U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- I’m always interested in boning knives so when I heard that Buck had the Buck Paklite Boning Knife in their line-up I had to grab one and test it out. It’s according to who you talk to as to what is the best-sized blade on a boning knife. Myself, I favor a 6” boning knife but in all actuality I like a worn-down 6” so really it’s only about 5 1/2” long. So, if the truth be known I’m closer to favoring a 5” boning knife than I claim to be. But a lot of good boners like 5” boning knives. It’s not a right or wrong, just a matter of preference. The Buck Paklite Boning Knife is 5 ¼” long so it should fall in the middle and make everyone happy.
Buck Knives 136 PakLite Boning Knife
The Buck Paklite Boning Knife has a nice upswept blade which you want in a boning knife design so you can properly bone out your wild game. It has thumb grooves on the spine and scattered around the tang and a finger guard so you can hold the knife firmly. It doesn’t have a handle but this is because they designed it for backcountry use. No handle and slots in the tang make for a lightweight knife which if you hunt in the mountains, is a big deal.
The blade has basically no flex so it will not be a superb boning knife. But again, it is made for boning out your game in the backcountry. I think it would be an excellent knife to quarter out your big game so you can pack it out on horses. But, I’ve also boned out truckloads of meat with a stiff boning knife so of course you can bone out your whole animal with it. It’s just that you can retrieve a little more meat with a semi-flex blade.
Here’s the problem with 99% of the boning knives on the market. They don’t come with a sheath. The Buck Paklite Boning Knife does come with a sheath and it is a nice heavy-duty nylon sheath with a Kydex insert sleeve to prevent it from sticking through the sheath in a fall or a horse wreck. Of course, if you want to fall hard enough then I’m sure that you can get stuck. It also has a snap that snaps over the finger guard to firmly hold the knife in the sheath.
The hilt has a hole in case you want to attach a lanyard. I think it’d be even better if it had some ¼” handles on each side. When using a boning knife, you use more motions and spend more time using than with any other knife doing any other task when processing your animal. But a handle would defeat the purpose of trying to make a super lightweight, stream lined knife so it is what it is.
So what is my verdict on the Buck Paklite Boning Knife? I think backcountry hunters will like it. Especially when cutting weight and bulk are of the utmost importance. And for an MSRP of only $18 it has to be the cheapest American made boning knife on the market (It did have a $30 price tag but I noticed on the Buck website that it has been marked down to $18).
SPECS:
- BLADE SHAPE BONING
- BLADE THICKNESS .150”
- BLADE LENGTH 5 ¼”
- WEIGHT 2.4 oz.
- HANDLE 420 HC STEEL
- CARRY SYSTEM SHEATH
- ORIGIN MADE IN THE USA
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
Thanks for the review. I am assuming the whole knife is 420 HC Steel. My experience with that steel is that it can be difficult to get a really thin edge on a blade, but Buck has made knives for a long time so I am sure it’s a quality product for the price.
While these types of knives can be cool to own, they can be dangerous to wield. Whenever the knife is missing, well, a handle, they ofttimes twist in the hand. And because they have no hilt, it makes it easy for your hand to slide down and open yourself up: especially when covered in blood. I had one of these back in the day by another manufacturer, and found it too difficult to control when dressing deer. Knife manufacturers know this about them, but like them because they are less expensive and easier to produce. Because it’s just a flat,… Read more »
StWayne I understand your comments but on some parts disagree a little. While you’re right about not being as secure w/out a handle, I think the deep finger groove and the thumb grooves on top help to stabilize your grip. BUT, you’re correct, when bloody, cold and slippery you need to be cautious. It’s made light weight for the back country which of course is why there is no handle. But you have trade-offs. Have to decide if it works for you in your hunting situation or not. Take care
@TC, It is good to see that Buck is still made in the USA. Whooah!
Morning Wild Bill,
To my understanding they have moved ALL production of their hunting knives back to America. I lose track of time but seems like they did that 2-3 yrs. ago.
Yep, ounces add up to pounds. Pounds equal pain. Every piece of gear has to be thought about.