Benchmade Pardue?

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monkeyboy

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Im looking for a good all around folder, and I bumbled into the Benchmade Pardue. I have read that benchmade's axis lock is the best on the market, and i think the tanto blade would be good in terms of tip strength. I was wondering if anyone has used this knife and if so, is it worth buying? Would I be better off with a griptilian?:confused:
 
It is a good knife, for general purpose maybe not the best because of the short length and tanto tip. I wouldn't say it has an overly strong tip compared to most folders because it uses thinner steel for the blade. If this is the knife you want, I recommend that you get plain edge, part serrated leaves little room for cutting with the primary edge. I have cut thru some aluminum gutter with the front edge and it held up perfectly.

The 550 Griptilian has a fairly strong point if that is a concern of your's and may be worth a look. The large Buck-Strider tanto would have an even stronger tip and the spear point is still very robust.
 
I would also check out the new 553 and 557 tanto grips there sweet for the money and you cant go wrong with Benchmade.
 

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I own the Benchmade Pardue 722 (G-10 scales and tanto blade, pre-production with ATS-34 blade) so here's what I think of it:

It is without a doubt the strongest folder that I own.
The tip is plenty stout, but not so thick that it does'nt cut well.
You just know that this knife will take anything you throw at it.

So why is it in the box and not on in my pocket?
Why did I choose to carry the 551 Pardue Griptilian instead?


The blade:

I discovered that I really don't like the tanto blade that much.
When using the tip to slice, I have to angle the blade rather high to avoid the "second tip" from cutting the material.
And if I use the "second tip", then I cannot clearly see the cut.
And the blade is just a bit too short.
Combine the shorter blade and the acute angle of the tanto tip and it just does'nt make long slices very well.
It also seems that I can get my 440C Griptilians sharper than I can the ATS-34 blade-steel used on my 722.
The blade is also just a tad too thick, IMHO.
If I did more prying than cutting, then I might like it better.


The thumbstuds:

When the knife is closed, the thumbstuds rest too close to the handle.
I can never open the 722 as quickly or as reliably as I can the 551.
When Mr. Pardue designed the Griptilians, he moved the studs away from the handle more.


The handle:

The only thing about the handle that I don't like it the swell at the butt of the handle.
I suppose it is to keep your hand from sliding off the back of the handle, but in my grip (medium sized hands), my pinky finger rest directly on that swell and it is not very comfortable.
Mr. Pardue designed the Griptilian handle much better.

I hope this helps you in some way.
If you can, get your hands on the 722 before you decide to buy.
And try to ignore how good the G-10 looks and feels and consider the other things that I pointed out.
I say this because I think I was "blinded" by that stout G-10 handle so much that I just could'nt see the other shortcomings.

Good luck,
Allen
 
Thanks for the input, I'm learning more about what makes a good knife daily. It seems that not many people like the tanto tip for an EDC cuz of the downfalls in the smoothness in cutting, lol it would be a pain in the wrist to have to angle the tip down so much every time you cut something. :barf:
 
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