spyderco v.s benchmade

The new Gayle Bradley from Spyderco is really impressive. Tip-top construction with premium materials for a very reasonable price. The 4-way carry option is also a winner in my book.

The Bradley might seem a bit much for your purposes, but for the price i think its a must have. Oh did i mention M4?

As for your Axis fix, you may want to consider waiting until the new Bone Collector series of knives get released by BM, D2 with G-10 and a handle/blade shape similiar to the Grip as well. I don't recall the prices, but i think it was quite reasonable as well.
 
gundude73 said:
well i am going by MY experience. i will say that the compression lock takes some getting used to. but once you do it is on par with the AXIS. from my experience both of my benchmades came rather dull (530 and 913). the 530 was good for like a year than the omega spring broke. the 913 on the other hand came offcentered, hard to open, and dull. and both of my spydercos (ladybug and Paramilitary) came extremely sharp. and they have yet to let me down. i am just saying my experience. now some of my extended family has benchmades and they really like them. so i could have had two lemons :confused:. and if that is the case i have bad luck.
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It does sound like Benchmade has more failures than they should with the omega spring. Maybe they should contract them out to a company that specializes in making springs and that can put a good spring temper on them. But still you hear of a few breaking out of the how many thousands of knives they make each year with the AXIS lock?

Has your 913 become easier to open? Have you tried adjusting the pivot?

I will also have to try the compression lock. It is also a very strong lock but doesn't feel that great to ME but maybe carrying one would change that. I have a superhawk that has it but haven't carried it because I am not sold on the hawkbill blade shape.

I also went and checked out Wikipedia out of curiosity and according to it Benchmade has 150 employees while Spyderco has 25-50? That is a pretty big difference if correct but has nothing to do with the quality of either brand.
 
having owned a knife from each company, my preference is spyderco. while the benchmade was very high quality for the price, I ended up selling it and keeping the spyderco. I'd say if you're looking for an ~3" blade and don't mind right-handed tip-down carry, go for the para-military. I haven't heard many bad things about the compression-lock. if you like lockbacks, the endura 4 g-10 is also a very nice knife for the price. it seems like you can't really go wrong with the new gayle bradley either.

bottom line: you won't be disappointed with most high-end g10 spydercos.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
It does sound like Benchmade has more failures than they should with the omega spring. Maybe they should contract them out to a company that specializes in making springs and that can put a good spring temper on them. But still you hear of a few breaking out of the how many thousands of knives they make each year with the AXIS lock?

Has your 913 become easier to open? Have you tried adjusting the pivot?

I will also have to try the compression lock. It is also a very strong lock but doesn't feel that great to ME but maybe carrying one would change that. I have a superhawk that has it but haven't carried it because I am not sold on the hawkbill blade shape.

I also went and checked out Wikipedia out of curiosity and according to it Benchmade has 150 employees while Spyderco has 25-50? That is a pretty big difference if correct but has nothing to do with the quality of either brand.
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yes i have adjusted it no it not any easier to open. if i loosen it too much than the blade rubs the liner. if i tighten it enough to center the blade it is impossible to open. when i tighten it enough to get it off the liner it is still hard to open. also if i open and close the 913 more than 10 times a day it comes loose and starts rubbing the liner. and the blade stop pin becomes loose on occasion too which ruins the lock up. so my 913 has been a bust to say the least. i dont see why you wouldnt like the hawkbill blade shape. i think it is great.
 
I have and like both brands. I carried a Delica for over 10 years before I got back into knives as a hobby. I've now carried a Mini Grip almost exclusively for 3-4 years. This is in spite of numerous purchases of Spyderco and other knives including a Sebenza, Mnandi, William Henry, etc. Nothing has knocked the Mini Grip out of my pocket yet- although I have a Bradley on the way that I have high hopes for (and then there's the M4 Carbon Fiber Grip that BM is coming out with). The Axis lock is a big part of the appeal as it is fast, fun and very secure, but I also like the ergos and the blade shape- the knife just looks right, feels right, works well and is comfortable in my pocket.

Anyway, the 154CM Mini Grip has been a great knife for me and would get my vote, but they're all good knives. I say try to handle as many as possible and see what you like best.
 
Krieger said:
I like both brands but my favourite folder is definitely a Benchmade HK14205. I like Benchmade designs more than Spyderco but Jerry Hossom's designs for Spyderco are very cool. I also think the AXIS lock is one of the best locks ever designed and the Benchmade HK14205 came razor sharp.
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jerry hossoms sheath knives are the sh t.....sharp sharp,with cool handles and a kydex sheath.......
 
gundude73 said:
yes i have adjusted it no it not any easier to open. if i loosen it too much than the blade rubs the liner. if i tighten it enough to center the blade it is impossible to open. when i tighten it enough to get it off the liner it is still hard to open. also if i open and close the 913 more than 10 times a day it comes loose and starts rubbing the liner. and the blade stop pin becomes loose on occasion too which ruins the lock up. so my 913 has been a bust to say the least. i dont see why you wouldnt like the hawkbill blade shape. i think it is great.
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Do you use loctite? I'm sure if you send it to Benchmade they would make it right. You can also go to the auto parts store and get some 1500 grit sandpaper and polish up the blade around the pivot, the liners, and the washers (assuming they are metal) which I do to a lot of my knives and it can really make them smooth. That can be a problem with liner and frame locks. If you loosen it up so it opens really easy the pressure from the lock pushes the blade over towards the liner. That's why I like AXIS locks ;)

I am getting to the point where I have more knives than I will ever need and most of them sit new in the box. I am at a point where doing some modifications like polishing the pivot area and learning to get a scary edge are the next step in the knife obsession. I also have purchased some needle files to start practicing some file work and hope to get good enough where I can embellish my knives to personalize them and make them different and even more mine.

Edit: I actually have 2 of the superhawks because I got them for such a good price. The design seems pretty specialized and would be great if you opened boxes all day or cut lots of rope. I don't do either one that much and find other blade shapes to be more useful. Also, both of these knives will not shave arm hair. Just goes to show that any brand can have a dull factory edge.

Edit 2: Gundude shoot me an email. You have yours turned off.
 
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One (huge, in my opinion) advantage of the Axis lock is that it is fully ambidextrous. Whatever else is true about the compression lock, which is an ingenious bit of work, it is just about the most lefty-unfriendly lock I have ever encountered. Ambi-access isn't a concern limited to lefties, by the way. There are times when right handed people want to be able to open a knife one-handed with their left hand because their right hand is holding something else.
 
JNewell said:
One (huge, in my opinion) advantage of the Axis lock is that it is fully ambidextrous. Whatever else is true about the compression lock, which is an ingenious bit of work, it is just about the most lefty-unfriendly lock I have ever encountered. Ambi-access isn't a concern limited to lefties, by the way. There are times when right handed people want to be able to open a knife one-handed with their left hand because their right hand is holding something else.
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I heard somewhere that the compression lock is very easy to access with the left hand (I'm left handed so this interests me), is it actually difficult to use left-handed?
 
tf8s said:
I heard somewhere that the compression lock is very easy to access with the left hand (I'm left handed so this interests me), is it actually difficult to use left-handed?
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It is hard for me to close right handed. It actually hurts my index finger. My experience is with new knives and maybe they just haven't broke in yet. I could see where you could press the compression lock with your thumb while in your left hand but it is cumbersome and you would have to push the back of the blade with something like your leg to start closing it. Granted I'm not left handed so I might just be clumsy.
 
tf8s said:
I heard somewhere that the compression lock is very easy to access with the left hand (I'm left handed so this interests me), is it actually difficult to use left-handed?
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I'm not left handed, but looking at my para it does not appear the lock can easily be manipulated using my left hand. Maybe some southpaws know a few tricks?
 
tf8s said:
I heard somewhere that the compression lock is very easy to access with the left hand (I'm left handed so this interests me), is it actually difficult to use left-handed?
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FlaMtnBkr said:
It is hard for me to close right handed. It actually hurts my index finger. My experience is with new knives and maybe they just haven't broke in yet. I could see where you could press the compression lock with your thumb while in your left hand but it is cumbersome and you would have to push the back of the blade with something like your leg to start closing it. Granted I'm not left handed so I might just be clumsy.
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i have a para and it isnt difficult to disengage lefty. it just takes a little getting used to

edit: shoot me an email FlaMtnBkr i enabled it
 
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Of the models listed in the first post, I'd get the Para.
Benchmade makes a lot of really nice stuff, but I'm not a big fan of the griptilian. I find the mini to be a bit too small for my hands, and the handles on the full size one flex more than I'd like.
 
Both companies produce a fine product. To suggest that one company exceeds the other in build quality is just folly, IMO. One must evaluate each knife on it's own merits, rather than as a comparison to a different brand entirely.

I have had a sticky compression lock on one of my Paras, but have never experienced a failure of an Omega spring. Does this mean that all compression locks are subject to sticking or that all Omega springs will fail? Hardly. A product from either Spyderco or Benchmade is a good purchase, IMO.
 
A.P.F. said:
Both companies produce a fine product. To suggest that one company exceeds the other in build quality is just folly, IMO. One must evaluate each knife on it's own merits, rather than as a comparison to a different brand entirely.

I have had a sticky compression lock on one of my Paras, but have never experienced a failure of an Omega spring. Does this mean that all compression locks are subject to sticking or that all Omega springs will fail? Hardly. A product from either Spyderco or Benchmade is a good purchase, IMO.
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exactely !
i have nearly 25 bench (and that include 6 differents griptilian !) and only around 10 spydies...
but both are quite good.
New spydie delica 4, full flat is quite nice (but a bit heavier than previous version). The UKPK is nice also, if only it could have a blade half inch longer, it would be really superb !
If you want a light long knife, griptilian remains my favorite (especialy Doug Ritter S30V version :thumbup:)
 
Newb87, I'm sure that any of the knives you have mentioned would serve you well.

My first one-handed opening knives were Spydercos and they served me well over the years, however once I tried my first Benchmade Axis Lock (a 555 Mini Grip) all other locks seemed inferior to me. I have owned quite a few liner locks, but curently don't own any - and I can't see myself buying any in the future. I didn't like the compression lock on my Paramilitary.
The locks that I still buy in addition to the Benchmade Axis are frame locks and the Spyderco mid lock.
Out of the knives you have mentioned, the Benchmade Mini RSK Mk1 (Mini Ritter) gets my vote. Yes, it has plastic scales, but so what? They are robust, light, grippy and practical. The design of the knife is so very, very good.

Consider the M4 run from Aeromedix.
 
I was in a similar decision OP. I wanted my first nice folder minimum $80. I have a Benchmade HK Ally (forget model number) which is a really sweet knife for $40, but I wanted something high/higher end. I was looking at the Spyderco Manix 2 in 154cm (can't afford sprint run). I was very close to pulling the trigger on the Manix 2 when the Paramilitary caught my eye. I literally watched dozens and dozens of review videos of many different knives and read many more reviews. I now have a Paramilitary in S30v with digi camo G10 on order and I can't wait.
 
Reeper22 said:
I was in a similar decision OP. I wanted my first nice folder minimum $80. I have a Benchmade HK Ally (forget model number) which is a really sweet knife for $40, but I wanted something high/higher end. I was looking at the Spyderco Manix 2 in 154cm (can't afford sprint run). I was very close to pulling the trigger on the Manix 2 when the Paramilitary caught my eye. I literally watched dozens and dozens of review videos of many different knives and read many more reviews. I now have a Paramilitary in S30v with digi camo G10 on order and I can't wait.
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you wont be disappointed! i like mine.
 
I love both the compression lock and the axis lock. I don't think the axis is gimmicky in the least. It's incredibly practical and statistically, there will be locks that fail from every company. Being one of the small percentage that experiences a failed lock from a good company like Spyderco or Benchmade shouldn't represent the quality of their overall work. By definition, you're in the minority. Benchmade does not have a general reputation for producing substandard axis locks, and I don't think people should be concerned about the safety of them any more than any other high quality lock on the market.
 
tf8s said:
I heard somewhere that the compression lock is very easy to access with the left hand (I'm left handed so this interests me), is it actually difficult to use left-handed?
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Well, I see there is at least one opinion to the contrary, but on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is "can't be done one-handed with the left hand" and 5 is "it's a snap one-handed with the left hand," I'd rate the compression lock in its linerlock-like version (like the Paramilitary) a 2. I'd give the framelock-like versions (like the ATR) a 2.5 or round up to 3 for whole numbers. However, it's true that each of us is going to have slightly different opinions, so there's a limit to how much you can learn from what we all tell you about how you are going to feel about it.
 
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