- Joined
- Dec 24, 2000
- Messages
- 1,055
Picked this up literally on a whim; stumbled across it browsing a dealer's site. I had no idea it was even out there. I've always been a fan of Snody's designs; but the pocketable dimensions and AXIS lock made it a nearly perfect candidate for EDC evaluation.
The pictures on some dealers site make it look considerably less attractive than it is in person. (IMHO.) I honestly thought the blade looked kind of dopey viewed directly from the side in 2D. It was much to my enjoyment then, to find that the swedge and gentle recurve are actually quite pleasing once it's in front of you.
The 2.95" blade is 154CM, served up nice and sharp. Good grind lines with a nearly polished edge. The blade finish is a nice, almost a satin machine-like finish. The HK logo is subtle enough, and the only other text on the blade is a small "154CM" and "USA" on the reverse.
The handle is grooved G-10. It's milled along the horizontal of the handle (vertical if it's clipped in your pocket...) and while textured, it's not aggressive to the point where it's going to eat up pocket lips or your hands. Nicely done.
The full liners are swiss-cheesed, presumably for weight savings, and remind me of the liners in my 806D2. (Built for strength with a nod to heft.) Phosphor bronze washers are used, and the action is silky smooth.
The AXIS lock is of course, a central feature and as usual, works great. Nice tight lock-up yielding no perceptible blade play. It took about a dozen opening and closings before the lockbar would slide smoothly across the liners, which had me a bit concerned at first. The opposite side would bind on the liner and make it tough to release the lock one handed (with one thumb anyway) but it smoothed out almost immediately and has turned into a real gem.
The 'split arrow' clip is tip up only, and can be swapped to either side of the handle. Those who hate clips will probably still yank this one off, but it's not too terribly bad in the hand.
Other random thoughts:
-The steep thumb ramp provides a secure purchase for the thumb. This, combined with the natural choil of the handle shape, makes for a very secure grasp.
-The handle is long-ish for the blade size and provides a "bigger" knife feel. Users who have larger hands, but prefer ~3" blades will probably like the grip.
-Handle thickness is right about 3/8". Robust size without being too chunky.
-Twin backspacer posts are tapered and turned pieces that make for a nice touch. They could've cheaped out and used some simple round spacers, but these are cool.
Two things I'm not so sure about:
-Dual pivot screw heads. They stick out above the G-10 a little further than I'd like, but they don't seem like a big deal other than slightly odd in my mind.
-Single exposed screw head at the stop pin on one side of the handle. Seems like this could have been countersunk like the backspacer post screws. But agin, cosmetic I guess.
Functionally, it seems typical Benchmade. Strong, smooth, and reliable. Granted, it's life with me will be pretty mundane. Some mail, the odd bit of rope or string, kid's toy packaging, and cardboard boxes. I expect it will perform well, but time will ultimately tell.
Just based on these initial observations and playing around with it, I'd not hesistate to recommend picking one up. Especially if you were/are a 705 fan and like Snody's designs. It's a pretty trick smaller knife and should be considered for anyone's EDC list at this particular price point.
The pictures on some dealers site make it look considerably less attractive than it is in person. (IMHO.) I honestly thought the blade looked kind of dopey viewed directly from the side in 2D. It was much to my enjoyment then, to find that the swedge and gentle recurve are actually quite pleasing once it's in front of you.
The 2.95" blade is 154CM, served up nice and sharp. Good grind lines with a nearly polished edge. The blade finish is a nice, almost a satin machine-like finish. The HK logo is subtle enough, and the only other text on the blade is a small "154CM" and "USA" on the reverse.
The handle is grooved G-10. It's milled along the horizontal of the handle (vertical if it's clipped in your pocket...) and while textured, it's not aggressive to the point where it's going to eat up pocket lips or your hands. Nicely done.
The full liners are swiss-cheesed, presumably for weight savings, and remind me of the liners in my 806D2. (Built for strength with a nod to heft.) Phosphor bronze washers are used, and the action is silky smooth.
The AXIS lock is of course, a central feature and as usual, works great. Nice tight lock-up yielding no perceptible blade play. It took about a dozen opening and closings before the lockbar would slide smoothly across the liners, which had me a bit concerned at first. The opposite side would bind on the liner and make it tough to release the lock one handed (with one thumb anyway) but it smoothed out almost immediately and has turned into a real gem.
The 'split arrow' clip is tip up only, and can be swapped to either side of the handle. Those who hate clips will probably still yank this one off, but it's not too terribly bad in the hand.
Other random thoughts:
-The steep thumb ramp provides a secure purchase for the thumb. This, combined with the natural choil of the handle shape, makes for a very secure grasp.
-The handle is long-ish for the blade size and provides a "bigger" knife feel. Users who have larger hands, but prefer ~3" blades will probably like the grip.
-Handle thickness is right about 3/8". Robust size without being too chunky.
-Twin backspacer posts are tapered and turned pieces that make for a nice touch. They could've cheaped out and used some simple round spacers, but these are cool.
Two things I'm not so sure about:
-Dual pivot screw heads. They stick out above the G-10 a little further than I'd like, but they don't seem like a big deal other than slightly odd in my mind.
-Single exposed screw head at the stop pin on one side of the handle. Seems like this could have been countersunk like the backspacer post screws. But agin, cosmetic I guess.
Functionally, it seems typical Benchmade. Strong, smooth, and reliable. Granted, it's life with me will be pretty mundane. Some mail, the odd bit of rope or string, kid's toy packaging, and cardboard boxes. I expect it will perform well, but time will ultimately tell.
Just based on these initial observations and playing around with it, I'd not hesistate to recommend picking one up. Especially if you were/are a 705 fan and like Snody's designs. It's a pretty trick smaller knife and should be considered for anyone's EDC list at this particular price point.
