BM NIMRAVUS

S

Soloman

Joined
Jun 20, 1999
Messages
358
I've been hearing a lot of hype about the Benchmade Elishewitz Nimravus. They say it has a certain "complex simplicity" and that it especially excells in the field of self-defense. This true?
 
Is it too thin for self defense?

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When I eat a piece of fruit cut with good steel it just tastes better.

[This message has been edited by generallobster (edited 28 June 1999).]
 
Now that I think about it, I don't care if it is too thin. It looks cool, so I'll buy it.

Soloman
 
Hello,

It seems to be a well made and great looking knife. The sheath appear to give one opetions, the only negative IMHO is the Black Coating. I only have one blade in black
and it sure looks .... now. Though it still works as good as new.
 
The Nimravus blade is wide and has a broad tip, so I wouldn't worry about breaking it unless you try to do some heavy prying (don't).

Harv
 
I have the Nimravus- I don't like the black coating because it scratches easily and although the kydex sheath looks cool, I don't like the way it rides too high on the waist. I like my knives to be a little lower when I grab it.
 
Rhett, Check out Chiro75, he'll make a nice Kydex sheath for your knife, just the way you'd like it to be! And very reasonable prices too.

Catch his current offer on the For Sale forum

G2

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When a fellow says, "it ain't the money but the principle of the thing,"
it's the money.
F. McKinney Hubbard

www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/7306/blades.html


 
I favor a more substantial guard on a knife intended for self-defense. On a fixed blade there is really no excuse not to have a true dropped guard and not merely a shallow finger groove.

Axel
 
HEllo,

For selfdefense, IMHO the Nimravus got an excellent guard.
Try it on hard thruist and you will be surprised how your grip is safe.

Cheers,

JM
 
While the guard could be a little more substantial, I agree with Nemo that there is enough of a guard there to work well during thrusting. It works for me and I have limited use of my index finger on my knife hand. I have the Nimravus (lg., plain edge) and I think it is a very fine knife indeed! I haven't had any problems with the heat treat on the blade and the feel of the knife in the hand has to be exprienced to be appreciated.
I just went out and did some quick horizontal thrusts with the knife into a pine post in my yard. Each thrust went 3/4" deep and I had no problem with retention.
If you feel the sheath is too loose, I drilled a hole apprx. 1/8" above the clip's strap and riveted it. I now have perfect blade retention, not too loose and not too tight. I am now able to carry the knife in an upside down config. This is a minor problem that is easily solved. Give it a try. Good Luck!

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If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid.


 
misque,

Thanks for the testing update. Were you using a saber grip or natural grip for the thrusts?

I prefer a natural grip for the better retention properties. I also feel that in a defensive situation that your hand is likely to become wet from certain bodily fluids. Do you feel the guard is adequate for thrusting with a wet, natural grip?

Axel
 
Sabre grip is what I use mostly.
I just soaked the knife and my hand and went out and stabbed away at the post. I didn't notice any significent difference in the grip. Blade tip went in apprx. 3/4" and the grip did not slip any.
 
Same results with natural grip and wet hand and knife. This is water, I don't know about sweat, but I do know that post is catching hell tonight! This blade has a really good G10 handle. I really kind of half expected a little slippage, thank God(!) it did't.
As you might know, my grip is somewhat comprimised by an injury to my index finger,(last Labor Day I nearly severed it in a knife accident. It needs more surgery to get more function, the problem is I cannot close the finger fully). Such is life! You can see how importante a good guard is for me.
I hope this helps!

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If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid.


 
HEllo,

A simple test is to try your knife with liquid soap on your hands.
Here again the Nimravus ergonomy shines and pass the test.
Your grip stay film and strong.

Also last sundey I have prepare 4 big chickens ("poulet" in french!) with Cub.
I got grease on my both hands and the knife was handle only with my thumb and my index.
Here again no problem.

Cheers,
JM
 
Great work guys! Especially you misque, laying your fingers on the line to do real testing! I normally use a dulled knife or a trainer to do my grip testing.

About a dozen years ago, I severed a finger tendon when my hand slid past the skimpy guard of my custom balisong knife. After intricate micro surgery which resulted in the transplantation of a tendon from my forearm to my finger, months of arduous and expensive physical therapy, I now have use of the finger, but it still doesn't curl up right.

So like misque, I am very particular about knife guards.

I recall someone who liked to test his knife grips by dipping his hands in 10w/30 motor oil. His thinking was that this would simulate the fats in blood. I don't know that he did full power thrusting against objects. I think he just did maneuvers in the air.

I definitely think that we need more tests like this for knives intended for defensive use.

Axel

[This message has been edited by Axel Yup (edited 21 September 1999).]
 
Thank you Axel.

Sorry about your finger.

Oil and grease is another way to check the grip.

A lot of knives for are so good when dry got strange behavior once greased.
Especially the one with micarta/ivory handles I got...

Cheers,
JM
JM
 
Thank You Axel,
This is something that I needed to do anyway and had been intending to do.
This thread just reminded me and gave me an excuse to just do it.
I think that the tracking put on this G10 handle is one of the better ones I've seen on almost any knife. It really brings out the awesome gripping potential that G10, as a handle material, possesses.
Recently, I've been getting a little dissappointed with Benchmade but this knife shows that they CAN do great things if they want to.


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If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid.


 


Misque:
I used to be like you as I thought the AFCK was a state of the art which should benefits from the improvement the new model just have received...
but the Nimravus is IMHO a risky and excellent "transformation".

Cheers

JM
 
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