AFCK/M4 Ain't no collecter now

T

Twindog

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Apr 6, 2004
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I was totally lucky to get the new AFCK 806/M4. Awesome knife. You can feel the quality. The finger choil is the balance point, so the knife is quick and light in the hand. Pointy blade. Axis lock is tighter than usual. Blade perfectly centered. Lockup almost perfect.

So what's not to love? Well, it's got the saber grind, so slicing isn't its forte. But then Benchmade gave the edge a wide grind that only an ax could love. And out of the box it wasn't very sharp -- your basic folding butter knife. I had to saw off the foil top of a 40-pound bag of dog food, a job my Manix (real Manix) laughs at.

So it needs shapening and reprofiling. But, geez, the scalpers are selling these things for something north of $300. But that's with the "NIB" and "never sharpened" pitch.

Could I really knock $200 off the value of my new AFCK by reprofiling it?

Yep.

Out came the extra coarse diamond stone because a lot of metal had to come off. And this is M4. The Sharpmaker at 30 degrees (inclusive) could only touch the highest point of the edge's shoulder. I don't know what the stock angle was, but it was wide.

Yes, I scuffed the edge a bit. Yes, I can never sell it.:grumpy:

But dang, after a progression of stones and stropping, this thing cuts. Looks like I'll have to actually use this knife.:D

Here's the after/before:

DSC01411.jpg


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Yes, M4 is a nice steel and takes a dandy edge.

Now go cut some aluminum cans and scratch that coating up. Give the knife some of the character it deserves ;).
 
Its nice to see that there is at least one of these that are going to get some use. it’s a pity that this knife is so rare, I think rather few people are going to actually use it.

Oh and BTW I doubt you’ll ever have a hard time selling it, even used, sharpened, and scratched.
 
Good job with the re-profiling. I always wonder why BM cannot put a decent edge on their knives, maybe they are scared to get sued if they ship them sharp...
 
I don't know why Benchmade puts such a poor edge on, either. It is a whole different, and much better knife with a 30-degree profile and a sharp edge. The 30-degree edge is much wider, and maybe that detracts from the aesthetics of the black blade.
 
I think a bunch of the PE's will be left in their boxes, many of us have the CE's also and have said they'll use those first. I have only one PE coming and with that in mind may never use it either. Trying to trade for a CE, but if that doesn't happen I own and do use a 760BK which is a treat with that M4 blade.

Thanks for the pics, and looks like you will have to use that guy - but have fun doing it!
 
Benchmade takes a lot of flak for their factory edges, and I can attest to it in some cases. However, the last 3-4 Benchmades I bought and all the factory blade replacement came razor sharp. My Pika II and TSEK blade replacement would even whittle some hair. The BM42 Bali was probably just as sharp, but I didnt test knives in general that way then. I know it held a arm hair shaving edge for a long time, and I EDC'd it for a while.
 
AXIS lock is always a little stiff on a new knife just give it some time. It seems on the 806M4 the sharpness is one extreme or the other, some have been very sharp and others much less impressive. Mine will shave but it could have been sharper, nothing like a Rukus is out of the box. Like you said I think that is due to the 40 degree angle on this knife.

And don't worry about the scalpers out there, knives aren't for investing they're for using. I'm excited to put my new 806 into the rotation. :thumbup:
 
Very nice reprofiling job. I'm pretty sure if I did that, especially with M4, it would look pretty sloppy. I reprofiled my DDR Madd Maxx III which cost upwards of $800 new, so I have an idea of how you feel:D:thumbup:
 
jkarp_53 said:
I think a bunch of the PE's will be left in their boxes, many of us have the CE's also and have said they'll use those first. I have only one PE coming and with that in mind may never use it either. Trying to trade for a CE, but if that doesn't happen I own and do use a 760BK which is a treat with that M4 blade.

Thanks for the pics, and looks like you will have to use that guy - but have fun doing it!
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Just to clarify - I'm not looking to trade my PE 806, I meant I'm looking to trade for a CE if I can find a good match...
 
Twindog said:
I don't know why Benchmade puts such a poor edge on, either. It is a whole different, and much better knife with a 30-degree profile and a sharp edge. The 30-degree edge is much wider, and maybe that detracts from the aesthetics of the black blade.
Click to expand...

Might just be the M4. I had one of the old AFCKs made with M2 back in the 90s. It had a poor edge as well, took me forever to get it right with the stuff I had back then.

Yet the two BM Rukus I now favor came with excellent edges, and have not been sharpened since I bought them.

Or maybe it is luck-of-the-draw?
 
My Rukus came with an extremely nice edge, too. I remember using the tip to effortlessly cut fancy figures out of the side of a Kleenex box. But it is a wider blade with a higher saber grind than the AFCK.

The 30-degree edges on my Rukus and my Military are not as wide as a 30-degree edge on the AFCK, so that tells me the 806 needs the help.
 
CPM-M4 can take a very fine edge. I really wish we could see this steel used more. Great knife wish I had one.
 
Would it weaken the blade too much (especially because of that huge hole) to have a FFG job done by Tom Krein?
 
trailside22 said:
CPM-M4 can take a very fine edge. I really wish we could see this steel used more. Great knife wish I had one.
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You could try the Lum 760 M4. The blade is a mild tanto, but is otherwise the same size. Maybe a bit thicker. I think with a regrind, it comes close to the AFCK, but cuts better. I know the edge on my 760 is extremely narrow, and it's a terrible cutter.

The reprofiled AFCK edge is just fun to use. It slices paper into curly-cues.

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The AFCK will perform way better with plenty of durability with a Krein regrind. Then you can see M4 really show it's potential.

Mike
 
Every single one of these knives should be USED!!!!!!!

Glad to see you're not going to let a super HIGH performance knife with M4 sit in a box somewhere. The AFCK is one of the best knives to ever have been made IMO. I also love the TSEK and wish BM would make another run of that knife. Maybe in S30V to keep it affordable.
 
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