Spyderco vs Benchmade

mylest said:
I sure couldn't open or close the native 5 one handed and I'm a righty.
Click to expand...

My dad is 71, and can both open and close his Spyderco Native 5 one-handed quite easily.
He bought a second one, as it was the knife he carried to work most often for the last few years. :)
 
hhmoore said:
Somebody commented that Spydercos were, in general, better slicers. I haven't found that to be the case when compared to Benchmade (some other brands, yes). I have never owned a Benchmade that wasn't a good slicer.
Don't worry so much about brand - find a knife that you like and meets your needs.
Click to expand...

Objectively most spydercos are better slicers...A thinner bladestock with a ffg and hole is simply going to be better at slicing than a thicker stock blade and thumb stud. It isnt really an opinion just physics. Saying that I am sure that person was not infring Benchmades are bad slicers, or even that some are better at it than some spydercos...But overall Sypdies design is exactly like mentioned above.
 
Dr Rez Dr Rez
Granted, I haven't owned a wide selection of both brands... but let's look at the last few I've carried from each (limited to three, for convenience);
Barrage (581): thickness 0.121
Rift (950): blade thickness 0.114
Anthem (781): thickness 0.112
vs
PM2: blade thickness 0.145
Advocate: thickness 0.118
GB2: thickness 0.118

Im not denying that grind matters, or suggesting that ffg doesn't have an edge (ha) over other choices, when it comes to slicing...but, IME (limited to/by the knives I have owned), Benchmade blades are often as thin as - if not thinner than - blades on competing models. By your own words, that is likely to make them better slicers than the many thicker bladed knives on the market today. My statement was not criticizing Spyderco, and I'm not a Benchmade fanboy.

side note:
I can't help but wonder what people are doing with their pocket knives that they find thumbstuds interfering with a knife's ability to cut/slice. I'm not sure I've ever found that to be a problem. I don't doubt that, at some point during the years that I've carried modem folders, a thumbstud has contacted something I've been cutting...but I must have made a subconscious adjustment and went on with my day. I openly admit that I don't use a modern folder every day, let the dozens (or hundreds) of times that some people here claim...I also don't go looking for reasons to pull out my knife and cut something; so maybe that's part of the problem. (You know, even having a knife or two on my person just about all the time, I find that I generally open my mail without one.)
 
mylest said:
They have 2 springs and works perfectly well with just one plus it's free for them to be replaced. I'd bet all my fingers on one hand that both locks will never fail at once. And they'll last YEARS before they even need to be replaced unless you just sit at home flicking your knife open and closed all day
Click to expand...
I've owned several axis lock knives since 2000, and TBH have never had a spring break myself. I always closed mine from both sides, using thumb and index fingers (never from only one side). My main one-handed EDC for one 4-year period was an Axis TSEK. But over the years, I've come to appreciate simplicity. And while the Axis lock design is simple, there are still more things that can potentially go wrong. It's the same reason I've distanced myself from assisted-opening designs.

As to the Native 5, my current one-handed EDC is a G10 Native 5, and I have no difficulty opening and closing it one-handed. We're all different, and will all have different experiences and preferences.

Jim
 
hhmoore said:
Dr Rez Dr Rez
Granted, I haven't owned a wide selection of both brands... but let's look at the last few I've carried from each (limited to three, for convenience);
Barrage (581): thickness 0.121
Rift (950): blade thickness 0.114
Anthem (781): thickness 0.112
vs
PM2: blade thickness 0.145
Advocate: thickness 0.118
GB2: thickness 0.118

Im not denying that grind matters, or suggesting that ffg doesn't have an edge (ha) over other choices, when it comes to slicing...but, IME (limited to/by the knives I have owned), Benchmade blades are often as thin as - if not thinner than - blades on competing models. By your own words, that is likely to make them better slicers than the many thicker bladed knives on the market today. My statement was not criticizing Spyderco, and I'm not a Benchmade fanboy.

side note:
I can't help but wonder what people are doing with their pocket knives that they find thumbstuds interfering with a knife's ability to cut/slice. I'm not sure I've ever found that to be a problem. I don't doubt that, at some point during the years that I've carried modem folders, a thumbstud has contacted something I've been cutting...but I must have made a subconscious adjustment and went on with my day. I openly admit that I don't use a modern folder every day, let the dozens (or hundreds) of times that some people here claim...I also don't go looking for reasons to pull out my knife and cut something; so maybe that's part of the problem. (You know, even having a knife or two on my person just about all the time, I find that I generally open my mail without one.)
Click to expand...
I'll occasionally use a pocket knife in the kitchen, especially if I'm not in my kitchen and the only other choice is a super dull Wal-Mart special. The thumb stud almost always gets in the way when working with food.
 
stabman said:
My dad is 71, and can both open and close his Spyderco Native 5 one-handed quite easily.
He bought a second one, as it was the knife he carried to work most often for the last few years. :)
Click to expand...
I guess I just haven't figured it out then :confused: maybe I need to mess with the pivot a bit. It is a pretty good looking knife and the jimping on the blade is excellent. I just like that I don't have to change my hand position at all with the axis locks. Plus they're easy to flick open.
 
I like both companies, but my problem with Benchmade is the prices they are charging these days. That alone has steered me away. Spyderco seems to be a better value at this point.
 
TravisL said:
I like both companies, but my problem with Benchmade is the prices they are charging these days. That alone has steered me away. Spyderco seems to be a better value at this point.
Click to expand...

Benchmade has some lower priced stars (bugout) but you only have to look at the new micro pocket rocket thread to make a point about the price.
 
Where's the innovation at Benchmade? I don't see much of a comparison to Spyderco.
My only Benchmade is the Mini Reflex. It's a nice knife.
 
I feel like Benchmade is their own worst enemy, if they got their act together with QC and absurd prices, they’d be really hard to beat. I like them both but I favor Benchmades designs more, Spydercos all look the same to me...not sure why.
 
I have a few Spyderco's and many Benchmades. For general use, I like the thumbhole openning, but prefer the beveling on the Benchmades. I also prefer blades that come close to the handle, and locks that don't require my hand to be in front of the blade when closing. IMO, Spyderco has better QC, but I don't like the G10 cut slab feeling on the PM2 and Military (although both are good knives), nor the finger choils.

Personally, I wish Spyderco had more mid-grade offereings with more rounded grips, no finger choil, and more neutral handle shapes. I wish Benchmade had more FFG blades with thumbholes, offered more options without finger/pinky bumps, and stopped moving the blade further and further from the pointer finger. Yes, these manufactureres have a model or two in their current catalog that are like this, but not enough IMO.
 
I have about 40 Benchmades and 1 SpyderCo so that should give you my answer. Couple reasons why I prefer Benchmade:

1. I am a lefty.
2. Really like the Axis lock.
3. I like smaller knives for EDC and they normally run minis on most models.
4. I get 30% to 40% off on avg on Benchmade.
5. They have clip configs for either pocket.
 
Miao said:
Both are good, but I think in recent years, both have become too expensive for what they offer.
Click to expand...

This is why I haven't bought either in the past few years. I see pocket knives as hand tools, so even $100 seems like a lot of dough.
 
I like both brands. For a good slicing knife Spyderco beats Benchmade hands down. Benchmade has a few good slicers, BM 585 and the Bugout. Over all they are both good but Benchmade has more prybar type. Just my opinion.
 
BadComrade said:
Care to elaborate on how you manage that?
Click to expand...

Online selling of BM requires MAP. Local selling with no web selling can mark whatever price they want.

Store in Alabama does 30% off roughly on all BM sticker marked. Black Friday they take 25% off that.
Local store is normally 20% off, and also do additional 20% off 3 times a year.
Store I get mine from cut me a deal since I buy so much there. Normal price here is usually 30% off, my gold class Foray was 40% off.
REI does special 25% off coupons a few times a year.

There are plenty of ways to get BM in the 25% to 30% range if you are patient and watch for deals. Waited forever and recently grabbed the 556-1701 for 50% off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top