How do the black blades hold up to wear and scratches over time, in particular the

To be honest, I think Benchmade black blades wear faster than other similarly-priced companies I have used and carried. I had an Adamas that I used a few times at work and it was visually worn:



Whereas the black Manix 2 I had was used a similar amount of times and still managed to look untouched before I sold it. (no picture)

I also had a SOG Aegis mini that the black coating held up for years cutting cardboard with just some slight fading on the shoulders of the blade, whereas the CS Recon I had lost its coating after just a couple uses doing the same work. I believe the Spyderco uses DLC for its black, while SOG uses their TiNi, while BM and CS use just a powder-coating which isn't as durable.
 
It really depends how you use your knives.

All of these - with the exception of the Ritter have been used.



Now, having said that, I don't try to cut rocks, ect.
 
Depends on what the coating is and how it was applied. Generally, baked-on stuff (like DLC - Benchmade comes to mind) holds up really well. On the other hand, coatings that are just painted on (RAT-1 and 2 come to mind) wear off quite easily.
 
They get scratched up....the blackwash that zt uses holds up well....I would look at that if you are picky about how your blade looks
 
I think they hold up fairly well through most daily carry type stuff. Any serious use will wear it pretty quickly. My only black bladed knife is a Contego and its still new looking, but its a carried daily used little type of knife. I use a multitool for most stuff.
 
These are the black blades I have. All are users.......haven't broken up any concrete with them tho!
 

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I had a black blade a few times.

From my experience they don't wear off right away, it'll take some abuse to get it scratched up.

 
They all scratch. They all get shiny spots on the high points. When they do, they look better.
 
IMG_0300.jpg

This is the result of cutting sod for about 60 seconds, but I like the look of a used blade. Cold Steel Lawman.
 
Armadew said:
Black blades don't look good until they show a bit of wear IMO!
Click to expand...

I love worn coated blades!

@OP: I actually like Benchmade's coating because it wears a little faster and gains character. I've like DLC coatings too, but they are so good it's hard to add character to them, lol.
 
I wish more companies would wise up, like ESEE has on the ESEE4, and offer an uncoated version of their products. I'd rather have patina than a bunch of beat up paint.
 
I've owned quite a few black bladed knives, but I try to steer clear of them now. Some have been better than others. I prefer satin and stonewashed to anything else.

Here is my experience with black coated blades:

Benchmade: Holds up fairly decent. I'm not a Benchmade fan though, and one of the things (among many) that pissed me off is that they put a good coating on the blade, but don't bother to put anymore than put a thin layer of paint on the clip. You end up with a barely used knife with a clip that looks like its seen ten miles of bad road.

SOG: Their Titanium Nitride and Titanium Aluminum Nitride held up well. Better than Benchmade. I don't like their bead blasted finish at all though.

Kershaw/ZT: Their DLC is great, probably the best I've experienced.

Cold Steel: Worst of the worst. However, in upgrading the steel in their knives they've also upgraded to DLC.

ESEE: Fair at best.

Becker: Same as ESEE--comes off rather quickly.

I've come to enjoy the look of a well used satin blade over a black or tigerstriped one.
 
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