First impression (not review): Benchmade Pardue Axis

[Joe Talmadge]

I must be the luckiest guy in the world. I read about QC problems with Benchmades, but I still haven't gotten a bad one. I just picked up a Benchmade Pardue Axis. The thing is perfect. Finish is excellent, grinds are excellent, lock works smoothly and securely, edge is sharp (but, as usual, too thick!). Blade is well-centered, no play at all when locked.

The 3.25" blade is a nice shape, straight clip with plenty of belly. There's a grooved thumb ramp, and the grooved liners protrude just before the thumb ramp. Lots of room for solid thumb purchase. The aluminum handle is well-finished and very comfortable, though probably won't work well for big hands. In cutting, the handle has great ergonomics.

I haven't used the knife much yet, but it seems like a real winner. I was wanting a solid knife in the 3.25"-3.5" blade range, and this fills the bill nicely. My one wish would be that the handles be a little bit thinner, to cut down on the profile a bit (it's as thick as my 710 Axis).

Joe

 

[stjames]

Isn't the thickness necessary for the Axis lock? I understand the 705 is the same width.

Great knife, though.


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James Segura
San Francisco, CA

 

[Joe Talmadge]

You're probably right about the lock design being a constraint on the thickness of the handles. I'd still like it thinner though!

Joe

 

[SDMatteson]

I have had mine for a week now and need some
sort of solvent to release it from my hand !
I think Benchmade has raised the bar for
quality at a price point much like the
Impulse has done at it's level . The ATS-34
seems to be not as hard as some older Bechmades I have.I have made quite a few
sharpened garden stakes out of treated pine
and have noticed no dulling . I moved the
clip for tip up carry and to get it out of the way.
Joe , don't you think this knife looks a lot
better in person ? I don't think pictures do it justice.
Just as the M2 Stryker I bought last month , the Pardue was perfect out of the box.I have never had a benchmade come any other way.

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Save The Whales !
Collect the whole set.

 

[stjames]

Joe, a touch thinner would be nice (handle and blade edge) but the CQ on this piece is top notch, breaking my run of bad BM's.

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA

 

[bansidthe]

I had the pleasure of handling 5 of these before puchasing at a local dealer and all were perfect. Benchmade is certainly being careful with the 720.

 

[kevinb17]

I've never been much drawn to Benchmade knives, but the ones I've looked at did not appear to have any QC problems.

I did buy a 705 Axis lock, though, about a month ago. There is nothing about this knife I do not like. The extra thickness in the handle, to me, makes it feel better in the hand. The action is super smooth, and unlike some comments here I did not find the edge too thick at all. The factory edge was very sharp -- more so than my A-F Covert, Native, and Al Mar Eagle Ltwt (all really nice, though).

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Having played with it for another couple days I have some more impressions.

First, my initial impression about the quality was right. It's perfect. The handle feels great, too.

Second, this knife really did make a good fit for my needs. I wanted something with a 3.25"-3.5" blade. Most importantly, I wanted the carry to be so unobtrusive that I forget I have a knife on me -- even if I'm sitting down. Even with the handle being a little thick, it's still short enough that when clipped in the waistband near my right kidney, I *never* feel the knife or know it's there, regardless of whether I'm standing, sitting down, bending, etc. Completely unobtrusive, I love it. This is with tip-down carry (I prefer tip-up but haven't switched the clip yet).

The one thing that gets me a little is that the point seems a little higher than most knives I've carried. Allows for more belly, but still feels a little weird to me.

Joe