Benchmade Activator 201-211 Set

R

Ruder

Joined
Mar 20, 2014
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Hello everyone, Im new to the forums, Im requesting your help in new purchases I want to make. I want your opinion on these fixed blades, the smaller one would be for maybe EDC, and the bigger blade for the woods and such. Any comments, ideas, please help me. thank you, have a good day. Im adding a link to my folder so you guys can also comment on that one but im mostly looking for advice on the other two.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/201 <----- Bigger Blade

http://www.benchmade.com/products/211 <----- Small EDC

http://www.benchmade.com/products/583-1 <---- I own one of these
 
Welcome to the forum, Ruder. Those are all good knives. I like Benchmade's D2 at that hardness. I have the larger Activator, and it took a really nice edge at 30 degrees inclusive. The ergos are excellent. The quality of materials is also excellent. The only nit I have with it is that the knife can be pulled fairly easily from the sheath when the strap is still snapped.

You might also check out Dozier's small fixed blades at AG Russell. They have a hollow-ground blade, which makes for better slicing, and the legendary Dozier heat treat. Dozier's small personal EDC comes with a horizontal-carry Kydex sheath that holds the knive very securely.
 
How do you sharpen the d2 steel? do you use any special equipment to sharpen?, what angle does this knife have?; also can you school me on proper d2 blade care, and any gear I might need for maintenance, and would you happen to know if they make any custom grips or sheath for the 201 activator?
 
Ruder said:
How do you sharpen the d2 steel? do you use any special equipment to sharpen?, what angle does this knife have?; also can you school me on proper d2 blade care, and any gear I might need for maintenance, and would you happen to know if they make any custom grips or sheath for the 201 activator?
Click to expand...

I don't know about this knife specifically, but most Benchmades come from the factory with an edge between 45 and 50 degrees inclusive. Reprofiling does take a while with their harder steels like D2.
 
I have some portable dmt diamond sharpeners, for reprofilling I would problably just send it off somewhere to get serviced; Im just a bit worried about the d2 steel rusting on me and such.
 
D2 can certainly rust, but it's going to fare a lot better than, say, 1095. As long as you keep it oiled you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you're planning to use it around water a lot, I would probably recommend another steel though. You will also need to be careful about abusing D2, as it is fairly brittle and has low impact resistance (ie, no batonning or prying if you want it to last).
 
D2 is semi-stainless. I've never had trouble with it rusting, as long as I take reasonable care of it. It will rust, but not as quickly as some of the carbon steels such as O1.

I don't remember what the factory edge angle was on my Activator -- factory edges tend to vary anyway. I like to take all my edges down to 30 degrees inclusive to improve the cutting ability of the knife. I use diamond stones to reprofile -- in this case I used the Wicked Edge sharpener. The new Ken Onion edition of the Worksharp has degree settings. It's not too expensive and it is easy to use. You can find reviews in the Maintenance, Repair and Tinkering subforum.

A number of people on the forum will sharpen your knife to your specifications. Others can make sheaths. There is a subforum here where they advertise.

There are some newer steels out there that can offer incredible performance, such as CPM M4 (not stainless), M390, Elmax, S35VN, S90V that work well for multi-purpose knives. D2 also comes in a powder form, CPM D2, which is tougher and more wear resistant than regular D2.

Some of the better steels allow the knife to have a thinner blade and edge profile to greatly increase their cutting efficiency.
 
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If corrosion resistance and sharpenability are major concerns of yours, you might want to look into something in VG-10 instead.
Some examples in the same size class:
Fallkniven A1
Spyderco Bill Moran
Spyderco Enuff
Spyderco Fred Perrin Street Beat
Spyderco Lum Tanto (only one of these with wood handles if that's something you're looking for)
EDIT: The Lum Tanto doesn't have wood handles, it's paperstone. Looked like wood in the thumbnail.

Alternatively, any of the stainless Moras will make a good woods knife.
 
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Aren't they all discontinued knives? I have not seen any of them in shops for a couple of years or so.
 
You can still find them around, not many are available but a few are.

I want a fix blade I already own a folder, I am not sure if the esee line in 440c is any good (izula 2,esse 3, esse 4)? or maybe bark river?
 
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I haven't handled the 440C models, but all the ESEE knives that I've used have been fantastic. They're some of my favorite fixed blades, along with Becker.
 
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