Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Buck Hoodlum - My new favorite!
Greetings BladeForums--first post here... I just got mine after a waiting through a two-month backorder. I've always liked large knives since getting my first Ka-Bar in High school a few decades ago. I've had quite few big knives over the years. I tend to be hard on the knives (hard use, not abusing them, necessarily), so I really don't like to spend a ton of money on them. If I need to use the knife as a shovel to dig around a tent site, break down branches or dig something out of the fire, I don't want to think twice about whether or not to use it because I spent a ton of money. I have a Becker BK9 that was my go to before this knife. I sit and drool at the high-end knives like the rest of you, but I'm not at the place where I'm ready to shell out hundreds of dollars--yet Just wanted to give you my perspective before my micro-review. Realize that I just got the knife this weekend. So far I think it's amazing. It really comes down to feel: weight distribution, edge and grip. I really thought it would be much heavier, specifically I was guessing at it being blade-heavy but it's not. I have about 50 knives, most are good quality, none are what I would call "boutique" blades. I get them home from the store or open the box after UPS leaves, take the knives out and handle them for a while. I carry them around the house, do some tasks depending on the blade and generally put them in my EDC group or with my other special use knives. The Hoodlum came and I was blown away. The feel and angle of the handle are great (I generally wear size large gloves if that helps). The taper of the blade from handle to tip likely helps with the weight distribution. I can shave hair off my arm easily with the edge out of the box (means nothing really, but good out of the box experience). The main thing about this knife for me is how quick and agile it is for me. Most of my large blade knives feel a bit cumbersome--not much but a little. The grip angle on the Hoodlum really works for me. The sheath is good and bad. There are lots of configuration options, but overall I think it's a bit bulky. The worst thing is that the knife slops around in the sheath. If you don't snap it in it rattles around quite a bit. If you're on the move you would snap it in of course, but in camp or working around deadfall I like to just drop the knife in the sheath, move, use, then re-sheath over and over. I have some ideas for modifications, but I think that I'll be looking for a custom Kydex down the road. Honestly, I paid about $150 and based on my initial impressions, I would pay it again just for the knife without the sheath. The clincher for this whole deal is the Buck "Forever Warranty". In this economy, I know that Buck will be around regardless. Decent piece of mind. I have a custom automatic built by a guy that did great work, offered a lifetime warranty, but had to declare bankruptcy. I doubt that I'll break that knife, but if I do I'm screwed. Just a fact of life for small businesses these days. The Buck Warranty may not be perfect, but it's a factor. This was not meant to be comprehensive, but it's better than nothing. There isn't a whole lot of info out there on this knife yet, so I thought I'd add my $.02. If you like large knives you owe to yourself to take a look at this one. I plan to get it up in the mountains in a week or so--if it works like I think, I'll be buying a back-up. PS--As for Ron's notch, I kind of dig it. Great with bailing wire. I think it adds some personality to the blade. I like Ron Hood and consider it a signature of sorts. Hope this helps a bit!
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