Benchmade Water Series Adira (Full Size) Review:

[Quiet]

Today, I wanted to get a quick review of one of Benchmade's newest knives set down while my initial impressions are still fresh. I received this knife yesterday from one of our sponsored vendors, KnifeCenter and I'm actually carrying and using it some today! Benchmade has not been impressing me lately with their pricing, so I was pleasantly surprised at what these knives are going for. Is it still an expensive knife? Absolutely, at $250, it's not going to make anybody's "Cheap Winners" lists. However, given that most decent, American-Made knives are all in this neighborhood these days, I have made peace with it.

So, what do you get for that money? First of all, it's a headscratcher. For this new Water Series collection, Benchmade has come up with some new packaging. See below, the box is ginormous, I've set down the Spyderco PM2 I had on me at that time for comparison!

Opening the box after sliding off that outer cover, you see the knife itself in presentation mode. The knife comes with a lanyard (which I promptly removed) and a cleaning cloth (which I did not get a pic of, pretty standard fare).

Before I show a few more pics, I want to do a quick Pros/Cons list, which is probably better as a quick review:

Pros:
- It's a large fairly light knife that has some fantastic ergos going for it. I have said it to friends I've showed it to, this is the knife that Benchmade would make if they were trying to be like Cold Steel.
- It's fairly lightweight for its size!
- That big slab of MagnaCut means the "Axis Flick" works perfectly to both open and close the knife. Any longtime Benchmade user will be good with it immediately.
- The "design panel" in the handle adds some great grippiness to the knife.
- A deep carry pocket clip means this one can hide down in the pocket instead of having like, an inch of knife sticking out, in a pretty eye-drawing color.
- The color is very nice, without being screaming bright yellow (looking at you, Spyderco Salt series), making this knife right at home for EDC
- VERY importantly: This knife is roughly the same size as a large Adamas, yet with a thinner blade, so it should be a better all around cutter.

Cons:
- This IS a large knife, in nearly all dimensions, so if you're used to carrying a smaller compact knife day to day, this might be more than you're used to, or would want to carry. It's 9 inches blade tip to the heel of the handle when open, and a tad over 5 inches when closed. I would recommend the smaller Adira if this sounds like more knife than you need or want to have on you during the day.
- This series of knives is billed as being for use in, under, and around water. If that were the case, I would probably expect to see things like a blunt tip, and perhaps a brighter, more visible color. If you are truly looking for a diving/underwater knife, then a more specialized design might be for you.
- Some folks have concerns about the Axis lock. I personally don't, but some might see it as an issue. For me, the Axis lock is very much a pro.

Let's see a few more pics:

Also, here are a couple of VERY quick comparison shots for those wanting a better idea of its size. Sizewise, it matches up very well to the fullsize Adamas:

It also holds its own against the fullsize Cold Steel Recon 1:

In conclusion, I like this knife VERY much, and I think Benchmade has a winner on their hands here.

 

[Centermass]

Wow, it’s definitely larger than I expected. Blade shape is giving me Turret redux vibes, but in a newer steel. As the Turret is one of the BM’s I’ve kept in my stable, that means I like it (and thumb ramps, generally). I’ll take your word that the grip is comfortable, but it’s definitely a space-age design departure for BM. I usually like blue, but I don’t really like that blue. Solid writeup, sir.

Are the Omega springs the conventional round wire of old? I thought I saw recently that they were going to a new flat wire iteration.

 

[bax229]

Today, I wanted to get a quick review of one of Benchmade's newest knives set down while my initial impressions are still fresh. I received this knife yesterday from one of our sponsored vendors, KnifeCenter and I'm actually carrying and using it some today! Benchmade has not been impressing me lately with their pricing, so I was pleasantly surprised at what these knives are going for. Is it still an expensive knife? Absolutely, at $250, it's not going to make anybody's "Cheap Winners" lists. However, given that most decent, American-Made knives are all in this neighborhood these days, I have made peace with it.

So, what do you get for that money? First of all, it's a headscratcher. For this new Water Series collection, Benchmade has come up with some new packaging. See below, the box is ginormous, I've set down the Spyderco PM2 I had on me at that time for comparison!

Opening the box after sliding off that outer cover, you see the knife itself in presentation mode. The knife comes with a lanyard (which I promptly removed) and a cleaning cloth (which I did not get a pic of, pretty standard fare).

Before I show a few more pics, I want to do a quick Pros/Cons list, which is probably better as a quick review:

Pros:
- It's a large fairly light knife that has some fantastic ergos going for it. I have said it to friends I've showed it to, this is the knife that Benchmade would make if they were trying to be like Cold Steel.
- It's fairly lightweight for its size!
- That big slab of MagnaCut means the "Axis Flick" works perfectly to both open and close the knife. Any longtime Benchmade user will be good with it immediately.
- The "design panel" in the handle adds some great grippiness to the knife.
- A deep carry pocket clip means this one can hide down in the pocket instead of having like, an inch of knife sticking out, in a pretty eye-drawing color.
- The color is very nice, without being screaming bright yellow (looking at you, Spyderco Salt series), making this knife right at home for EDC
- VERY importantly: This knife is roughly the same size as a large Adamas, yet with a thinner blade, so it should be a better all around cutter.

Cons:
- This IS a large knife, in nearly all dimensions, so if you're used to carrying a smaller compact knife day to day, this might be more than you're used to, or would want to carry. It's 9 inches blade tip to the heel of the handle when open, and a tad over 5 inches when closed. I would recommend the smaller Adira if this sounds like more knife than you need or want to have on you during the day.
- This series of knives is billed as being for use in, under, and around water. If that were the case, I would probably expect to see things like a blunt tip, and perhaps a brighter, more visible color. If you are truly looking for a diving/underwater knife, then a more specialized design might be for you.
- Some folks have concerns about the Axis lock. I personally don't, but some might see it as an issue. For me, the Axis lock is very much a pro.

Let's see a few more pics:

Also, here are a couple of VERY quick comparison shots for those wanting a better idea of its size. Sizewise, it matches up very well to the fullsize Adamas:

It also holds its own against the fullsize Cold Steel Recon 1:

In conclusion, I like this knife VERY much, and I think Benchmade has a winner on their hands here.

Thanks for the review Forrest. Gonna give the mini version a try.

 

[JB in LV]

Thank you, Forrest. I have one incoming tomorrow, and your comments are spot on to my expectation for the knife. So I am feeling pretty good about it pre-arrival (I watched a couple of the initial youtube videos as well). I am also not a Benchmade person, only have a 940-2, which I do like and have used today. I am good with the larger size and will take it on day hikes and to the river in a couple weeks. The lanyard will probably remain for that, at least.

I also could always do without the overstated packaging, but it might look good if they intend to feature at their Blade Show booth in a few weeks.

 

[jfk1110]

Great job..... Certainly is appealing in multiple aspects!!!!

 

[Quiet]

Wow, it’s definitely larger than I expected. Blade shape is giving me Turret redux vibes, but in a newer steel. As the Turret is one of the BM’s I’ve kept in my stable, that means I like it (and thumb ramps, generally). I’ll take your word that the grip is comfortable, but it’s definitely a space-age design departure for BM. I usually like blue, but I don’t really like that blue. Solid writeup, sir.

Are the Omega springs the conventional round wire of old? I thought I saw recently that they were going to a new flat wire iteration.

I believe this is the round wire of old. I think the new 710 has the updated version of their Axis lock. Also, the color looks really good in natural light, it's a nice light cobaltish blue. Just a shaaaaaade darker than light blue. Hopefully you'll get to handle one and make your decision from inhand experience!

 

[Quiet]

Thank you, Forrest. I have one incoming tomorrow, and your comments are spot on to my expectation for the knife. So I am feeling pretty good about it pre-arrival (I watched a couple of the initial youtube videos as well). I am also not a Benchmade person, only have a 940-2, which I do like and have used today. I am good with the larger size and will take it on day hikes and to the river in a couple weeks. The lanyard will probably remain for that, at least.

I also could always do without the overstated packaging, but it might look good if they intend to feature at their Blade Show booth in a few weeks.

You're most welcome. I look forward to your thoughts on it as well. I think this knife will do well for those plans. I DO think it's probably a shade large for in-office EDC carry for most people, but I wear jeans most days so I carry larger knives with no issues myself personally. I do know that a lot of folks will probably gravitate towards the smaller size for that role, and I plan to pic up one after BLADE (if I don't just see it at the show and get it there) to check it out for myself. I think it would probably better fulfill the role of one of my small Adamas' because though smaller sized, their blades are just as thick. I would love that size, with the Adira's thinner, slicier blade. Think it could be a good combo!

 

[AntDog]

I dig the looks and specs of it. I just hope somebody puts out some aftermarket scales. I can’t stand that plastic shit, no matter what they call it.

This thing would sing with some AWTs. Nice writeup, Forrest.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Good post, thanks for putting this together.

One of my favorite things about BladeForums are threads like these, that dial in on a model and flow with discussion, praise, and critique.

 

[jfk1110]

I dig the looks and specs of it. I just hope somebody puts out some aftermarket scales. I can’t stand that plastic shit, no matter what they call it.

This thing would sing with some AWTs. Nice writeup, Forrest.

OD green canvas.!!!!!!

 

[Edgeoflife]

Nice review! Saw this new line from BM the other day and was curious about it. Looks solid!

 

[Wharn]

Thanks for the review, I have my eye on a mini now. Glad to see these aren’t as ridiculously priced as the 710 rerelease.

 

[CyberRacer]

My Mini arrived today in the same huge box. Only thing I can figure is the same box for the entire series, so it needs to accommodate the big fillet knife. Might also make it a bit more difficult for the Chinese rip off artists to copy. Pleased with the design and the feel in hand. I will be interested to see how the springs hold up in a knife made for water use. They look like standard omegas which I'd think would rust. Time will tell.

 

[JB in LV]

Arrived today, Forrest describes it very well. I like it a lot.

Slightly larger than an Umnumzaan (on the coffee table so I stacked them), exactly what I wanted, I have enough smalls. Fills the hand and feels comfortable. Handles well wearing gloves too, so more carry possibilities. Good edge out of the box, centered blade, I'll still touch it up this weekend. Many people will have the initial impression that it is lighter than it looks, more specifically, "d**n that's light". Like the deep carry pocket clip.

CR, good points about the packaging.

 

[Railsplitter]

My Mini arrived today in the same huge box. Only thing I can figure is the same box for the entire series, so it needs to accommodate the big fillet knife. Might also make it a bit more difficult for the Chinese rip off artists to copy. Pleased with the design and the feel in hand. I will be interested to see how the springs hold up in a knife made for water use. They look like standard omegas which I'd think would rust. Time will tell.

The Benchmade website states that the springs are stainless steel on these models. I wasn’t aware that the standard springs are not stainless steel. I learned something new today.

 

[Boattale]

That's one of the few BM offerings lately that actually appeals to me. Thanks for the post/thread.

 

[Quiet]

Arrived today, Forrest describes it very well. I like it a lot.

Slightly larger than an Umnumzaan (on the coffee table so I stacked them), exactly what I wanted, I have enough smalls. Fills the hand and feels comfortable. Handles well wearing gloves too, so more carry possibilities. Good edge out of the box, centered blade, I'll still touch it up this weekend. Many people will have the initial impression that it is lighter than it looks, more specifically, "d**n that's light". Like the deep carry pocket clip.

CR, good points about the packaging.

Excellent news, I hope that it will serve you well!

 

[Quiet]

My Mini arrived today in the same huge box. Only thing I can figure is the same box for the entire series, so it needs to accommodate the big fillet knife. Might also make it a bit more difficult for the Chinese rip off artists to copy. Pleased with the design and the feel in hand. I will be interested to see how the springs hold up in a knife made for water use. They look like standard omegas which I'd think would rust. Time will tell.

This is an interesting idea, and I could see this being the case. I mean, the boxes these come in are actually pretty nice. Nice enough that knowing that some folks will throw them away, you just shake your head a bit, like what a waste. Of course, BM could absolutely have just used their basic boxes, but it appears they really wanted this product line to stand out.

 

[5DoorEstate]

Thanks for taking the time for such a thorough review. Like others have said, this is the first Benchmade I’ve been excited about in years. I ordered an Adira last week, and will have it whenever USPS finds it.

Regarding the color choice, I don’t have an issue with it. I’ve never dropped a knife out in the water, and if I do, I’m not diving to the bottom to get it. I suppose this could be an issue for people that wade fish though.

I abhor fancy packaging, but understand BM does it to distinguish them from scumbag knockoff and clone makers. Also for non-knife people, this really is a prize of a knife, so it’s cool to make it feel that way.

 

[Buffalohump]

Thanks for the review.... I have to wonder what the thinking was on the sizing. A big one and a small one. Why not just one medium size one? Kidding... but it does make it harder to decide.

Also, that packaging.... seems like a LOT. I mean, its gorgeous and all but I do wonder why.