Anybody have expericne with the Benchmade 426 Gravitator?

[heekma]

Specifically, this version: http://www.benchmade.com/products/426

I've searched the forum and the internet, came up with a lot about the HK versions, but not much on this one.

Nice thick blade, which I like. Titanium liners/liner lock seems nice. Grip seems a bit small on the tapered end.

Any opinions good or bad? Is this one difficult to find new these days? How long has it been discontinued? What's a good price for a new one?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
heekma

 

[Stainz]

Part of my BM Snody collection, L-R: a 420 Resisror; 425 Gravitator; and 426 Snody Tactical (From box-end label!):

Of my trio of Snody BMs, I like a bit of each, but not one is a 'winner' over the trio. The 420 Resistor has a lot going for it - especially the large handfilling grip. The thumb jimping on the bade and ajacent hadle top & bottom are properly done - nice safety touch. It's downfall is the anodized aluminum, probably easily 'personalized' by pocket change & keys, although it is strengthened by the inlet steel plates, which also form the base of the AXIS lock. Hand fit/feel is near ideal. AXIS lock is a plus. Titanium sides - G10 dress-up scales would be nicer. There is an auto variant - 4200.

The 425 Gravitator lost the slight jimping on the handle, top and bottom, at the blade end. It's blade jimping is too long, too. It's tapered handle end, for the pinky finger, seems to place the handle at the wrong angle for a Wharncliffe-style slicer/chopper. My Kershaw 1820G10 'Needs Work' Wharncliffe gets around this by being too short for my medium+ hand's pinkie. By contrast, my latest Wharncliffe-style, with a slight curve to it's blade, is a Boker Haddock - great hand fit!

Both the 425 & 426 employ a thick inner frame - with a two piece G10/Micarta handle scale on both sides. The 426 has less thumb jimping on the blade than the 425 - but still more than the 420 - and, INMHO, too much. Although technically liner locks, they are stout enough to qualify as frame locks, with ~40% involvement of the blade when deployed, decently stout. The lock has an inset ball for ease of opening & closing.

They are all aperiodic carry knives - more like 'collectors' here. If I could get past scratching the Al, the 420 would be nice. While they all use 154CM - a decent steel - I would like a variant in S30V!

Stainz

 

[heekma]

Stainz,

Thanks so much for the detailed response and the great pics. For whatever reason, internet searches bring up little on the 426--was it an unpopular model before it was discontinued? Any guesses as to why it only has a pair of pillars when the other two have three or four? I'm sure it doesn't make much, if any difference in terms of liner stiffness, just curious is all.

Thanks again,
heekma

 

[Stainz]

Hmmmm, 4 pillars vs 2... never noticed - boy, am I attentive?

The holes are in the Ti 'liners' - the 426's blade, when closed, comes close to the third one - actually is over the edge of the fourth one. There is your answer. More reasons to treat them more as novelties. Fortunately, they were all three left-over old stock at my local pusher's - and I got a good deal. I'll check, if you like, next week - when they re-open, as they are currently closed vor vacation, to see if any of them are still available.

Stainz