BENCHMADE Pinnacle model 750 - review

Ray,
Welcome to the Forums and thanks for sharing your experience in my thread!
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Let me say that you should bang these knives pretty decently with the your ax handle (how large?) if you caused to fail even Sebenza
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If I understood well Sebenza failed almost as easy as Pinnacle? Maybe this knife is not as many times stronger as many times more expensive?

I'm afraid this is not the same as the moderate spine whacking with numerous hits in row. Normally spine whack test is not intended to check what force could be breaking for the lock. It is intended to check lock stability only. If lock is properly executed it should remain in it's place during subsequent whacks.
On the other hand you have tested rather lock strength than stability. However this is quite interesting and uncommon test.


[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 07-18-2000).]
 
Johnniet: We just held the handle down with the off hand and whacked the back of the blade with the ax handle.

Griffon and Sergiusz: Thanks for clarifying the original purpose of the spine whack test. Having had conventional folder locks fail [an Al Mar and Kershaw] and cut my hand, I'm particularly sensitive to this issue. OTOH, I understand that folders in particular and knives in general aren't crowbars and try not to abuse them as such.

Serqiusz: The sebenza lock held up better then the pinnacle. I couldn't disengage the sebenza with strike with approx. 8" of the handle protruding beyond my grip. My friend managed to disengage the pinnecle lock with that particular grip, but he weighs 250 lb. With the sebenza, he had to choak up on the handle, so that approx. 15" of the handle protruding past his fist. But note, he did the same with the axis lock pardue, and couldn't cause a lock failure. His repeated strikes got harder and harder and only managed to bend some of the metal surrounding the lock and/or the pivot pin AND dent my workbench. BTW, be very careful when trying this at home. When the locks fail, the blades cut very deep grooves on the side of the bench. DON'T PUT YOUR FINGERS THERE!

I'm interested in how the new SOG ARC [?] lock holds up, but I've killed my knife budget for a while.
 
An axe handle over a bench top is a pretty mean spine whack test. I like to hold the knife in my hand, usually taping it to a stick and holding onto the stick to simulate the shock absorption of the human arm.

I was surprised to read that the Pinnacle and Sebenza locks weren't more resistant to releasing. I would be interested in repeating the test with the Pinnacle taped to a stick in such a way that the tape held the lock engaged in the same way that your grip would if you were holding the knife in your hand.
 

Well no S*** the lock is going to fail if you beat the living bejeezus out of it with an axe handle!!! Explain to me please, the real world conditions under which such stresses would be induced on the spine of a folder.
If you are regulary performing tasks where this is an issue, buy a fixed blade. Period. Greg Lightfoot said it best in a recent Blade(tm) interview:

"Folders are not super tools. They just don't work well when you're trying to use them to jack your vehicle out of a ditch!"

When I was a kid all I had were non-locking folders (SAK, POS, etc...), and I (ab)used them HARD for cutting, digging(!), light levering (choking way up on the blade so that the pivot was not being torqued), whittlin' and all sorts of other tasks. I never had a blade close on my fingers because I was using the knife within its limits.

PM
 
I agree, mr.44, that the axe-handle test is certainly extreme (but interesting). But then I don't spine-whack any of my knives. IMHO, any lock's merit can only be gauged by determining how great a period of time of proper knife usage must elapse before the knife develops blade-play. Once that development occurrs, I feel the lock may be more likely to fail on some awkward cutting chore. So far, I'm pleased to say none of my BMs or Spydies or CRKTs have any blade-wobble. And I alternate usage on all my knives. However, I don't accept delivery on any new folder with blade-play. The frame lock and axis lock just SEEM to me to be the best available.....but time will tell.
 
Yes, friends, it seems to be the most proper conclusion - use your knife within it's limits and it newer will let you down.
But this can't to change fact than better locking device makes these limits somewhat wider and your fingers somewhat safer.
In my honest opinion BM Mono Lock and Axis Lock are definitely among these ones.
 
Sergiusz:
Once again, great review!
In fact, today I went to a knife shop and had a 750S reserved for me. I had been planning on checking out a different BMknife, checked the Pinnacle, and decided on it.

I was surprised by the smoothness of operation. Some time ago, when they first came out, I was not too impressed with the actions on them, but it seems there was a slight change in the locking bar. Before it was wider, and Dennis Wright told me that width (not thickness) of the locking section was prone to developing blade play.

None of the samples I played with today had play. It opened smoothly, locked solidly, and closed easily enough.

Anyway...as I try to lessen my knife purchases, my focus is on knives with newer, stronger lock mech's, such as Axis and Monolock, etc., etc.

Looking forward to Serguisz's next knife review!
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Jim
 
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