By Phil Spano
There comes a time in a man’s life where he thinks he has everything he needs. Then out of the blue a very reputable knife company drops something and you just have to have it. That’s what I thought when I saw the Buck Knives 838 Deploy.
If you know anything about knives or outdoor gear then I’m sure you’ve heard the name, Buck Knives. That is unless you’ve been living under a rock. You can pick up a Buck from almost anywhere that sells knives and what you’ll get is a gorgeous traditional slip joint or a big Crocodile Dundee type fixed blade.
I have those. The buck 110 in all its beauty. The beast of a folding knife, takes anything you throw at it. And the 119, a monstrous hunting knife that’ll get you processing game and feeding your family in no time, all while chopping at brush to clear a patch back to your truck.
Knives like that are a staple in anyone’s collection, but then you have these newer folding knives from a company like Buck. Now I was very skeptical at first when I first picked up the 841 Sprint Pro, simple flipper with a liner lock, s35vn steel and beautiful burlap micarta scales, but that thing changed my mind I reviewed it a while back, go check it out. Buck Knives came out swinging and they came out swinging hard.
I know they’ve made a couple different automatic knives, like the Paradigm which I haven’t had the pleasure of trying out yet, but the way to open and close it is a little funny to me, it’s a bolster lock automatic. Yea, weird.
Then I saw this. The 838 Deploy. An automatic folder from Buck. Made in the USA of course, I had to try it out. A drop point 154cm steel blade at 3.25” of cutting edge. An overall length of 8.25” when open and 5” when closed, you wouldn’t even know it while it’s sitting deep in your pocket with the reversible deep carry clip. It is a button lock so to open it just hit the button and it pops right open and 1 handed close is a breeze just press that button again and use your other fingers to close it.
The one I have has Sniper Gray Aluminum handles but it also comes in a Burnt Bronze color way. Don’t be alarmed by it’s size because for those of you living in places where a 3” blade is too much, there is the 839 Deploy Mini which has a 1.875” blade and the scales are scaled down a bit to make it symmetrical.
I carried this thing for 2 weeks straight and it was very hard to get it out of my pocket and chose a different knife to carry. It’s fun to fidget with, it’s sharp straight out of the box with the BOS heat treat so you know it’s a hard and durable blade.
The only downside I found on the Deploy is the lock. It has a lock on it, for safety. It’s unnecessary but I understand why Buck added it. I’ve had Protechs and other automatic knives before and have never had an issue where a knife opened up in my pocket, but it is there in case you need that reassurance.
Overall I’d rate the Buck 838 Deploy an 8.5/10. It’s a great knife for every day use whether it’s to open Amazon packages or cutting fan belts off of blower wheels this thing can handle it. Quick open every time with a beautiful snap that if you’re not holding it right can jump out of your hands. I’d you’re able to carry an automatic knife in your state, I’d definitely recommend picking one up and seeing for yourself.
Black Flag Survival 