New Benchmade Proper

I got to handle one of these at a shop yesterday, and didn't get it despite their offer of a 30% discount. It wasn't bad, but the spring was a little soft and it was hefty. I like that Benchmade is making these, but they just need to tune them up a bit and maybe get some additional feedback and put it to use!
 
Firstly, the more modern slipjoints on the market the better from my point of view. Cold Steel, Benchmade and Lionsteel. Let's hope to see the numbers grow. The manufacturers will grow out of putting sabre grinds on a slipjoint eventually. They're still in the transition zone. :) Secondly I don't believe for a second that Benchmade was ever marketing to the kind of people who frequent this forum. The lovers of stag, bone and wood. The aficionados of multiple blades and tradition. Those who sharpen their steel on the bottom of their mug and for whom a patina is not 'dirty'. They are selling the advantages of a traditional knife over a modern knife in today's modern world to their customer base. Doing it pretty well from the sound of it. Good luck to them.
 
I think something the proper does that other similar knives don't have is the butterfly on the blade. A big part of that is that it will have more widespread distributorship and people will be able to get it into their hands or be more exposed to it. Especially compared to an SFO at a single retailer.

I'm not saying the proper is better or vice versa just that BM has the ability to spread that idea to more places and a different market than some that have been mentioned. The "traditional folder marketed towards tactical folder knife nuts" is about how I see this, as mentioned before, but getting the exposure is a big part of the sales I think. If the original proper didn't sell well I doubt they would have come out with this uglier version. I would have rather seen more scale options for the original than the same thing with a different blade shape. I was hoping some shop exclusives would have shown up as I liked the look of the original model and the high end SS that can be tough to find on a traditional and some of us aren't fans of big bolsters (though many are).

I'm a fan of micarta on a slippy and luckily there are a lot nice options out there.
 
I just got mine (318) and I am loving it! It has been getting mercilessly CE-ed and CF-ed all night.

I got the 319-1 when it first came out and never really warmed up to the blade shape. The clip point, I think, will prove much more useful to me.
 
I like mine a lot. It has become my go-to EDC.

The is it or isn't it traditional is a little bit of a sticky point to me. I think it is pretty subjective.
I handed my Proper to a co-worker the other day. He's about 15 years younger than me. When I handed him the knife, he tried to open it one handed, then asked me how it locked. Traditional to him is one-handed opening with a locking blade, if "traditional" means what one is or has become accustomed to.

Just my humble observation.
 
Butch said:
I like mine a lot. It has become my go-to EDC.

The is it or isn't it traditional is a little bit of a sticky point to me. I think it is pretty subjective.
I handed my Proper to a co-worker the other day. He's about 15 years younger than me. When I handed him the knife, he tried to open it one handed, then asked me how it locked. Traditional to him is one-handed opening with a locking blade, if "traditional" means what one is or has become accustomed to.

Just my humble observation.
Click to expand...
All opinions/observations are welcome, Butch.
For the purposes of this sub-forum the following have been established. That doesn't mean everyone agrees or that things can't change. The following is quoted from the guidelines, Guidelines For The "Traditional Folders & Fixed Blades" Sub-Forum.

Blues said:
If a regular knife user of the mid 1960's would find nothing out of the ordinary about the design, then it's traditional.

That means large Buck 110-ish lockbacks are in.

SAKs date to the late 1800's. If they are not one hand opening, they are in. (See comments on materials of construction.)

Modern locking mechanisms such as Walker liner locks, pocket clips, holes / studs to allow one hand opening are all out. (Traditional liner locks, such as the lock on a TL29, are in.) Add a clip to a stockman, and it needs to be posted elsewhere. By the same token, if it is traditional except for a clip and you remove the clip, feel free to post it here.

We tend to have some tolerance when it comes to fixed blades. But, new designs with features such as glass breakers, are not included in this forum.

We give leeway on materials of construction. So if you have a nice stockman with G10 covers, it's traditional enough for us. After all, plastics have been used on knife handles since the 1800's. Stainless steel has been used in cutlery since the 1920's, so stainless is considered traditional. And even though PM alloys are new developments, that fella in the mid-1960's would never know the difference if he were looking at the knife, so they are OK, too.
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I had the opportunity to handle one of the new Benchmade Propers with the clip style blade this last weekend.

In the recent past it has not held my interest all that much, simply due to its aesthetics, as I have found it to be a rather tepid or lackluster design. However, after handling it, I would say it is a fine knife. It is solidly constructed, the blade is 230V (which my experience with that steel in my modern folders has been quite positive), the handles come in either micarta or G10, and it is made by a stand up company. I do agree that it is quite unlikely that they are attempting to market it to Traditionals enthusiasts like ourselves here, but rather to folks who want a simpler, smaller, unassuming knife that not only adheres to some legal specifications, but provides a tough, working knife in a nice slim package.

That all being said, I still find it to be ugly, the blades especially. The shapes look unfinished, the pulls literally look like they were done with a Dremel, and overall, they lack the polished and refined look that one comes to expect from a maker of higher end modern knives. I also found the half stop to be soft and squishy, which is the best way to describe it... Lion Steel and Mike Latham nailed it with their Roundhead collaboration, I don't see why Benchmade couldn't have applied some of those same manufacturing principles to their Proper.

If I came into one for the right price, I would certainly do my due diligence and give it a solid go, I am sure it will perform admirably, but a beauty queen, she is not...
 
I bought one, it isn’t a bad slip joint. I applaud Benchmade for the effort. I like the upgraded blade steel, and the screw construction. I like the blending of traditional-ish patterns with modern materials.

It misses for me in the ergonomics though, and I am not crazy about the saber grind. I guess it is most comparable to the Sodbuster Jr.

[url=https://postimg.org/image/ai1gq2djv/][/URL]

It is light and very thin, but the handle is a little too thin for my personal tastes.

[url=https://postimg.org/image/rikcyrdqj/][/URL]

It will probably be successful where non-locking blades are mandated, and blade length is restricted to under 3 inches. My Sodbuster Jr. outperforms it as a slicer, but I reprofiled that edge to 30 degrees inclusive. The S30v will hold an edge much longer than Case’s stainless of course.

The offspring of these two would be a real winner, if it retained the most desirable traits (to me) of its parentage.
 
Has anyone tried to grind in a swedge on the clip point model? As most have mentioned, it looks like it would benefit from that at lease aesthetically if not practically.

Or has anyone sent theirs off for a regrind to a full flat grind? The clip point does appear to have a higher blade grind than the first one, so I'm guessing that one might slice a little better.

G2
 
Might not be much help, Gary W. Graley Gary W. Graley but I reground a sheepsfoot a while back

35361160601_83cae179e9_b.jpg


Made it a muuuuuuuch better cutter... I'd say grind away!
 
Wow, nice work and yep, that's gotta help a heap ! :)
Thanks,
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Has anyone tried to grind in a swedge on the clip point model? As most have mentioned, it looks like it would benefit from that at lease aesthetically if not practically.

Or has anyone sent theirs off for a regrind to a full flat grind? The clip point does appear to have a higher blade grind than the first one, so I'm guessing that one might slice a little better.

G2
Click to expand...

Tom Krein has reground a bunch of them. I think you would like how they cut better than the once with the standard thickness. If you do a search you will find dealers that have them.
 
Arrived today, very nice, while I've always been a wharncliff kinda guy, I do like a nice point often and so I picked the clip point for that reason, working on a bobtail fob for it tonight.

The swedge is not sharpened, there is about 1mm of flat spot along the spine of the swedge

Proper by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Proper by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Arrived nice and sharp, I do think they have stepped up their game in the sharpening dept. for sure.
G2

finished up the bobtail fob;

Proper by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Proper by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Proper by GaryWGraley, on Flickr
 
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Thanks guys I would just warn to take it slow when making the swedge I used sharpening stones to do that
G2
 
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