benchmade 190 drop point hunter fixed blade??

M

mx125

Joined
Jan 9, 2004
Messages
36
Does anyone have one of these? I really like the look of the chunky organic wood handles and the traditional style leather sheath . . . but wonder how it feels/looks/performs. I've seen a few comments on the 180 outbounder but nothing on these. thanks.
 
Been played with both and got the Outbounder finally. The 190's blade feels too thin and small for its handle. The 180 is more well balanced and has a sleeker and cleaner look. The only thing I can't say which is better are their sheaths. Both look nice to me. Steel-wise both are 440C with Satin-finish. My favourite. The handle of the 180 looks more delicate than the 190 too - largely because of the colour. In my opinion.
 
i find that the outbounder has a kind of "kitchen knive" shape. i do like the blade better on the outbounder. i've haven't seen either other than in pictures. it's dissappointing to hear that the blade on the 190 is actually not hefty enough to balance.
 
Part of the question is "what do you plan to do with the knife?". If you actually plan to hunt with it you need to ask "does the handle meet my needs?" and the other question is "does the blade meet my needs?". With a hunting knife in this class you are not going to do any chopping so the balance is irrelevant. If the handle meets your needs, the size relative to the blade doesn't matter. A light and thin blade will cut more effectively than a thick blade so as long as the length and shape fit the game you are planning to work on it doesn't matter what it weighs relative to the handle.

My complaint about the 190 is that it does not have an adequate handle and it doesn't have a guard. For practical work I prefer the new model 10505 made with the N690 alloy blade. This design is a shameless copy of the very popular Buck Vanguard model. The 10505 is not available with a wood handle like the Vanguard, but it is made with a superior blade steel.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.asp?model=10505

http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/detail/218/222
 
Yes, strangely for this particular knife (the 180) one thing I like about it is the :kitchen knife" look. :p It looks less aggressive and kinda retro too. Then again, one man's meat could be another man's poison.

One note I wanna add regarding the 190's handle, though. It doesn't have a lanyard hole, which is pretty much a must have for me, where as the 180 has that feature. So pls keep that in mind too.
 
Jeff,

You're right. It is a well proportioned looking knife. I guess the vanguard is worth copying. I won't actually be hunting with it. More light camp/field jobs. i'm not sure if i'm ashamed of it of not yet, but there is a heavy dose of "I think just really like the way it looks and want to own it" emotion.

Tok,

i've seen other comment on lanyard holes. What do you use the lanyard for in practice? (just a newbie question).
 
Hey mx,

To me the lanyard hole provides another channel to secure/attach the knife should I need to use it. So basically for most of the time it is a peace of mind kinda thing. Now a lanyard to me is mostly used as an insurance against knife loss due to any accidental lose in grip, especially in/near water. place the lanyard around the plam and hold the knife at the same time and that's it. longer/thicker lanyard also adds the volume of the grip on the handle too. :)
 
For a camp knife I like a longer blade than on my hunting knife. It is important to not cut entrails while opening an animal so excess hunting knife blade length needs to be avoided. A camp knife is often used to slice things and extra length can be handy. I like the SOG X-42 Field Knife. The design is nice and the blade alloy is BG42. It is larger than it looks in pictures.

http://www.onestopknifeshop.com/store/sog-x42-field-knife.html
 
Jeff,

I actually have the BG42 field knife and really like it. Especially around camp and for kithcen prep etc. The steel gets razor sharp and holds it really well. I was, however, thinking of getting a smaller fixed blade that was a little more handy and slightly less "intimidating" when around a lot of hikers etc. That's what brought me to the BM190. I've always wanted to own a BM and the nimravus (and cub), although tempting, are still a little agressive looking for my purposes. I also saw the gerber freeman hunter in a magazine but it's just too run of the mill (440A i believe) to get me excited enough to buy another knife.
 
To fit the niche of cool looking knives, with special performance, and non-scary looks I think that something from Bark River Knife and Tool company would fit the bill. They have the look of a custom knife. You can get them with micarta or stag-bone handles. They are generally made from A2 tool steel. They make high class--high performance utility knives. I think that the professional series offers a nice choice at a good price. If you do a google/froogle search or check your favorite websites you can find them at a discount.

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/professional/index.html
 
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