Buck PakLite Processor Review: A Lightweight Hunting Knife Put to the Test

When I first pulled the Buck 636 Paklite Processor knife out of the box half of me was attracted to it and half said it has the shape to be a good boning knife, but it is way too stiff. I was headed up to the Sawtooth Survival Gathering to conduct two Knife seminars and conduct a demo processing a goat so the half that attracted me to it brought it along.

I worked for 45 years in the big beef processing plants. We use semi flex 6-inch bladed boning knives for our boning. So I know that a super stiff processing knife is not good but for some reason I still like the Buck Paklite Processor. I can’t give you a good reason why.

I’m used to boning out carcasses at a breakneck speed but on this demo Bruce McGlenn and I were doing the demo together. He boned slower and more methodical of course so attendees could comprehend what he was doing. What totally surprised me was how clean his bones were. They were nice. (A clean bone means you removed all of the meat off the bone). So who knows if you don’t have my background, you may really like it. So other than the fact that all good boners use a semi flex or flexible boning knife let’s look at all of the other characteristics.

I’ve got to imagine from a manufacturer’s standpoint that if they offered a well-designed semi flexible boning knife to the public that they would do as the public does and inevitably in due time use the blade as a pry bar and bend the blade and return the knife and want their money back. Who knows, maybe the public doesn’t deserve a good boning knife.

I favor a 6-inch boning knife but I’ve got buddies that are just as good of boners as me that prefer 5-inch knives, especially when boning chucks so anywhere from 5-6-inches is acceptable. The PakLite Processor has a 5 ¾-inch blade.

Live Inventory Price Checker

	Buck Knives PakLite Field Fixed Blade Knife 4" Drop Point 420HC Satin Blade Nylon Handle Black	MidwayUSA	$ 45.99
	Buck Knives PakLite Cape Fixed Blade Knife 2.75" Drop Point 420HC Satin Blade Nylon Handle Black	MidwayUSA	$ 39.99 $ 31.71
	Buck Knives PakLite Cape Pro Fixed Blade Knife 2.75" Drop Point CPM S35VN Stonewashed Blade Micarta Handle Green	MidwayUSA	$ 114.99 $ 59.99
	Buck Knives EdgeTek Ultra Steel 10" Knife Sharpener	MidwayUSA	$ 50.99 $ 40.67

The design is also nice, it has a slight upswept blade which is what is required in a boning knife. I’m used to using a blade that is about 1/8-1/2 inch wider but this one functions fine.

It has what Buck advertises as a minimalist handle to make it lightweight but still, I feel like I have an adequate grip due to there being a small slab of Micarta on each side of the handle that aides in your grip. There are grooves in about 1/3 of the spine in the handle which I like but they need to extend 1-inch further onto the spine right in front of the handle.

The sheath is a lightweight polypropylene sheath that can be tweaked to allow for different carrying methods. I assembled the sheath a little different than they recommended. I didn’t use the insert piece but mounted the belt loop attachment right onto the sheath. I think it makes it stronger plus I was able to then attach it with three screws.

Mine snaps tightly into the sheath so I don’t see anyway that it could accidentally fall out while hunting. To remove the sheath from your belt you can do so in the traditional fashion which is to undo your belt buckle and slip the sheath off or on top of the sheath is a button you can push which pops open the blet loop clip. So it doesn’t accidentally pop open while hunting, you can slide the button forward which locks it in place. Another nice feature that inside of the belt attachment are two adjustable rubber stoppers that you can adjust to fit a thin on up to a thick belt. Nice feature. (You can also attach it to the straps on your backpack.

If you’re a backcountry hunter and looking for a stout, lightweight processing knife take a look at the Buck PakLite processing Knife. The MSRP on the Buck PakLite Processing knife is $99.00 and as is usual we will close with the manufacturer’s specs.

Buck 636 PakLite Processor Knife Specifications:

• BLADE SHAPE Boning Boning
• BLADE STEEL S35VN 420HC
• BLADE THICKNESS 0.150″ 0.150″
• BLADE LENGTH 5 3/4″ (14.6 cm) 5 3/4″ (14.6 cm)
• WEIGHT 2.82 oz. 2.82 oz.
• HANDLE Micarta Glass Filled Nylon
• CARRY SYSTEM Sheath Sheath
• ORIGIN Knife made in the USA Knife made in the USA

About Tom Claycomb

Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble”