Benchmade or spyderco

S

smo1898

Joined
Nov 14, 2014
Messages
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Cant decide between the Benchmade 162 bushcrafter or the Spyderco Fb26gp bushcrafter. They are almost identical knives in that the blade length is different by less than half inch, the thickness by less than a half millimeter, weight by just .03 oz, and the overall length by less than half an inch. The biggest difference is the steel, the spyderco is O-1 tool steel while the benchmade is s30v.

Which steel do you guys feel is better suited for the typical uses in bushcraft/camping?
 
I thnk o1 tool steel is tougher than S30 v, so should hold up better to chopping, batoning etc. It will take minimal care to prevent rust though...
Eta- the spyderco is also more traditional as far as shape and ergonomics for a bushcraft knife. It would be my pick.
 
It's personal choice...

But personally I would pick the Benchmade and mod it a bit.

I like the handle on the Spyderco better, seems like it would have less hotspots for sure.

But the benchmade can be modded to ensure there are no hotspots. Secondly, the benchmade, with a little reprofile work, will cut much better than the Spyderco will simply because of the grind (angles would have to be measured of course). I am sure the BM would have to be re-profiled to match the spyderco's angle though.

But I do like the O1 better than the s30v for bushcrafting purposes (all things being equal).
 
Well, IMO the benchmade is ugly and the sheath is likely subpar & the Spyderco is unnecessarily outsourced. I think you should look into Survive! Knives GSO series, a Bark River that floats your boat, Maybe a Phil Rose Midtech, a Swamp Rat Knife Works blade or a Battle Horse/Blind Horse perhaps.
 
Both of them have thicker blades than I prefer for that style of knife. The Spyderco has a scandi grind which I am a fan of, so I would go with the Spyderco. I'd take a $10 Mora into the woods before the Benchmade. I like a lot of Benchmade's stuff, but that particular knife just doesn't feel right to me.
 
I like the handle better on the Spyderco but would prefer the blade to be in O1 for bushcrafting.

One of the things I think we overlook in all our discussion on type of steel/edge profile etc, etc, is that if we are giving a knife hard use in the field that our ability to control it is paramount.
 
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