684 BuckLite Max II Small

I'm an enthusiastic collector of knives having bought or traded for hundreds of them since I received my first knife, a Buck pocket knife, 55 years ago. I like Buck knives, they are typically well made and a good value. Buck also provides you with quite a few models to choose from. I think I have nearly all of Buck's USA made knives. The Buck company's story is pretty interesting and their factory in Post Falls Idaho is not too far away from my home town. Just FYI...Buck does supply many models of knives but they are not all USA made. If a Buck is USA made it will say so on the blade. This knife, the BuckLite Max is one of the cheaper Buck knives but also one of my favorites. Why? I love the handle. I'm an old fart now and because of where I grew up, my hobbies etc., and my work I've spent a lot of time with a knife in my hands. Being able to hold your knife securely, even with wet or greasy hands is a must. The shape and texture of this handle along with the blade jimping makes for a very secure grip even with my broken down old dude hands. For my uses the blade shape on this knife is excellent. The alloy used is 420HC. This alloy is not the latest "super steel" but is widely used in tools etc. for a reason. If you look it up on line you'll find 420HC is tougher than the super steels. Plus there is a gentleman at Buck who found a way to consistently get the max hardness out of 420HC, 58HRC. That being said and having owned many Bucks (including the larger version of this knife) I almost didn't even bother to test this one. Here is what I found though: no chipping, or rolling on the edge, only some minor dulling when cutting on aluminum, copper, and bronze bar stock. All of which was easily sharpened out. 58HRC was found during hardness testing as expected. The blade is a bit thin at 2.3mm but with this tuff steel you'd have to do something pretty nuts to bend or break this blade. I am not a fan of nylon sheaths but Buck does a great job on this one. It is completely lined in tough plastic and it is only as big as it needs to be and the knife is held snuggly. I haven't even replaced it with a leather or Kydex one yet. Heck I might even just use it and not toss it in the knife junk drawer. That's a shocker. So what do you want a knife for? Are you a collector or do you just want something that will work faithfully for you, be safe, and not require much time to sharpen? This knife definitely fits that scenario and it's economical and USA made! That Buck knife I got 55 years ago...it has lived a rough life but I still use it. 'Nuff said. Grumpy old guy seal of approval!!

The build quality is nice, I especially like the rubberized grip and the sheath. The rubberized grip is also very comfortable for your hand, and It’s very easy to get the knife in and out of the sheath, but at the same time it could be strapped securely. The balance is also very nice. It can be used as an EDC knife since it’s blade is about 3.5 inches. It’s functional as an EDC knife, and camping knife. I’ve had one of these knives before, and the edge will probably hold its sharpness. High quality metal. Great knife. Update: This is an extremely sharp blade fresh out the box. My sister bought some sort of wig at a store and asked me if I had a pair of scissors so I could cut the hair in half because she wanted to wear shorter hair. I jokingly decided to use my knife just to see if I could. This knife cut the whole wig in half. THIS KNIFE IS SO SHARP I USED IT TO CUT HAIR! Cons: The sheath isn't tight. I was in the woods the other day tracking a deer, this thing fell right out of the sheath, right out of my pocket, and I lost it in the woods. It fell out since I unbuttoned the strap. Luckily I found it again, but I'm not impressed with the sheath tightness. However, if you already bought this knife or already set your heart on buying this knife don't worry, I found out you could easily make the sheath tighter by adding a big binder clip onto the sheath. I am very satisfied with how sharp this knife is. Its well balanced, extremely sharp, the grip is amazing, I love the whole knife, however the sheath isn't that good unfortunately.

This is a really great, practical knife for the price. The steel on it has a bit of a tinny feel, but it sharpens up really nice and easy even on a smooth river stone. Razor sharp and shaved a patch of arm hair for good measure. The taco sheath it comes with is decent quality but poor design overall. You will end up with countless shaved bits cut off of the dense foam rubber between the sides of the sheath due to the blade cutting it over time when used. A bit ironic since the knife itself is made to be used. This isn't a collectors piece or a show knife or any of that sort of thing. It's a utility and game processing knife. Nice rubber grip, full length tang, and a good amount of body to the belly of the blade to use and sharpen for a long time. Thanks.

From the moment you hold it, you can feel its sturdiness and precision. The blade is made of high-quality steel, maintaining sharpness through heavy use and resisting corrosion exceptionally well. Its compact size makes it an ideal choice for outdoor enthusiasts, whether you’re camping, hiking, or hunting. The ergonomically designed handle ensures a comfortable grip, even during prolonged use, and provides excellent control. The knife’s lightweight nature is another plus, as it’s easy to carry without adding bulk to your gear. Buck’s lifetime warranty is a reassuring bonus, showing their confidence in the product's durability. Overall, the Buck 685 knife is a versatile and dependable tool that lives up to the Buck brand’s legendary reputation. It’s perfect for anyone seeking a high-performance knife that’s both practical and built to last. Highly recommended!

Buck has something special with this design: The blade design, rubber grip, grip angle and balance, are everything one could want in the perfect hunting knife for field dressing small game. Processing would require something different, however. The blade is a softer steel and so doesn’t hold an edge long, but it takes less effort to sharpen. It’s a good inexpensive utilitarian piece for small game. I’d recommend a harder blade of the 662 Alpha Pro for deer, elk, bear, etc., but that’s also gonna run you $200. For the price, design, small game utility and accepting you’ll need to sharpen after each use, it’s 4 stars (the case is also very utilitarian and lacks any sort of refinement.) If you want something with better scales, harder steel, and a leather case, you’ll have to pay 10X for it.

Great knife. Super sharp. Great price USA made.

Dude I love this knife! Absolutely perfect perfect PERFECT fit in my hand and it’s so light! Perfect for EDC. I would definitely go with the larger sized blade because honestly, it’s still quite small, but the kind of small thats just the perfect size. Any smaller it would be too small,,,any bigger and id just carry my buck frontiersman. But I got this for EDC, you can choke up on it a lot for cooking, and you can fight a bear with it because it grips so well. I wish the sheath didn’t ride so high into my side, but eh,,,,you get used to carrying it. Perfect knife with a forever warranty that’s excellent quality and CHEAP!

Super sharp out of the box, has stayed such even after 2 weeks of use without sharpening. When I did finally sharpen it, it did not take very long to bring it back to a razors edge. If I could change anything it would be to make the handle a bit more substantial, it seems pretty slim (at least for my hands). But overall, a great product.

È un bel coltello da caccia, made in USA, a un prezzo onesto. Non troppo grande è comunque un oggetto da usare con attenzione e perizia (in casa qualcuno si è già tagliato).

Dieses Messer ist zu empfehlen. Liegt gut in der Hand optimale Größe. Ein Traum.

Fantastic small knife. Nothing bad can be said. Superbe for my needs.

I use it for making kindle.

Beautiful amazing sharp knife If ur going to buy a great knife bucks and a great single pocket Swiss Army knife , u cant go wrong