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Al Mar Ultralight Eagle vs. Benchmade 940
- Thread starter crapgame
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2009
- Messages
- 15
I have both of them and also the Benchmade 930, I would go with the 940 or check out the 930, it has a blade shape similar to the Al Mar if you like that style of blade.
I've don't have either knife but I've got an Al Mar Hawk Ultralight and an Al Mar Eagle with micarta/talon blade. I've also got axis lock Benchmade Griptilians. I really like both types. They're very different knives. Both are pretty, I think. If you want smooth & fast opening & closing go with the 940. The Al Mars are smooth but not as fast. They're very light & slim and their blades are beautiful. I also love the Al Mar logo. I see their AUS8 not as lesser quality, just easier sharpening. I think the Eagle's got a longer blade. Where I'm at now I'd personally order the Al Mar, but if there was a mistake and I got the 940 instead I bet I'd keep it. If you ordered either one you'd love it. If you ordered both you'd love both.
I owned both at one time; both nice knives.
Both have slim profiles and are lightweight. IIRC, the Al Mar was under 2 oz. while the 940 was around 3 oz. Both knives can be opened and closed with either hand. The clip is easily reversible for left/right carry on the 940. I never tried reversing the clip on the Al Mar.
The 940 opened more smoothly and the axis lock provided a tighter lockup over the Al Mar lockback. However, I did have one of the axis lock springs fail. If that happened to you, I'm sure Benchmade would take care of you (unless you took the knife apart
).
About the steels.. I have found that S30V is at least a couple notches higher in terms of edge holding compared to AUS8. However, AUS8 should sharpen up a little faster (I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker) and generally, you will pay more for S30V. My own personal preference is S30V over AUS8. To date, I have had no chipping or staining in either steel. :thumbup:
Good luck!
Both have slim profiles and are lightweight. IIRC, the Al Mar was under 2 oz. while the 940 was around 3 oz. Both knives can be opened and closed with either hand. The clip is easily reversible for left/right carry on the 940. I never tried reversing the clip on the Al Mar.
The 940 opened more smoothly and the axis lock provided a tighter lockup over the Al Mar lockback. However, I did have one of the axis lock springs fail. If that happened to you, I'm sure Benchmade would take care of you (unless you took the knife apart
).About the steels.. I have found that S30V is at least a couple notches higher in terms of edge holding compared to AUS8. However, AUS8 should sharpen up a little faster (I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker) and generally, you will pay more for S30V. My own personal preference is S30V over AUS8. To date, I have had no chipping or staining in either steel. :thumbup:
Good luck!