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First Impressions: WOW ! I did a good bit of research before ordering this knife, so I knew it was a very well made functional knife. As is everything Benchmade makes. But, when I got it, it totally exceeded my expectations. It feels great in my hand, and is just the right size. I wanted a good fixed blade knife that would be used for a variety of things. I’m not one for small knives, and I was worried that I would think this one was too small. But its just right, it is very maneuverable, yet large enough to due tough cutting.
Fit and Finish: Right out of the box, this knife looks great. The attention to detail and finish is amazing. No sharp or rough edges… except the blade of course. The blade is evenly coated with Benchmade’s BT2 coating. Even the sheath is very well made. No burs or rough edges. Blade: This knife can be bought in two different steels. Benchmade’s regular steel they use for most of their knives… which itself is excellent, and M2 High Speed Steel. I purchased the M2 steel because it is a much harder steel, and will hold an edge much longer. The knife did not “feel” quite as sharp as some of my other Benchmade knives. But it is! I think this is becuase this is more of a utility knife, and has a wider angle edge to it. The wider angle helps it keep its edge during tough cutting. This is a good edge for a knife like this, besides, it will still shave hair off your arm! I have not enough extreme cutting to determine its edge holding ability fully. But what I have done with it has not effected the blade what so ever. Even cutting cardboard will dull other knives, but not this one. The shape of the blade is very good for a variety of uses. It feels very nimble in your hand, and it easy to do even small, delicate cuts. BT2 Blade Coating: This coating is more functional than cosmetic. The blade has a large amount of carbon, which makes it prone to corrosion and rust. This why the knife is not offered without the coating. The coating will easily wear off of the metal, but, it will still serve its purpose. Visibly, the blade will turn a gray color as the coating wears away. But, a microscopic layer of the coating will always remain on the metal to protect it. This will not effect the chance of corrosion. Just after cutting about 20 square feet of cardboard, the coating has slight wear marks near the edge. Most marks that occur on the coating can be wiped off with a rag and oil. Overall, don’t expect it to stay pretty. It will turn very gray over time, but, the coating will still do its job of protecting the blade from corrosion. Sheath: This is the newest version sheath. The old version was an ordinary sheath, that held the blade in place with a snapping strap over the handle. This new sheath is one of the main reasons I chose this knife. It has a small lever that locks the knife in place. Even without the lever locked, the knife snaps into place and is held by a simple friction lock. (A small nub inside the sheath seats down inside a devote on the knifes handle) After the locking lever is locked, this knife will NEVER accidentally fall out of its sheath. This makes it great for attaching and wearing the knife in a variety of positions. Such as upside down on the strap of a backpack. The belt loop can be unscrewed and moved to a different position and orientation. Handle: The handle consist of two G10 scales placed on each side of the full tang blade. G10 is alittle like carbon fiber. It is very light weight and strong, and very resistant to chemicals and discoloration. The scales are slightly smaller that the metal of the knife. This is done to give the user a better grip, and a way to blindly gage the edge of the blade. Many people have worries about this, until they hold one in their hand. Don’t worry about the metal sticking out too much, or being rough on the edges, its very smooth. This is an example of the care to detail that Benchmade takes. It is actually more difficult for them to make the knife this way. Instead of just attaching the scales, then sanding them down to the edge of the metal, they are made to EXACT size and shape. Pros: Perfect size and shape. Very nimble and maneuverable. Excellent edge holding ability. The best sheath I have ever seen. Only the best materials. Made by a great company, with excellent customer service. They will sharpen the knife for free if you send it in. Cons: Coating tends to visibly wear off. Conclusion: This is overall, the best fixed blade I have seen. Everything about this knife screams quality and functionality. I am MORE than happy with this knife. This knife will more than handle any cutting you need to do, with the exception of cutting down a tree. If you could muster up the strength to do it, it would without damaging it though. If you are looking for a TOP quality, functional, tactical, camping, hunting, fishing…. anything knife…. this is the one for you! Retail: $165 — I paid $110 |