Need new knife. Mil/heavy use

G

GoolsbyMD

Joined
Feb 1, 2015
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So I'm looking for a new knife for work. I'm in the U.S. Navy so the mil discount from BM has led me to them everytime. My EDC is the 940 and my work knife is/was 520. I have beaten the 520 to death last deployment and BM serviced Her and made her new again (new handles, lock,,and blade). I'd like to keep the blade around 3.5-4" slasher style, it will mostly see thick rope, gasket material, and be exposed to fuels, and steam a lot (engine room/machinery room). I like the ZT0651 a lot but looking at others as well as mentioned BM. Looking to stay around 100-200.
 
The two that come to my mind are the BM 275 Adamas and the ZT 0550. Both are extremely heavily built and will stand up to abuse.
Good luck on the search, keep us updated on what you decide, and above all, thanks for your service!
 
I have been eyeing the Adamas but was worried it was more of a chopper than slasher. I like the more narrow knives for cutting through items. I might pick up the Adamas just for pure beauty and abuse.
 
Dang. Started looking at the 0651 then saw how big it was and people recommend the 550 but it doesn't have the sealed ball bearings then I read about the 0562CF. Really like that 562CF
 
First knife that came to mind was the Adamas, since I now own one and love the sucker. This is, it's not much of a slicer, with a thick blade it doesn't slice as much as split soft material. It will take more of a beating than any other knife I've owned, but if you wanna do delicate slicing (i.e. fruit/meat) it won't perform as well as most others.

Most ZTs will take a beating beyond that of almost any other company, I own a little 566 and I'm not afraid to do almost anything to it. For your size and general idea the 300 might be what you're looking for, but a it is a recurve so field sharpening would have to be done with rods rather than stones. The 560 series are fantastic folders as well, but they are on the big side for EDC.

I enjoy using the Adamas over the ZT, the Axis lock makes closing it a breeze and the blade just flies out with authority with the slightest of nudges or a flick of the wrist. If you are just wanting to slice tough material and aren't looking for a fine slicer, I'd go with the Adamas. (I've had a Contego, the Adamas just feels like a more powerful knife and has more control over the blade due to the thicker handle and shorter blade)
 
I also really enjoy a BM the adamas really is a beefy knife. The vicar looks pretty beefy as well but I have no experience with it yet. Keep in mind that BM isn't the only manufacture that offers a military discount. Spyderco's ops focus is also a great program for instance. That would open up other options. I like the Manix 2 XL for my duty blade. Food for thought.
 
The benchmade 710, benchmade 950, spyderco military and spyderco manix 2 xl would be a few good choices, all have nice cutting geometry. The zt561 and bm 275 are good choices too but keep in mind they really dont cut all that well in comparison to the others I mentioned, thats why I dont carry them that often anymore but they are really cool to have. Theres also the zt200 and emersons, which is what would probably be my choice if I were in the military. I would assume that in your line of work it would be worth sacrificing a little bit of cutting ease for extra strength.
 
Emerson cqc 8 comes to mind. Dpx folders are solid performers that can take a beating
 
After you've "looked at" everything else, end your window shopping and focus on Emerson knives...you will thank me later.
 
I'm a big fan of the ubiquitous and affordable Ontario RAT folders; I think they can hold their own against far more expensive knives reasonably well. You could buy a bunch of RATs with your budget and swap 'em out as they need maintenance and/or replacement. Plus, it won't hurt the wallet as much if you lose or break 'em...

horseman01.jpg

Top to bottom: Benchmade 710, Ontario RAT-1, Emerson Horseman, Spyderco Para-Military 2

rats01_zps5d16e56d.jpg

Ontario RAT-1 and little brother RAT-2

Good luck, OP! :)

-Brett
 
My Buck 110 and Spyderco Dragonfly 2 have seen me through just about everything the Army has sent me to. Just ordered a BM 8600 Auto Bedlam, though... will have to see how that works out- a platoon mate loves his! with the MIL Discount, it falls within your price range, and should serve the purpose fairly well.
 
The Adamas is a better cutter than it might seem at first. The grind is pretty thin behind the edge. Personally I would trust that knife with that lock style (Axis) over a frame or liner lock built by anyone. If lock strength is one of your primary concerns then I don't think you can go wrong with it.

I would also recommend taking a look at the CQC 8. That's a great cutter and while the liner lock might not be quite as strong as an Axis lock, if you're mostly doing cutting tasks and not violent stabbing or prying it should be fine. It's also lighter, has the wave feature, and is very user friendly as far as cleaning and sharpening goes. You can get it back to sharp in seconds with a pocket stone.

For your particular uses I'd stay away from the ZT knives with bearing pivots (560, 561, 562, 620, etc). The materials you will be cutting will release lots of tiny fibers which can become a huge headache when they get trapped in the pivot and interfere with the bearings. Same goes for grit and grime.
 
I like the ZT 0300/0301/0302 line they are built like a brick f*ckng house. They take a ton of abuse.

EG
 
I'm a Benchmade fan, have several, but my working EDC is the Spyderco Gayle Bradley with the M4 steel blade. I work construction and use it for all kinds of things and it really holds an edge.

Here is a YouTube video of Gayle Bradley explaining his design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0IxU-fuW4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF5uzLPIlII



If you absolutely have to have a Benchmade my vote is 940-01 S90v, CF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctR3pE0J6aU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otlA11xKlwA
 
In theory, phosphor bronze washers will take more lateral stress than bearings. The 0550 is also far more pocketable than the 0560. I have both and of the pair typically carry the 0550 for work duties.

The Spyderco Manix 2 is also a regular in my work rotation.

You have a reasonable budget and a seemingly good sense of what you need in a knife so you probably won't manage to go wrong. Good luck, thanks for your service and let us know what you end up with.
 
Thanks all. I think I have it narrowed down to the ZT 0560/0550 and the BM Adamas. I was leaning towards the BM just due to the shear discount they offer. I'm however going go need to watch more videos on the Adamas to make sure before I pull the trigger. I'm very familiar with the axis lock (two previous knives). Thought it might be a nice change but maybe not.
 
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