810 Contego, 940 Osborne, or 950 Rift?

[Mike Zombie]

Hey guys how are you? I'm new to this forum and I'm excited to be here! Anyways, my question is which knife out of these three do you recommend the most? The Benchmade 810 Contego, 940 Osborne, or 950 Rift? I am looking for the best choice for every day carry and general cutting use. Also, I would like the knife to be decent for self defense. I don't live in a super rough area but I do go out a lot at night and you never know what could happen. I first saw the 950 Rift and I love the look of it. However, I do currently own a Benchmade Griptilian that has 154CM blade steel on it. I am not saying that 154CM is a bad steel, however if all three of these knives are in a very close price range, I'd like to get a better steel on my knife like the S30V on the 940 and especially the M4 on the 810 for a related price to the 950. I also do not like the lack of jimping on the 950 but I'm not sure if these two factors (the 154CM Steel and no jimping) on the 950 Rift should totally knock it off my list as I like the look of it and I hear that it is a good, dependable knife. Now, to switch to the 810 Contego, I have mixed feelings. Oh, by the way I would get the black bladed version of these knives. With the 810, I like how it has the M4 steel and I do like the appearance of it open. However, I do not very much like the appearance of it closed. Although I'm sure that it'll eventually grow on me. I am unsure as if the knife is too big and/or too heavy. I do own and carry knives such as the Kershaw Blur, Spyderco Endura 4, and other knives that are larger like that. As long as the knife is not too heavy, too thick, or way too tall I will carry it as for that does not bother me. What are your feelings of the 810 in general and also in terms of length, thickness, and weight? I do think the 810 is a good knife but again unsure of which of the three are better. Finally, to the 940 Osborne. I did not really have too much interest about the 940 when i first heard about it. I didn't really care for the design of it and it just didn't interest me that much. It did interest me enough to watch a review of it though. The review that I watched made me rethink a little and I did some research. The 940 is related to these two knives and probably one of my lesser favorites of the three but if it proves to be good enough or better than the 950 and 810, it is worth the buy in my opinion. So, what are your thoughts on my situation? Any help would be very much appreciated. I feel like I do like the looks of the 950 the most, the blade steel of the 810 the most, and I guess the weight of the 940 the most. I do like them equally at the moment and can't decide which is better. Sorry for such a long post. Thanks for your help again!

 

[oXObsidianXo]

Hey guys how are you? I'm new to this forum and I'm excited to be here! Anyways, my question is which knife out of these three do you recommend the most? The Benchmade 810 Contego, 940 Osborne, or 950 Rift? I am looking for the best choice for every day carry and general cutting use. Also, I would like the knife to be decent for self defense. I don't live in a super rough area but I do go out a lot at night and you never know what could happen. I first saw the 950 Rift and I love the look of it. However, I do currently own a Benchmade Griptilian that has 154CM blade steel on it. I am not saying that 154CM is a bad steel, however if all three of these knives are in a very close price range, I'd like to get a better steel on my knife like the S30V on the 940 and especially the M4 on the 810 for a related price to the 950. I also do not like the lack of jimping on the 950 but I'm not sure if these two factors (the 154CM Steel and no jimping) on the 950 Rift should totally knock it off my list as I like the look of it and I hear that it is a good, dependable knife. Now, to switch to the 810 Contego, I have mixed feelings. Oh, by the way I would get the black bladed version of these knives. With the 810, I like how it has the M4 steel and I do like the appearance of it open. However, I do not very much like the appearance of it closed. Although I'm sure that it'll eventually grow on me. I am unsure as if the knife is too big and/or too heavy. I do own and carry knives such as the Kershaw Blur, Spyderco Endura 4, and other knives that are larger like that. As long as the knife is not too heavy, too thick, or way too tall I will carry it as for that does not bother me. What are your feelings of the 810 in general and also in terms of length, thickness, and weight? I do think the 810 is a good knife but again unsure of which of the three are better. Finally, to the 940 Osborne. I did not really have too much interest about the 940 when i first heard about it. I didn't really care for the design of it and it just didn't interest me that much. It did interest me enough to watch a review of it though. The review that I watched made me rethink a little and I did some research. The 940 is related to these two knives and probably one of my lesser favorites of the three but if it proves to be good enough or better than the 950 and 810, it is worth the buy in my opinion. So, what are your thoughts on my situation? Any help would be very much appreciated. I feel like I do like the looks of the 950 the most, the blade steel of the 810 the most, and I guess the weight of the 940 the most. I do like them equally at the moment and can't decide which is better. Sorry for such a long post. Thanks for your help again!

First, in the future please use paragraphs they make reading much easier.

Now to answer your question. For EDC, the 940 is excellent it is light weight and has good cutting length for EDC. If you like M4 steel, then you might want to look at the 940-1 in Carbon Fiber and CPM-S90V. If you were more concerned with self-defense I would go with the 810. M4 is a great steel, and unlike the coating BM uses on a lot of their other knives the coating on the 810 is Ceracote so it is fairly durable.

 

[Rasco]

The 810 and the 940 are very different beasts. Do you have any local sporting goods stores that carry either so you could get one or both in hand and see which you prefer?

You may also want to check out the KnifeWorks.com exclusive 810 Contego in M390. M390 is a fantastic steel and the G10 on the KW exclusive version is much nicer in my opinion.

 

[bikedaddy75]

I EDC the 940 most days and weight and slim design make it a EDC champion, but the other 2 knives are both basically in higher weight classes and intended for heavy duty use especially the 810, not that the 940 is fragile because its not, but just decide your actual use and intentions.
1. 940=medium duty
2. 950=heavy duty
3. 810=extra heavy duty
With strengthened blades\ scales comes extra weight, which you will carry everyday and possibly find to be a burden for the return, just be realistic about intended use.
Good luck on your purchase they are all great knives.

 

[flarp]

I haven't handled a Rift, but I have a 940 and Contego. The 940 is an awesome EDC knife. Very slim, very compact, and sports a good length blade. The reverse tanto / sheepsfoot blade shape is very handy for a lot of EDC tasks. The Contego is a massive knife, and it does have M4 steel in the standard model. For EDC, I much p refer the 940 over the Contego.

 

[BMCGear]

I have not owned a Contego but I have handled one. So keep that in mind.

940: It's a great knife. A Benchmade classic. I have owned several and at this time own 0. I don't really care for the knife these days. Why? While it is a great knife I just never completely warmed up to the aluminium handles. They feel really chalky at first. This does fade some and becomes more pleasant But again, I just don't care for the aluminum handles. The 940-1 does offer the same knife in S90V and CF but I haven't been interested in that because I don't need a steel like S90V for EDC and I don't care for the way CF wears. As much as I love the reverse tanto I actually like the 943 clip point better. Maybe it's because or the 940 doesn't have as much belly as the 950 or I prefer the look of the black handles (I really don't like the green scales of the 940).

810: The Contego is a monster of a folder. If you're looking for a hard use knife and prefer a folder to a fixed or you just really like BIG knives this knife is the one. It has really aggressive scales and works well with gloves. The size and weight are too large for me to EDC daily but its a great robust knife. M4 is a great steel as well.

950: My first Benchmade. I initially hated this knife. In it's defense I had never had a knife with G10 much less sculpted G10 so I felt thae handle was too aggressive. Recently I wanted to get back into BM and the reverse tanto was calling me. I looked at all three of these options and the 950 was my Goldie Locks knife; It was just right. The knife is larger than the 940 with more belly, but more pocketable and lighter than the 810. Benchmade's 154cm is no joke; they've got the heat treat down to a science and IME it performs favorably with their S30V. Now, if you want a different steel you can try to find a Forum knife (I believe they had M4) or you could buy the S30V version like I have from the shop that sells cutlery. I don't believe they are paid members here so I can't link them.

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[d0nut]

I haven't handled a Rift, but I have a 940 and Contego. The 940 is an awesome EDC knife. Very slim, very compact, and sports a good length blade. The reverse tanto / sheepsfoot blade shape is very handy for a lot of EDC tasks. The Contego is a massive knife, and it does have M4 steel in the standard model. For EDC, I much p refer the 940 over the Contego.

flarp to the rescue!

I love when you post side-by-side photos like this.

If we ever cross paths in real life, I'll buy you a cold one.

 

[Divine_Madcat]

I had been in a similar situation when choosing my first BM, and went with the 810. I am confused by people saying its a beast... frankly, it isn't all that big (though, i admit, i dont understand the point of tiny 2.5-3.5" folders either...).

I would agree with others though.. go to a store, and handle what you can. Advice can only go so far in terms of what you should get..

 

[collim1]

I have the Contego, and am quite find of it, however it sees little daily carry as of lately. It has a solid feel no doubt, but it's a monster of a folding knife and it's no lightweight either. Mine is a combo edge which I do not prefer any longer, and the blade geometry is just not right for what I see as a daily carry utility knife.

If you want a solid fighting knife for self defense and are willing to carry such a large knife then I would say the Contego is a born fighting knife and is a fine one at that.

If you are looking for a utility knife that can double as a self defense knife if needed then I would look elsewhere.