Buck Hoodlum anyone?

[Lee D]

i have a Hoodlum on order and it should be in sometime this week, so i figured id ask you guys if anyone here has one, and if so whats your thoughts on it? i plan on using it as a camp knife for batoning firewood and any other chore that might call for a larger knife. i already own a Becker BK9, but being a Buck fanatic i had to give one a try.
i'll get pics up as soon as i get it.

[J_Dub_503]

I never heard of it so I did a quick Google search and the first thing that I see is a 40 min. video from Nutnfancy. :bad: It looks like a decent blade but I like what Ontario has to offer.

[Lee D]

just picked it up.... 10" of razor sharp Buck goodness... happy day:D


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[Straight Shooter]

Thats a nice looking blade. Im fairly "up" on whats out there now and have not heard of this one yet.
For the bigger blades like that I too like Ontario stuff, but Ill try to get my hands on one of these to check it out.
Whats the notch in the spine for, btw?

[Lee D]

Whats the notch in the spine for, btw?
breaking wire and pulling pots off a fire. pretty good idea imo

[SpookyPistolero]

I've never understood the ron hood obsession with the pot holding notch on knives. Talk about the wrong tool for the job, especially in a real survival situation. It also seems like a dangerous and needless stress riser. That said, his designs are good, for the big knife paradigm.

Id be interested in hearing your thoughts after some use and abuse.

[Lee D]

it feels real good in the hand, the balance is obviously gonna be towards the blade which will make it an excellent chopper for clearing brush and small saplings,
and the micarta handles arent too rough so i imagine my hands wont take alotta abuse when using the knife hard.

i'll put it thru some tests when the weather shapes up and keep you posted

[Lee D]

after putting a little thought into it, i decided whats gonna be added to the Hoodlum to make it the ultimate camp knife. using the straps, i added a Buck 112 with a nylon pouch, and in the pocket i put my favorite Swiss Army knife, the allox farmer, and an old Buck steel ive had for years. bring on the warm weather and i'll be dissapearing into my timber with my Hoodlum setup, the Super Blackhawk and the M1A Socom.

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[CLHC]

Would like to read your thorough review of it when you've chanced to take out out "naked into the wild."

Here's one person's YouTube review of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdBnGyXf7DQ

[maximus83]

It's a good looking blade with good specs. Thanks for posting. Especially interested in the shape of the grips, would like to compare that for chopping effectiveness with my Junglas. I also would personally not prefer the notch in the top of the blade, but not a big deal.

There are some positive reviews of the Hoodlum by the blade gurus over on BladeForums. Although I own and prefer the ESEE Junglas, I think the Hoodlum is right up there in this class of large chopper/small machete type of blades, and is a great entry by Buck in this group of knives.

Note that Buck has also come out with a new 5.75" carbon steel blade by Ron Hood, called the Punk. For me, I'd probably prefer the Swamp Rat knives or even ESEE knives to this new knife, but I still think it's a good carbon steel (5160) with good specs and a decent sheath for the price, and it's great to see Buck listening to the market and adding models of this type.

http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/BU0065BKSBH/buck-hood-punk-5-5-8-inch-fixed-blade-black-micarta-molle-sheath

[Lee D]

ordered the Punk yesterday....for some reason they arent as easy to get as the Hoodlum, so i might have to wait awhile

[maximus83]

Give us some pics and a review after you get it dirty! I'd like to hear about it.

[Muddyboots]

Before Ron Got involved with Buck, He did a limited run with TOPS. I have beaten the littereal crap out of TOPS Hoodlum#10 and Have a first run Buck as well, that has seen a lot of chopping and camp chores. They are both doing fine. I was not originally a fan of the notch either but Ron convinced me to shut up and try it. I now find a lot of use for it but wouldn't miss it if it wasn't there. The Hoodlum is unusual in that it is a very light knife for it's length but chops better than most knives 6 oz. heavier. Ron planned it that way because he noticed that a lot of people would forgo a chopper due to weight. It worked out after a lot of testing and design work.

The punk was the last full design that he did before he died.

His wife Karen Hood is still active in the Survival community.


Muddyboots