Starting Benchmade Folder

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Voracious Souls

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Sep 4, 2012
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I have been EDCing a very mall-ninja-y karambit for a while now, along with a swiss army knife, apart from the silly feeling I get from such an impractical knife, I cant complain too much.
But I have been highly considering getting a folder that can handle some real work. I have heard a lot of good about benchmades, and in particular love the 551. Are there any better options than this? I would love to keep the price under 150, but if its a bit higher, that is fine. It doesnt need to be invincible, as Im not going to be batoning through boulders or anything silly with it, and I would also like it to be at least somewhat comfortable in my pocket.
I dont know too much about spyderco, except that, the knives from them that I have seen are pretty ugly, but if there is a spyderco that is better than most Benchmades, I will by all means consider it.

thank you guys for your suggestions

ps. I love the 710, but Im concerned about the D2, how is their's when it comes to brittleness and rust resistance.

also is the 551H2O good? or am I better off with the regular 551?
 
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I have a customized Benchmade 710 that I use as my daily EDC. As far as rust resistance, I don't have any issues with D2, though my blade has been acid stonewashed. It does chip more than it tends to roll, but I find that it's an easy steel to resharpen. All in all, my 710 is the favorite of all my knives. It's pretty big, but at the same time very slim and fairly light.
 
I'd say go for the 710. It's one of the best Benchmades and has a great amount of cutting length. I miss mine and plan to get one in m390 soon!
 
If you think you might want something a little smaller than the 710, the 707 is also a great knife in my opinion. I Just bought a 707 and really like for my edc blade. It is just the right size for me, it has a three inch blade, it's slim, lightweight, and I really like the axis lock.
 
Get the GPKnives CPM-M4 Griptilian, you will not look back. It's pretty much the perfect all around knife, and if you really get sick of the plastic handles eventually you can replace them with Wilkins or Cuscadi scales.
 
Brad9660 said:
If you think you might want something a little smaller than the 710, the 707 is also a great knife in my opinion. I Just bought a 707 and really like for my edc blade. It is just the right size for me, it has a three inch blade, it's slim, lightweight, and I really like the axis lock.
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I wouldn't classify the 707 "a little smaller" than the 710 as a couple inches shorter in OAL, but otherwise I agree the 707 is a nice BM that carries well.
 
The 707 Sequel is the way to go if you want a small, strong and light knife with a "big" blade. Perfect for pocket carry. The quality is outstanding! Been my edc for four years now. No rust but the black aluminium scales is not pitch black anymore. They´ve lightened up a bit overtime.
 
I like my 710 even though I carry it around a lot less now as an edc because of its size. Mine is black coated so I didn't have an issue with rust while I was in tahoe when it was snowing. Besides that, my area is pretty warm and has stable weather so I haven't had rust problems in general. The D2 does make it a bit more of a pain to sharpen for me on my sharpmaker. As others have said, if you like the 710 design consider the 707 if you might want something smaller. I have the 705 and it's a nice sub 3 inch blade.
 
The BM Rift is one of my favorites, along with the Contego. Both can be had for well under $150.00

I know the Grips are very popular but I never cared for them myself but if you like them go for it.

Best of luck!
 
I will second the Rift. Lots of blade for the size of the handle which is the perfect size for an EDC, IMO. My wife has a 707 and it is too small for my tastes.

Lots of people like the 710 and it is a good knife but I'm not a huge fan of the skinny recurve blade. The grips are popular but the plastic handles are a common complaint. The Bone Collectors are similar but with a G10 handle. The new 300SN looks pretty interesting if you think you might like a flipper. Whatever you get, I suggest an AXIS lock as it is a very strong, user friendly lock that everyone should at least try out. Good luck with your decision.
 
I think you will be happy with a griptillian or mini grip . A great first benchmade ! Then if you like it you can try their higher end models .
 
I have to second the recommendation for the mini griptillain or regular griptillian. Benchmade makes an awesome knife. I edc the small 3150 Impel on most days of the week but carry my mini-grip on the weekends.
 
Hi there, the GPKnives CPM-M4 Griptilian is a terrific knife for the price. I also own a few other Grips but I prefer the Ritter over the Pardue versions. The Pardues can hold their own though. I have an old 154cm that made me a Grip lover. Keep in mind the handle is on the thick side and the plastic does feel "cheap". but it is very durable. I have not been able to damage it after extensive use. Go with the "best" steel in your budget because you will wind up getting it any way. By best I mean your idea of best. Do you cut acidic foods all day without being able to wash it off or do you need it to hold an edge for a really long time. Things like that.

Unklfranco
 
I really don't like Grips, I'd recommend the 940 for a smaller EDC or the Contego for a large one.

Because pics are fun:

IMG_0222.JPG
 
I am thinking about a H-D Hardtail. (Yes, that is a Benchmade) It is a little smaller than the 940 but quite a bit cheaper. And it has a D2 blade!
 
The plain old 551 is a great all around knife that should accomplish most EDC task. There are a lot of people that will talk down about griptilians but the 154cm and the blade design are both great for general use and the handles, despite the inevitable naysayers who thinks they feel like plastic or cheap, are very tough and well designed for that price. And the Ritter grip's are great too but I've been very happy with the standard 551s. Just be sure to look around to get the best price as some places sell them for a lot more than others. There's an local branch of a well known hardware store with a website that has the best prices that I've found on benchmades. I've bought a couple from them and was very satisfied with the deal. If you want a link, just PM or email me.
 
I'll also recommend the Rift. I compared it to the Contego. I liked the smaller, less aggressive handle on the Rift. The Contego's scales and jimping were just too sharp for me and the shape didn't fit my hand as well. I really wanted to like it, mainly because I wanted to try CPM-M4 but I didn't. It was a high quality knife though. I ended up buying the Rift and I'm liking it so far.

I'd also consider the Bone Collector over the standard Griptillian. Nothing wrong with the Grip, but I like the Bone Collector better.
 
You need to decide if you want a 3 or 4 finger grip. That's basically the difference between the 710 and the 707 sequal.

I've got a d2 710 in my pocket right now. I really like it and carry it a lot. I just ordered an m4 large griptilian from gpknives lt night.she told me they have 7 left. Being that they only have 7 left, I would run,not walk, to the phone and get one before it's too late.
 
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