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- Feb 2, 2005
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- 4,271
UPS dropped off a package for me Friday afternoon so I thought I’d write up a quick review of the contents. I’ve attached some pix in the next post after this one. Inside was a new H&K 14210 PE. I’d been waffling for a few weeks on whether to get the 14210 or wait until someone had a 14205 PE in stock. I finally decided on the 210 because it is so close to the size of the mini-RSK that I EDC.
The knife came in an H&K box packed in a plastic bag inside a small pouch… standard Benchmade touches with H&K logos. The action right out of the box was very smooth and secure… no drags or stiff spots on opening or closing, but the blade isn’t free-swinging either. There is no detectable blade play in either direction when the blade is fully closed or locked open. When closed, the blade sits dead center in the knife. This was a pleasant surprise because I am absolutely OC about blade centering and that’s been a problem with every Grip or mini-Grip I’ve had except the Ritters.
The 210 matches up in size to knives like the mini-Grips, Al-Mar’s Nomad and mini-SERE, the Calypso 3, and the 707. The handle on the 210 is the same size as the handle on BM’s mini-Grips but there is one major difference. The 210’s handle shape lets you use the entire handle to control the knife. Where the mini-Grips have ¼” of handle taken away by that hook under the blade tang, the 210’s index finger contour goes all the way to the front of the handle.
The knife’s F&F is typical Benchmade, rather good for a production knife. I’m used to the G-10 scales turned out by Spyderco and Al-Mar and the G-10 on the 210 is a bit different. Nice, but different. It’s smoother than the very grippy G-10 on my Para-Millie and my Al-Mars, but the H&K handles very well. I always flip new knives around trying different grips and I never felt like the 210 was out of my control or was close to being dropped. The scales are a good fit to the full steel liners on the 210. The edges are mated well and the fit is very precise. Another reviewer in a different thread mentioned that there were some small gaps between the scales and the liners on his 210. I was unable to detect any on mine until I put a strong light behind the knife and looked through the knife toward the light. I did see some tiny cracks of light where the scale and liners meet, but nothing that is visible under normal conditions.
The satin finish on the blade is nicely done. The 210 has a good blade length for my types of EDC usage. I’m still not sold on recurve blades, even ones as gentle as the 210, but that wasn’t enough to keep me from buying the knife and I’m glad I got it. The OOB sharpness was better than some Benchmades I’ve had, about on a par with the Ritter and Cabelas Grips. It would shave arm hair all along the length of both sides of the blade, but only the tip area and the big part of the belly would push cut a phone book page. Now the whole length of the blade will push cut, I’m happy to say. For now, I’m using the corners of the U/F rods on my Sharpmaker to touch up the blade and polish the edge a bit. When I learn more about sharpening recurve blades I may do some things differently.
Overall, I’m really glad that I went for the 14210 and I seem to have gotten a good example of the type. The F&F, mechanical action, and sharpness were all what I would expect of a Benchmade product and I’m looking forward to a long and happy relationship. I can see why those who wish for a G-10 version of the mini-Grips like this knife.
The knife came in an H&K box packed in a plastic bag inside a small pouch… standard Benchmade touches with H&K logos. The action right out of the box was very smooth and secure… no drags or stiff spots on opening or closing, but the blade isn’t free-swinging either. There is no detectable blade play in either direction when the blade is fully closed or locked open. When closed, the blade sits dead center in the knife. This was a pleasant surprise because I am absolutely OC about blade centering and that’s been a problem with every Grip or mini-Grip I’ve had except the Ritters.
The 210 matches up in size to knives like the mini-Grips, Al-Mar’s Nomad and mini-SERE, the Calypso 3, and the 707. The handle on the 210 is the same size as the handle on BM’s mini-Grips but there is one major difference. The 210’s handle shape lets you use the entire handle to control the knife. Where the mini-Grips have ¼” of handle taken away by that hook under the blade tang, the 210’s index finger contour goes all the way to the front of the handle.
The knife’s F&F is typical Benchmade, rather good for a production knife. I’m used to the G-10 scales turned out by Spyderco and Al-Mar and the G-10 on the 210 is a bit different. Nice, but different. It’s smoother than the very grippy G-10 on my Para-Millie and my Al-Mars, but the H&K handles very well. I always flip new knives around trying different grips and I never felt like the 210 was out of my control or was close to being dropped. The scales are a good fit to the full steel liners on the 210. The edges are mated well and the fit is very precise. Another reviewer in a different thread mentioned that there were some small gaps between the scales and the liners on his 210. I was unable to detect any on mine until I put a strong light behind the knife and looked through the knife toward the light. I did see some tiny cracks of light where the scale and liners meet, but nothing that is visible under normal conditions.
The satin finish on the blade is nicely done. The 210 has a good blade length for my types of EDC usage. I’m still not sold on recurve blades, even ones as gentle as the 210, but that wasn’t enough to keep me from buying the knife and I’m glad I got it. The OOB sharpness was better than some Benchmades I’ve had, about on a par with the Ritter and Cabelas Grips. It would shave arm hair all along the length of both sides of the blade, but only the tip area and the big part of the belly would push cut a phone book page. Now the whole length of the blade will push cut, I’m happy to say. For now, I’m using the corners of the U/F rods on my Sharpmaker to touch up the blade and polish the edge a bit. When I learn more about sharpening recurve blades I may do some things differently.
Overall, I’m really glad that I went for the 14210 and I seem to have gotten a good example of the type. The F&F, mechanical action, and sharpness were all what I would expect of a Benchmade product and I’m looking forward to a long and happy relationship. I can see why those who wish for a G-10 version of the mini-Grips like this knife.
