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Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Lock Type
Been waiting decades for a true "slim" 110
The negative: this may be a design issue or a minor production defect, but if the blade is pulled out from the handle by no more than a quarter of an inch, there isn't enough lockback spring pressure to reclose the blade when you release it; it won't spring back into the handle. No similar problems on a slew of LT 110's I've ordered. With normal closing and/or wider opening, tension is plenty to reclose the blade. Just be aware, and this happened to me once, that if you accidentally open the blade in your pocket from stuff moving around and catching on the thumbstud, there might not be enough tension to reclose it and you might get nicked - but this should never be a problem if you use the pocket clip and position the knife blade against the pocket seam (hence pay attention to clipping location, and move the pocket clip to the other side of the handle if necessary). The huge positives: this is super super light, lighter than the recent LT. It satisfies all the YouTube complaints levelled against the FRN handled LT 110 - why doesn't the LT have a clip, why doesn't the LT have thumbstuds, why isn't the LT thinner, why is there a little blade wiggle. In short: thumbstuds YES, thinner YES, deep carry clip YES. In addition, on my sample Slim 110, the lock up is TIGHT. Zero side to side wiggle, zero up and down wiggle. The clip is truly outstanding, the deepest "deep carry" I've seen; non abrasive on clothing; snug but not impossible to pull out. This nestles nicely is my shirt pocket. I prefer tip down carry so there is no chance of accidentally "wave" opening the knife on withdrawal, your preference may be the opposite (this is probably how the "Wave" by Emerson was discovered). The clip can be moved to the other side of the handle, but not from end to end. Recommended clip positions depends on your choice of left or right pocket carry, front or back. The trick is to position the clip so that in your preferred carry location, the blade will be on the pocket seam, keeping the blade securely in the handle even if that area is struck. This is a narrow profile blade and in stress situations the ball of my thumb usually hits the edge as I press down too hard to keep the blade moving. For edc use this is not an issue with any of my knives. If this were carried for self-defense, the area where your thumb might land and slice you should probably be taped over - with 3.75" of blade there is still a lot of edge left for utility chores. Not that this is recommended as the first choice for self-defense, since the lockback notch isn't deep. On one of my plastic handled Bucklites, it was way too easy to spine whack the blade into releasing. I think partially because the lockback notch isn't very deep, and the notch is "rounded" towards the top.This might conceivably close on your hand if you try to push it through something hard. I'd feel much safer with a frame lock or Tri Ad lockback. But then (a) the original Buck 110 was designed for dressing deer and other game, and the lockback mechanism is more than safe enough for that intended use; and (b) safe folding knives with tactical capability are actually a very recent development (I only put frame locks and Tri Ad in the "tactically capable" category, sorry but leaf spring/liner lock knifes can bend the leaf spring). On the other hand this is a great utility knife, essentially the "American Opinel". If you look at knife sizes in a working kitchen, this is barely long enough to be a decent paring knife; most 3" and below lockbacks fail this simple test (looking at you, Delica). I probably don't need to discuss all the uses folks have found for the classic nickle bolstered 110. If you could do it with the original 110 you can do it with this, plus you don't need a sheath and this is so light even a shirt pocket will support it. The LT, only a little heavier, is a better choice for extended field dressing since the handle is much thicker - original sized - and hence easier on the hand. BTW not only is this handle much, much thinner than the original 110 and lightweight LT 100 - Buck went so far as to skeletonize the inside of each handle - you can see little vertical "girders" with rectangular cutouts along the inside. Where the Slim excels over most "tac utility" folders is (1) easy of carry thanks to the great clip (non abrasive, firm but not ridiculous); (2) that great Buck 420HC with its superior heat treatment (tough edge, paper cutting sharp out of the box, easy re-sharpening); (3) the 3.75" blade, very useful size; and "cheaper than Asia but made in America" pricing. Compared to the old Bucklite and Paperstone versions, this Slim 110 is a revelation. I checked this blade against the blade in my LT. It is 1/8" sharper, and the angle of the unsharpened stock near the body is different. It amazes me that Buck actually redesigned some details of the classic blade for this model.
