Got My 806D2 AFCK and Sharpmaker

[Hath]

My first knife I've ever owned finally arrived today. Great doing business with New Graham.

The first thing I noticed was the blue box from Benchmade is real small. When I took the knife out, it felt incredibly sturdy. I was not expecting it to be so rock solid, it feels magnificient in the hands. I opened it, and it was smooth operations right out of the box. Not too tight, not too loose, easily opened with a slight flick, easily opened with no flick at all.

Closing it was a little different. The AXIS lock button is a little strange. I have to pull the button down by holding BOTH sides of it. If I try with only my thumb, the knife won't unlock, so it gets awkward trying to close it.

After close inspection, I noticed the blade had grease or something near the axis of the blade. And the clip looks used too, does Benchmade do this intentionally? It's scratched up and what not, but other than those two things, the knife is in perfect condition. Don't get me wrong, I actually appreciate the grease, and I really don't care if the clip is scratched.

I had no idea how to test sharpness so I just ran it across my finger to see. I'm not sure if it's wickedly sharp or not, but from the touch, I don't think it is. I tried shaving, it got a little, but it took a bit of work. Sharpness isn't really a problem either though, once I test my Sharpmaker on some junky knives around the house and get good at using it, I'll use it on this. Might take me a few months before I feel confident about my sharpening skills.

Not much to say about the Sharpmaker, don't even know how to use it yet. Looks neat though.

I like the knife a lot, I think I'm going to purchase a Delica soon too. Seemed to be what people recommended as a "sexy" knife

 

[Medic1210]

The 806 has a pretty heavy blade, and if flicked, will tend to wedge the axis lock pretty tight. This can be difficult to close with one finger. It will improve though. The best way to open the knife is by holding the axis open, and lightly flicking the blade, releasing the axis when nearing the full open setting. If you are right handed, you will find that closing the knife is easier if you use your index finger instead of your thumb. I usually use the area of my index finger where the first joint is. That way, I don't have to change my grip at all. I did need to take my 806 to a strop to get it up to it's full potential as far as sharpness is concerned. Now it has a wicked edge, no wire edge, and has maintained a hair poppin' sharp edge ever since. You will like it. Mine had to grow on me initially because I bought a 940 and a 921 at the same time. Both of those were razors straight out of the box, and felt better in my hand. The 806 really feels good now, and is the first knife I grab for anything other than opening mail. The 921 is absolutely perfect for the mail, and other light duty tasks.

Mike

 

[AlphalphaPB]

Good to hear that you like the knife.

The grease around the pivot area is the Militec lubricant. Soon you should get something like this to lubricate your knife. Most people use Militec, Tuf-Glide, or White Lightning.

Regarding the axis button, you'll get used to pulling it back with just your thumb. The first few days I used the knife, my thumb hurt from the friction, but then the skin hardened and now it doesn't hurt at all.

I don't think my 806D2 had a scratched clip out of the box. But the finish wasn't perfectly smooth or anything, so this might be why it looks scratched to you.

My AFCK came with a very even and polished edge, but it wasn't very toothy. It wasn't razor sharp, but it wasn't the worst edge I've ever encountered right out of the box.

 

[peacefuljeffrey]

Both of your items are good purchases.
I myself received an AFCK I ordered; it came just Monday. I got a liner-lock model 800, though.

I have an Axis lock knife -- the Mini Griptilian -- and I like it a lot, but got a little spooked by some horror stories about the "omega spring" that the lock lever uses breaking. I decided that for longevity, a long flat leaf spring, as in a liner lock, is better. Mind you, I have not had any problem with my Mini Griptilian's lock.

I am quite used to repositioning my hand to use both thumb and forefinger on the Axis lock of my 555. It doesn't take much practice, so I'm sure you'll get it quickly.

As far as sharpening goes... Read the sharpening tutorial on the Bladeforums site here; it tells you everything you need to know, pretty much. And take the advice to line your edge with marker and grind that off to heart. It will clear up the mystery of just how to hold your knife to the stone to work the edge bevel, and not just the very edge nor the border between the bevel and the flat of the blade. I used this technique for the very first time yesterday, and it WORKS. And the marker ink comes right off with a typical washing of the stone that you would do to remove metal particles.

Also, feel free to use my "burr detection method." I came up with this on my own one night while I was sharpening and straining to see if I had a burr on my edge:

After you've ground the edge, and are ready to put finishing touches on it, you will probably have a tiny burr on the side opposite from the one you last ground. This gets smaller and smaller, but only if it is worn away VERY gently and very gradually -- but it's tough to detect! Hold the knife up at about the level of your lips, a few inches away, with the spine toward you and the edge away from you. GET A BLUE L.E.D. mini-flashlight like a Photon Microlight II or III. (Blue works the best, to the exclusion of others I've tested, namely red and green and white.) Hold the flashlight at about eye level and shine it down at an angle to the blade, focusing on the edge. You may have to play with the angle of the blade a bit, but if there is a burr on this side, it will show up as a thin, bright bluish line at the edge of the bevel.

In my experience, I go back at this point and use very light strokes on the stone (I use a Spyderco Profile) on both sides. Usually it is best to do no more than three very light strokes on each side, then switch. Toward the end, I do alternate every single stroke, because the trick is to not put the burr onto one side all over again. You are trying to wear off a very tiny flange of metal and then stop without digging back into your edge! Every few times I have stroked and switched, I will use the light to check how much of a burr is still left. Sometimes it will look completely clear on one side, but I flip the knife over and there's that blue line, hopefully narrower now, on the other. Back to switching from one side to the other. Eventually (and sometimes it takes an HOUR) I get it worn away and have nothing but sweeeeeeet sharp edge. It's worth the effort. Good luck.

 

[Hath]

Thanks for all the feedback, I don't think I am going to try to sharpen it anytime soon, haha. I opened the Sharpmaker and watched some of the video, WOW. As soon as Sal was done explaining how to sharpen a normal blade, I ran around the house looking for the most dull knife I could find. As I was griding away, it look really uneven. There were bumps and jags everywhere, not sure if it is my sharpening or if it's cause the knife was real messed up to begin with. After about 40 minutes of messing around, I finally got it to shaving sharpness, and the blade looks half decent now. Even with these results, I think my AFCK will have to stay away from the Sharpmaker for a while. Maybe after I get some diamond rods and a few months of practice I'll try.

As for the AXIS lock...

After messing around with it for a bit, I found that it was easier just to grip the lock with both my index finger and thumb. It slides much easier, but puts my hands at a strange position when closing the knife.

And with the lube, is there any difference between that stuff and normal lubing oil? And will the knife be any easier to close if I lube the locking area (without getting grease all over the actual thumb point of course)?