I've watched a lot of
Alchemy1
's videos and I believe that in general he is trying to help the broader knife community through reviews, testing, etc. This particular subject is a tiny drop compared to his overall efforts. Whether an individual agrees with him on this or any other thing, it doesn't negate the fact that he is an active and contributing member of the knife community and I think that deserves respect.
For me, this issue has a whole lot less to do with Benchmade or
(insert company name here) as it does the aforementioned knife "community". Each one of as individuals can have different views and opinions and that's cool but I believe that the bulk of the knife-buying community, at least those who will be buying knives above $25, have very altered ideas of what makes a good knife than what, say I do. I know a lot of guys walking around my factory with Benchmades and Spydercos in their pockets and they can tell you how much they cost, how nice they snap open, what a great company the knife came from, the warranty info, and that the steel is awesome. But ask them what steel it is, and the overwhelming majority have to open the knife and read it off the blade. And if you press them on why it's such a great steel, it is extremely rare to get a coherent answer. But they read it or watched it on YouTube and the marketing hype all said it was awesome. And they'll defend their chosen company with really solid arguments such as, "Well, they've been making knives for decades and are one of the most popular brands out there so I think I'll trust them over you."
And geometry? That discussion will quickly go no where.
There's a growing number of folks who are quite publicly challenging the current status quo and demonstrating that it takes more than just letters and numbers in a steel's nomenclature to really derive the benefits of the steel. I love what
@DeadboxHero is doing and even though these days I've largely abandoned the modern folding line, I still watch his work with great interest. Well, that and his awesome beard.
He uses production folders, to demonstrate a larger point; that there's way more to this than a steel's name and that the user should seriously evaluate what a knife is intended for and truly understand how it should be used and then decide on the materials and designs. In other words, he's putting this back on the knife community and trying to get people to make smart, informed, choices and this will in turn steer the market.
Why wouldn't a company put out stuff like this when consumers are lining up to buy it? Me? I just quit getting in line.
Now, me personally? I believe that these "extreme" or perhaps maybe steels that were invented as application-specific products, in a folding pocket knife are totally unnecessary. I think if you're buying a production folder in these steels, especially given some of the blade designs, you're likely either ignorant or you just think it's awesome. I have no issue with the latter and more power to you! But I think it is a very select few who actually need such performance from a pocket knife and those who do, have probably educated themselves on who has the best stuff in the best package for their needs. Cuz, ya know, they actually need it so they aren't loyal to anything but satisfying those needs.
In the end, it's all just education or at least information. And there's nothing bad about that. Healthy debates that help the community make informed decisions should be what it is all about. I know in my fifty years, my opinions and thoughts on many, many subjects have changed, knives being no exception.
There's room in the sandbox for everyone to play, just so long as everyone understands why they're in the sandbox and is cool with it.
Reckon none of that really helps but I feel better.
