Benchmade Vex, I'm impressed.

K

kgriggs8

BANNED
Joined
Jan 28, 2002
Messages
1,634
Just got a Vex and I am impressed. It is very well made and I have not found the flaws that others have posted about. My blade is not overally stiff and the detent and washers work well. The lock-up is VERY solid, in fact, it is one of the very best I have owned. Blade is almost perfectly centered and everything works fine.

The design is what got me interested. I saw one at the mall and I went rigth for it. I thought, at last, Benchmade has made a knife that I like! Maybe it was the Spyderhole that got my attention or the flat ground blade but I liked it right off the bat. It was "only" $80 which looked like a deal since the mall is crazy overpriced on knives. I didn't know that it was part of the Red Line and was only a $40 knife until I got home and looked it up on the net.

I got mine from a fellow member along with another knife so I guess I paid about $30.00 for it. For that kind of jack, you can't go wrong!

My only regret is that apparently they ripped off Spyderco's Spyderhole for this knife. I didn't know this until five miniuts ago while doing a search for "Vex". Sorry Spyderco, I am a loyal customer and I would have passed on it if I had known. At least I got it used so my money didn't go to Benchmade directly.
 
Spyderco and Benchmade have an agreement for BM to use the hole.

I too think the Vex is a good knife for the price.

Phil
 
Well, in any case, it sure doesn't feel like a $37 knife. I think it looks much better than the Bryds as well.
 
kgriggs8 said:
Well, in any case, it sure doesn't feel like a $37 knife. I think it looks much better than the Bryds as well.
Click to expand...

I love my Vex. It's been a wonderful knife to me. A solidly built, strong, good looking folder for under 40 bucks.

Also, it's a beauty queen compared to the Byrd line. I hate those things.
 
psycho78 said:
Also, it's a beauty queen compared to the Byrd line. I hate those things.
Click to expand...

The function of the Byrds are beautiful to me. They are strong and use an excellent steel, and the G-10 versions can be had for under $25 new. The Vex is also a good bargain, but I'm not too thrilled about how soft Benchmade is running the steel compared to the Byrds. In the review forum one member said his Meadowlark has better ease of sharpening and edge retention than the Vex, but YMMV. I handled a Vex and it seemed like a quality piece, with solid lock up and no play, but felt blocky in my hand.

Mike
 
gunmike1 said:
The function of the Byrds are beautiful to me. They are strong and use an excellent steel, and the G-10 versions can be had for under $25 new. The Vex is also a good bargain, but I'm not too thrilled about how soft Benchmade is running the steel compared to the Byrds. In the review forum one member said his Meadowlark has better ease of sharpening and edge retention than the Vex, but YMMV. I handled a Vex and it seemed like a quality piece, with solid lock up and no play, but felt blocky in my hand.
Click to expand...

I agree. The Byrds are well-designed and ergonomic, and their performance is excellent. They have "character" rather than generic looks, and won't be mistaken for anything else. The comparison between the Vex and offerings from the Byrd line is perhaps unavoidable, but the Byrds can be purchased for almost half the price. Also, the blade steels, while similar, are not the same.
 
I just think the Byrds look like cheap Spyderco knock-offs. I know what they are and I have tried one. They are decent knives but the way they look turns me off. They just somehow look cheap. There is nothing cheap in the way the Vex looks. When I first saw it, I thought it was one of the high dollar ones.
 
Chinese made Benchmades, no thanks. But they probably are decent quality for the price. I would rather give my money to a better country than Ching Dong Lu eat your dog land.
 
eel said:
Chinese made Benchmades, no thanks. But they probably are decent quality for the price. I would rather give my money to a better country than Ching Dong Lu eat your dog land.
Click to expand...

Whats it like being an ignorant inbred racist?
 
Applejacks said:
Whats it like being an ignorant inbred racist?
Click to expand...

Ignorant, inbred, and racist? What a combo! That made me laugh, thanks! I just don't feel like giving my money to people that go home after working to a plate of cat or dog meat. They cram cats and dogs into tiny cages, they throw them around like they're chickens. Now tell me who's the ignorant inbred? I think you might atleast fall into one of them there catagories you mentioned. :thumbup: Thumb up your ass?
 
Gentlemen,

Play nice.

We do not need epithets, racial or otherwise, in our discussions.

If you have useful comments about the knives, lets hear them. If you do not, please just drop it.
 
eel said:
they throw them around like they're chickens.
Click to expand...

Ever thought how other ppl. might think about how we treat chicken?

I wouldn´t like ppl. who don´t buy my things, even though they were made first class, just because they expect me to eat what they like to keep in house.

In other words, i would´n´t understand, why any arab doen´t buy Mercedes - Benz just because the workers chew pork sausages.:D
 
He has 10 days to cool off and think.
 
WOW!, this thread took a strange turn!

One minuit we were talking about what a good deal the Vex was and the next it was like we were on Jerry Springer.

I don't like how the Chinese treat animals either. I am an animal lover and I hate to see them abused and tortured. I will eat them but I hope they are killed in a humane way before they die. I also hope they lived well and not in misery. I only buy free range chicken and I wouldn't dream of eating veal or frois gras (spelling?). That doesn't stop me from buying French made products though. The lack of any French made product that I want, stops me from buying French made products! LOL!
 
I'll be interested to hear how the Vex's steel does in edge-holding for general use. Reading BM's catalog, I noticed its steel is listed at a lower hardness than BM's other knives, and wonder why. It looks like a cool knife, though. Even though it's fairly inexpensive, these days I won't even buy a cheap (priced) knife if it doesn't seem worth it. Also, is the darkened finish on the blade a bit more scratch-resistant than the BT2 coating?
Jim
 
To those that have one, is the pocket clip on the Vex reversible for left-hand carry?

Typically even economy lines from Benchmade are, but just want to make sure before I take the plunge.

Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top