- Joined
- May 2, 1999
- Messages
- 1,206
Well, I think it counts. A Benchmade 710 anyway.
I picked this one because it comes closet to meeting my selection criteria for a pocket knife of anything I could get my hands on. Those criteria would be;
Lock that's not prone to accidental closing
Blade that's large(for a modern pocket knife) and suitable for thrusting, non-serrated
A handle that provides some degree of security against you fingers slipping onto the blade
Lanyard hole
Cheap enough I can replace it
Useful in a variety of grip positions
Looks at least sorta cool
Well, I'll start by saying that the blade itself isn't all that bad. Not nearly as concave as it looks in the pictures, and though it doesn't really have anything in the way of a beveled clip(the bevel you see is just for show, the actual clip is flat), it's got a descent thrusting profile, if not ideally suited for that purpose.
It's a lot bigger than it seems in the pictures too. It's just about an honest four inches long, fairly wide, and decently thick with a nice flat saber grind. I don't like hollow grinds much, which is funny because both my Project 1 and XlTi were hollow gound and I like them very much. Go figure.
I like the lock too. It's no clasp lock, but it's not too likely to accidentaly disengage. It might be stroner than a clasp lock though.
Anyway, the blade looks pretty securely locked on place. It'll be a while before you wear down enough steel to make the lock fail. I mean, you'll wear out the spings first unless you purposely pour abrasives into the lockwork.
The top bolster is held together by the pivot, the locking bar, and the blade stop. It should have good lateral strength even considering the steel liners have circular cutouts to lighten them, cut out that are unnecessary. This knife is so light that it kinda freeks me out. I prefer a knife with a little heft so I know it's there. My XlTi was heavier. I mean, when the box arrived, it felt like it was empty-which stands in stark contrast to a Christmas many years ago when I was twelve and got a Victornox SAK that felt like a lead weight in a little box, a common present in my household.
The thubstud atualy works pretty good. It took a few minutes for me to figure out what it's game was, but it likes to be pushed straight up with the tip of the thumb instead of being moved in a semi-circle with the little joint of the thumb. I would hate a bladehole on this knife, and its not really amenable to inertial openings, which I mostly do for show. You can do them, but they're much tricker with this one than a Buck XlTi, 110, or Ranger. Mostly because there's less exposed blade to grab.
However, the handle seems like it was an afterthought, like "hey, we got a blade and a lock, now we need a handle or something, right?".
The thumb ramp just sucks. In order to get into a saber grip you have to either put the ball of your thumb in it, or hold the knife way down on the handle so that the tip of your thumb just barely clears the thumb ramp.
The front/top bolster is curved into a gaurd, but the curve isn't severe enough to be as secure as say, the one on a Buck 560 XlTi.
I'm sure the serrations on the thumb ramp and the inner curve of the gaurd will be a source of many sweet blisters...
The pocket clip annoys me, all pocket clips annoy me. I need the world's smallest torx driver or some damn thing to remove it. I'm going to the hardware store tommorow. At least it is removable.
The handle itself doesn't seem to fit right, to skinny in some spots and too fat in others. It fits best if I place the pinky and ring finger on the palm swell, hold the knife diagonaly in a foil grip, with the little joint of my thumb just behind and against the lock release. This will also help keep that lock closed.
Anyway, in this position it's tolerable, or would be without the pocket clip, but I don't like the handle nearly as much as the 560 XlTi. It still needs a little hump on the back of the handle to fill in a gap, or I need fleshier hands.
Once you get accustomed to it, it becomes quite workable in this grip. I can do most everything with it I can do with any other knife. I guess I just have to get used to the way this one handles. It's not like it feels unsecure in your hand, actualy its not going anywhere without some considerable effort, its just that it doesn't "fill up" the hand well in the foil or saber grip.
It feels noticably better in the reverse grips(edge forward or backward), and hammer grip.
All in all it's really not a bad knife. I'm gonna keep it. There's a lot worse that costs a lot more. I think this model has a little growing to do yet, but it will be a solid piece after it's undergone a few modifications. I'm not sure how I feel about a butterfly on my knife though..
As Von Daniken said in regards to some South American statues he thinks represent ancient astronauts;
"Warriors with butterflies on their chests and flowers on their feet, preposterous..."
Maybe it's an iron butterfly...
Anyway, while this thing may float like a butterfly, I'm perfectly certain it can sting like a bee. I'd reccomend it as a cheap and well made knife, even if it does have some faults, that's suitable for defense.
Oh, parting shot: Some people were saying they'd gotten some Benchmades that suffered from poor QC, I must say that mine is a shining example of good fit and finish.
I picked this one because it comes closet to meeting my selection criteria for a pocket knife of anything I could get my hands on. Those criteria would be;
Lock that's not prone to accidental closing
Blade that's large(for a modern pocket knife) and suitable for thrusting, non-serrated
A handle that provides some degree of security against you fingers slipping onto the blade
Lanyard hole
Cheap enough I can replace it
Useful in a variety of grip positions
Looks at least sorta cool
Well, I'll start by saying that the blade itself isn't all that bad. Not nearly as concave as it looks in the pictures, and though it doesn't really have anything in the way of a beveled clip(the bevel you see is just for show, the actual clip is flat), it's got a descent thrusting profile, if not ideally suited for that purpose.
It's a lot bigger than it seems in the pictures too. It's just about an honest four inches long, fairly wide, and decently thick with a nice flat saber grind. I don't like hollow grinds much, which is funny because both my Project 1 and XlTi were hollow gound and I like them very much. Go figure.
I like the lock too. It's no clasp lock, but it's not too likely to accidentaly disengage. It might be stroner than a clasp lock though.
Anyway, the blade looks pretty securely locked on place. It'll be a while before you wear down enough steel to make the lock fail. I mean, you'll wear out the spings first unless you purposely pour abrasives into the lockwork.
The top bolster is held together by the pivot, the locking bar, and the blade stop. It should have good lateral strength even considering the steel liners have circular cutouts to lighten them, cut out that are unnecessary. This knife is so light that it kinda freeks me out. I prefer a knife with a little heft so I know it's there. My XlTi was heavier. I mean, when the box arrived, it felt like it was empty-which stands in stark contrast to a Christmas many years ago when I was twelve and got a Victornox SAK that felt like a lead weight in a little box, a common present in my household.
The thubstud atualy works pretty good. It took a few minutes for me to figure out what it's game was, but it likes to be pushed straight up with the tip of the thumb instead of being moved in a semi-circle with the little joint of the thumb. I would hate a bladehole on this knife, and its not really amenable to inertial openings, which I mostly do for show. You can do them, but they're much tricker with this one than a Buck XlTi, 110, or Ranger. Mostly because there's less exposed blade to grab.
However, the handle seems like it was an afterthought, like "hey, we got a blade and a lock, now we need a handle or something, right?".
The thumb ramp just sucks. In order to get into a saber grip you have to either put the ball of your thumb in it, or hold the knife way down on the handle so that the tip of your thumb just barely clears the thumb ramp.
The front/top bolster is curved into a gaurd, but the curve isn't severe enough to be as secure as say, the one on a Buck 560 XlTi.
I'm sure the serrations on the thumb ramp and the inner curve of the gaurd will be a source of many sweet blisters...
The pocket clip annoys me, all pocket clips annoy me. I need the world's smallest torx driver or some damn thing to remove it. I'm going to the hardware store tommorow. At least it is removable.
The handle itself doesn't seem to fit right, to skinny in some spots and too fat in others. It fits best if I place the pinky and ring finger on the palm swell, hold the knife diagonaly in a foil grip, with the little joint of my thumb just behind and against the lock release. This will also help keep that lock closed.
Anyway, in this position it's tolerable, or would be without the pocket clip, but I don't like the handle nearly as much as the 560 XlTi. It still needs a little hump on the back of the handle to fill in a gap, or I need fleshier hands.
Once you get accustomed to it, it becomes quite workable in this grip. I can do most everything with it I can do with any other knife. I guess I just have to get used to the way this one handles. It's not like it feels unsecure in your hand, actualy its not going anywhere without some considerable effort, its just that it doesn't "fill up" the hand well in the foil or saber grip.
It feels noticably better in the reverse grips(edge forward or backward), and hammer grip.
All in all it's really not a bad knife. I'm gonna keep it. There's a lot worse that costs a lot more. I think this model has a little growing to do yet, but it will be a solid piece after it's undergone a few modifications. I'm not sure how I feel about a butterfly on my knife though..
As Von Daniken said in regards to some South American statues he thinks represent ancient astronauts;
"Warriors with butterflies on their chests and flowers on their feet, preposterous..."
Maybe it's an iron butterfly...
Anyway, while this thing may float like a butterfly, I'm perfectly certain it can sting like a bee. I'd reccomend it as a cheap and well made knife, even if it does have some faults, that's suitable for defense.
Oh, parting shot: Some people were saying they'd gotten some Benchmades that suffered from poor QC, I must say that mine is a shining example of good fit and finish.
