A young Kansas blacksmith apprentice named Hoyt Buck was looking for a better way to Temper steel so it would hold an edge longer. His unique approach produced the first Buck knife in 1902. Hoyt made each knife by hand, using worn-out file blades as raw material. His handy work was greatly appreciated during world War II. Hoyt's eldest son AL had relocated from the Pacific Northwest to San Diego California after finishing a stint in the navy a decade earlier. Hoyt, and his wife Daisy, moved in with AL and his young family in 1945 and set up shop as H.H. Buck and son. Following the death of his father, AL kept the fledgling custom knife business going until incorporating Buck knives, Inc. In 1961. Al Buck revolutionized the knife industry in 1964 with the BU6342 110 folding Hunter. The folding lock blade knife made Buck a leader. A position we proudly hold today. Hoyt and AL Buck's ingenuity may have put the company on the map. But it is our ongoing commitment to developing innovative new products and improving what we have by third and fourth generation Buck family members that have made Buck the successful knife maker it is today. Frankly, it's what our customers expect from a Buck.