The Buck 110 Folding Hunter has been in continuous production since 1964, which means almost every knife owner has an opinion about it and almost none of those opinions are based on a recent purchase. A post in r/knives cuts through that: a user bought his wife a new 110 for $49.95 at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, replacing one she has had since the couple started seeing each other in 1977.
Forty-nine years of carry is the whole argument for the pattern. The 110 is a lockback with a 3.75-inch clip point in 420HC, brass bolsters, and wood or ebony covers depending on the version. It is heavy, it needs two hands to open unless you have practised the wrist flick, and it has no pocket clip. None of that has stopped it from becoming the most copied folding knife in the world.
The detail in the thread that is genuinely useful is the service. Buck will replace the blade on an old 110 and clean the knife up for about $10 plus shipping, which means a 1977 knife does not have to be retired when the edge gets short. Very few knife companies still support a product from the 1970s, and it is a large part of why 110s get passed down rather than thrown out.
There is also a taste note in the post worth recording: the buyer says he is more of a Case Coke bottle or swell-center man himself. That is the traditional knife hobby in one sentence. The 110 is the working knife, the Case patterns are the collector's knives, and plenty of people own both.
Against a modern lightweight folder, the 110 loses on carry and wins on almost everything else that matters to a traditionalist. It will still be working in 30 years, the lock is simple enough to trust, and $49.95 at a farm expo is a reminder that this knife is sold in hardware stores and feed stores rather than knife boutiques.
Verdict: if you have an old 110 in a drawer with a short blade, send it in before you buy a new one. If you do not have one, $50 is still one of the best deals in knives.