Buck Vanguard Rubber Fixed Blade 18

Great knife good finish. Brass needed a quick polish to restore it’s factory lustre as you would expect. Good in the hand, finish great and fantastic small blade, nice and sharp out of the box. Would definitely recommend. (Sorry Richard, this one eats Gators!)

So this review is based on my initial thoughts and owning it for 2 days. It is the sharpest knife I have ever had OOTB. I have 2 nicks out of my fingers!!! So my thoughts are, the blade is well balanced, ground perfectly symmetrically. The rubber handle feels really grippy and the palm swell makes it very comfortable. It's heavy, the blade is pretty thick and feels very solid. The length is perfect compromise. It's too big to use for field dressing anything small, but may be useful in some processing tasks. Perfect size for deer and larger game. It makes tent pegs no problem and processes wood perfectly. So why nearly brilliant, well the finish on the blade is grainy, satin I think they call it, but I would prefer a higher grade of finish. The rubber handle still has mould overspill, the pommel was loose and now I'm being ultra fussy, but silver nickel bolsters would be easier to clean whilst improving the appearance overall. Finally I got the cordura sheath, it's noisy and the knife rattles. Not good for hunting. Also it rides too high. The weight on my belt is fine, but the handle is about 3 inch above it into my side. In summary, time will tell when I have used it more, but for now nearly brilliant!

I've had my knife since 1995 and I can't fault it. Nice size, nice and sharp and handles well, performs well . I had a Whitby Chieftain, Buckmaster copy, so I robbed one of the pouches from the sheath and wrapped it around my Vanguard sheath. In this I carry a wire saw, compass and ferro rod. Excellent knife and I wouldn't be without it!

What a knife I've had mine since the early 90s the sheath is slightly different but the knife itself is strong enough for my needs excellent all round hunting and fishing knife doesn't rust and only ever requires a few strokes on the steel for a razor sharp edge. The rubber grip is more than just practical its warm and comfortable especially with cold/frozen wet hands . Also I have a problem holding some knives but even in food prep its the business Sure there are many more expensive options if you have money to spare or waste fine but I don't. So think about it and do yourself a favour get one and put the rest in the bank for a rainy day you'll have no regrets !!!!!!!

This is a very good knife though not well known. It is perfect handle, sturdy and a beatifull piece. It's a perfect allaround knife. The steel is 420 HC and many people can think this is not enough but that is a mistake in my opinion. This steel well treated is though and easy to sharp. The sheath is very simple but it works. The sensation in the hand is very very good.

Solid knife feels more like a knife that costs nearly £200 excellent construction will skin and process any game you ask of it, As usual thanks Heinnie for a great service

The Vanguard is beautiful to look at with a great palm filling handle. Razor sharp from the box and easily capable of skinning and quartering any game you'll find on these fair isles. The point is very fine though, so not practical for a lot of heavier field tasks, but that's not what it's designed for. But then you wouldn't take a Ferrari off-roading.

This is a very useful tool. It takes and holds a properly applied edge and the blade itself will, in my experience, withstand abuse. I use it to gralloch deer and it performs well in all stages of this process.