Spyderco Amalgam vs Benchmade mini crooked river

Which one?

  • Benchmade mini crooked river

    Votes: 19 59.4%

  • Spyderco amalgam

    Votes: 13 40.6%
  • Total voters
    32
KnifeCarsen10

KnifeCarsen10

Joined
Sep 12, 2018
Messages
167
Hey guys, I just bought a benchmade mini crooked river, and it had a weird scratch going down both sides near the tip. It doesn’t bother me a whole lot, but for 187 bucks it should be near perfect. A new spyderco, the amalgam, caught my eye. What would you recommend? The amalgam or the mini crooked river and why? Also, I bought the mini crooked river through bladehq, can I return it and exchange it if needed? Thanks!
 
If it looks like a defect, you can contact BladeHQ and they should do an exchange for you. I don't like either knife, so I wouldn't recommend either.
 
The mini CR is one of the few Benchmades I like. I’m a complete sucker for bolstered clip points.

While I tend to be a Spyderco fan, the Amalgam just doesn’t light my fire, partly because it’s a bit large for my purposes.

For the amount you’re paying, you deserve to be satisfied from a QC perspective, regardless of manufacturer . Put the knife down and call the vendor in the morning.
 
4mer_FMF said:
The mini CR is one of the few Benchmades I like. I’m a complete sucker for bolstered clip points.

While I tend to be a Spyderco fan, the Amalgam just doesn’t light my fire, partly because it’s a bit large for my purposes.

For the amount you’re paying, you deserve to be satisfied from a QC perspective, regardless of manufacturer . Put the knife down and call the vendor in the morning.
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I liked how it flipped, but the blade shape didn't really do much for me (so I got the Tropen). Spot on regarding the QC aspect as well.
 
Send it back. They're a good company who understands us knife knuts, because they love knives themselves. They'll make it right.

That Tropen for some reason hits the pleasure centers in MY brain, that's for sure. Haven't handled one, but the first time I saw it I thought "ooh, what's dat?!" and that's rare for me these days.
 
I've got a Crooked River (not mini) and an Amalgram. These knives have about the same blade, handle and overall length and make a better comparison. The mini is about 1/2" and 1" shorter than the Amalgram in blade and overall length, respectively.

I like both knives but they're apples and oranges to me.

I consider the Crooked River (CR) more of a general purpose camping/hunting knife (In fact, that's how BM categorizes it) and I consider the Amalgram more of a slicer/EDC carry knife. Of course, you can carry the CR as an EDC but it's a bit large/heavy for that purpose. The Amalgam is thinner and lighter and better suited for pocket carry. The flipper and compression lock make the Amalgram easier to open as compared w/the Axis lock on the CR.

Just depends how you see them and what you like most.
 
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Th
sgt1372 said:
I've got a Crooked River (not mini) and an Amalgram. These knives have about the same blade, handle and overall length and make a better comparison. The mini is about 1/2" and 1" shorter than the Amalgram in blade and overall length, respectively.

I like both knives but they're apples and oranges to me.

I consider the Crooked River (CR) more of a general purpose camping/hunting knife (In fact, that's how BM categorizes it) and I consider the Amalgram more of a slicer/EDC carry knife. Of course, you can carry the CR as an EDC but it's a bit large/heavy for that purpose. The Amalgam is thinner and lighter and better suited for pocket carry. The flipper and compression lock make the Amalgram easier to open as compared w/the Axis lock on the CR.

Just depends how you see them and what you like most.
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Thank you fit your input!
 
sgt1372 said:
I've got a Crooked River (not mini) and an Amalgram. These knives have about the same blade, handle and overall length and make a better comparison. The mini is about 1/2" and 1" shorter than the Amalgram in blade and overall length, respectively.

I like both knives but they're apples and oranges to me.

I consider the Crooked River (CR) more of a general purpose camping/hunting knife (In fact, that's how BM categorizes it) and I consider the Amalgram more of a slicer/EDC carry knife. Of course, you can carry the CR as an EDC but it's a bit large/heavy for that purpose. The Amalgam is thinner and lighter and better suited for pocket carry. The flipper and compression lock make the Amalgram easier to open as compared w/the Axis lock on the CR.

Just depends how you see them and what you like most.
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I have a lot of edc knives right now, so maybe this is good for a little something different. Thanks.
 
I’m a big Spydie fan. But I hate flippers. So in this instance , I’d go with the Mini Crooked River (although I’d prefer the full size).
 
I have the Amalgam, and I like it a lot. It had an extremely light detent out of the box, though. I added some lockbar tension and that made it much more usable.

Overall, I'd pick the Amalgam over the Crooked River, if you don't mind bearings in your knife.
 
I'm very biased, but here's my 2 cents.

The Amalgam is a pretty different knife from the Crooked River; I think of the Crooked River as a modern day Benchmade take on classic folding hunting patterns like the 110. It is very classically aesthetically pleasing. The Axis lock makes it truly 100% symmetrical and ambidextrous. The thickness and contouring on the handles makes it hand filling without needing a wide profile. The saber grind should make the blade pretty robust even with the clip point tip. The wood or G10 scales with the bolster looks very classy. The high visibility orange accents make it easier to see if you drop the knife or put it on the ground. It's a very beautiful and well thought out design.

The Amalgam is thinner (and lighter but a little shorter than the full size Crooked River, but heavier and longer than a mini Crooked River). The weight combined with the thinness and flatness of the handle make it carry nicer in pocket for the size. The flipper serves as a sort of safety in the unlikely event of lock failure. And if a knife is a flipper, then IMO a sidespring based lock with a ball detent like a compression lock flips better than flippers using unassisted Axis locks. The opening hole doesn't interfere with cutting or sharpening like a thumbstud could. The large sharpening choil also doubles as a finger choil for choking up if need be. The thinness behind the edge and the full flat grind makes the blade slicier. And the pocket clip allows for 4 way carry if you prefer tip down carry.

Ultimately, they're both good knives and I don't think you can really go wrong with either. It all just depends on your personal taste and what you're looking for. In your case, I'd say give Benchmade a chance to make it right. The mini Crooked River is a good knife, and the Amalgam is pretty different, so if you originally wanted something like the mini Crooked River...well then, keep the darn mini Crooked River! :p
 
The Amalgam is the typical Spyderco EDC slicer for people with large hands.

Good ergos, monster full flat grind even with the thick spine, flips great with the flipper tab, just as nice with a thumb flick.

Lots of real estate on the handle. Open back construction, compression lock, zero thumbstuds, and a fingerguard in case you need to stab someone in the throat.

What's not to like ?

ChYpOSX.jpg
 
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shunsui said:
The Amalgam is the typical Spyderco EDC slicer for people with large hands.

Good ergos, monster full flat grind even with the thick spine, flips great with the flipper tab, just as nice with a thumb flick.

Lots of real estate on the handle. Open back construction, compression lock, zero thumbstuds, and a fingerguard in case you need to stab someone in the throat.

What's not to like ?

ChYpOSX.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice comparison shot with the Hinderer ZTs! Fun quick story- when I first got into Hinderer designs and my friend showed me the then-new ZT0560, I loved the overall shape but thought it was too big (I ended up getting the 0566 when it came out, then the 0562). Didn't really hit me that the Amalgam is very similar in size to the 0560 until I saw your picture. I wish ZT still made the 0560. It was such a nice design, and the milling on the handles was insanely cool.
 
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