Benchmade Diving Folder! BM111h20 Testing

M

Motowxx

Joined
Jul 8, 2016
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Reviewing the Benchmade 111h20: A corrosion resistant N680 steel with a modified sheep's foot blade.
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Just picked this knife up from a tackle shop in Atlantic City NJ, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find quality knives for msrp$ around here ( I actually got mine for $75 on sale). I plan on putting this knife to the test this week while I'm on vacation. This knife will go with me on many kayaking and fishing trips to truly test the blade strength, edge retention , and corrosive properties of the blade. So stay tuned for an extensive field test of the blade!
 
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So I made out into the Manahawkin Bay this morning for a fishing trip and took the BM 111 along for the trip. I wasn't able to use the blade for cleaning any fish yet, but I had the blade in the salt water to put the N680 steel to the test. Once I got back from the trip I rinsed it off with some fresh water and set it aside to sure dry and will check back with pics for any signs of corrosion.
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Aside from the corrosion testing, the blade feels quite good in hand, I feel the contour of the grip to fit firmly in my hand. The knife has full stainless liners and a thick blade, although a bit on the heavy side at 4.9oz it feels solid.
 
Nice purchase, make sure to keep her tied to you or the boat!! Hope you catch some nice Fluke on you vacation!! Are you staying right on the canal? Get a flashlight and a net and you can catch Blue Claw crabs all night long! Or set traps with chicken in it. Have fun and keep us posted on how the 111h2o does.
 
I used a piece of paracord to tie the knife to the boat 👌! Yeah we are staying right on the canal only a five minute paddle from the bay, been using the 111h2o to cut up some small crab for a minnow trap, and must say that it sliced through like butter. The heavy thick steel of the blade made chopping up the bait no problem, and with the n680 you have little worries with cleaning the blade
 
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Still slicing through these bait crabs like a champ and I have not seen any corrosion yet.
 
So after using this knife all day I think I can give a decent review.
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Grip: The handle scales on this knife provide a decent grip with a dry hand and a great grip when wet, the grooves allow the water to run off and allows the handle to dry fast.

Cutting edge: The modified sheep's foot blade makes cutting bait an easy task, chopping and slicing are a breeze, and after an all day use of cutting bait the blade still holds a good edge.

Corrosion: I have not yet noticed any rust forming on the blade, screws, liners, or pocket clip.

Weight: This knife is a bit heavy if you are planning to use it for EDC , it feels heavy and if you are wearing basketball shorts it will tug quite a bit.
 
Beautiful knife. I love Benchmades.

But, as a diver, I much prefer a fixed blade. Underwater is a different world. While diving if you need a knife you don't need to be fiddling with a folder. Especially with gloves on.

Secondly, the way to secure the knife is by securing the fixed blade's sheath to your BC, NOT by a lanyard on the knife itself. That would be a sure way to disaster. Good fixed blade dive knives have some sort of locking mechanism that keeps the knife in the sheath. A dive knife flailing about on a lanyard underwater is a scary thing! If you drop it...goodbye. Use your backup. Many purpose-built dive knives don't have a lanyard hole for this very reason. A river or kayak knife is a different animal, and a lanyard might be suitable. But underwater...no.
 
Yeah I agree I feel a fixed blade would be more suited for diving, but as I've been using it for fishing and kayaking it has been performing fantastically!
 
moxie said:
Beautiful knife. I love Benchmades.

But, as a diver, I much prefer a fixed blade. Underwater is a different world. While diving if you need a knife you don't need to be fiddling with a folder. Especially with gloves on.

Secondly, the way to secure the knife is by securing the fixed blade's sheath to your BC, NOT by a lanyard on the knife itself. That would be a sure way to disaster. Good fixed blade dive knives have some sort of locking mechanism that keeps the knife in the sheath. A dive knife flailing about on a lanyard underwater is a scary thing! If you drop it...goodbye. Use your backup. Many purpose-built dive knives don't have a lanyard hole for this very reason. A river or kayak knife is a different animal, and a lanyard might be suitable. But underwater...no.
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Don't know anything about diving (can't afford another gear intensive expensive hobby) but on top of the water if you want to keep your tools (knife included) you're going to have to tie them to something.

Perhaps wrong for BM to call it a Dive knife. Either way now I want one. Love the blade shape and the aggressive handle pattern. Would be an awesome "wet knife" for all kinds of water based activities. Guess most use a Spyderco H1 or Salt series.
 
Agree, use it for some other watersports, but not scuba or any scenario where you might need to deploy the knife underwater. No way.
 
Nice looking blade shape and grind.

Are the omega springs made of something different. Do they pose an issue in the future?
 
^

I wondered this too. I haven't found any definitive information, but someone said they do look different. Almost a gold colored, possibly some kind of Ti finish? Can anyone confirm this? It would seem a waste to make a corrosion resistant knife and not ensure every part was up to snuff.
 
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