First Benchmade?

Yonose

Yonose

Joined
Jul 10, 2017
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Most of my folders are Spydies, with a few zt’s and S30v bucks. I’m looking at knifework’s contego in M390. The griptilian seems to thin for me(not that I am a pryer, just tend to drop knives, especially in the cold. Would this make a good first benchmade? The price on sale is $169. Are there better folders by bechmade with similar thickness? Not looking for more s30v or 154cm. Thanks for any replies.
 
Yonose said:
Most of my folders are Spydies, with a few zt’s and S30v bucks. I’m looking at knifework’s contego in M390. The griptilian seems to thin for me(not that I am a pryer, just tend to drop knives, especially in the cold. Would this make a good first benchmade? The price on sale is $169. Are there better folders by bechmade with similar thickness? Not looking for more s30v or 154cm. Thanks for any replies.
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To each their own, although it certainly wouldn't be my first choice given it's size (I like the design, but it's too large for me to carry any place other than work). That being said, if you're ok with the size and weight, it's a model that seems to get mostly positive reviews (the regular Contego anyways) so by all accounts, you should be happy. Also, if you're looking at buying a beefy Benchmade, maybe also check out the Adamas (in D2) and if you can find one, the discontinued 757 Vicar (although that's in S30V). As well, a perhaps slightly less beefy option would be the full size Crooked River. It's available on the custom builder now so you can choose what steel you want it in.
 
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The Contego is a nice knife, but for me personally the grip just did not agree with me, and I have heard others say the same. I like large knives, and wear XL gloves, but for some reason on the Contego I could never get a comfortable hold on the knife without one of the hot spots on the finger grooves biting me. That's not saying you shouldn't give it a shot, just something I thought you should be aware of. I've had nothing but great experience with KW, so I'm sure returns would not be a problem if you find that you don't like it. Also, I think I remember that later versions of the Contego had some of the hot spots softened, so maybe the problem I experienced has been resolved.

Not sure how you feel about D2, but like Chariotz4 mentioned, the Adamas is a great option, and is personally my favorite beefy folder. He also mentioned the Crooked River and the Vicar, which happen to be two of my favorites as well. However, you said that you don't want S30V, and I would also rule the Vicar out because I feel that your first Benchmade MUST be an AXIS lock IMO. Hopefully, the Crooked River will be back up on the custom site again, which will give you more steel options with it.

I want to be clear that I am in no way trying to talk you out of the Contego, I just wanted to share my experience with the knife. I'm no expert, and YMMV.
 
NSBFL said:
Not sure how you feel about D2, but like Chariotz4 mentioned, the Adamas is a great option, and is personally my favorite beefy folder. He also mentioned the Crooked River and the Vicar, which happen to be two of my favorites as well. However, you said that you don't want S30V, and I would also rule the Vicar out because I feel that your first Benchmade MUST be an AXIS lock IMO. Hopefully, the Crooked River will be back up on the custom site again, which will give you more steel options with it.
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That's a very good point...the AXIS lock is to Benchmade what the Spydie Hole is to Spyderco or the Tri-Ad lock is to Cold Steel. OP should definitely try to pick up something with an AXIS lock for his first BM.
 
How about give us some stats that you like in a knife. Personally I think the Griptilian's blade stock is as thick as I'd want to go for up to 4" in a folder. I think the Contego has a steeper primary grind for better slicing. I don't have a Contego, but I have around 15 BM's (although some are similar models) and like them all.

Maybe tell us which Spydies and ZT's you really like, and we could give suggestions with similar ergos or cutting abilities.

Personally, if you like the PM2, I think you might like the Stryker (discontinued but you should be able to track one down). If you like the Manix, you might like the Loco, mini Loco, or the discontinued mini Onslaught. Plus, there are a number of new knives out over the past few months that look promising.

My favorites are the 520 (also discontinued) and 590, but neither are as popular as other BM offerings. It might benefit you to find a local dealer (even REI and Cabela's usually stocks a few) and see if any speak to you.

If you are looking for the higher end steels, your selection might be more limited. I don't know what your cutting requirements are, but you might need surprised at the combination of sharpness achieved and ease of sharpening for occasional touch ups of the "older" steels.

Sometimes I prefer Bucks 420HC to Bucks S30V for small tasks with weekly touch ups for things such as cutting my cigars or the occasional letter/box opening. Additionally, as much as I like my M4 knives, my $2 box cutter with enhanced blades will run circles around then for cutting fiberglass insulation... although blade style, shape, and design probably plays a larger role in those tasks.
 
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I have a new KW Contego myself and a couple 940’s. The Contego is a beast of a knife I’m a average sized dude 5’9” 175lb and large hands/gloves.

To me it’s not a average everyday around town pocket knife. That said, I do like carrying it hiking outdoors when a bigger blade maybe useful.

I really like the design and build of the KW’s model it’s nicely done glad I bought it. Plus holy cow the M390 blade came insane sharp I touched the blade lightly and cut my finger.
 
My favorite Spyderco has always been the Military. (Cruwear, s110v, 204p) I like the Ontario rat1 in d2 for economy, the ZT I like most either the 562 or the 804. KW has an exclusive of said BM in m390, I wondered if it was what BM users considered representative of a high end benchmade. It does look huge compare to other models. Thanks for the input!
 
Save yourself time and money. Go out there and find a local dealer; and try a few models out. There's nothing like holding a knife to tell you if it's right or not.
 
Pinnacle64 said:
I have a new KW Contego myself and a couple 940’s. The Contego is a beast of a knife I’m a average sized dude 5’9” 175lb and large hands/gloves.

To me it’s not a average everyday around town pocket knife. That said, I do like carrying it hiking outdoors when a bigger blade maybe useful.

I really like the design and build of the KW’s model it’s nicely done glad I bought it. Plus holy cow the M390 blade came insane sharp I touched the blade lightly and cut my finger.
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Is the KW contego with m390 as thick of a blade (.15”) as other versions, or closer to .10” as many of the other versions( such as the 3.4” KW exclusive with same model #)Blade thickness isn’t listed, and that always makes me suspicious. I prefer a 4” blade to have at least .15” thickness. I’m tempted to try out the $72 presidio ultra (at .125”) even though its 440c just to try the axis lock and it may be the cheapest us made folder I’ve seen in a long time!
 
jkarp_53 said:
Save yourself time and money. Go out there and find a local dealer; and try a few models out. There's nothing like holding a knife to tell you if it's right or not.
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I have to agree. Its worth a little drive for me to be able to hold a knife if possible. Benchmade has a lot of options that could/would be considered beefy that you may like better than the contego. The Rift, and Presidio 2 are a couple others that haven't been mentioned. You could probably pay for your gas with the return money you might be potentially saving.
 
Yonose said:
Most of my folders are Spydies, with a few zt’s and S30v bucks. I’m looking at knifework’s contego in M390. The griptilian seems to thin for me(not that I am a pryer, just tend to drop knives, especially in the cold. Would this make a good first benchmade? The price on sale is $169. Are there better folders by bechmade with similar thickness? Not looking for more s30v or 154cm. Thanks for any replies.
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I've owned the 810–1401 for a couple years and never warmed up to the Knifeworks G10 because it did not seem grippy enough for me, but I love Osborne's blade geometry and Benchmade's m390 has taken over Benchmade's D2 as my favorite steel in a 710 and a 275 (although their CPM 20cv is new to me I am liking it so far in a 940-1501). This Christmas I found a set of OEM Benchmade 810 scales at Rogue Bladeworks, and it changed the Contego completely! I love it! I've been carrying it since Christmas in heavy shirts with breast pockets right next to my pens and it fits right in. I have 2XL hands and for normal or light work this knife is perfect, although I wonder if having it customized with Keyman's hole-y job would make it lighter enough for the trouble. Early in the week I split a tuff spaghetti squash lengthwise for baking (under a roast) and wished I had a gloved hand. The 810 was certainly not at the limit for the task but my hide was :). I have been looking at the new Presidio which comes in, from memory, over an ounce less than the 810. but it is only offered in aluminum handle and S30v (here again is a plea for Benchmade to articulate clearly in a conversation from an engineering standpoint why S30v).
 
I like big folders, 4” is just right for me. Looking at the thickness of the blade at 4mm, along with the width, almost twice that of the 551-1702 and the 940 -1501, one can conclude that either 1) the 810-1401 is an incredible value, containing at least 4 times as much m390 steel as either of the above (although the 940-1501 is cpm20cv and the 551-1702 is paper micarta{which is usually cheaper and easier to machine than g-10}) at about the same price or even less or 2) steel and handle material really don’t have that much to do with the production cost of a knife. Popular knives (as predicted by market research) will be priced higher to make up for the unknowns and the less popular models.
I’ve decided not to buy knives in s30v for awhile, non-cpm D2 or 154cm are just not premium blade materials, less so even than s30v. Whether I have aged out of knife companies targeted demographic or whether we are entering a period of stagnation with regard to blade steels, Idk. Spyderco has the same approach to using s30v in all their base model knives, with other steels mostly being limited to special editions or sprint runs.
 
Not sure on the exact thickness on the KW’s Contego, but it’s easy to see its much heavier than my KW 940-1501 cpm-20v blade. I would agree the KW 810-1401 is a extreme value in today’s market.

There’s a lot of G10 and M390 premium steel used in the build and compared to other benchmade models I could see it listed at $200-$250. I think at $179 (Knife Works Price) you will sell a lot more of them in the long run. If you like bigger 4” blades its a great knife.

M390 and CPM-20 have quickly become my favorite steels in a folder. They are easy to get a mirror polished edge than holds up very well with use. Both just seem to be a great balance in a steel properties across the board. Not sure ones better than the other I’ve read M390 is alittle more advanced in process even though both basically use the same steel recipe.
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I am also primarily a Spyderco collector. I must have around 25-30 Spydies but several other brands in ones and twos. I just happened to get the 810 in M4 about 2 weeks ago. I already had a 940 and wanted to try another axis lock. It is a BIG knife compared to the 940, but I must admit it feels great in the hand. I have carried it for a few days and the size doesn't bother me in the pocket, but I find it a little intimidating for regular tasks. I can tell that it will probably be my go to knife the next time I go out camping. If it means anything, my go to knives are usually a PM2, Manix 2, or my GB2. Those feel better to me for EDC.
 
If you like big folders then you will probably love it. I have a KW Grip in micarta/m390 that I carry daily and on the weekends I switch out to my Crooked River. If KW does a signature CR with m390 I'll buy it.
 
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