I've used these knives since my last post in this thread, and I've been pleasantly surprised.
Functionally, the single-blade folding knife seems functionally equivalent to the Buck 110. I have a Buck 110 automatic knife that I carry sometimes, and--while the Mossy Oak knife wasn't automatic--they felt and handled the same . . . at least to me.
I didn't abuse the knife, but I used it hard in the back yard underbrush clearing, and it held up very well.
I've used it in the kitchen, the garage, and at the dump.
I've needed to sharpen it much more often than an equivalent Buck 110, but this didn't really detract from it's usefulness.
I would carry it as a "beater knife" destined as a backup, inclusion into a tackle box or a tool box, or has a high-value barter item for post SHTF.
I haven't used the other two knives all that much, so I wish to postpone giving an opinion until I've used them more.
It helps to lube the swivel of the knife blade every once in a great while with a gun lube like Remington gun oil (although many other lubes would undoubtably work just as well, and some probably even better).
I did not try to use this blade to spark a fire from a ferroceramic fire rod, and it's my (perhaps mistaken) understanding that certain metals don't spark. As an example, brass doesn't usually spark . . . so I wonder if garbage flea market knives made out of a cheaper stainless steel may not spark as well as from better grades of carbon steel.
It slipped my mind, but I'll get back to you guys after I work on this issue a little more and see if I can start a flame with it . . . and if there's interest.
I want to add to my review of the Mossy Oak lockback folding knife from a 3-part set at Walmart. See image below (downloaded from Internet), and keep in mind that I'm only reviewing the larger, single-blade faux-stag folding lockback knife:
I continue to be surprised at this thing. I learned--the hard way--about the subtle dangers of cheaply-made, unreliable tools. Bad tools can cost you a day's work, they can embarrass you in front of a sweetheart that you're trying to impress by fixing her car . . . and so on.
I continue to be impressed by this cheap knife.
I had to use it extensively in the yard and garage when we got brushed by a tropical storm last week, as I was taking in lawn furnishing, plants, yard furniture, and so forth, as we don't want our tchotchkas to become wind-born missles into the neighbor's home . . . well, you get the idea.
I had to cut string, rope, fabric, tape, dead plant material, and so on.
The knife performed very well, although I do admit that I didn't abuse it by applying it out of context. I didn't expect the knife to be a rock chisel, a dive knife, or a hammer. I only used it for what it's intended for, and it delivered.
I originally bought the three-knife set only because I wanted to experiment with this lockback knife.
I actually have a Buck 110, but I don't use it simply because it's expensive. I have the fully-automatic "switchblade-style" factory knife (no thumbnail slot on the blade) that is awkward and difficult to obtain, so I wanted something simple, inexpensive, and guilt-free about using . . . and this is where the Mossy Oak comes in.
After I took the knife from the packaging, I noticed a slight amount of tarnish on the brass fittings. I used a metal polish (see below):
The Nevr Dull worked very well to restore the brass fittings to a like-new appearence. I also added a tiny bit of Remington Gun Oil to the pivot in the knife.
I found this knife to be basically indistinguishable (in practical terms) from my Buck 110, but--as I said earlier, and I'm just making a point--I didn't use the knife beyond it's capabilities.
Is the Buck 110 a better knife?
Yes . . . without a doubt. The advantages for a knife like the Buck 110 are that it will last longer and better than the Mossy Oak if it has to be used outside of it's parameters.
But . . . if you have to get a knife, then give this one a try.