is to, well, carry it. So it was with the Buck Spitfire Knife – I carried it with me everyday for just under a month. This isn’t a big change for me, as I need to carry some sort of pocket knife with me at all times (except, of course, when going to the airport where I’ve lost any number of pocket gadgets and tools. Somehow, they never seem to make it back to me in the mail – weird) for a variety of reasons. Once you start carrying a pocket knife, you’ll find it hard to stop. Anyway, day in and day out, I really grew comfortable having the Buck Spitfire Knife on my at all times. It’s a bit bigger than the knife I usually carry (4 1/4″ closed), so I was a bit skeptical about having it actually in my pocket. The slim profile and lightweight aluminum made it easy to forget it was there. Also, the steel clasp on the outside has just enough of a lip to slip over jeans/heavy khaki. It’s easy to slide it into my front pocket with one, smooth motion.

Fully extended – the Buck Spitfire Knife is long enough to be useful, small enough to fit in a front pocket

The opening mechanism and blade quality really shines through on the Buck Spitfire Knife; as I stated before, I really like one handed opening knives, but they are really easy to do completely wrong. If they are made too loose, you are constantly in danger of lacerating your hand when pulling them out of your pocket; too tight, and they are utterly self-defeating. The Buck Spitfire Knife is the best of both worlds; the thumb hole provides an easy surface for cleanly opening the knife, and the lock back mechanism snaps into place with a satisfying click to let you know it’s ready for action. The lock back is no joke, either – it securely fixes the blade with no play/wobble while being used for cutting even the toughest materials. In terms of usability, I chose to test out the serrated combo blade, and have been extremely pleased at the cutting quality.

Fully extended, reverse side – the lockback mechanism makes for a sure grip even when wet

Final Thoughts on the Buck Spitfire Knife

In conclusion, the Buck Spitfire Knife is a great everyday carry selection which will quickly become a favorite go to knife. The 420HC steel is durable for the type, and as a bonus was really easy to sharpen due to the softer nature of the material itself. The versatility offered by the simple design is for cutting all variety of materials, and the opening mechanism is simple, fluid, and well thought out. In a rare decision, Buck elected to offer the knife in a multitude of colors, so feel free to pick out whatever color suits you best. Offered with or without serrations, the Buck Spitfire Knife is an excellent buy at $53. Head on over to www.amazon.com/buckknives to check them out for yourself.