Any love for the BM 810 Contego?

Mako109

Mako109

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Dec 17, 2008
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They were all the rage for a while, particularly in the M390 or M4 variants, then they were discontinued. Now I don't hear of them anymore.

What do you still like or don't like about them? Post photos if you got 'em.
 
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I like mine but its a little big for primary daily carry, it spends time in one of my bags due to having a glass breaker. I like the Rift more, its the perfect medium option of the trio of the 940, Rift, Contego.
 
I picked up one used at a gun shop in AZ a few years ago for a good price. I like a lot of things about it. Its a monster and feels substantial in the hand. I‘ve had a Rift for a long time and like the overall design of both these siblings. A big negative for me are the ridges on the liner that stick out proud of the scales. The ones on the top act as a sort of jimping for the thumb, which is okay, but the ones along the bottom make it a bit uncomfortable in the hand. If I had any metalworking skill I’d disassemble it and grind those bottom ridges off, but I’d just mess it up so I will leave it alone. I like it enough to put up with it. Did I mention that it is a monster? For self defense you wouldn’t even need to flip it open, just bludgeon your attacker with it 😆.
 
Love it! Wish I had grabbed a non serrated version before they became expensive. A shop was closing out M390 exclusives for $140 and I didn't pounce. Great action with the heavy blade, handle is good for larger hands. M4 is good stuff all around.
 
I like it but like JBC in post #2, I ended up buying the Rift. The Rift just fit my hand better. Even though I have large hands, sometimes the cutouts on a large knife just don't fit me well and that is the case with the 810 for me. I prefer a more neutral handle shape like the Rift.
 
I have had two Contegos pass through my hands over the years. Overall it is a great knife and I enjoyed it while it was part of my accumulation of knives. I had both the M4 and M390 version. For me, it was a weekend knife due to size. My biggest grip with the knife was that it was over gimped. With the handle shape it didn’t need it in my opinion. I never felt my hand was going to slip. The handle shape was comfortable, the gimping made my hand raw after prolonged use. I just found my self grabbing my beater griptilian more.

JonesE
 
I had one of the first iteration back at a time in the hobby when I thought I needed to own just about every BM AXIS lock. Like others have mentioned, the ergos were just off for me. I dig large knives so it's not that, just the way the knife fell in my hand that didn't jive. I believe I remember hearing that later versions were were tweaked a bit to solve this issue, but by that time I had lost interest in the knife.
 
...and there's this mythical beast. Sorry for the blurry photo, must be from the same photographer who photographed Big Foot.
ZAms42C.png
 
Mako109 said:
...and there's this mythical beast. Sorry for the blurry photo, must be from the same photographer who photographed Big Foot.
ZAms42C.png
Click to expand...
Interesting. This particular one was a special edition, part of an Osbourne tribute, only 30 made and retailed for $3450 (!). What’s interesting is, at least from what I can see in the photo, is that there’s no jimping on the liner in the thumb rest area, and I assume the same is true on the bottom. Benchmade must have decided that, yes, it was a bad design idea and left it out on this special edition.
 
Zuchus said:
Interesting. This particular one was a special edition, part of an Osbourne tribute, only 30 made and retailed for $3450 (!). What’s interesting is, at least from what I can see in the photo, is that there’s no jimping on the liner in the thumb rest area, and I assume the same is true on the bottom. Benchmade must have decided that, yes, it was a bad design idea and left it out on this special edition.
Click to expand...
I made the same observation. Somehow the jimp monkey managed to get to the design when it went into production. Too bad they didn't produce more of these jimp-free carbon fiber models (except with M390 or S90V steel instead of the composite).
 
contego is a great knife, used it at work for years. never had any problems hotspots or jimping. the only thing i didn't like was how easily the cerakote chipped and scratched with normal use, ie cutting cardboard. but i have found this to be the case with all cerakoted knives from any maker. the only way i found to slow this down was to give a good buffing to the blades to help even out the cerakote finish. knives are coated for supposed corrosion protection. since they are coated they are not finished as well as a uncoated blade, saving costs and perhaps to give a better surface for adhesion. no more cerakote for me on blades or handles
 
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The "Max Traction" liners and scales are a big bonus when wearing (thicker) gloves. Nice-sized blade. Just bought my third (first in Black) in M4 today - the first with the partial serrations. It's going to replace my 950SBK Rift as my camping/fishing folder - all the "heavy lifting" is left for bigger fixed blades and hatchets/small axes.

I agree......a "smoother" version would be easier to live with for EDC. These knives are hard on your pockets and are better in a belt sheath.
 
IIRC the part I circled below was the culprit for me. There was just barely not quite enough room for my first two fingers in that first groove in my natural grip on the knife, so that sharp angle fell on the meat of my middle finger ever so slightly. So for me I don't think just smoothing the gimping would have been a solution. I want to be clear that I'm not knocking the knife to those who dig it, just sharing my experience.

wZi1yXy.jpg



EDIT: Perhaps something like this would have been better for me, shaving that entire protrusion off, creating a more neutral grip like gazz98 mentioned above. However I understand that for others this part of the design could be what locked the knife into their grip.

YmQmHJ4.jpg
 
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I found the stock version and the smoothed-down M390 version uncomfortable in my hand for different reasons. The stock one was too rough without gloves, the smooth one needed a bit more traction on the butt for effortless Axis lock actuation, and neither version fit my hand well because of the "horn" in the middle of the grip area.

I love the look of the knife, and in the category of "delightfully, obnoxiously huge Benchmades" it absolutely calls to me. Ah, well -- there are always other knives. ;)
 
Have both the M4 and M390 version,liked the blade and handle ratio but never really understood the need for all the sharp jimping.Both of mine were de-jimped using a sanding drum mounted in a drill press.
 
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