BM Volli review

J

jehicks87

Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
119
I apologize for the lack of pictures. I'll try to get some up soon.

I received my BM Volli three days ago. I decided to hold of on posting about it until I had a chance to carry it, use it, and get a feel for it... I almost sent it back; read below to see why.

So, the day finally came for me to take possession of my BM Volli. I was very excited, for several reasons: one, this was my first knife I've ever pre-ordered, and two, I've been wanting to try S30V for some time now. I signed for my package, went to my area, and opened her up.

Initial impressions were... less than favorable. The pre-production pictures were gorgeous. In person, however, she just doesn't look as good as she did on the internet. I'm sure there are a few of you out there who have had this happen a time or two... hehehe.

She's thin; a bit too thin. The liners are integral, but the scales actually extend beyond the liners at the finger grove. While g10 is sturdy, I can get the scales to flex where the scales are not present. This was a bit disconcerning. Also, the blade is incredibly thin. I like a thin blade, but to be hollow ground AND thin, well... I'd prefer one or the other, please. The assisted opening is very nice, though, and very quick. It takes but a nudge on the thumb studs to engage the AO and out comes the blade. Not bad.

Using and carrying the knife, well... the thinness actually shines. You almost forget you're carrying the knife at all, and the thin blade makes this knife a real slicer. Also, I now know what everyone means when they talk about the "toothiness" of S30V. This knife makes very short work or cardboard boxes, but I wouldn't want to try it on anything tougher than that.

Overall, it's a decent "gentleman's pocket knife" which is what I was wanting, but it somehow misses the mark of what *exactly* I was hoping for. Not having full-sized scales bothers me, and I would very much have preferred a flat grind with a micro bevel, or a saber grind, than a hollow grind on such a thin blade. That, and the fact that my "First Production Run" number was 619 out of 1000, despite placing a pre-order over a month in advance, I just don't feel like this knife was what I was looking for it to be. The price is right, it's an excellent slicer, it carries well, the AO is very nice, and it is still rather handsome... I just was expecting it to be slightly more... substantial.

Eh, it's still a nice choice for a carry knife, but if you're looking for a TOUGH EDC, I think I would look elsewhere. I think it would make a good knife for those of you in office environments, provided you de-assist it.

Thanks for reading, and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

Jake
 
Interersting observations. Based on everything I've read upto now on the knife, it's not designed at all to be tough. Atleast that isn't what I got from my own observations. It's built on the Barrage platform. If you've ever handled one of those knives, you can see just how much refinement was made. The steel, handle materials, grind, and dimensions were all improved upon. I got a chance to handle the Volli at a local gun shop over the last couple days.

The absolute toughest Benchmades you can get at this point are the Adamas 275 and the Contego 810. Those ooze tough, from the steels to the grinds, to the weights. If you do want something along the lines of tough, you cannot go wrong with either. Thanks for the impressions and thoughts. Hope you can warm up to it over time.
 
Sorry to hear your not as pleased as you had hoped.

I just wanted to second that if you are looking for a tough EDC folder the Adamas and Contego might better suit your needs. If you want something tough but a little slimmer and lighter the 710 is an outstanding knife in its own right.

Thanks for posting your impressions though. Because of where I live I never get to handle a knife before I buy it so these reviews are very helpful to me.

Best of luck
 
I don't have a Volli yet, but I have handled one a few times. It is very thin and would be very comfortable to carry. It is listed at 4.28 oz. but it feels lighter by an ounce. I have no problem with flex in G10 scales. It will not break.
 
My buddy has an Auto Adamas, and I've been able to play with it a few times. It's a bit big for EDC in my mind. I was just expecting it to be tougher. Like the Bone Collector, in my mind, is a very tough yet still edc knife.
 
jehicks87 said:
My buddy has an Auto Adamas, and I've been able to play with it a few times. It's a bit big for EDC in my mind. I was just expecting it to be tougher. Like the Bone Collector, in my mind, is a very tough yet still edc knife.
Click to expand...

As far as I can see, if you want a thin and light knife, one of the simplest ways to design one is to do it with partial or no liners. Full liners, like on my 300SN, are sturdy, but they will be bulky and heavy.
 
jehicks87 said:
My buddy has an Auto Adamas, and I've been able to play with it a few times. It's a bit big for EDC in my mind. I was just expecting it to be tougher. Like the Bone Collector, in my mind, is a very tough yet still edc knife.
Click to expand...

That is the one I wanted, but it was out of stock. I ended up with the manual version. All I can say is that the knife is one of the toughest folders I've ever handled. It's a thing of beauty. :D i'm interested to see what your thoughts are on the Volli say in 2 months time, after you've had a chance to break it in and see how it handles your routine. :thumbup:
 
I also just purchased a Volli and I'm loving it! It's thinner than I expected but that's a good thing. The sculpted G10 handle feels very nice in the hand and while not as grippy as standard G10 checkering it still provides a good grip.

The Volli is often compared to the Barrage and while I can see certain similarities, the Volli is thinner and more refined. Unlike the Barrage, which has Valox scales and while sturdy, feels hollow and plasticky, the Volli's G10 scales have inset steel liners which give the knife a very solid feel. In fact, even though the Volli is smaller than the Barrage 580, it weighs slightly more. Like the Barrage it has a safety on the back of the handle that when engaged blocks the movement of the Axis lock.

The S30V blade is fairly thin at 0.10", flat ground and very sharp out of the box. It has more of a pronounced belly than the Barrage and from using it in the kitchen, I can tell you it's quite a slicer. Still, I would have preferred a blade with the same profile as the Barrage. While it isn't what I'd call a heavy duty knife, it's solid, compact and very well built. Fit and finish are typical Benchmade.

I just sharpened the Volli on an Edge Pro Apex and the S30V took the edge pretty easily, just a bit more work than VG-10 or 154CM. And with the EPA the edge has a mirror polish and makes the factory edge look like a butter knife! :-)

Mark
 
I am interested in buying the Volli in a satin PE and thought there would be more interest in this model than there has been.

What is your opinions of the ridges used on the handle scales. I would have preferred standard G-10 checkering, but if the ridges are not too deep, don't wear down easily, or ruin the pocket lining on clothes they may be OK. A lot of the pictures I've seen show areas on the scales that look glossy, are they solid black or do they have highlights of some sort?

Thanks
 
harris2 said:
I am interested in buying the Volli in a satin PE and thought there would be more interest in this model than there has been.

What is your opinions of the ridges used on the handle scales. I would have preferred standard G-10 checkering, but if the ridges are not too deep, don't wear down easily, or ruin the pocket lining on clothes they may be OK. A lot of the pictures I've seen show areas on the scales that look glossy, are they solid black or do they have highlights of some sort?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The scales are solid black and not quite as grippy as standard G10 but grippy enough. I don't think the texture poses any threat to clothing. Personally I'm sick to death of standard black checkered G10 and the somewhat different scales of the Volli were a big selling point.
 
I picked up a Volli today. I like the design, but an Axis Lock is not as much fun when it is part of an assisted opening system. It can be manually flicked open and closed like a standard Axis Lock. In terms of size and profile, the Volli really reminds me of a Kershaw Knockout, and that is a very good thing!;)
 
Mark_42 said:
The scales are solid black and not quite as grippy as standard G10 but grippy enough. I don't think the texture poses any threat to clothing. Personally I'm sick to death of standard black checkered G10 and the somewhat different scales of the Volli were a big selling point.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mark_42

The Volli should be a good upgrade to my Barrage 585, I just wish they had one locally that I could see before ordering one. I like the 585, but the G10 will be nicer than the Valox and the blade profile looks slightly better on the Volli - I like less belly on a small folder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top