- Joined
- Aug 15, 2000
- Messages
- 2,330
Finally got my hands on a BM330 after many months of dawdling but turned out to be a disappointment. Sure looked different in the pictures *sigh*
Summary: the BM330 is a small 2.3" bladed liner lock with a titanium frame & liners. It has a strange feature of having G10 scales which cover only 3/4 of the handle, so that the exposed frame looks like bolsters. Lengths are 4" closed and 7" open, and the knife is very slim. The weight of the knife is just 1.4 ounces.
The bad: the exposed frame section at the pivot is very thin, making it difficult to get a good grip on the knife (and I have small hands to boot). This is made worse by the marked thickness difference between the exposed frame and the much thicker G10 covered portion of the handle. Several different holds later, I'm convinced I can't find a grip that's even halfway comfortable. And to cap it off, the exposed frame has sharp edges which bite your hand as well.
A couple of test cuts on cardboard gave new meaning to the word discomfort, and I just wonder - did anybody at Benchmade even try using it during the design stage? If I had to change the design, i would extend the G10 scales all the way to the pivot area.
It may just be bad luck, but my example had a really sloppy lock that didn't even engage halfway. A light rap on the blade spine knocked the lock loose. I was tempted to try to remedy this by disassembling the thing and increasing the arch of the liner (yeah, voids the warranty) before I found out that the frame was riveted together.
Since it would cost me something like $20-$30 at the cheapest shipping rate to send it back to Oregon, I guess I'm stuck with this $65 letdown. If you are looking for a slim, lightweight gent's folder, I would recommend the CRKT Mirage Titanium which is of similar size and weight but with much friendlier handling characteristics.
Red
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"Praise not the day until evening has come;a sword until it is tried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk" - Viking proverb
Summary: the BM330 is a small 2.3" bladed liner lock with a titanium frame & liners. It has a strange feature of having G10 scales which cover only 3/4 of the handle, so that the exposed frame looks like bolsters. Lengths are 4" closed and 7" open, and the knife is very slim. The weight of the knife is just 1.4 ounces.
The bad: the exposed frame section at the pivot is very thin, making it difficult to get a good grip on the knife (and I have small hands to boot). This is made worse by the marked thickness difference between the exposed frame and the much thicker G10 covered portion of the handle. Several different holds later, I'm convinced I can't find a grip that's even halfway comfortable. And to cap it off, the exposed frame has sharp edges which bite your hand as well.
A couple of test cuts on cardboard gave new meaning to the word discomfort, and I just wonder - did anybody at Benchmade even try using it during the design stage? If I had to change the design, i would extend the G10 scales all the way to the pivot area.
It may just be bad luck, but my example had a really sloppy lock that didn't even engage halfway. A light rap on the blade spine knocked the lock loose. I was tempted to try to remedy this by disassembling the thing and increasing the arch of the liner (yeah, voids the warranty) before I found out that the frame was riveted together.
Since it would cost me something like $20-$30 at the cheapest shipping rate to send it back to Oregon, I guess I'm stuck with this $65 letdown. If you are looking for a slim, lightweight gent's folder, I would recommend the CRKT Mirage Titanium which is of similar size and weight but with much friendlier handling characteristics.
Red
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"Praise not the day until evening has come;a sword until it is tried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk" - Viking proverb