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- Nov 25, 1999
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<center><h3>BENCHMADE Pinnacle model 750</h3></center>
<center><h6>part 1 of 2</h6></center>
Recently I can observe a tendency of departure from common back lock and liner lock towards stronger, more reliable and less sensitive to abuse new locking devices. It is quite understandable - the single thing, which prevents the blade from folding onto user's fingers, is locking mechanism and like each mechanism it can fail. Although I never experienced any really dangerous lock failure with my lockbacks and linerlocks I have no objections to have my fingers even safer.
I'm not quite sure is the BENCHMADE Mono-Lock really new kind of locking device or it is deeply modified liner lock where locking liner's role plays resilient part of titanium scale. This shoulder is several times thicker than traditional locking liner and as result much more stable and resistant against being bent along when lock is loaded. This bend is the nastiest disadvantage of traditional liner lock and in certain circumstances it can cause lock failure sliding locking liner on one or another side from it's place on blade tang. Also knife twisting sometimes can cause locking liner unintentional disengagement and lock failure.
The Mono-Lock is free of these liner lock's disadvantages. Thick shoulder keeps it's shape very stable even under quite abusive load.
Strong grip on the handle tightens the lock and makes lockup even stronger and securer. The unintentional lock disengagement as result of tight grip is out of the question!
So let's look onto the BENCHMADE knife, which utilizes this locking device - Model 750 Pinnacle.
Knife dimensions, strength and shape allow to call it "tactical knife". Maybe I'm putting a bit widened sense into this term. For me "tactical knife" means a knife I can rely on in wide variety of dangerous situations, when my or another person's life or health is depended on knife fast and efficient use, no means is it defensive or rescues action. In my opinion Pinnacle matches these requirements by all means.
Versatile shaped 3.60-inche long and 0.115-inche thick drop point blade is made of ATS-34 stainless steel hardened to 59-61 HRC. Mine has BT2 coating on the blade - BENCHMADE proprietary coating based on black Teflon polymer and offering additional corrosion protection especially valuable if the knife is used in an aggressive environment. Sometimes reading Internet discussions I have impression that this kind of protection is quite underestimated. Maybe the reason is that very most of urban knife users are using their knives hard pretty rarely and can't imagine how fast blade can be destroyed by non-steel-friendly environment, for example high air humidity, heat and frequent contact with oceanic water. I agree, being scratched coated blade looks ugly but here you have to decide what is more important for you - knife "pretty" look or real readiness to work?
The false edge reaches the half of blade length. Pronounced belly in the first (from the tip) half of the edge allows making precise shallow cuts and the slight reversed curve on the rear part provides powerful cutting on heavy and fibrous materials. I could use my Pinnacle equally comfortable cutting both single paper sheaths along the ruler and heavy three-layer wave cardboard or 1/2-inch wide plastic packing straps.
The handle machined of 6AL-4V titanium with bead blasted finish is anodized in graphite-gray color and comfortable to hold. The locking shoulder in forefinger area, the blade ramp and handle spine under the thumb and the rear part of handle spine are checkered pretty aggressively to increase grip security but at the same time remaining comfortable to hold during hard cutting chores. All outside edges are nicely ground; my hand found no pinch points I could want to grind out.
<center><h6>to be continued</h6></center>
[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 07-14-2000).]
<center><h6>part 1 of 2</h6></center>
Recently I can observe a tendency of departure from common back lock and liner lock towards stronger, more reliable and less sensitive to abuse new locking devices. It is quite understandable - the single thing, which prevents the blade from folding onto user's fingers, is locking mechanism and like each mechanism it can fail. Although I never experienced any really dangerous lock failure with my lockbacks and linerlocks I have no objections to have my fingers even safer.
I'm not quite sure is the BENCHMADE Mono-Lock really new kind of locking device or it is deeply modified liner lock where locking liner's role plays resilient part of titanium scale. This shoulder is several times thicker than traditional locking liner and as result much more stable and resistant against being bent along when lock is loaded. This bend is the nastiest disadvantage of traditional liner lock and in certain circumstances it can cause lock failure sliding locking liner on one or another side from it's place on blade tang. Also knife twisting sometimes can cause locking liner unintentional disengagement and lock failure.
The Mono-Lock is free of these liner lock's disadvantages. Thick shoulder keeps it's shape very stable even under quite abusive load.
Strong grip on the handle tightens the lock and makes lockup even stronger and securer. The unintentional lock disengagement as result of tight grip is out of the question!
So let's look onto the BENCHMADE knife, which utilizes this locking device - Model 750 Pinnacle.
Knife dimensions, strength and shape allow to call it "tactical knife". Maybe I'm putting a bit widened sense into this term. For me "tactical knife" means a knife I can rely on in wide variety of dangerous situations, when my or another person's life or health is depended on knife fast and efficient use, no means is it defensive or rescues action. In my opinion Pinnacle matches these requirements by all means.
Versatile shaped 3.60-inche long and 0.115-inche thick drop point blade is made of ATS-34 stainless steel hardened to 59-61 HRC. Mine has BT2 coating on the blade - BENCHMADE proprietary coating based on black Teflon polymer and offering additional corrosion protection especially valuable if the knife is used in an aggressive environment. Sometimes reading Internet discussions I have impression that this kind of protection is quite underestimated. Maybe the reason is that very most of urban knife users are using their knives hard pretty rarely and can't imagine how fast blade can be destroyed by non-steel-friendly environment, for example high air humidity, heat and frequent contact with oceanic water. I agree, being scratched coated blade looks ugly but here you have to decide what is more important for you - knife "pretty" look or real readiness to work?
The false edge reaches the half of blade length. Pronounced belly in the first (from the tip) half of the edge allows making precise shallow cuts and the slight reversed curve on the rear part provides powerful cutting on heavy and fibrous materials. I could use my Pinnacle equally comfortable cutting both single paper sheaths along the ruler and heavy three-layer wave cardboard or 1/2-inch wide plastic packing straps.
The handle machined of 6AL-4V titanium with bead blasted finish is anodized in graphite-gray color and comfortable to hold. The locking shoulder in forefinger area, the blade ramp and handle spine under the thumb and the rear part of handle spine are checkered pretty aggressively to increase grip security but at the same time remaining comfortable to hold during hard cutting chores. All outside edges are nicely ground; my hand found no pinch points I could want to grind out.
<center><h6>to be continued</h6></center>
[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 07-14-2000).]
