Benchmade Vex: Opinions?

S

street soldier

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Feb 21, 2003
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I'm considering picking up this Benchmade model, but was wondering a few things.

How is the 8Cr14MoV Stainless Steel that this is made from? Can someone give me a comparable steel, like 440C, 154CM, etc?

How is the fit/finish? I know that individual knives may vary, but overall, what are your opinions of this knife?

I'm interested in picking up a moderately priced 'workhorse' type of knife. I'm not in a financial position where I can spend hundreds of dollars on a knife. Will this knife take hard use and still be standing tall at the finish?

I own several other Benchmade knives, notably a full sized combo edged Griptilian which I carry at work, a min-grip, a 520(I think), a mini AFCK w/ combo edge, and a combo edged stryker. I love my mini-grip, but I'm looking for something else plain edged with G10 scales.

Any and all help is appreciated.
 
I disliked the vex i bought and returned it. The handle was uncomfortable, after opening and closing it 10 times my thumb was throbbing (and i have tough skin) from the thick, jimped liner lock. The blade wasnt very smooth in opening and on the particular knife i got the hole had a bur on it that needed to be filed off. The blade is lower end steel to say the least. I would look at a spyderco tenacious, i hear good things.
 
Personally, I'm not at all impressed with the Vex. Kept it around for a knife I could carry anywhere and not care if I lost it. The steel...isn't great. The knife was not sharp out of the box, and I'm not convinced that it will retain an edge all that well (because I haven't used it really at all, never mind enough to dull it). To be honest, the Vex feels very cheap, especially when compared to the Griptilian. It was an impulse buy, and I don't think I would ever buy one again.
 
I can't speak for the Vex directly as I never, eventually got one. The reason being is the Sypderco Tenacious was cheaper and better reviewed. You may want to consider the Tenacious in lieu of the Vex. yourcornerstore.com has em' for under 30 bucks. Not to shabby. Good luck.
 
bakerbuddy said:
Personally, I'm not at all impressed with the Vex. Kept it around for a knife I could carry anywhere and not care if I lost it. The steel...isn't great. The knife was not sharp out of the box, and I'm not convinced that it will retain an edge all that well (because I haven't used it really at all, never mind enough to dull it). To be honest, the Vex feels very cheap, especially when compared to the Griptilian. It was an impulse buy, and I don't think I would ever buy one again.
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I actually brought mine back and exchanged it for a griptilian. i bought it because of the G10 handles and how much i've loved my benchmade knives in the past. this one was a big letdown.
 
dcgisme said:
I can't speak for the Vex directly as I never, eventually got one. The reason being is the Sypderco Tenacious was cheaper and better reviewed. You may want to consider the Tenacious in lieu of the Vex. yourcornerstore.com has em' for under 30 bucks. Not to shabby. Good luck.
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ditto to this.
 
Vex or Tenacious? Tenacious is better.

In what way? Proper round hole opener use, 4 way clip, better ergos, better blade shape, better G-10, better liner lock, much higher quality of construction, better jimping, better initial edge out of the box.
 
I agree with the above where the Tenacious is concerned. It is built like a tank, with excellent fit and finish. If you want to stick with a red class and can live without the G-10 scales, try handling a Monochrome with N690 steel. A great framelock with outstanding fit and finish.
 
I would definately recommend the Tenacious you won't be disappointed. A word of warning on the Buck vantage line try the knife in hand before you buy. I had one ordered and was disappointed with the lock up and the fit and finish wasn't on par with what I normally get from Buck. From what I've read on the Buck forum it's kind of hit or miss with the vantages.
 
the biggest problem with the knife is that the spiderhole isn't as comfortable as a regular thumbstud. There is a reason why spydies have that hump.
 
OK, all you Vex bashers - the contrary point of view - :D

The Tenacious is probably ok, I didn't get one, I got the Vex, and have edc'd it for 3 months.

The impressions that one is "cheap" compared to the other is exactly that - an impression based on visual examination and value judgement of certain fit and finish items. No one claims what those particular items are and why they are better, though. It's basically a proclamation that Spyderco just did it to suit them - which doesn't mean BM did worse.

The knives are made from almost identical materials. Think a bit about that. Nobody complains the Tenacious has crap steel, so the Vex is potentially equal. Mine holds a much better edge than any 420, and it's rated equal to AUS8. The Vex is also Ti treated in a dark matte silver finish, blade and clip. Abrasion resistance is guaranteed to be much higher, as mine consistently shrugs off contact with concrete on the clip, and sawing through double corrugated cardboard that has removed lesser coatings on much better knives.

The ergo's are another completely subjective area - and complaining the opening hole is buried risks asking just how fast you need to deploy a blade when faced with feral cardboard boxes? "Speed" is in reality a code word for "self-defense," a complete misnomer for knife use. The blade hole is accessible to me - I have smaller hands unencumbered with the excess flesh of more sedate lifestyles. I certainly don't need to flick it out even faster performing the mundane chores of daily life - which is what we all really do with knives.

The straight grip is something I prefer because it takes up less width in the pocket, and I don't prefer the dropped butt of the Tenacious style. It rotates the tip of the blade down, which I don't need in the tasks I perform. I use a knife out and up as much down, and prefer a flatter grip angle on some cuts. It's a matter of how the user needs the ergo's, not that one is superior to the other.

There are specific fit and finish items that some may prefer - the Vex has a rounded blade back, and the blade has a tumbled look similar to Gerber's less expensive knives. This gives the impression it's thin - a flat ground shiny back would make it look beefy and have more bling appeal. The sharp edges would also cut more into the thumbpad and likely raise a blister quicker. I prefer rounded back knives precisely for that - superior comfort. I don't need eye candy that can't actually help me.

If anyone is really interested in an inexpensive knife that can work, I'd recommend the Vex, having actually used one. Knives are a lot more than a quick glance at the aesthetics - they are all about being a useful tool. Those who prefer pocket jewelry can keep passing it up. It's not that at all.
 
Thanks for your opinion tirod3. I appreciate the input.

Now, has anyone done a side by side test with these two knives to see how they stack up against one another? I would be interested to see the results.
 
tirod3 said:
If anyone is really interested in an inexpensive knife that can work, I'd recommend the Vex, having actually used one. Knives are a lot more than a quick glance at the aesthetics - they are all about being a useful tool. Those who prefer pocket jewelry can keep passing it up. It's not that at all.
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Well I thought all your points were good.

One thing though; the vex is nearly an oz. heavier than the tenacious. Also, I dont think its quite fair to say that anyone who cares about how a knife looks is only interested in pocket jewlry.
 
The Vex is one of BM's "Red Class" knives, meaning it's made cheaper in Taiwan and elsewhere foreign. For those that care about that kind of stuff (that would be me), it's a disgrace to BM and other US knifemakers. For others, it's just another way to get a reasonably well-made BM for an affordable price.

8Cr14MoV is a Chinese steel. That's all I know about it. My guess is it would be comparable to 440C, maybe worse, maybe better.....maybe alot better, but I'm not holding my breath for that.

BM has an extensive line. Maybe you've looked at the Griptilian in 154CM for general rough-duty use?
 
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StretchNM said:
The Vex is one of BM's "Red Class" knives, meaning it's made cheaper in Taiwan and elsewhere foreign. For those that care about that kind of stuff (that would be me), it's a disgrace to BM and other US knifemakers. For others, it's just another way to get a reasonably well-made BM for an affordable price.

8Cr14MoV is a Chinese steel. That's all I know about it.

BM has an extensive line. Maybe you've looked at the Griptilian in 154CM for general rough-duty use?
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from the original post:

street soldier said:
I own several other Benchmade knives, notably a full sized combo edged Griptilian which I carry at work, a min-grip, a 520(I think), a mini AFCK w/ combo edge, and a combo edged stryker. I love my mini-grip, but I'm looking for something else plain edged with G10 scales.
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and lets not let nationalism blind us to the fact that the taiwanese are people too and need jobs just as bad as any american. benchmade is bringing high quality knives in that more people can afford, so that more americans can have a quality knife that wont let them down by breaking or closing on them or whatever.
 
The Vex has worked fine for me in "workhorse" type applications you speak of, no problems at all.
It works for me & I'd recommend it....... :thumbup:
 
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