American Knife of the Year - Benchmade Narrows

Spillproof

Spillproof

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Congratulations to Benchmade for winning the Blade Show American Knife of the Year with the Narrows. The price tag is hefty but taking #1 indicates at least some experts believe they're worth it. I suspect I'll be getting one soon.

If you got one let's see it!

(And please don't turn this thread into a Dumpster Fire)
 
I will say that when I saw it, I was very interested. A thin/light knife would be nice in the pocket. I'm just not very impressed with the axis lock. It has always felt clunky to me. Maybe this one feels better. I don't think they will sell like crazy though, because that's a hefty price. That being said, if you have a benchmade dealer close by, this one will be on the shelf to get in hand....but I could be wrong!
 
I’ve handled two at the local shop. Very cool knife but it just doesn’t stand out at the price they’re asking. I just don’t feel like the materials justify the cost. I will say the action was absolutely flawless on the two examples I’ve handled. I’d be interested for somewhere around $250-$300. I don’t recall ever handling a thinner folder though. They’re almost too thin.
 
Spillproof said:
Why is any knife $500?
(Because people will pay it)
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There are many reasons why a knife might be $500. Being a titanium handled production knife is not one of them......
Spillproof said:
Look around the forum.
LOTS of unused $500+ knives get posted as EDC's. So be mad at them, I guess.
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Maybe so, but they aren't the knife in question, and the question was why is this one priced so high?
 
Interesting knife. I'd like to handle one. I've been impressed with my bugout so its probably worth checking out.
 
Arathol said:
There are many reasons why a knife might be $500. Being a titanium handled production knife is not one of them......

Maybe so, but they aren't the knife in question, and the question was why is this one priced so high?
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Why are you so worked up about it?
Don't buy one.

It was selected as the Best American Knife of the Year. That's what this thread is about. Maybe you're not the demographic for this knife and that's OK.
 
Pretty impressive design imo. Would like to handle one and see what it’s all about. I don’t necessarily mind the high price tag but if I get to $500 mark I’m probably snagging another CRK or Shiro.

Congratulations to benchmade tho! Maybe they will use this tooling platform (smaller axis lock) to offer in more budget friendly aluminum or frn. Actually go ahead and mark it. That’s exactly what they are doing.
 
I handled the knife several times at Blade Show. Here are my thoughts;
- It is crazy thin and light (pictures don’t do justice to just how thin it is).
- The tolerances, axis lockup, and centering were all spot on.
- The handle finish/texture was very nice.
- I liked the “New” version of the Axis lock.
- I wish at this price point they would have put a little more special clip on it, but the clip functioned well and it absolutely disappears in pocket (because it is so thin and light).
- Sometimes thin/light knives can ”feel” cheap simply because they are thin/light. This knife doesn’t.
- It feels and handles like a premium knife
- The knife is so thin you need to flip the thumb stud a little differently than how you’d flip open a Bugout or Osborne. It takes a different effort.
- The price is on the high side but considering that it is “USA Made” (I expect to and am willing to pay more for this others may not and that’s ok) I think it is worth it. You can certainly get a knife of comparable quality/materials/tolerances for less from multiple manufacturers in Asia. That being said, none of them can offer the same thin and light combination. The design and engineering that went into the effort to make it that thin/light is impressive.

I suspect Benchmade will sell plenty of them.
 
Sagandavis said:
Pretty impressive design imo. Would like to handle one and see what it’s all about. I don’t necessarily mind the high price tag but if I get to $500 mark I’m probably snagging another CRK or Shiro.

Congratulations to benchmade tho! Maybe they will use this tooling platform (smaller axis lock) to offer in more budget friendly aluminum or frn. Actually go ahead and mark it. That’s exactly what they are doing.
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I suspect you are correct. I’d bet an aluminum handled version in a slightly lower end blade steel (for a lower retail) is already part of their plan.
 
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