Cons: Tough blade shapes to sharpen, so small its easy to misplace.
The Bottom Line: If you need a small pocketknife or a general camping knife with a low-profile, this is the knife for you.
smallmouth's Full Review: Buck 309 Companion
The Companion 309 by Buck is the perfect
little pocket knife for everyday use and camping. It is a very small
pocketknife and hardly noticeable even in a pocket. That is one of its
best features. It is one of those knives that you forget you have until
you need it, then it is right there in the bottom of your pocket or
inside of the front pouch of your camping duffel bag. Made by Buck, it
is a quality knife but not one of their higher end knives.
Use:
This type of knife is restricted for many uses because of its size and
shape. Of course you would not want to tackle any big jobs with it but
it will suffice for tasks around a campsite and campfire such as
sharpening the hot dog or marshmellow sticks, whittling, cutting ropes,
fishing lines and other small jobs. It is not made for jobs that require
much time so it is not shaped to be comfortable in the hand for long
periods of time.This is a quick cut and put it away knife. A great
little pocket knife for the price.
Blade:
The 309 Companion has two blades that fold into the handle. The longer blade is a Clip
blade. This is determined by the length and curve on the non-cutting
portion of the point. It has a very sharp point and can be used for
stabbing or puncturing. The smaller blade is a Pen blade which
is a smaller version of the larger spear point blade. They are more
popular in Europe. They were originally developed to trim quill pens,
hence the name. They are handy multi-purpose blades. The nice thing
about this knife is that it has two blades so if one is damaged, broken
or dull the other can be used and if a task calls for a different blade
you have a different blade. Some people use one blade for their food
items while camping and keep that blade clean while the other one is
used for the general camping tasks. Both blades are made from 420HC
stainless steel. They will not rust and the metal is soft enough to
sharpen at home with a stone or honing rock.
Appearance:
This knife is all business without too much fancy work. Buck added an
inlay to the plastic handle, they call it the Classic Bolt inlay on
stainless steel. The plastic grip is black with stainless steel blades
and end caps. It also has a stainless steel rivet and a slight curve to
the handle. It is a very small and light knife measuring 3 inches closed
and 1.2 ounces. Neither of the two blades, clip or pen lock so the user
should be very careful when stabbing anything with this knife. Both
blades have a slot or groove cut into them for ease in opening. It is a
god looking basic pocket knife. Remember to always cut away from you.
Maintenance
This knife is incredibly easy to maintain and keep in great functioning
order. I lightly oil mine ate the hinge or the spot where the blades
meets the handle. I usually do this a couple of times a year or whenever
I am oiling my fishing reels. Sharpening the blade of course is
completely up to the user and what kind of use the edge is seeing. I use
a diamond honing and sharpening wet stone and within a couple of
minutes I have it factory sharp. The 420 HC blade is incredibly easy to
sharpen. A very small amount of maintenance goes a long way with a
quality knife like this one. Just remember, don't turn any screw heads
or use it to pry anything and this knife will last a long time.
Price:
The MSRp for this knife is $34. The going rate for this knife is $19 at
most stores. Wal-Mart carries it along with most sporting goods stores
and online knife stores.
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