- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
Again, this review is of a customer's knife, not my own, so it is mainly aesthetic in orientation. The Nimravus is Benchmade's most recent (and first?) foray into the fixed-blade market. There are two sizes, with the Cub being the smalled of the two. It appears to be 1/8" thickness with a 1" blade that is 3.5" long and a handle of 4.25". The blade is hollow ground with a small swedge cut into the spine. It is a drop point pattern with the point landing right in the middle of the knife width. The entire knife is BlackT coated giving it a nice matte finish. The knife steel is M2 tool steel. The handle scales are 3/16" thick and are G-10 that has been sandblasted or textured by some other means, perhaps.
It was annoying at first to see that the scales do not fit flush with the edges of the tang, but rather leave a milimeter or so of steel on the outer edge. I'm not sure what the thought process was behind this, but it looks different and actually isn't uncomfortable. The scales are held on with torx screws. The knife is well-balanced and is perfectly ground. The scales seem to fit my hands, which are smallish, quite well, and there is a nice bit of serrations on the thumb ramp giving it a very positive forward grip. The knife is very sharp and if M2 performs close to A-2 or D-2, then the steel will be very nice indeed. The knife has quite a bit of utility use considering the grind and the pattern, and the scales give good grip. It has a 100% "tactical" look, though, so it may be scary to pull when a drop point hunter with wood scales and a satin finish would not be.
If it were my knife, I would immediately cut new scales out of some koa I have. That would be awesome, but I'd need someone with a step drill to drill the scaels for me! Back to the subject... ergonomically the knife is well thought out and this seems to be one of Elishewitz's more practical designs. I like it a lot. The sheath is Kydex and is well-crafted, but pretty limited in use. It also has very light retention, so upside-down carry is out of the question. The belt loop is made nicely for a low-ride vertical carry, but it seems useless for other carry styles. Due to the light retention I probably wouldn't even be able to modify the existing sheath, which is too bad. Overall it is a nicely done fixed blade with great fit and finish, and as an added bonus it has the ability to have interchangeable scales. I would look for the exotic woods and carbon fiber as being popular alternatives. The knife is tactical, but has a utility feel and function. With a tighter multicarry sheath it would be great
but they do need to redesign the carry system and maybe make satin-finished blades available. An overall good first outing for Benchmade...
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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
It was annoying at first to see that the scales do not fit flush with the edges of the tang, but rather leave a milimeter or so of steel on the outer edge. I'm not sure what the thought process was behind this, but it looks different and actually isn't uncomfortable. The scales are held on with torx screws. The knife is well-balanced and is perfectly ground. The scales seem to fit my hands, which are smallish, quite well, and there is a nice bit of serrations on the thumb ramp giving it a very positive forward grip. The knife is very sharp and if M2 performs close to A-2 or D-2, then the steel will be very nice indeed. The knife has quite a bit of utility use considering the grind and the pattern, and the scales give good grip. It has a 100% "tactical" look, though, so it may be scary to pull when a drop point hunter with wood scales and a satin finish would not be.
If it were my knife, I would immediately cut new scales out of some koa I have. That would be awesome, but I'd need someone with a step drill to drill the scaels for me! Back to the subject... ergonomically the knife is well thought out and this seems to be one of Elishewitz's more practical designs. I like it a lot. The sheath is Kydex and is well-crafted, but pretty limited in use. It also has very light retention, so upside-down carry is out of the question. The belt loop is made nicely for a low-ride vertical carry, but it seems useless for other carry styles. Due to the light retention I probably wouldn't even be able to modify the existing sheath, which is too bad. Overall it is a nicely done fixed blade with great fit and finish, and as an added bonus it has the ability to have interchangeable scales. I would look for the exotic woods and carbon fiber as being popular alternatives. The knife is tactical, but has a utility feel and function. With a tighter multicarry sheath it would be great
but they do need to redesign the carry system and maybe make satin-finished blades available. An overall good first outing for Benchmade...
------------------
My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
