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- Jun 8, 2005
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And not the Benchmade classes.
Today I'll be comparing two very different, yet very similar, Benchmade EDCs.
But first the similarities. They both have beautiful anodized finishes and they both have G10. They're both about the same size, and they're both tip up. They both cost the same (140ish) and they're both D2. And of course, they're both Benchmades.
Alright, the contenders:
vs
We'll start with the 960:
The 960 is the PERFECT EDC size for me. I've long looked for a knife of exactly these dimensions, but never found something just right. It's just big enough to fit all my fingers on it comfortably. The ergonomics are good, but not great--you won't be confusing this with your Spyderco, but it won't be uncomfortable to use for an extended task either. I don't like how far away the blade is from your hand. This knife could definitely use a finger choil to allow you to choke up. Furthermore, I would really like a thumb rest on the spine of the blade. As it stands, there's at least one and a third inches between your index finger and the edge. The aluminum scales aren't particularly grippy, even with their very attractive G10 inserts. On the pluse side, it's very light in the pocket, although some might prefer their folder with a little more subtance.
I'm not very fond of the clip. It's not low ride, I don't like the shape, and it doesn't hold on well. In general, I'm not fond of Benchmade's clips. It's especially troublesome with a flashy knife like this. Draws a lot of attention.
The axis lock actually posted perhaps an entire more mm of clearance before the lock released, which is nice. The smoothness of the action is unparalled even by the many other axis locks I've had or played with (mostly minigrips, in fairness). It's unclear why this is, but perhaps it's the washers. The thin D2 blade slices like crazy, and I feel it's Benchmade's best attempt at a pocket laser.
Fit and finish is perfect, except the primary grind wanders in the last four mm of one side of the knife. It's a very small difference, but noticeable under examination. I should have caught it before I bought it, but I guess I'm slacking off. It doesn't bother me, in any case.
Of course, what really gets you to buy this knife is the appearance. It's beautiful. In fact, I think it's one of the prettiest production knives ever made, and the most attractive in Benchmade's lineup right now.
The morpho is different beast altogether. Well, sort of. These two have a lot of similarities, but one being a classical folder and the other a bali makes a pretty significant difference. That said, to the person that can carry this knife legally, I think they fit much the same role.
This is another perfectly sized EDC by my standards. Here we have quite the opposite in handle construction. Instead of red anodized aluminum with g10 inlay, we have g10 with anodized blue titanium inserts (well, more like liners, but sort of inserts). The g10, like in the 960, is typical Benchmade and not particularly grippy. This however, isn't so bad given the needs of letting the handles slide in your hands for flipping. Latch drops with this guy is a dream come true, not unlike the Spyderfly. I've had three high end production balis, and this is the smoothest of them. Ergonomics are surprisingly good by bali standards and are actually an improvement on the 960. Plenty of room for your whole hand, thanks to the lack of a huge gap inbetween the handle and the cutting edge. A nice thumb rest on the spine of the blade too. The cutouts in the g10 compensate for the smoothness and further the grip. The latch is a nice improvement too. Initially, I didn't like the next gen latch as much as the old spring latch, but I appreciate its design more now. The only real difference in practice is that whilst squeezing the handles pops the latch when the knife is closed, if the knife is open, it can be popped out except for by pushing it off. This is nice if you set your knife down while working on something. Like all Benchmade balisongs I've played with, the knife feels 100% solid latched, and if you didn't know better and had your eyes closed, you'd feel like you were wielding an FB.
The pocket clip is a mixed bag. I really like the anodized finish for two reasons--it's cool looking and it also matches jeans very well. That said, it's like the opposite of a low ride clip, and this isn't something positive when you're carrying an illegal knife. Fortunately, the black/blue stylings of the bali are extremely low profile.
This blade, like the 960s, is D2 and came extremely sharp. This isn't quite a pocket laser, but it'll take care of any quick cutting task.
Fit and finish was flawless, but my latch came broken. It would only barely engage and would pop off at the slightest squeeze (and came undone in the pocket). I sent it back to benchmade, where it's been fixed very well. That said, I was displeased with the 5 weeks it took to get it back. But, ah well, it's over and done with.
Today I'll be comparing two very different, yet very similar, Benchmade EDCs.
But first the similarities. They both have beautiful anodized finishes and they both have G10. They're both about the same size, and they're both tip up. They both cost the same (140ish) and they're both D2. And of course, they're both Benchmades.
Alright, the contenders:
vs
We'll start with the 960:
The 960 is the PERFECT EDC size for me. I've long looked for a knife of exactly these dimensions, but never found something just right. It's just big enough to fit all my fingers on it comfortably. The ergonomics are good, but not great--you won't be confusing this with your Spyderco, but it won't be uncomfortable to use for an extended task either. I don't like how far away the blade is from your hand. This knife could definitely use a finger choil to allow you to choke up. Furthermore, I would really like a thumb rest on the spine of the blade. As it stands, there's at least one and a third inches between your index finger and the edge. The aluminum scales aren't particularly grippy, even with their very attractive G10 inserts. On the pluse side, it's very light in the pocket, although some might prefer their folder with a little more subtance.
I'm not very fond of the clip. It's not low ride, I don't like the shape, and it doesn't hold on well. In general, I'm not fond of Benchmade's clips. It's especially troublesome with a flashy knife like this. Draws a lot of attention.
The axis lock actually posted perhaps an entire more mm of clearance before the lock released, which is nice. The smoothness of the action is unparalled even by the many other axis locks I've had or played with (mostly minigrips, in fairness). It's unclear why this is, but perhaps it's the washers. The thin D2 blade slices like crazy, and I feel it's Benchmade's best attempt at a pocket laser.
Fit and finish is perfect, except the primary grind wanders in the last four mm of one side of the knife. It's a very small difference, but noticeable under examination. I should have caught it before I bought it, but I guess I'm slacking off. It doesn't bother me, in any case.
Of course, what really gets you to buy this knife is the appearance. It's beautiful. In fact, I think it's one of the prettiest production knives ever made, and the most attractive in Benchmade's lineup right now.
The morpho is different beast altogether. Well, sort of. These two have a lot of similarities, but one being a classical folder and the other a bali makes a pretty significant difference. That said, to the person that can carry this knife legally, I think they fit much the same role.
This is another perfectly sized EDC by my standards. Here we have quite the opposite in handle construction. Instead of red anodized aluminum with g10 inlay, we have g10 with anodized blue titanium inserts (well, more like liners, but sort of inserts). The g10, like in the 960, is typical Benchmade and not particularly grippy. This however, isn't so bad given the needs of letting the handles slide in your hands for flipping. Latch drops with this guy is a dream come true, not unlike the Spyderfly. I've had three high end production balis, and this is the smoothest of them. Ergonomics are surprisingly good by bali standards and are actually an improvement on the 960. Plenty of room for your whole hand, thanks to the lack of a huge gap inbetween the handle and the cutting edge. A nice thumb rest on the spine of the blade too. The cutouts in the g10 compensate for the smoothness and further the grip. The latch is a nice improvement too. Initially, I didn't like the next gen latch as much as the old spring latch, but I appreciate its design more now. The only real difference in practice is that whilst squeezing the handles pops the latch when the knife is closed, if the knife is open, it can be popped out except for by pushing it off. This is nice if you set your knife down while working on something. Like all Benchmade balisongs I've played with, the knife feels 100% solid latched, and if you didn't know better and had your eyes closed, you'd feel like you were wielding an FB.
The pocket clip is a mixed bag. I really like the anodized finish for two reasons--it's cool looking and it also matches jeans very well. That said, it's like the opposite of a low ride clip, and this isn't something positive when you're carrying an illegal knife. Fortunately, the black/blue stylings of the bali are extremely low profile.
This blade, like the 960s, is D2 and came extremely sharp. This isn't quite a pocket laser, but it'll take care of any quick cutting task.
Fit and finish was flawless, but my latch came broken. It would only barely engage and would pop off at the slightest squeeze (and came undone in the pocket). I sent it back to benchmade, where it's been fixed very well. That said, I was displeased with the 5 weeks it took to get it back. But, ah well, it's over and done with.