BENCHMADE ADIRA -thoughts?

Monofletch

Monofletch

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
9,829
I just fondled the BENCHMADE ADIRA at Bass Pro. The large is pretty big, 9”….. the mini is more normal size. 7.46”
I have to say the blue is okay and the orange lanyard needs to go…. But I really liked them both. It’s almost a Griptilian XL!

Anyone own one yet?

IMG_9110.jpeg
 
Quiet Quiet
does.

Quiet

Thread 'Benchmade Water Series Adira (Full Size) Review:'

Today, I wanted to get a quick review of one of Benchmade's newest knives set down while my initial impressions are still fresh. I received this knife yesterday from one of our sponsored vendors, KnifeCenter and I'm actually carrying and using it some today! Benchmade has not been impressing me lately with their pricing, so I was pleasantly surprised at what these knives are going for. Is it still an expensive knife? Absolutely, at $250, it's not going to make anybody's "Cheap Winners" lists. However, given that most decent, American-Made knives are all in this neighborhood these...
  • Like
  • Love
 
I have the mini. (I handled the large, but it is just a bit too big for me).

I really like it. It has a thinner blade and better slicing geometry than the Griptilian, and I’m not going to complain about Magnacut (though I certainly do not have a problem with S30V). I will say that the handle is a little less versatile in shape than the Griptilian handle. I kind of like the blue color of the scales, but ditched the lanyard immediately. Wish the thumb stud was just satin, but that’s a small gripe.

I like the graphite scale colors of the new Adiras they just added for 2025, but I cannot figure out for the life of my why the coated the blades. Hate the blade coating and it seems totally unnecessary for Magnacut.
 
No recess on the pocket clip and the screws aren't countersunk.
Pretty sure you had an issue with that on your Microtech MSI.
Might want to check reviews for that.
 
I totally missed Quiet's review, but it seems spot on and up my alley.

I am a vocal fan of the Adamas line. It's the only knife I have an example of the full size and mini in both the standard and automatic versions...but dang are they overly heavy.

This seems like a good way to split the difference in having a full size hard use blade shape and size without being a massive boat anchor.

It's near the top of my "how am I gonna burn a little cash" list, for sure.
 
I'm mostly curious how the omegas will hold up in a knife that's meant to be wet. I don't mind the lanyard, but I'd maybe ditch the clip completely and re-tie the cord into a true wrist strap like any other knife that I would use over water. I've come close to getting one, but end up buying other knives instead. ...or one of these days a big magnet, then maybe a free Adira out of the lake.
 
I use a Spyderco Aqua Salt and Manix salt in the water and really want to like the Adira but it looks too heavy and I am not sure what parts are actually not going to rust. My Manix Salt has been left in a saltwater soaked swimsuit for days with no ill effect. I expect that of a water knife.
 
DMG said:
I use a Spyderco Aqua Salt and Manix salt in the water and really want to like the Adira but it looks too heavy and I am not sure what parts are actually not going to rust. My Manix Salt has been left in a saltwater soaked swimsuit for days with no ill effect. I expect that of a water knife.
Click to expand...
Yeah the internal metal parts of these do rust, which includes the omega springs and can't be good for their lifespan. There been a lot of buzz around that. It's really a regular knife with a Magnacut blade, which would get a lot less flak and be fine if they didn't market it quite as they do (like the Magnacut 940 and others).
 
kreole said:
Yeah the internal metal parts of these do rust, which includes the omega springs and can't be good for their lifespan. There been a lot of buzz around that. It's really a regular knife with a Magnacut blade, which would get a lot less flak and be fine if they didn't market it quite as they do (like the Magnacut 940 and others).
Click to expand...
This is ultimately my view of it. I put up a review thread, and someone posted up some Youtube videos showing the rusting liners issue, and all I could do is chuckle because it's entirely unsurprising. It doesn't/didn't bother me personally, because I am not a boating fan, nor do I live/work near a shoreline. My Adira won't ever be submerged in water. But, my ultimate takeaway on this was: if you are/do any of those things, then just get a Salt and call it a day. At the time, I was just happy to have a large sized knife with a MagnaCut blade and a crossbar lock and the price of entry didn't bother me. I still enjoy my Adira, and I've used it on various tasks like cardboard breakdown, food prep, and general EDC tasks and it's excelled at each, so I remain happy with the purchase, for what it's worth.
 
Quiet said:
This is ultimately my view of it. I put up a review thread, and someone posted up some Youtube videos showing the rusting liners issue, and all I could do is chuckle because it's entirely unsurprising. It doesn't/didn't bother me personally, because I am not a boating fan, nor do I live/work near a shoreline. My Adira won't ever be submerged in water. But, my ultimate takeaway on this was: if you are/do any of those things, then just get a Salt and call it a day. At the time, I was just happy to have a large sized knife with a MagnaCut blade and a crossbar lock and the price of entry didn't bother me. I still enjoy my Adira, and I've used it on various tasks like cardboard breakdown, food prep, and general EDC tasks and it's excelled at each, so I remain happy with the purchase, for what it's worth.
Click to expand...
I agree, it is like a Contego or Adamas in Magnacut which isn’t a bad thing at all.
 
It caught my eye upon it's release, and I probably would've bought it by now if I weren't much less trigger happy than I used to be. There's alot to like there as far as I'm concerned. Big blade, Magnacut blade, lightweight, AXIS lock; not cheap but the butterfly tax doesn't seem too outrageous relative to some others. It actually seems like it would make for a great hiking folder. Plus it's f'n teal and orange, and y'all know I love my fruity colors. Honestly I'm surprised I don't have one yet, might just take the right night and the right combination of substances before one is on it's way to me me without any recollection of me ordering it 🥴🤪


Side note: I'm aging myself here, but with the jimping I can't un-see Bart Simpson as the Raven in the shape of the blade
 
Knives&Lint said:
It caught my eye upon it's release, and I probably would've bought it by now if I weren't much less trigger happy than I used to be. There's alot to like there as far as I'm concerned. Big blade, Magnacut blade, lightweight, AXIS lock; not cheap but the butterfly tax doesn't seem too outrageous relative to some others. It actually seems like it would make for a great hiking folder. Plus it's f'n teal and orange, and y'all know I love my fruity colors. Honestly I'm surprised I don't have one yet, might just take the right night and the right combination of substances before one is on it's way to me me without any recollection of me ordering it 🥴🤪


Side note: I'm aging myself here, but with the jimping I can't un-see Bart Simpson as the Raven in the shape of the blade
Click to expand...
I mean, I wasn't going to say it....🤣🤣

You've always been number one at the colors game in the EDC thread, this knife would be a homerun for your collection, honestly!!
 
I also have a couple of Salt knives that are 100% just for the few times I hit the beach. I honestly like Magnacut for properties beyond its corrosion resistance. I mean, honestly, I'm more worried about my sweet eating the finish of a blade rather than moisture getting down onto the workings.

Truth be told, I rarely use a folder for any task that might require liquid other than fresh water getting down onto the pivots. I literally keep a small BPS Puukko in my office drawer specifically for eating apples just to keep my folder clean. Cleaning sticky juice and bits of peel or whatever out of a folder isn't fun, so I rarely ascribe to the ridden hard and put away wet way of things.
 
A couple folks mentioned the omega springs possibly rusting, and a couple others mentioned the manix 2 salt as an alternative (I just got one, myself) however wouldn't the coil spring in the manix also be prone to rusting? Or is it coated against corrosion or something? I honestly don't know, but if it's not, that would also seem like a weak link in a knife designed for use in a marine environment.
 
Armithius said:
A couple folks mentioned the omega springs possibly rusting, and a couple others mentioned the manix 2 salt as an alternative (I just got one, myself) however wouldn't the coil spring in the manix also be prone to rusting? Or is it coated against corrosion or something? I honestly don't know, but if it's not, that would also seem like a weak link in a knife designed for use in a marine environment.
Click to expand...
Spyderco goes through the extra effort and cost to find and use internal parts with extra corrosion resistance. I haven't seen any reports of rust, and the Salt version has been out quite a long time now. (Maybe someone else has(?), but it would've got around by now so I'd bet not.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top