Benchmade 890 Steigerwalt Torrent Overview, First Impressions and Thoughts

[Tyronethepro]

Well today I broke down and bought a knife I've wanted for a while. The Benchmade 890 Torrent. This Ken Steigerwalt design is 8.2 inches long with a 3.6 inch blade length and a thickness of .100 on the blade, also, the thickness of the handle is .6 inches. It weighs a very light 3.5oz.
Picking this knife up and opening it, the first thing I noticed is that the Nitrous Assist kicks the blade out with authority. The 154CM drop point blade is razor sharp from the factory, literally hair popping sharp. The G10 handles are incredibly smooth, and finished very nicely, almost reminding me of black micarta. The backspacer has some jimping on it to aid in grip, which is much appreciated due to the severe smoothness of the polished G10 scales. I've heard some people knock the liners for being too thin, they seem to be about the same thickness as the liners on my Buck Vantage Force Pro S30V, just not as stiff.
GOOD: Made in USA. G10 Handles. Premium Blade Steel. Nitrous Assist.
BAD: Exceptionally smooth G10 scales are a little slippery.
UGLY: None.
I'd give it an overall of 45/50. Just because the G10 scales seem a little slippery to me, and the carry options aren't friendly to left handers or those who prefer tip up carry.

 

[litetube]

how about some pics? whats a review with no pics?

 

[bdmicarta]

I've watched them for awhile with interest. I've kicked myself for missing out a couple of good deals I found recently too. Benchmade is my favorite knife company and I've bought a few other models recently so my knife buying is on hold for awhile.

 

[BITEME]

Got a used (lnib) one a few weeks,I really like it ,the liner lock seems real easy to disengage,almost a worn out feel ,but it definitely gets the job done,everything else is awesome.

 

[Gunsnknives]

I have an 890 Torrent and LOVE the lines of the knife. The glass breaker/pommel is a nice touch. My biggest issue is the liner lock itself. On my blade, the liner lock sometimes doesn't engage? However, when it does, it engages the full liner + a little bit. There must be play in the mechanism or in the pivot for this to happen.

I pretty much love everything else about it. Even though the handles are smooth, they are attractive.

 

[Tyronethepro]

Litetube, I'll try to get some pictures up when I figure out my new camera, my SD card refuses to work in my card reader. BD, i'd highly recommend this knife, its got clean sleek lines, and its really a work of top notch craftsmanship, when your knifebuying gets back on GO, i'd give this knife a try. Guns I had the same problem when I used mine for a little while, I loctited the pivot screw and tightened it just enough so the assist would kick it out fast, and it cleared that problem right up.

 

[mqqn]

Thanks for the review -

I have had mine for a year now and I really like the knife.

I don't dock it for the smooth scales - they seem just fine to me, they feel nice to the touch.

I also love the low-rider clip - looks great and rides completely out of sight.

here are some pictures until you get yours -

best

mqqn

 

[Tyronethepro]

Thanks for the pics mqqn :thumbup: the low clip works great and looks classy, i'm glad i'm ambidextrous so I can use my right hand on it.