Benchmade Adamas realization

[MadeOnABench]

Like many folks in this thread, "apparently" is used quite frequently... as though folks have not tried the Adamas but are going on what somebody posts.

For anyone in this thread wants to actually try one out but just can't pull the trigger, I got a brand new one I'll send you for a hell of a deal, just so we can add one more objective post.

Because apparently, real world experience with pieces like this is dwarfed by the opinions of YouTube influencers and "well-I-heard" types.

Tell me more about this brand new Adamas you're selling for cheap. Asking for more "objective experience" and definitely NOT because I just want to add another butterfly to the collection...

 

[veeteetee]

I have three BMs on hand right now and out of curisioty made the spine whack test for them, hitting them against a dry piece of birch firewood:
*Kulgera from 2010: the Axis Lock opens
*Adamas from 2012: the Axis Lock remains closed
*Presedio from 2020: the Axis Lock opens
All of these have been heavily used and even abused w/o any design related problems.

Please note I use the expression "opens", not "fails", mainly because I don´t regard the test particularly realistic; I´ve never found any real reason to spine whack ANY folder and I do have a couple of hundred of them and have carried folders for 40+ years.

It would be most helpful if someone with access to ultra high speed video recorded what is ACTUALLY happening when the Axis Lock opens in spine whack test.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

I have three BMs on hand right now and out of curisioty made the spine whack test for them, hitting them against a dry piece of birch firewood:
*Kulgera from 2010: the Axis Lock opens
*Adamas from 2012: the Axis Lock remains closed
*Presedio from 2020: the Axis Lock opens
All of these have been heavily used and even abused w/o any design related problems.

Please note I use the expression "opens", not "fails", mainly because I don´t regard the test particularly realistic; I´ve never found any real reason to spine whack ANY folder and I do have a couple of hundred of them and have carried folders for 40+ years.

It would be most helpful if someone with access to ultra high speed video recorded what is ACTUALLY happening when the Axis Lock opens in spine whack test.

Perhaps the thicker blade transfers more energy to the lock causing it to bump out of place.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Tested these two out this morning. Two layers of thin dish towel over a 50lb dumbbell (to protect the blade). 10 medium speed whacks. Neither lock budged.
So I'm satisfied with my samples for my needs.

 

[LLRJ17]

I’ve been thinking about getting an Adamas, but I’m concerned it might not function well if I ran it over with my car.

It just needs to be rescued from inside of a block of ice first.

 

[MBG]

My old D2 Adamas passed the spine whack test.

 

[Drop bear]

Like many folks in this thread, "apparently" is used quite frequently... as though folks have not tried the Adamas but are going on what somebody posts.

For anyone in this thread wants to actually try one out but just can't pull the trigger, I got a brand new one I'll send you for a hell of a deal, just so we can add one more objective post.

Because apparently, real world experience with pieces like this is dwarfed by the opinions of YouTube influencers and "well-I-heard" types.

Yeah. But I can see a youtuber use the knife and what is the outcome of that.

I cannot see this real world experience.

I am not going to buy the Adamas and baton with it to find out myself. That is silly.

I might buy a knife I have seen someone else baton with.

Mabye just do the tests that people are concerned a out with yours and video that.

 

[nosuchagency]

Wait; started a fire so you can see smoke and then back away from the smoke to find the trail when you're lost?

Is that some new style of counter survival?

 

[Velitrius]

I am not going to buy the Adamas and baton with it to find out myself. That is silly.

Mabye just do the tests that people are concerned a out with yours and video that.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm not going to buy ANY folder with the intention of batoning with it. Silly is absolutely correct.

And in that thinking, I'm not going to baton with this Adamas for any reason, research included.

But I would have zero issues using it very hard, and I implore anybody else considering one to do the same, hence my offer to let it go to a new home.

If it wasn't so dang big I'd keep it with zero worries about its performance.

 

[Delta-v]

I have two Mini Adamas models and both hold up fine with a moderate thwack against a 2x4, which i consider to be fairly realistic approximation of the kind of accidental spine strike that might happen. Neither has ever had a problem and they are two of my favorite knives. Batoning with a folder is not a use case I'm willing to consider because it's silly.

I wonder if the unlocking during batoning is due to the inertia of the lockbar. The Adamas lockbar is a bit beefier and therefore its inertia might overcome the resistance of the springs easier. A sudden strike on the tip of the knife that's sitting at an angle on the wood's surface then results in an abrupt rotation of the knife. The knife moves away from the lockbar due to its inertia, putting the knife in an unlocked position. The Bugout has a smaller lockbar that's made from titanium, so it would have much less inertia and maybe the springs can overcome it. Regardless this is all hypothetical because as I said before batoning is not something I expect of a folder.

 

[tony281sc2]

In the second video they are using dead blow and a rubber mallet. The premise of the test seems intended to show how well the edge held up. Can see how someone would think it was a batoning endorsement tho.

Damn, I’m convinced…, if a folder can handle stuff like that (batoning w/ rubber mallet), it’s strong enough for 99.99% of my use

 

[kafolarbear]

Damn, I’m convinced…, if a folder can handle stuff like that (batoning w/ rubber mallet), it’s strong enough for 99.99% of my use

I think a lot of people mistake a batonning test or a spine whack test as an endorsement for batonning with a folder, which it's not. But when you have a supposed hard use knife, not only failing in youtube videos but also for multiple users here, where knives like the bugout which are not marketed as "hard use" are not failing, you have to wonder exactly what is "hard use" about it. I understand, even if the lock fails with a spine whack, that doesn't make the knife useless, and it's still probably safe to use for 99% of tasks. But when you get into "hard use" territory, or you're specifically marketing a knife as a near indestructible tank, you'd hope the knife lock would take more than a simple spine whack to fail, which is something I can't be confident of with my mini-Adamas, and it looks like I'm far from the only one.

 

[tony281sc2]

I think a lot of people mistake a batonning test or a spine whack test as an endorsement for batonning with a folder, which it's not. But when you have a supposed hard use knife, not only failing in youtube videos but also for multiple users here, where knives like the bugout which are not marketed as "hard use" are not failing, you have to wonder exactly what is "hard use" about it. I understand, even if the lock fails with a spine whack, that doesn't make the knife useless, and it's still probably safe to use for 99% of tasks. But when you get into "hard use" territory, or you're specifically marketing a knife as a near indestructible tank, you'd hope the knife lock would take more than a simple spine whack to fail, which is something I can't be confident of with my mini-Adamas, and it looks like I'm far from the only one.

People used to say zero tolerance knives failed the whack off tests too. They still buy them and no one talks about it anymore.
It’s silly, abusive and pointless. I still have all 10 digits. But I don’t do stupid things with folders. They make fixed blades for a reason. They can make a folder plenty tough but none will ever be as tough as a fixed blade, and it’s silly to compare them imo
Edit to add: I don’t own the adamas, but almost all my Zt folders have a flipper/finger guard to protect your hand in case the lock fails anyway, so that point is moot

 

[smokededge]

I should just leave this here... (I know it isn't the same model but the lock is the same.)

 

[kafolarbear]

People used to say zero tolerance knives failed the whack off tests too. They still buy them and no one talks about it anymore.
It’s silly, abusive and pointless. I still have all 10 digits. But I don’t do stupid things with folders. They make fixed blades for a reason. They can make a folder plenty tough but none will ever be as tough as a fixed blade, and it’s silly to compare them imo
Edit to add: I don’t own the adamas, but almost all my Zt folders have a flipper/finger guard to protect your hand in case the lock fails anyway, so that point is moot

All I'm saying is don't market a folder as "hard use" if it's lock fails where most other locks don't. People always argue that a certain test is "silly" or "abusive" but then ignore that some knives actually can handle these tests, and that's exactly why they're useful, to show us what's just marketing nonsense versus what actually works well. If lock strength was a complete non-factor after all, slip joints would still be popular. Marketing a product as being able to withstand abuse and then having it not withstand abuse is disingenuous, and it's surprising to see so many people here attacking those who's "hard use" knives did not stand up to either actual hard use or tests that could be indicative or performance during "hard use" that plenty of other knives pass with flying colors rather than question why these products aren't performing as advertised.

 

[kafolarbear]

I should just leave this here... (I know it isn't the same model but the lock is the same.)

DBK also has a video with the mini-adamas where its lock fails, and another with the bugout where the lock holds up. Not all axis locks are built the same.

 

[smokededge]

DBK also has a video with the mini-adamas where its lock fails, and another with the bugout where the lock holds up. Not all axis locks are built the same.

Well then, BM is just trash, I guess. I'm going to give all of mine away since I can't, in good conscience, sell them for money. I've been carrying and using all of these Benchmade knives for so many years and completely unbeknownst to me, they don't even work! I feel foolish. If I can't find my next new folder to use on my upcoming 'life & death' family camping trip then I'll have to cancel! Tell me, is there a folder you do recommend I replace my Benchmade'with? Keep in mind I want the same steels, same heat treat quality, same one-hand opening and closing, same ergos and same warranty? And if you mention using a fixed blade for this type of camping trip I won't have it, I just won't have it!

 

[kafolarbear]

Well then, BM is just trash, I guess. I'm going to give all of mine away since I can't, in good conscience, sell them for money. I've been carrying and using all of these Benchmade knives for so many years and completely unbeknownst to me, they don't even work! I feel foolish. If I can't find my next new folder to use on my upcoming 'life & death' family camping trip then I'll have to cancel! Tell me, is there a folder you do recommend I replace my Benchmade'with? Keep in mind I want the same steels, same heat treat quality, same one-hand opening and closing, same ergos and same warranty? And if you mention using a fixed blade for this type of camping trip I won't have it, I just won't have it!

It's crazy you're putting up this strawman of me because I didn't say or even imply any of these statements you're attributing to me. Hell, I even said I like my mini-adamas earlier in this thread and that even with the relatively weak lock, it would be fine for 99% of knife uses. If you like the axis lock and benchmade designs, I'm almost certain your benchmades will serve you well for many years to come. All I'm saying, is that a knife marketed as "hard use"- for that 1% of knife uses where you actually need as strong a knife as possible- should not be failing a basic lock test that plenty of other knives with the same locking mechanism and even made by the same brand are passing.

The only folder I carry with any sort of frequency is a sebenza 31, and I'm under no illusions that I should be prying, batonning or generally using it for anything other than cutting, but it's also not marketed as a hard use knife is it? Hell I agree with you, I mostly carry fixed blades wherever I go and don't use folders for anything other than social events or if I don't feel like having a bulky fixed blade with me. That being said, it's kind of weird that my dainty Sebenza 31 can withstand something as simple as spine whack and my supposedly hard use mini-Adamas cannot. It's even weirder that people here are so quick to be personally offended when I say that benchmade should either fix the problem or be honest in their marketing. And hey, maybe my mini adamas is a lemon. But as we can see from this thread, I'm far from the only one who's encountered this issue, so it definitely seems to be a defect occurring way too frequently on a $290 MSRP knife that from Benchmades' own website supposedly "upholds the tradition of rugged reliability set forth by it’s full-sized predecessors".

 

[J. Doyle]

.....the minimal abuse that knife should take.....

I have a question about this specific comment. Why should any knife be expected to take any abuse, regardless of how minimal?

I'm not a Benchmade fan boy, just to be clear. I've owned a few with no issues at all. I don't currently own any.

The problems here are these:

1. Batonning with any knife, ESPECIALLY a folder, is doing something with a knife it isn't really designed to do. Yes I know it happens frequently and yes I know untold thousands of knives do it without fail.

2. Introducing a sudden heavy impact to a knife edge or other parts is very difficult to measure in any type of controlled, repeatable manner. There are too many variables. The more variables that are introduced makes it that much more difficult to measure or predict. 10,000 of the same knife model might have no issue while another 200 of the same model might have an issue.

Which leads back to point #1......people should stop using knives for things they weren't designed for OR, AT THE VERY LEAST, don't be surprised if they use a knife for a task it wasn't intended for and it doesn't turn out as they expected.

 

[jux t]

I have a question about this specific comment. Why should any knife be expected to take any abuse, regardless of how minimal?

I'm not a Benchmade fan boy, just to be clear. I've owned a few with no issues at all. I don't currently own any.

The problems here are these:

1. Batonning with any knife, ESPECIALLY a folder, is doing something with a knife it isn't really designed to do. Yes I know it happens frequently and yes I know untold thousands of knives do it without fail.

2. Introducing a sudden heavy impact to a knife edge or other parts is very difficult to measure in any type of controlled, repeatable manner. There are too many variables. Yhe more variables that are introduced makes it that much more difficult to measure or predict. 10,000 of the same knife model might have no issue while another 200 of the same model might have an issue.

Which leads back to point #1......people should stop using knives for things they weren't designed for OR, AT THE VERY LEAST, don't be surprised if they use a knife for a task it wasn't intended for and it doesn't turn out as they expected.

What about the first problem OP encountered, where the lock gave while cutting plastic straps? Should an Adamas not be expected to stay locked while cutting thick or tough material?

There’s no excuse for a knife marketed towards heavy use to come unlocked because it got bound up while cutting thick material.

Should a heavy duty folder be able to stab without coming unlocked? Because that too can put downward pressure on the blade.

Some members here suggest that folders should only be limited to the lightest cutting duties, and fixed blades for everything else. Personally, I’m not always going to tote a fixed blade, so I choose folding knives that won’t fold under light downward pressure because I want them for more than just cutting strings and apples.