Benchamde Rift 950

[Fuzillade]

Thanks again everyone. Yes I want the manual. I went down to our only Benchmade dealer and handled one. I see what you mean about the "sharpen edge" but overall I like the feel of it. I think I will end up getting it. I do like the large blade and the length seems to be about right for most of my task. Thanks again.

Congrats on the decision, you won't be disappointed.
Some light sanding will take care of those uncomfortable edges easily.

I would also recommend trying it without a clip and see how you like it,
I recently took mine off, and it feels perfect in the hand.

The clip does carry well though, so it's completely up to you, just thought I'd share.

 

[Turbo Tension]

I loved my rift until I used it and found the grips to be not comfortable at all. Beautiful blade but REALLY needs better ergos. I moved on to the 710 and I'm not looking bacque.

 

[link2derek]

The Rift is a nice knife, but if you're going to be cleaning game and fish, you'll find that the Axis lock is a pain to clean. I keep an Izula nearby for such tasks.

 

[Zuchus]

I have the version with the carbon fiber scales and it is very comfortable in the hand. Since the profile on the G10 is the same, I bet if you smooth out the sharp edges like one poster mentioned, it would feel also feel good in hand. The bump rests nicely between my ring and pinky fingers. Love this knife!

 

[flatlander88]

Thanks for all the good info. I do think that I am going to give the knife a try. Since hunting season is over and the fishing has not yet started (except for ice fishing) it might be awhile til I get to do too much knife testing. I think I'll sand the handle a little and I'll see what it's like without the clip. :thumbup:

 

[Medic1210]

I have the rift and really love how well it fits in my hand. I've yet to use it hard enough to feel any discomfort from the contoured G10 scales, but I can see how it may be an issue. If you get one and decide to sand 'em down a bit, be sure to wear a good N100 mask. Don't want to breathe the dust. Someone above mentioned it was hollow ground, it's not. It's flat ground (not full flat though), but like he said, it's really easy to but a hair whittling edge on it. The fact the blade is so wide means the primary bevel is very shallow, which makes for a great slicer. Smaller fish may not be the easiest to gut and clean with the big wide blade, but larger ones shouldn't be any problem. Have you checked out the Mike Waddell Bone collector folders? They have some really nice blade shapes and nice G10 scales. Never held one, but they look really nice. It was a tossup for me between the Rift and Bone Collector folder, but ultimately I decided on the Rift because I prefer the thumb stud over the hole.

 

[Steven Andrews]

The edges on the G10 on mine were quite sharp, but I gave them a gentle sanding and they are more more comfortable now.

 

[jonj480]

I would definitely sand the edges down. I have two 950's (probably get a few more) and one of them (my EDC) has been sanded, you can definitely tell the difference between the sanded version and the non-sanded one when you are using them. The one I have taken the edges down on just melts into my hand.

"It was a tossup for me between the Rift and Bone Collector folder"

I also agree with this - the BC is another great knife, however I sanded the scales on this one too (I am not a big fan of the inside of the scales (where your index and middle finger are when it is open - I smoothed mine out). The BC has a much thicker beefier handle than the Rift does - I think the BC is wider than my Grip (don't have them in front of me right now to check). I don't use the BC for EDC (I like the thinner profile of the Rift clipped inside my pocket) but I do use it for heavier duty stuff like yardwork, and it is the folder I take hunting.

 

[Handwrecker]

I loved my rift until I used it and found the grips to be not comfortable at all. Beautiful blade but REALLY needs better ergos.

That sums it up for me, I carried one every day for about 2 months. Knife looks great and the Axis lock is fun to flip, but doesn't feel great. The gap between the blade spine and thumb rest really bugged me. Not too impressed by Benchmade's 154CM, either. Price is steep for what you get.

 

[Big Chris]

I also have a 950 and love it. I EDC mine along with a fixed blade and have nothing but praise for the knife. I have not noticed any problems with sharp edges of the G10. I am however on the lookout for one in M4 as I feel that would be an incredible combination.