Benchmade Mini-Skirmish or Bradley Cutlery Alias I?

S

ShooterMcgavin

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Jan 20, 2008
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I have been interested in the BM Mini-Skirmish for a long time now, but I have stumbled upon the Bradley Alias I. Is it worth the extra expenditure? Ok, why/not?

I really wish the Alias I was a little shorter. I want something over 3" (no Alias II), but I'd like to keep it under 3.5". The reason is mostly ease of carrying.

Sebenza is just too much for me. Any input?
 
I recently looked at both of these for EDC. The Bradley Alias knives are made by BM just like the Skirmish. For my use it has to be under 3.5 inches to be legal for concealed carry so I had the Alais II as an option. I didn't think the Bradley was a better made knife, just a different style. If you like the recurve blade and don't mind tip down carry the Skirmish is a very solid choice. It has a very secure framelock as does the Bradley Alias.
 
I love my Bradley Alias II. It's pretty close to my sebenza in terms of quality, lockup, etc.

It's more of a traditional style than the skirmish.
 
I have an Alias I and love it. I just started back EDCing it. The fit and finish seems to be great IMHO. Lock up it tight with no blade play.


John
 
I have a mini-Skirmish. I think it's well made and is stylish and cool, but it doesn't take much hard use to decide that that thin handle isn't very comfortable in your hand. I used mine to finish off a two inch sapling that had sprung up beside the barn and by the time I had cut it all of the way through my hand was really aching.
 
Does the Alias have a more form-fitting grip?

How is the Alias I for pocket carry? Does it feel like a pretty big piece to carry?

I like the style of the Mini-Skirmish, but that does NOT come above a well made and solid feeling knife. I like the length of the BM and the wide blade (from edge to spine).

In the end, I think I really WANT to try the Alias I, but I just think that carrying a knife that large (3.6" blade and 4.75" closed) will be annoying.
 
You want annoying? Try putting a full-sized Skirmish in your pocket. I had it for about five minutes before I returned it. I loved it, though, for every other reason.
I have the bigger Alias. I don't pocket carry it super often because I have a daily use "pack" (code word for purse, according to my wife) that I carry my knives in. I do occasionally clip it to the right front pocket, though, and it's no big deal for me. I wouldn't call it annoying. I look forward to these times just because I don't get to carry it that way often.
 
Oh-and I think the Alias grip is probably not more comfortable to use than the Skirmish's. They're just both two-slab handles. I have no problems with it but, then again, I'm not building shelters with them.
 
This has turned into a lewdog thread-sorry. Anyway-I was just cruising another thread and saw you mention that you're in the Pacific Northwest. I'm about 20 minutes north of Seattle. You'd be welcome to look at my Alias if you wanted.
 
I carry several knives in the 4.75-5" range and they ride in the pocket fine. I find the weight more bothersome than the size. Since the alias is Ti it might not be that bad. Also if you find it seems a little big for your pocket try IWB (inside waste band) carry at about the 12:30 position. To me just about any knife disappears when I carry it there.
 
I've had all 4 of the knives in question (Alias I/II & B/M 630/635). I currently only have the 630, but that'll probably go. I ended up with a small classic micarta Seb.

However, I will say this on observation. 1st, it's all VERY subjective, but that aside, I do agree with a previous poster in that it's more the weight than the size, but the B/M 630 I find is way too big for pocket carry, but that is for me only. While I think the B/M 635's grip might be a little more ergonomic, it's a tad too small for my hand & the thumb-hole's too small & too smooth for easy opening for me. With all that in mind, I prefer both of the Bradley's. Take you pick, really. For easy pocket carrying & ease of putting your hand in the same pocket as the knife, the Alias II is great, but the I's 3 5/8" blade is definitely nicer if you need a larger blade (That's a big if, it really depends on what you need your knife for). Personally, I like the largest blade with the shortest handle (Around 4.5" handle seems to be ideal for me), but the small Seb does seem to fit my hand pretty well (Better than the Alias II & small reg. Seb).

Hope that helps.
 
I don't have the Bradley, but the Mini Skirmish is one of my favorite EDC's. The thing I like best about it is it's a LOT of knife in a very compact package. You just can't believe all that blade comes out of that small handle. It's also extremely solid and strong.

That said, I'll add two caveats -- First, I do have small hands. Second, the one time I did really heavy cutting with it, I did wish I had a knife with a thicker more ergonomic handle. The ergos are great for what it is but at the end of the day it's just two flat titanium slabs.
 
longbeachguy said:
I don't have the Bradley, but the Mini Skirmish is one of my favorite EDC's. The thing I like best about it is it's a LOT of knife in a very compact package. You just can't believe all that blade comes out of that small handle. It's also extremely solid and strong.

That said, I'll add two caveats -- First, I do have small hands. Second, the one time I did really heavy cutting with it, I did wish I had a knife with a thicker more ergonomic handle. The ergos are great for what it is but at the end of the day it's just two flat titanium slabs.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but really, so is a Sebenza. My most frequently used knife is a Benchmade 750 Pinnacle, which is basically their copy of a Sebenza. It's just a couple of titanium slabs,but I can work with it for hours and not suffer the problems that the mini-Skirmish gives me after 10 minutes. Ergonomics make a HUGE difference with knife scales.

BTW, I agree with the previous poster about pocket carry with the full-size Skirmish---that knife is so broad that it's just laughable to try to carry anything else in the same pocket. I sold mine almost as soon as I bought it.
 
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