Buck Knives 105 Pathfinder Hunting Knife, 5" Fixed Blade, Full Tang Design, Phenolic Handle, 420HC Stainless Steel Clip Point Blade, Leather Sheath Included, Knife Made in the USA, Black, 4.3 oz

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.

Buck Knifes, made in America, Great tool, everyone should Have 10

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.

Several reviews were complaining about not getting a sheath or getting "a cheap chinese crap". REPORT THIS TO AMAZON IMMEDIATELY! It's possible you chose a bad seller but mine in fact comes with a sheath. I saw the reviews talking about the sheath and didn't really care. As it turns out mine came with quite a nice sheath. It came in the factory box from buck and the sheath is from buck. AMERICAN MADE. Its actually the best sheath I've gotten with any knife and it increases the value of your purchase. As far as the knife goes, I really like it. I got it yesterday and used it at work today. Thick blade, one of the sharpest knives I've ever gotten with a deep and razor edge toward the front/curve. It's worthy of being a show piece, its really good looking, but although durable its not gonna stay pretty if you work with it. I already dinged up the pommel because I was carrying it in back pocket. I actually think this will be my EDC knife and I'm done with folders after only one day. I just get way more blade and way more handle and more control and precision out of this type of blade. Will probably get a horizontal sheath though, the sheath it comes with is vertical and kind of thick. I bought this knife on impulse mainly because it had good reviews despite the sheath complaints and I don't regret it.

I purchased my 105 to replace the one I bought when I was 13 and passed along to my daughter (dads love daughters who hunt...even when they see more than dad). The quality and craftsmanship are excellent. I have larger hands so this feels perfect for me and has been a great knife for whitetails, yotes and small game. My daughter loves the original however with smaller hands she would do better with one of the smaller versions if she was using it exclusively for small game. I also have a Buck 110 folder which is another favorite hunting knife. Both the 105 pathfinder and 110 are insanely sharp and keep an edge as long as your not going out of your way to abuse them. I also find them easy to sharpen. The only down side to the 110 is that as a folder I thought it would be good for every day carry and use however it's to big and too heavy. I've just ordered a Buck 347 Vantage Pro folder for every day carry. It will hopefully arrive soon! The one last note I STRONGLY encourage you to read the Buck Knives statement! If this means anything to you as it does to me you'll never be disappointed! The only other

I own several knives from several different manufacturers. Some knives that sell for as much as $200...but I must say, this Buck Pathfinder is just as good as any knife out there. It's just the right size for cleaning deer, wild hogs, and so forth. The shape of the blade is just right...the balance of the knife and the way the handle fits in my hand is wonderful. Teh fit and finish and obvious quality of the knife can not be denied. I don't know how Buck can make such great knives in the USA and still be so affordable. Their 420HC steel is excellent. They heat treat it at 2000 degrees and then cool it at minus 120 degrees. This is much better than your standard "stainless steels" found on many other knives out there. The blade holds an edge very well, and once it begins to dull it is easy to sharpen with a ceramic rod (some call them crock sticks...mine is a Lansky ceramic sharpener and it is the best way to put a razor sharp edge on a knife...keep the knife blade at less than 25 degrees as you stroke it across the ceramic rod). Buck's warranty is amazing. Anything ever breaks, regardless if you were abusing the knife somehow...and regardless if you were the original owner or not, send the knife to Buck and they'll fix it. I own five Buck knives (Special, Vanguard, Pathfinder, Woodsman, and 110 Pocket Knife) and absolutely love them all. I think this Pathfinder is my personal favorite. But, all are excellent!!

Keeps a good edge and is well built.

The good: Beautiful knife. Well balanced, and sits well in my hand (wide hand, short fingers). A good length, not too long, not too short. Not too thick either. It's a great multi-purpose camp/hunting knife. The bad: Was reasonably sharp out of the box, but it could have been better. When I went to figure out why it wasn't as sharp as it should be, I discovered it was uneven. Visibly off when I closely inspected the edge, and confirmed with my sharping rig. 20 degrees on one side, 17 degrees on the other, and inconsistent down the length of the blade. Nothing I can't fix (and already have) with a little work, but, disappointing that it was so poorly done from the start. Minus one star for that. Miscellaneous: I'm not fond of the sheath. It's awkward to use and the design with the retention ring around the handle only makes it hard to sheathe or unsheathe without having to fumble with it. I would have preferred a top flap sheath like they used to offer many years ago. Also, I'm left-handed, an the sheath is right-handed only. No marks off for right-handed only though, being a lefty I run into this all the time.