Benchmade 630 Skirmish

TOMBSTONE

TOMBSTONE

Joined
Oct 31, 1998
Messages
3,037
I just figured to post a few words about the BM630 Skirmish.I picked up a few recently,and although I haven't used them so to speak,I would mention some observations.I'm not a liner lock kinda guy,but I've alway's liked framelocks,and my first experience was a CRK Sebenza.Well, when I opened the box,my first thought was cool,it even came in a nice cloth pouch.I removed the knife and proclaimed "damn,it's big.Not huge mind you,but definetly a full size folder.The handles were beautifully anodized.The action was so smooth,it almost opened itself.The lock-up,framelock/bladetang position was perfect and solid.The knife is very well made and strong in appearance.Fit and finish was the best I've seen in any of my Benchmades.Quality of materials S30V blade,titanium handles at this price point was impressive.Honestly,I'm more impressed with this knife then I was with my Sebenza,and considerably less money.The only thing I can pick on about this knife,is it could use a blackend pocket clip,as the shiny stainless steel one is too obvious when carrying.If your looking for a framelock,definatley check this knife out,and if the mini-skirmish is anything like it's bigger brother,you can't go wrong with either one.
 
Good thoughts on the 630 :)

The 635 is every bit as nice and more useful for me, who likes folders a little smaller (than 630) for edc
Tom
 
TOMBSTONE said:
The knife is very well made and strong in appearance.Fit and finish was the best I've seen in any of my Benchmades.Quality of materials S30V blade,titanium handles at this price point was impressive.Honestly,I'm more impressed with this knife then I was with my Sebenza,and considerably less money.
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When Benchmade put out a Ti-Framelock a few years back, most looked at it as direct competiton to the Sebenza but at of course a much lower price. As I recall there were QC issues plus the usual Benchmade thick edges. How does the newer one cut compared to a Sebenza?

-Cliff
 
Well,when I test it out I'll make another post here.It does not have the thin fine edge the Sebenza does,but sharp to the touch non the less.However,it is apparant from inspecting the sebbie and skirmish edges,the skirmish edge will be stronger less prone to chipping.I'll get back to you at some point on your cutting question.
 
I've carried a 630 off an on for a few months, and it does cut pretty well. The edge, as mentioned, is not as thin as my Sebenza's, but not quite as thick as some other BM edges as mentioned. My cutting with it was limited to some small tree limbs, cardboard packing boxes, digging a bullet from a wall (plasterboard). And opening many letters. I haven't needed to sharpen it yet, however I did manage to blunt the tip ever-so-slightly, but not currently sure where or how that happened.
On a note about the shiny-clip problem (it is too bright IMO also), I picked up a black Skirmish yesterday and the blade, clip and screws are all black, and the handle lacks the rainbow-anodizing in the dots. I like it alot better than the "high-polish" verison! Maybe Benchmade could send you a black clip, if you don't mind the shiny blade\dark clip contrast?
 
I didn't realize that Marauder220,Thanks for the tip,I'll contact them for a black clip.Cool deal!! :cool:

jokrswylde-Ya,I have a habit of buying at least 2-5 of the same model.It's a little quirk of mine.

TOB9595-I feel a 635 coming to me in the near future ;)
 
I hear a lot of people complain about overt SS (or other shiny) pocket clips.

I don't hear much about how to fix it. Worse comes to worse, a touch-up with Sharpie marker will help it blend in a bit, but there must be other options.
There are places that will do alterations to knives and their clips, such as this:
http://www.customjewelshop.com/color.html

Electrical tape?
I don't think you can blue SS, but I might be wrong...There must be some chemical/heat treat you can have done. :confused:

A surefire method has always been epoxy-paint. Do it right and it'll stay on just about forever. I think Brownell's offers some stuff like that for gun sight touch-ups.

_z
 
marauder220 said:
The edge, as mentioned, is not as thin as my Sebenza's, but not quite as thick as some other BM edges as mentioned.
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If you adjust the edge down can you get similar cutting ability or is the primary grind too different?

-Cliff
 
Something you can try to get rid of that shiny clip is automotive shrink tube. I have used it on my clips and it works great. Shrink it to fit and superglue the end of it closed and you are done. When it gets damaged, do it over. Cheap, clean and the rubbery texture helps in holding to the pocket better.
 
TORCH IT!! I've used a handheld Ronson torch, runs on butane and can be found at Wal-Mart, to "bring down" the shiny on ss clips. Doesn't do the same thing as titanium, about changing different colors, but it will darken it somewhat. I did it on some of the foldover ss clips from Knifekits and they turned out well.
 
Cliff Re: Sebenza vs Skirmish:
If you adjust the edge down can you get similar cutting ability or is the primary grind too different?
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Here is my take based on carrying a Sebenza EDC (both Large and Small in BG42) for about 3 years and very limited use of the Skirmish.

The primary grind on the Skirmish is far more robust than the Sebenza. The Sebbenza has a deep hollow grind and a decently acute edge angle ( they usually come from CRK with ~17-20 degrees per side after owning over 1/2 dozen over the years). The Skirmish has a saber flat grind on thicker stock, it is probably twice as thick behind the edge as the Sebbie with a more obtuse edge. Nice profile for a very hard use knife, but not optimal for cutting efficiency.

Fit and finish on the Skirmish is very near Sebenza quality, great lock up, close tolerances. Very smooth opening. The Spyderco- style hole is faster to engage and the more blade biased weight makes flicking the Skirmish open super fast. I have flicked open the Skirmish several hundred times with no ill effect.

The Skirimsh probably has better ergonomics from a tactical standpoint, as the grip is very secure in a sabre or ice pick grip, with the Sebenza having a more utility orieneted ergonmic profile in that it is more comfotable in a variety of positions. Both have Ti handles, which are not as comfortable in the cold as G10, Micarta or wood, and less secure in my hands.

I do not carry the Skirmish as it is too big, and I really have no need for a defensive folder, though it is a fun toy. My preference is towards knives that cut very well, and I have less need for extreme durability.

Also, I do not care for the clip on the Skirmish, and I think you will find the knife much more comfortable to use with it removed.

FWIW, I no longer carry the Sebenza either, I switched to the BM 710 in M2 for hard use, and a variety of slip joints and similiar (Opinel, etc) for a pure cutting folder.

The 710, when properly tuned ala Joe Talmadge's FAQ, will outcut a Sebenza, is easier to carry, faster to draw and deploy, the G10 is much more secure with a compromised grip than slick Ti (sweat, grese, soap, etc), the M2 steel allows for a thinner edge than even the CRK BG42 (the best of the stainless in terms of edge holding balanced against toughness for my sues). I have had no issues with corrosion, and the Axis lock is rock solid and every stable, IMHO the best lock made today.

I have not used the S30V Sebenza, but can not imagine that it is superior to the BM 710 for my uses.
 
knifetester said:
Nice profile for a very hard use knife, but not optimal for cutting efficiency.
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The edge on this one runs at 0.030-0.035", that is where I would put a large bowie I intended for heavy knot cutting, so yeah, it is fairly overkill on a folder unless you want it to be able to baton through heavy metals and bone quickly. It seems to be Benchmades viewpoint in general though not something restricted to this knife.

The Skirimsh probably has better ergonomics from a tactical standpoint, as the grip is very secure in a sabre or ice pick grip, with the Sebenza having a more utility orieneted ergonmic profile in that it is more comfotable in a variety of positions.
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The Skirmish is indexed which makes it fairly awkward in reverse grips, but it isn't as bad as I would call it uncomfortable, and it is well rounded everywhere unlike the Byrd Meadowlark which had a fairly pointy index finger apex which needed to be filed.

The clip is also well done, much easier on the hand than a lot of Spyderco's I have handled and usually dremel. I recall the Sebenza as being fairly boxy grip wise, I just picked up one awhile ago so I'll recheck my impression then.

Lockup is solid, no blade play, the liner sticks and needs a lot more force to release than the Military, Rat Trap, etc., but that is common to a lot of integrals.

Also, I do not care for the clip on the Skirmish, and I think you will find the knife much more comfortable to use with it removed.
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There are few clips that I have seen which don't readily induce ergonomic issues, is this more so with the Skirmish with you in general? If I grab it and squeeze really hard I index hot spots from the scales before the clip, the edges of the scales are broken but not fully rounded. I can't recall, does Reeve fully round the scales like he does the spine?

I have not used the S30V Sebenza, but can not imagine that it is superior to the BM 710 for my uses.
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I can't imagine it is superior to the older ones, dropping the hardness wasn't a positive move for many performance issues. I would rather he pushed it up, it isn't like there were are a lot of people chipping the old BG-42 ones. Most of them I would imagine get lighter use, not cutting metals, bone, dirt, etc. . I think I'll see if Wilson can't reharden the one I have and do a before and after comparison.

I also have to pick up a 710 M2, that is one of the standout folders on the market now from many respects. Have you used the Ritter Grip or Dozier's Ka-Bar folders, especially the new D2 line. I would be interested to know the edge profiles on them, and how Ka-Bar handled the D2.

-Cliff
 
There are few clips that I have seen which don't readily induce ergonomic issues, is this more so with the Skirmish with you in general? If I grab it and squeeze really hard I index hot spots from the scales before the clip, the edges of the scales are broken but not fully rounded. I can't recall, does Reeve fully round the scales like he does the spine?
Click to expand...

I don't care for clips in general when using the knife, though it can make knives easier to carry of course. Still, the Skirmish stands out as a bad clip design, whereas the 710 is acceptable, as is the Sebenza.

The handle Scales from CRK are boxy, but several custom makers smooth them out, see Matt Cucharia (Pontiaker) work for an excellent example.

also have to pick up a 710 M2, that is one of the standout folders on the market now from many respects. Have you used the Ritter Grip or Dozier's Ka-Bar folders, especially the new D2 line. I would be interested to know the edge profiles on them, and how Ka-Bar handled the D2.
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I have not used the K-bar Dozier, but it is on my to buy list (the AUS8 spearpoint at $20, I don't like the D2's profile with the mid grind, nro do I trust KBar to nail the D2 heat treat, they will probably treat it soft to keep production costs down as they are proabably grinding from hardned stock).> I have handled the Ritter recently, great blade design and if it had G10 scales like the 710 I would buy one (both the large and mini) in a heart beat. I thought the FRN felt kinda cheap.

The 710 also has a more subtle recurve, just enough to add to slicing ability on pull cuts, but not so much as to interfer with push cutting, and enhances use as a draw knife.

The 710 hass thinner stock, and the primary grind is more acute. The point is about perfection in a folder, pointy enough yet durable. The tip on the Skirmish is much thicker, and the massive blade width makes it less useful to me. While that massive width would be useful from a defensive standoint (think Roman Gladius), for my uses it is inferior.

The 710 really is a nice knife, I have been carrying one for about 5 years, not EDC but when I need a hard use knife.

Edge holding is excellent, though I have not used the S30v Skirmish enough to form an opinion as to its edge holding for comparison.
 
QUOTE=knifetester]The handle Scales from CRK are boxy, but several custom makers smooth them out, see Matt Cucharia (Pontiaker) work for an excellent example.[/quote]
Yeah, but then when you add this to the already high price of the knife, well I would look directly towards things like :

http://www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com/martac.htm

which is the problem with the Sebenza in general, not its performance directly which is fairly solid, but its price range considering what is available now compared to 5-10 years ago.

-Cliff
 
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