Recommendation? Replacement for Benchmade AFOII

98XJSport said:
I'm pretty narrowed down to either a Cold Steel 4 Max Scout or Civivi Praxis. They both are on the larger side, have a solid drop point and sound like they are good "bang for the buck" values.
Click to expand...
Out of town or I would post comparison pics as I have both. And both are great knives, although in my opinion very different.

For a true edc knife between the two id take the Praxis all day. Big enough for most tasks, doesn't take up a ton of room in the pocket, and a really good cutting geometry.

The 4 max scout, while a very competent "tool", is a very big knife. Cutting geometry is more like a splitting maul than a knife lol. It's 4" blade spec can be deceiving (my Recon 1 is also 4" but takes up half the pocket space). It's really wide when closed, so its a pocket space hog. Plus the weight. Think Medford Praetorian.

I guess in summary, if I am counting on a single folder to bet my life on, 4 max. But if I'm realistically just cutting open packages, cutting banding straps, and slicing up apples.. Praxis. Just my .02 cents.
 
Last edited:
Corton93 said:
Out of town or I would post comparison pics as I have both. And both are great knives, although in my opinion very different.

For a true edc knife between the two id take the Praxis all day. Big enough for most tasks, doesn't take up a ton of room in the pocket, and a really good cutting geometry.

The 4 max scout, while a very competent "tool", is a very big knife. Cutting geometry is more, well,.. more like a splitting maul than a knife lol. It's 4" blade spec can be deceiving (my Recon 1 is also 4" but takes up half the pocket space). It's really wide when closed, so its a pocket space hog. Plus the weight. Think Medford Praetorian.

I guess in summary, if I am counting on a single folder to but my life on, 4 max. But if I'm realistically just cutting open packages, cutting banding straps, and slicing up apples.. Praxis. Just my .02 cents.
Click to expand...
Sry, double post..
 
98XJSport said:
Lots of great suggestions thanks! The sub $100 knife market really looks to have improved over the years. I don't mind spending more, but I hate feeling like something expensive was expensive just for the name.
I'm pretty narrowed down to either a Cold Steel 4 Max Scout or Civivi Praxis. They both are on the larger side, have a solid drop point and sound like they are good "bang for the buck" values.
Click to expand...

Dude the 4max is freaking huge. Just an FYI. It is probably the strongest folder out there and definitely going to give you that super confident secure feeling but man is that a jump from the AFOII! Hope you love it! The 4max is a little big for me. I love my Recon1 drop point (Coyote Brown g10). Kind of in-between the afo and the 4 max relatively speaking.
 
Got my Praxis in today. Light, big blade, feels good in the hand. But the gold liners on the one I got, no thanks! In most of the pictures the liners are silver or are barely visible. In my hand, definitely not the case. If I can't find a combo with silver liners I like, are the other Civivi knives good? Or is it just the Praxis?
 
98XJSport said:
Got my Praxis in today. Light, big blade, feels good in the hand. But the gold liners on the one I got, no thanks! In most of the pictures the liners are silver or are barely visible. In my hand, definitely not the case. If I can't find a combo with silver liners I like, are the other Civivi knives good? Or is it just the Praxis?
Click to expand...

Yes, the quality is consistent with Civivi. For the price, they are hard to beat. A lot will come down to the individual design. The Praxis was one of their first releases. Another good one that is still in production is the Baklash, which exists in a bunch of variations now.

I feel the same way about gold or blue liners on some of the earlier models. I don't even like black coated liners most of the time. I will sometimes get two and swap parts. For instance, the following work in progress is a modded version of the Baklash. (I've also been grinding down the forward jimping on the lock bar. Lots of people like it but it creates a minor hot spot for my particular grip.) After that, you'll see another of my absolute favorite Civivi knives, the Chevalier. This too is a mod in that I sanded the black coating off the hardware, except for the recess around the logo.

The last one is stock. It's the Appalachian Drifter 2, which combines a more traditional pattern with modern trappings like a front flipper, ceramic bearings, and a liner lock.

CvyjKOp.jpg


xF5w9Qp.jpg


hExMWTL.jpg
 
Great pictures! The Baklash might be next on the list, although I was aiming for closer to a 4" blade. A cold steel recon is tempting, but no satin finish. I like black blades while new, but they get scratched up so quickly.
 
So anyone with experience with either a black bladed Praxis or Recon? How does the black finish hold up?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top