Richard Simmons
12-06-2010, 08:54 AM
The Monday after Thanksgiving "Cyber Monday" Smokey Mountain Knife Works (SMKW) had a 20% sale and free ground shipping. I've been wanting a Kalinga Pro for a while but about the time I decided I wanted one Buck discontinued the model and anyone who had one upped the price. When I found out about the sale at SMKW I checked and they had them in stock. Just under $89 delivered.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2348.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2354.jpg
The little hammer was a freebie. Nice little prop for my Bucks. For those of you unfamiliar with this offering from Buck it's their folding version of the Kalinga fixed blade knife which dates back to 1969. They made several versions of both the fixed and folding models with rubber grips in black and camo and 420HC blades. This model is S30v steel with brass and rosewood.
With just under a 4" blade it's a nice size and while it's quite a bit different from other Buck folders in shape it feels pretty good in the hand. It's a pretty long arc to open the blade but I've found that a flick of the wrist when pushing the studs will snap it open pretty easily and quickly.
Lock up is solid, operation is smooth and he blade is sharp and centered. When you have it in the sheath there isn't a lot of the grip exposed to grab onto so I've since added a simple three knot, black lanyard which lets me pull it free of the sheath quite easily.
I've carrying it today and will try it out as opportunities present. If you're looking a for good looking Buck that's a little different you might want too check out one of these if you can find it. May have to add the fixed blade version to the collection now that I have this one.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2348.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2354.jpg
The little hammer was a freebie. Nice little prop for my Bucks. For those of you unfamiliar with this offering from Buck it's their folding version of the Kalinga fixed blade knife which dates back to 1969. They made several versions of both the fixed and folding models with rubber grips in black and camo and 420HC blades. This model is S30v steel with brass and rosewood.
With just under a 4" blade it's a nice size and while it's quite a bit different from other Buck folders in shape it feels pretty good in the hand. It's a pretty long arc to open the blade but I've found that a flick of the wrist when pushing the studs will snap it open pretty easily and quickly.
Lock up is solid, operation is smooth and he blade is sharp and centered. When you have it in the sheath there isn't a lot of the grip exposed to grab onto so I've since added a simple three knot, black lanyard which lets me pull it free of the sheath quite easily.
I've carrying it today and will try it out as opportunities present. If you're looking a for good looking Buck that's a little different you might want too check out one of these if you can find it. May have to add the fixed blade version to the collection now that I have this one.