Tell me about the 909 Axis Stryker

[Goosey]

I've seen photos of this and it's a good looking knife, it has a certain appeal.

However the price is certainly up there... $153 for G10 handles and 3.6" of plain-Jane 154CM, hmm. The Manix 2 with S30V is like $100... even compared to other Benchmades it seems a bit pricy, for example the much larger 710 with a D2 blade is the exact same price.

Anyways, how is the handle? How secure is the grip? What about the tanto blade, how does that thing slice? Looks like it has a low sabre grind.

Also how is access to the thumbstud? This is something that bothers me with knives that have them close in to the handle when closed but I see the 909 has the G10 contoured there.

 

[MatthewSB]

However the price is certainly up there... $153 for G10 handles and 3.6" of plain-Jane 154CM, hmm. The Manix 2 with S30V is like $100... even compared to other Benchmades it seems a bit pricy, for example the much larger 710 with a D2 blade is the exact same price.

I wouldn't judge a knife's value just by the materials, how they're put together is very important. I'd rather have an excellent design put together properly (and safely, it's a knife ) with cheap steel, than a poorly thought out design made from super steel that might fail and take off my fingers.

154CM was, at one time, the super steel to have. It's still just as good now, as it was then. Few can honestly say that they can tell the difference between S30V and 154CM in use, most that would say so are kidding themselves. 154CM, in my experience, hasn't chipped like D2 and S30V have.

Also, what's wrong with G10? It's as good as it gets for a user.

The fit and finish on the 909 that I had was perfect, custom quality rarely seen on a production knife.

Anyways, how is the handle? How secure is the grip? What about the tanto blade, how does that thing slice? Looks like it has a low sabre grind.

The handle does not fit the knife. It's not the same as on the original Stryker, it's from the Triage, I believe, which is evident by the stupid bump on the back of the handle inbetween the jimping on the back of the blade and the jimping on the handle, which makes no sense at all.

The blade is a high saber grind, with a swedge on the back. It's made for stabbing things, it appears, but the grind is shallow enough for it to slice well.

I was super excited when I first got my 909, but after messing with it some more I got rid of it. The 909 is a great knife if you want a knife with the blade from one design and the handle from another, that don't match or make sense to mix together, with a lock that is dependent on two tiny wire springs not breaking when you need it.

 

[craytab]

The fit and finish on the 909 that I had was perfect, custom quality rarely seen on a production knife.

Custom quality on a production knife? I think not.

The 909 is a nice little knife. Is it worth the high price? That is for you to decide but for me it was not so I bought NIB on the exchange which brought the price down to making this blade a fantastic deal for me.

The handle is a bit strange but still very functional. I don't generally like American tanto blades but this one is different because of how narrow and pointy the blade is. The thumb studs are fine for me but I have med-small hands. The G10 is fantastic for grip. It might be the grippiest g10 I have had on a blade, even more grippy than the CS recon 1 I have. This thing will destroy pockets! I had to sand down under the clip before I would even think about carrying the knife. Speaking of the clip, this is a non-standard BM clip which along with the handle, is a downside to the knife.

Now to the fit and finish. Everything I say here is about my one example of this knife. No doubt there are far better and worse examples out there. I bought this NIB off the exchange and to me it looked like it had seen no use what so ever. The axis lock came gritty like a chinese knock off. The action on the pivot was rough. Easily the worst Benchmade I have ever bought smoothness wise. This for me is going to be a user blade so I simply took it apart, cleaned and lubed the axis lock, polished and lubed the pivot/washer area and it is much much better now, like it should have come from the factory. Custom fit and finish? In my example, not even close....

Is this the one Benchmade to have? No. There are many that are better IMO. That said, if you like the style watch the exchange because surely there will be those who get one and don't like it.