In the rich history of heirloom folding knives, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter stands as perhaps the single most important one ever, at least in American History.
Yet this knife is still relevant to this day, despite being introduced over 60 years ago. Perhaps that’s because, in addition to its timeless design, the brand continues to iterate and expand upon it.
As proof positive of that, the brand has just launched the Buck Knives Carbon Fiber 110 Auto Elite Stealth Run #13, a magnificently contemporary take on this exceptional cutting tool.
Welcome to Reference Points: A series about the products that changed the standard — and never really stopped influencing it. Discover more here.
The heritage-to-contemporary pipeline
The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is one of those knives so near-perfect in its design that it really needs no tweaks. Even if you have gripes with it, its iconic nature quashes most criticisms, as making any alterations would bastardize what is undoubtedly one of the most instantly recognizable folding blades.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of newness where appropriate, and I don’t think anyone is beholden to the knife’s original materials (and even if they are, they can still have them in other versions). It’s the material swaps that largely make this particular version so special.
