940 - How's it cut?

I

irona

Joined
May 24, 2016
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Thanks to everyone who helped me out on my last 940 post, but I've got a new concern about this knife.
I've heard that it doesn't cut well - that the blade is more of a wedge and it isn't a great slicer. Is this true? How well does it cut?
 
There is definitely variance in thickness but the 940 is a great cutter. The narrow blade slices thru materials very well.
 
I got rid of any that I had because although I loved the knife......it was, in fact, more of a wedge since the blade is not very tall from spine to edge. I prefer full flat ground blades with somewhat tall spine to edge dimensions.
 
I like the blade geometry of the 940 series, while not extremely thin I prefer the thicker spine. I have had no real issues with the slicing ability.


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I like slicey knives and I really like the 940s all around performance for my EDC needs. Known as one of the best all around EDC knives for a reason.
 
For a knife as slender and portable as the 940, it cuts stuff very well and is pretty versatile. Is it the sliciest knife? Is it Slicey McSlicenstein? Not exactly. The knives I think of as great slicers have taller blades and possibly full flat grinds (as David mentioned). However, a taller blade usually means a bigger knife--so it's a trade-off, if portability is a factor.
Personally, the 940 (series) strikes a close-to-perfect balance between portability, versatility, and performance.
 
Try not to over analyze and get buried in tons of data.
It is one of the all time best EDC knives. Will a straight razor slice better?? Yup, but are you going to carry one??
If you like it, give it a shot. You won't be sorry!
Joe
 
irona said:
Thanks to everyone who helped me out on my last 940 post, but I've got a new concern about this knife.
I've heard that it doesn't cut well - that the blade is more of a wedge and it isn't a great slicer. Is this true? How well does it cut?
Click to expand...

Yes, it isn't a great slicer as compared to my GEC #47. You need to make a list of stuff that you intend to slice, the thickness of the slices, and other pertinent data, before making a choice. Maybe this isn't the knife for you afterall. ;-)
 
David Lowry said:
the blade is not very tall from spine to edge. I prefer full flat ground blades with somewhat tall spine to edge dimensions.
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David is right on target. But the blade-stock is nice and thin at 0.115" compared with much of the competition...many of which run up to 0.160". It has a nice thin grip, although aluminum grips are known to mark up rather quickly. If you are slicing thin objects, it will likely do very well. However, cutting an apple may not be so easy due to the blade cross-sectional profile. I have not owned a 940, although I have owned a few BM models.
The model 940-1, in s90v and carbon fiber, would be a fun knife to own, although it is much more expensive.
 
Exceptional cutter, a very thin blade with a great grind.

All we need is version in M4 that's not a Gold Class, please....
 
Someone mentioned this on another thread, and since hearing it I cant help but think that the 940 series would benefit from being hollow ground for the reasons mentioned above. It seems to me the knife would be a wicked slicer if HG. I mean the size and style of it already make it a nice gentlemanly folder, why try to make the blade thicker than it needs to be?
 
Not at all a fan of the cutting performance of the 940 series. Owned several, could never manage to justify holding on to one. A PM2, with a blade ground from stock that is one and a half times as thick (.12 vs .18) outperforms the 940 in almost every regard. In the same blade and stock width, the Spyderco Mantra 2 is a SIGNIFICANTLY better slicer. I want to like the 940, but I just can't get behind the saber grind, and most are thicker behind the edge than I'd like. Even my Ritter mini grip outperformed the 940-1- and with a stock bevel, to boot! The 940 series isn't bad, mind you, you can put an amazing edge on them, but it's not a capable slicer when compared to just about any other knife of its size or stock.

Mind you, I'm of the philosophy that .12 stock is overkill for an everyday user.
 
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SaintZe said:
Not at all a fan of the cutting performance of the 940 series. Owned several, could never manage to justify holding on to one. A PM2, with a blade ground from stock that is one and a half times as thick (.12 vs .18) outperforms the 940 in almost every regard. In the same blade and stock width, the Spyderco Mantra 2 is a SIGNIFICANTLY better slicer. I want to like the 940, but I just can't get behind the saber grind, and most are thicker behind the edge than I'd like. Even my Ritter mini grip outperformed the 940-1- and with a stock bevel, to boot! The 940 series isn't bad, mind you, you can put an amazing edge on them, but it's not a capable slicer when compared to just about any other knife of its size or stock.

Mind you, I'm of the philosophy that .12 stock is overkill for an everyday user.
Click to expand...

I'm curious as to what you are cutting to notice a huge difference? Also, the Mini Ritter (and full size) will out perform the majority of knives out there. They are ground super thin for a Benchmade. Out of all my knives, my Socom Elite is one of the best cutters. For a 4 mil thick blade it is crazy thin behind the edge.
 
Id say that's user dependent

If it's not slicing to your liking then reprofile the edge.
 
Thanks for asking that question. I too have been looking at this knife.

but it's not a capable slicer when compared to just about any other knife of its size or stock.

Mind you, I'm of the philosophy that .12 stock is overkill for an everyday user.
Click to expand...

Id say that's user dependent

If it's not slicing to your liking then reprofile the edge.
Click to expand...

OR
reprofile the whole blade edge to spine.

I may be the first person in history who does this to a Sebenza . . . I'm just letting you all know early on so there isn't any embarrassing swooning or fainting.

PS: Who says CPM blades are hard to sharpen . . . I literally remove more than half the total blade. A little bit down at the edge CAN'T be all THAT hard to remove.







 
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Wowbagger said:
Thanks for asking that question. I too have been looking at this knife.





OR
reprofile the whole blade edge to spine.

I may be the first person in history who does this to a Sebenza . . . I'm just letting you all know early so there sin't any embarrassing fainting or swooning.







Click to expand...

I've actually considered doing that, to make a modern cut more like one of my traditionals, but I figure I should spend more time building skill on the grinder first.


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I've actually considered doing that, to make a modern cut more like one of my traditionals, but I figure I should spend more time building skill on the grinder first.
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Hahaha,
I'm not sure one could call what I do "skill". More like fooling around with a magic marker, a bench grinder (with a white wheel THAT IS KILLER IMPORTANT), a diamond file and a Shapton 120 stone.
God that Shapton is brilliant !

yah what I do is so slooooooooow it is hard to make a mistake. More like marathon grinding. You know how in the movies about boot camp where they make the poor slob clean the floor with a tooth brush ? yah kinda like that.

I aM impressed with the guys who can go over to a real belt grinder and do it all in a couple passes.





 
Wowbagger said:
Hahaha,
I'm not sure one could call what I do "skill". More like fooling around with a magic marker, a bench grinder (with a white wheel THAT IS KILLER IMPORTANT), a diamond file and a Shapton 120 stone.
God that Shapton is brilliant !

yah what I do is so slooooooooow it is hard to make a mistake. More like marathon grinding. You know how in the movies about boot camp where they make the poor slob clean the floor with a tooth brush ? yah kinda like that.

I aM impressed with the guys who can go over to a real belt grinder and do it all in a couple passes.





Click to expand...

That's a great idea - drawing the grid on the knife to help grind it. I might have to steal that for myself.

Luckily for me, I have a belt grinder - so it might be easier to go fast and stay flat. I'm just terrified of marring a $180 blade, even if I can replace it for $25.
Actually, I can replace it, can't I-
Hmm..


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