Dan
Grand Prairie, TX

Jul 21, 2010

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Very nice

Knife is very well balanced in the hand, easy to use, and has a very nice level of fit and finish. Blade steel holds an edge very well.

Andrey M.
Moskow, Russia

Oct 11, 2011

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard

Cons: None

Красивый нож

Нож будет применен на охоте. Красивый нож.Совершенные формы клинка. Качество ножен.

Salmonace
Sweden

Dec 28, 2009

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness, Blade Material

Cons: None

Good, clear description

I bought it for my son, who is becomming a hunter. I thought this would be a perfect allround hunting knife and so it seems

Hareswood
Copenhagen, Denmark

Sep 01, 2011

Pros: Overall Quality, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Worth waiting for..

It took 3 months from order to get it, but a good investment. Nice and practical design for the "allround" hunter. -Truely a Buck

Bradly H
Winnemucca, Nv

Nov 22, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

BJH

This is the best skinning knife I ever used, It held its dege through skining ever animal on the ark, well that is a bid of an exageration but not by much. The handle could be more confortalbe with lager scales that fit the tang better.

A.R.A.
Alabama

Jun 05, 2009

Pros: Sheath/Scabbard, Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Art and Science in SuperSteel

Buck model 408B is made of S30V "supersteel" and is not to be confused with the other models of the Kalinga Pro. The stated blade length is 4.88 in. but the distance from tip to guard is actually about 5.25 inches. The difference is the finger choil in front of the guard. This is a heavy, exceptionally capable, well crafted and beautiful knife. It's so attractive that it is as much art as tool. Blade and grips are beautifully finished, and the edge is considerably better than what normally passes for a factory edge. It took only a minimum effort to make the edge suitable for shaving. I have my doubts that the sheath is leather. It appears to be of man-made material. It's attractive and functional, though, and has a plastic liner to keep the blade from cutting it. There will be no "buyer's remorse" if you choose to buy this knife.

Gb
ca

Aug 21, 2010

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material

Cons: None

great knife

High quality

T. Anderson
Central City, PA

May 17, 2010

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Epic

The Kalinga Pro is an outstanding knife. Well balanced in the hand, long belly for cutting, and full tang for strength. S30V Steel is amazing for durability and keeping an edge, though those who are unused to it may to get used to sharpening it. It was hair shaving shop out of the box, and keeps an edge far longer than normal Stainless Steels. Resin impregnated handles are durable and the full tang keeps firm in the hand. The only thing lacking is a lanyard hole and a quality sheath. The lanyard is personal preference, so that's a nit-pick. But the sheath, though unique in design, is garbage. The included sheath contains a plastic spacer to keep the blade from cutting through the leather. But that doesn't preserve the restraining strap. I had to create a new sheath as the Kalinga Pro is so sharp is shaves through the retaining strap with every removal of the blade from the sheath. But replacement sheaths are cheap for those who don't want to upgrade the sheath. Outstanding knife. Highly recommended.

Pete L.
Australia

Oct 12, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Buck Big Game Kalinga Pro

Great for skinning Kangaroos,Very... Very sharp and nice to handle.

Ragnar
Quebec, Canada

Mar 05, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish

Cons: None

High value knife

This is knife is a collectible,maybe one day on the horizon, it will see its fair share of usage. What can I say, this knife is making me think : why pay 600$ for a custom knife, when Buck produces these wonderful items in high end materials!The only down side with this knife that I can see, is that the hollow grind is VERY thin, albeit it is a hunting knife, so it fits its intended purpose perfectly, but it just wouldn't make an all around knife with the given design. If I can finish off on a important note, it would be that getting a model in S30V or other higher end steels, will make a big difference from that puny 420HC. I personally, am never getting a knife in low end alloys again, the edge just doesn't hold IMO. I got the Vantage select and Pro, and they just don't compare. The select version lost all its edge after cutting about 5 feet worth of length of cardboard. If you can, the extra dollars for the good steel will make your knife a far better value.

Dave V
Morristown, NJ

Dec 01, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Best knife ever

Edge is amazing. Great hunting knife and even great in the kitchen

Leroy N
Lincoln Ne

Sep 01, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Buck USA

Cool looking knife I wanted it for my collection.

John H. F

Dec 05, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Best damn hunting knife on the market...bar none...

Used for cutting, gutting and dressing deer. Other than being the sharpest knife in the drawer...it also the best looking one in any drawer. All great...no issues with this knife...the S30V steel make it even better than it looks...and that takes some doing. THERE ARE NO CONS TO THIS KNIFE...ALL PROS. Love this knife....John

Darren M.
Fort Collins, Colorado

Sep 01, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Finish

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness

Very unique and functional "game" processing knife!

I waited for a couple of months for this product as it was back ordered for some time. The word on the blogging sites and in the magazine articles is that this knife will be (or is already) discontinued by Buck. Buck still offers the camo handled and black handled models, but not the rosewood, and the rosewood handle fixed blade is now selling for nearly twice the original retail price on after market sites. I have to say the Kalinga fixed blade lives up to expectations - the extra swayed clip point acts as a quasi-gut hook and should prove excellent for anything from small game (rabbits, racoons) up to medium sized animals such as antelope and mule deer. I haven't tried to use it on mammalian game or fowl yet, but, because the very inventive handle was designed to leave the butt end of the blade blank exposed and somewhat sharp, I believe this design will serve as an excellent bone cracker - not to mention it makes you feel secure should you ever need to use it to "bonk" those field mice on the head! Do NOT use the knife as a bone cracker without gloves as you'll need to get leverage and purchase by holding the blade which comes medium sharp out of the box. I have used the knife to cut fat from steaks and to remove skin from chicken - two tests the knife passed with flying colors. The deep clip point also seems well thought out and easily negotiated all the cleaning and skinning of a fairly large trout I processed recently. I think the knife was a bit large for the five pound fish, and certainly it's too big a blade for smaller fish, but it does handle detail work surprisingly well for a bulkier blade style. I can't say I've had grand success getting a super sharp edge to hold on the knife yet, but I like to think that's because I haven't had enough quality sharpening experience with the knife to find the right angles and/or sharpening process. If after another couple of sharpening sessions I can't hone the blade to a more "lubricated" cutting feel, I'd have to rate the knife as good but not excellent in holding an edge. I'm a big fan of fixed blade knives with the front finger choil cut in front of the finger stop, and this knife fits very well in my hand. That extra angularity I get when my index finger is forward of the guard really allows for control in fine detail work like separating integument, or making fine rib cuts on smaller skeletal cages like cornish game hens. The front finger groove is also comfortable, not like some front of guard grooves which are disquietingly close to the back edge of the cutting blade! The sheath has a plastic insert which has thus far protected the brass finger guard from scratching, a huge problem in my experience with almost all four to seven inch hunting and skinning knives containing polished metal work. I didn't realize the sheath was not made in the USA (it's made in Mexico), so I'm a little disappointed by Buck's advertising there as I'm all about buying American. The more we buy products with out-sourced labor, the more we're harming our own economy. Most of what you purchase, like the majority of Buck's products, is made in the USA with mostly American mined and American refined raw materials. Overall, I'd say this is a very good knife which looks a little like something from the Klingon line but makes sense in multiple uses in the field (and so far in the kitchen)! Definitely a 4 or even 4.5 out of 5 product!

Darren
Fort Collins, Colorado

Sep 01, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness

Error from my last review!

Sorry - quick note. I just realized that ONLY the Rosewood handled model of the Kalinga comes with the S30V steel. I was negligent of that in my earlier review (Darren from Fort Collins), so make sure you buy the Rosewood handled model if you want to hold a more quality edge.