The history of the Buck knife

The name Hoyt Heath Buck may not ring a lot of bells in the minds of many people, but the products developed by him are known around the world. A Buck knife stands a symbol for high quality steel blades and innovative designs in the industry.

Born in 1889, in Kansas City, Hoyt Buck was not an illustrious character. After the fourth grade he quit school, but even so he managed to learn English, mathematics and history on his own. Apart from that he even learned some Greek and Latin.

At the age of thirteen, while working as the apprentice of a blacksmith, he learned a lot of things like shoeing horses, repairing farm equipment or fixing wagon wheels. Another one of his duties was sharpening hoes. Frustrated because the hoes came back often so they could be sharpened, he thought there must be a way to make them last longer. Thus the path of the most well-known name in the industry started.

After a number of experiments he developed a way to temper steel so it would hold the sharpness longer. He applied the same principles to blades and thus the first Buck knife was created. However, he moved away to Washington, where he had other jobs, none of which related to knife producing. This is the place where he met his wife, Daisy Louise Green.

In 1910, Alfred Charles Buck, the first child of Hoyt and Daisy, was born. The years passed and Al joined the Navy. After a few years, in 1931, he left the service and tried o make it on his own. It was tough and a year later he joined the Coast Guard. In 1935, he was determined again to try to make a living as a civilian, and thus he began a small laundry business in his garage.

The start of World War II is very significant in the history of the Buck knife. In 1941, after suffering a major loss at Pearl Harbor, the US military turned to the people to arm the soldiers. Hoyt Buck was never in the knife making industry per say, but he had the knowledge to make them. So, he started a small blacksmith shop in the basement of the church where he was a pastor, in order to make knives for the military.

The importance of the Buck knife was very high to any soldier that was equipped with one. In 1946 Hoyt traveled to San Diego to ask his son to help him establish a knife making company. The bases were set and in 1947, the son joined the father full time. That same year Hoyt was diagnosed with cancer, and the tragedy struck two years later, when he died in Yakima, Washington.

The company started then still operates today, led by the third and fourth generation of Bucks. Over the years, they have adopted new materials and developed ways to make high quality blades that lasted longer than anything else on the market. This can be observed today because of the lifetime warranty you get with every knife your purchase from them. A blade manufactured 100 years ago may still be sharp and you can consider it a collectible knife.

Over the years there have been many models developed by the company. The most important one of all was the Buck Folding Hunter. It was the first of its kind and, even though many can be found today, one from year represents an important collectible knife. Another collectible knife, designed specifically for that purpose, was developed recently with gold engravings of the four generations that led the company in its path.

Today there are lots of models available for purchase, some with similar characteristics as the first and others with innovative designs. If you want more information about any Buck collectible knife and much more, all you need to do is visit the website knifehaggler.com.

About The Author-- The whole history of the Buck knife stands as an example for offering only high quality products, even if it may have cost the future of the company. This is the major reason why every product bearing the Buck signature can be considered a collectible knife.

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