Benchmade 737 Aileron

[19-3ben]

Perhap, those little grooves would be helpful in opening a knife while falling at high altitude high opening free fall during combat, or being ready before hitting the ground.

OK, so full disclosure here, I've never jumped out of an airplane. I mostly fly Southwest, and for whatever reason, they get real finicky about guys leaping from planes mid-flight.

That said, I'm pretty sure that opening a folding knife while plummeting from the sky so that you are holding an exposed blade in your hand WHEN YOU LAND is pretty much a huge no-no. Any former airborne types on the forum feel like clarifying the official position on creating a situation where there is a high likelihood of stabbing yourself?

 

[BMCGear]

Thats why I said mostly. Benchmade always makes some awesome knives. But this thing, and their "spike", fixed blade infidels, the $550 balisong targeted at the bali flippers which cant even compete with the alpha beast (which is the pinacle of production balisong perfection) and then the freaking cigar cutter, but they discontinue the 710 for this stuff? Then they raise their prices ontop of it. I stand by my previous statement, benchmade has been mostly missing the mark.

Many of us feel this way but we are apparently the minority. Benchmade has settled into a groove of offering knives with mainly G10 and S30v for around the $200 mark. When they do release a knife in a more current blade steel and or carbon fiber/titanium the price jumps drastically.

 

[Quiet]

Many of us feel this way but we are apparently the minority. Benchmade has settled into a groove of offering knives with mainly G10 and S30v for around the $200 mark. When they do release a knife in a more current blade steel and or carbon fiber/titanium the price jumps drastically.

This is pretty much why nothing of theirs appeals to me.

 

[Planterz]

Obviously we need more professional tape cutters to design a knife for BM.

It's my understanding that the target audiences are those in the Federal Flight Deck Officer's program - which includes pistol training for armed pilots (on civilian flights) - and those in the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). If this isn't you (it's not me), the knife might not meet your requirements... Although I definitely plan on trying to handle one when it gets to my local dealer.

Again, I don't know why they don't use knife internet forum members as federal agency instructors, but according to Gunsite Academy where Mr. Tarani is "on staff", here is his Mc'background:

"Mr. Tarani, formerly sworn in the states of CA and NV, is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) full-time employee who served in force protection including firearms instruction, was also formerly on staff at the US Dept. of Energy (DOE) National Security Institute (Security Force Training Dept.) at Kirtland Air Force Base (NM) teaching firearms and defensive tactics. He is a federally certified force options instructor actively contracted by the US Department of Defense, National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, and remains an advisor to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Holding numerous federal firearms instructor certifications: US Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Firearms Certified Instructor (FITP), US Department of Energy (DOE) Firearms Certified Instructor, US Department of Defense Security Center Firearms Instructor, etc., Steve has been on staff at Gunsite since 1997 teaching Defensive Tactics, CQB, Pistol and Carbine."

OK, he's a badass. So buying the knife makes me a badass too, right?

I put on my Air Jordans, drink some Gatorade, and wear Hanes underpants, and I'll be slamming dunks and eating McDonald's with Larry Bird, right? Well, probably not. I might have to learn to play basketball too.

And to be an expert knife fighter, I'd probably have to take a few classes, with or without this Benchmade 737 (I just flew to San Diego and back in a 737 - does that count for anything?).

But why the heck is this a full-production knife from one of the industry's leading high-end knife manufacturers? How on Earth can they afford to spend all the man hours and retooling just for this extremely niche product?

The only way they'd sell more than a handful of these is by making sure they talk as much about Tarani's qualifications as they can and how much of a badass he is. Make sure they show him fighting guys with bats and knives. 2 at a time if possible. Benchmade sells the knives, Tarani takes his royalties cut.



And that's fine. No different than Bram Frank, James Keating, Fred Perrin, and Steven Seagal have done. In this case though, the puffery has been elevated to buffoonery. Nobody's disputing Tarani's abilities or qualifications. But this special knife, with its grippy part made specifically for Tarani's "innovative" method of opening a knife, smacks loudly of a 19th century traveling salesman selling snake oil.

Frankly, if Benchmade had marketed this (or the laser etched grippy part) as a hunting knife, meant for (gasp) hunters who might have difficulty opening a knife in the "regular" (for our time) one-handed manner because of they're wearing gloves and/or are slick with blood. That, at least, I would believe without rolling my eyes and laughing.

 

[stabman]

The Buck/Strider/Tarani folder had grippy stippling on the same area this knife has texturing.
It's just something he puts on some of his designs to make it easier to grip to open.

At least this laser checkering won't impede cutting the way the sandpaper-like stippling did on that Buck knife.
Strangely, I don't remember any crying or gnashing of teeth over Buck putting out that knife.

 

[stonproject]

OK, he's a badass. So buying the knife makes me a badass too, right?

I put on my Air Jordans, drink some Gatorade, and wear Hanes underpants, and I'll be slamming dunks and eating McDonald's with Larry Bird, right? Well, probably not. I might have to learn to play basketball too.

And to be an expert knife fighter, I'd probably have to take a few classes, with or without this Benchmade 737 (I just flew to San Diego and back in a 737 - does that count for anything?).

But why the heck is this a full-production knife from one of the industry's leading high-end knife manufacturers? How on Earth can they afford to spend all the man hours and retooling just for this extremely niche product?

The only way they'd sell more than a handful of these is by making sure they talk as much about Tarani's qualifications as they can and how much of a badass he is. Make sure they show him fighting guys with bats and knives. 2 at a time if possible. Benchmade sells the knives, Tarani takes his royalties cut.



And that's fine. No different than Bram Frank, James Keating, Fred Perrin, and Steven Seagal have done. In this case though, the puffery has been elevated to buffoonery. Nobody's disputing Tarani's abilities or qualifications. But this special knife, with its grippy part made specifically for Tarani's "innovative" method of opening a knife, smacks loudly of a 19th century traveling salesman selling snake oil.

Frankly, if Benchmade had marketed this (or the laser etched grippy part) as a hunting knife, meant for (gasp) hunters who might have difficulty opening a knife in the "regular" (for our time) one-handed manner because of they're wearing gloves and/or are slick with blood. That, at least, I would believe without rolling my eyes and laughing.

a lot of perrins knives work as utility knives, and they look good. Some of Tarani's designs even look nice. I just think this thing looks goofy

 

[Planterz]

a lot of perrins knives work as utility knives, and they look good.

My Street Beat is one of my favorites.

 

[19-3ben]

Am I the only one who is surprised to see this come out if Benchmade rather than Cold Steel?

Tarani’s resume, totally sounds like Lynn Thompson wrote it, and the video of him disarming multiple attackers looks for all the world like something the CS marketing department would produce.

 

[Quiet]

Am I the only one who is surprised to see this come out if Benchmade rather than Cold Steel?

Tarani’s resume, totally sounds like Lynn Thompson wrote it, and the video of him disarming multiple attackers looks for all the world like something the CS marketing department would produce.

Ehhhh, too small. If you can't bludgeon a rubber training dummy to death, chop through four inch thick rope in a single swing, or throw it twenty feet away through a wooden interior door, CS wants nothing to do with that design.

 

[19-3ben]

Ehhhh, too small. If you can't bludgeon a rubber training dummy to death, chop through four inch thick rope in a single swing, or throw it twenty feet away through a wooden interior door, CS wants nothing to do with that design.

Ah yes, but you’re missing the best feature. Due to the high traction blade, you can still open it when your fingers are gooey from hacking through pig carcasses and stuffing boots full of meat.

So really, if you stuff boots full of meat on a day to day basis, this may be just the knife for you!

 

[Quiet]

Ah yes, but you’re missing the best feature. Due to the high traction blade, you can still open it when your fingers are gooey from hacking through pig carcasses and stuffing boots full of meat.

So really, if you stuff boots full of meat on a day to day basis, this may be just the knife for you!

Hmmmm...a compelling point, admittedly. Plus, it seems small enough, I could stuff it in one of my quasi-Nazi/semi-70's motorcycle cop boots when it wasn't needed, so there's that!

 

[stonproject]

Ehhhh, too small. If you can't bludgeon a rubber training dummy to death, chop through four inch thick rope in a single swing, or throw it twenty feet away through a wooden interior door, CS wants nothing to do with that design.

Even their katanas are abnormally thick. They're nice though.

If CS didn't lay the cringey marketing on so thick I may own a few of their products.

 

[Lapedog]

My Street Beat is one of my favorites.

That knife needs to be put in the knife hall of fame.

Perrin actually I haven’t seen doing videos like this. Not saying they aren’t out there, just that his knives are unique and extremely well thought out and sell on their own merits.

I admit I am a sucker for Craig Douglas aka Southnark and his pikal stuff. But one thing he always stresses is that he doesn’t find training against non fully resisting opponents is very helpful.

 

[Airborne 1]

What a ignorant name for a knife ! Benchmade is really scrapping the bottom of the barrel on this
one !

 

[P2P]

I’m with the first 5 pages, what they said.

 

[Makael]

The Buck/Strider/Tarani folder had grippy stippling on the same area this knife has texturing.
It's just something he puts on some of his designs to make it easier to grip to open.

At least this laser checkering won't impede cutting the way the sandpaper-like stippling did on that Buck knife.
Strangely, I don't remember any crying or gnashing of teeth over Buck putting out that knife.

No stippling action while cutting. No cutting impedment. Grip on the blade to swing open one handed maybe.

 

[knarfeng]

Keep the comments on track. They need to be about the knife, not taking pot shots at other posters. Keep the character attacks in Whine and Cheese.

 

[dkb45]

What a ignorant name for a knife ! Benchmade is really scrapping the bottom of the barrel on this
one !

The aileron is the hinged back part of the wing of an aircraft, how is that ignorant? Please don't tell me it's a colloquial term for something awful...

 

[Airborne 1]

The aileron is the hinged back part of the wing of an aircraft, how is that ignorant? Please don't tell me it's a colloquial term for something awful...

Yes sir I know what a aileron is and also a 737. What do they and this knife have in common ? They're something I'm missing here !

 

[Makael]

Lots of knives have names that make no sense. Like an overseas knife that has American in the name. Lol