Benchmade 275 Adamas Photos

lman30 said:
The reason I ask is that I historically don't like coated blades, many I've tried have a horrible chalkboard texture which gives me the creeps. I don't get freaked out about many things, but chalkboard is one of them. It also causes the cutting resistance to skyrocket in things like cardboard.
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Lol have you seen the blade on that thing? It ain't no cardboard knife. ;)
 
The coating is flat black in color, and has a smooth texture to it. The BK coating is a Cerakote coating that incorporates ceramic in it's makeup. Here's a little about the Cerakote;

We were one of the first companies to be certified by N.I.C. as a CeraKote Applicator.

CeraKote is our top of the line coating. If you want the very best coating available look no further. CeraKote was developed by NIC Industries, Inc. CeraKote was designed to provide a high quality, long lasting finish, with high corrosion protection and durability. CeraKote is available in two compounds "C" series which is an ambient cure coating & "H" series which is a thermal cure coating. Unlike Teflon based gun coatings the "C" & "H" series of CeraKote offer unparalled levels of hardness and abrasion resistance because of their unique ceramic backbone.

CeraKote is available in 31 standard colors. It provides excellent corrosion protection, outstanding abrasion resistance, extreme hardness, & unmatched durability. CeraKote surpasses Teflon based coatings for wear resistance by well over 60%. CeraKote has self lubricating elements incorporated through out the coatings matrix, this allow firearms to function with little or no fluid lubricants that typically attract abrasive dust particles. CeraKote performs extremely well in automatics with high cyclic rates.

The "C" series ceramic gun coatings were designed as a single component ambient cure system. As higher tempatures are reached the "C" series will flux, becoming harder and more abrasion resistant. After a full cure this coating provides excellent resistance to most cleaning solivents and chemicals. It has a pencil scratch hardness (ASTM D3363) of 7h, exceeded the 5% salt spray test (ASTM B117) with well over 550 hrs, an adheasion cross cut tape (ASTM D3359) of 5B, & has an optimal film thickness of 0.5 to 1.0 mils. It has a heat stability rating in excess of 1200 degrees f for extended periods without failing.

The "H" series was designed as a two part thermal cure system. It provides a very high quality, long lasting finish with high corrosion resistance. It offers unparalled levels of abrasion resistance and hardness because of the two part component system. The "H" series has a viscosity #2 Zahn cup of 13.0 sec, an optimal film thickness of 0.5 to 1.0 mils, passes the 5% salt spray test (ASTM B117) in excess of 2,500 hrs, has a pencil scratch hardness (ASTM D3363) of 7h, the adheasion cross cut tape (ASTM D3359 of 5B, and heat stability of 525 degrees f for extended periods without failing.
 
I hate black knives, so for me to buy this it must be good.I was going to polish the screws & liners,but in this case its cooler all black.Large sebenza gives an idea of the size.

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I hate to be negative, but I gotta comment on the coating of the Adamas. I cut open a plastic clam shell type of package and it caused 3 noticeable scratches on the coating. So, it certainly is not durable or that hard. Plastic scratched it. I couldn't believe it but close inspection with a 10x loupe confirms it.
 
I have a black LE version! Love this knife! Bad ass! Fits hand great! Tough, hard use folder!!
 
Striderco said:
I have a black LE version! Love this knife! Bad ass! Fits hand great! Tough, hard use folder!!
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Just got mine today. Opens as smooth as silk. Don't even need to use the thumbstuds! I like it better than the ZT 0200. But probably will not use it at work...just too intimidating looking.
 
Got mine today as well. Absolutely superb. I'm lucky that my work is very knife/gun friendly, so I will be EDC'ing this puppy. I've also had my hands on the 0200, and imo this knife comes out on top. IMO there isn't anything in the price range that competes.
 
I don't think I would go as far as saying it has no competition in it's price range, because I think the ZT0200 does become it's direct competition. Both are heavy, thick, overbuilt to the max, and pretty comparable in size with each other.

Prop, I will post up some comparison pics as soon as I can figure out the problem with only being able to upload teeny, tiny pics!

In the meantime, if anyone has both and can do pics, please feel free to do so.
 
Compared to a Kershaw Skyline, you can see how heavily built it is. (perfect carry pair IMO)
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This is my Adamas flanked by my Yojimbo2 and Strider SNG.
 

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I feel that the 0200 has an inferior chalkboard type blade coating, and I'm not a fan of recurves either (although that is personal preference). The overall quality of the 0200 is very good, but I had a bad experience with a Kershaw lately that left a sour taste in my mouth. The 0200 has a solid locking mechanism, but the Axis lock is pretty darned hard to beat, especially the extra strength version in this knife. The sheath that comes with this blade also kicks serious butt, and for a knife this heavy, is a big deal for me when using it for camping/hiking/woodcraft. I often wear light shorts when hiking, and a sheath is a necessity so I can store my balde on my pack strap.

It isn't that they aren't functionally comparable to each other, and similar in price, but I feel that the Benchmade has the edge in overall finish quality and the included sheath, which is why I say there isn't any competition. The blades and liners of many Kershaw/ZT knives have over-rounded edges, as if they were left in the vibratory finisher for too long. IMO Benchmade knives have a much more precision look and feel. Benchmade keeps very tight control of its post-production finishing.

I also feel D2 is a superior blade steel for a hard use knife.
 
Great explanation. You may have swayed me!:eek:;)

Size wise these two knives both fill a particular place in folding knives with that being a heavy duty 4" bladed folder.

Btw, the coating on the ZT is DLC (Diamond Like carbon), an extremely hard coating rating in the upper 60's to 70's on the Rockwell scale. I think it may provide better protection from scratches than the Cerakote does. Funny though that I've read the DLC does not protect from rust.

Anyway, great argument for your point of view. It is also bewildering how someone contradicting another's post will quickly go to the name calling stage!
 
cutter17 said:
Great explanation. You may have swayed me!:eek:;)

Size wise these two knives both fill a particular place in folding knives with that being a heavy duty 4" bladed folder.

Btw, the coating on the ZT is DLC (Diamond Like carbon), an extremely hard coating rating in the upper 60's to 70's on the Rockwell scale. I think it may provide better protection from scratches than the Cerakote does. Funny though that I've read the DLC does not protect from rust.

Anyway, great argument for your point of view. It is also bewildering how someone contradicting another's post will quickly go to the name calling stage!
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Yeah the DLC coating develops microcracks which lead down to the base metal. It doesn't have enough flexibility to maintain a coherent skin over the base metal.

Either way, I don't mind if the coating wears eventually, my main complaint is nasty chalkboard feeling blades. Not only to they creep me out in general, they don't cut very well because the resistance is so high. Rope and carboard are particularly noticable.

I have tried to stay away from internet forums as much as possible. You run into way too many people who are only interested in preaching their gospel, and trying to get "I'm snarkier than everyone else" points. People tend to behave in a sub-human manner when given the anonymity of the internet. It can get very ugly sometimes.
 
lman30 said:
Yeah the DLC coating develops microcracks which lead down to the base metal. It doesn't have enough flexibility to maintain a coherent skin over the base metal.

Either way, I don't mind if the coating wears eventually, my main complaint is nasty chalkboard feeling blades. Not only to they creep me out in general, they don't cut very well because the resistance is so high. Rope and carboard are particularly noticable.

I have tried to stay away from internet forums as much as possible. You run into way too many people who are only interested in preaching their gospel, and trying to get "I'm snarkier than everyone else" points. People tend to behave in a sub-human manner when given the anonymity of the internet. It can get very ugly sometimes.
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You are talking out of your ass.

DLC does not protect against corrosion because it is porous. It is full of "holes" that can actually allow rust to grow right through the coating.

There are some DLC coatings that provide corrosion resistance with the addition of Si, but knife coatings don't use this as of yet. It mainly isn't used because of light discipline. The Si DLC coatings are shiny.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
You are talking out of your ass.

DLC does not protect against corrosion because it is porous. It is full of "holes" that can actually allow rust to grow right through the coating.

There are some DLC coatings that provide corrosion resistance with the addition of Si, but knife coatings don't use this as of yet. It mainly isn't used because of light discipline. The Si DLC coatings are shiny.
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You are correct...on both counts ;)
 
edit: I don't need to prove my history in the thin film coating industry to some guy on the internet. I'll just pretend that you're right and I am indeed "talking out of my ass", and we can all move on in life.
 
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I'm not much of an all black guy myself, but the layers of the sculpted g10 do add some interest to the scales. I like the tan version also, but I think I am going to hold off and see how the tan coating lasts over time. I used the knife about ten times at work today and so far the edge is holding up quite well. Benchmade has really improved their factory sharpening compared to the knives I've gotten in the past years.
 
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