The Ultimate Thread. Spyderco Vs. Benchmade

Benchmade. I carried a 710 for six years and never needed anything else. Once I "got into" knives I carried all kinds of stuff, including a couple Spyderco knives and a ton of customs, and the winner was... the Benchmade 710.

There are practical reasons for this - the 710 is a long yet very narrow knife, so I can carry a "big" folder without it being too noticeable or filling up my whole pocket. Spyderco knives are very tall and thus even the short ones tend to impede on my pocket space in ways I don't personally like.

I also like the ambidextrous design of the 710 as well. And when I needed a smaller knife for less conspicuous carry and use I went with a 940 - same narrow profile but with a shorter, lighter design.

Spyderco is certainly a strong contender and if all Benchmades were suddenly vaporized tomorrow I wouldn't hesitate to carry one. I would not be as happy but I'd learn to adapt, and wouldn't feel like I'd made a significant compromise.
 
I don't understand how some people are ranking BM before Spyderco in the topic of appearance/beauty. To me spyderco creates some of the cleanest and most beautiful designs by any of the production companies. If I carry something I need to love it both visually and functionally. Spyderco wins for me hands down.
 
EDCdude said:
Wait but benchmade also has Thumbhole. Im tallying the votes. :D
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...while two wrongs never make a right, I always chuckle when I see folks throwing a tantrum over Chinese knife manufacturers appropriating the Axis lock. Can we say "karma"? ;)
 
payus said:
I honestly could never choose between my 806 D2 AFCK and my Para2 in M390

lafotosi.jpg


Sure M390 beats D2, I just haven't tested it yet, and as of now my AFCK has seen some serious use.
The Para feels like a much more expensive knife, it is sublime. The AFCK is perfect in its own too, there's nothing that I don't like. The Axis lock works great, but the Para2 Compression lock works better. The handle and choil are better on the AFCK but the Para2 has a grippier G10 and overall ergos ares rock solid in its function. The AFCK balance is spot on, same goes for the Para2 but the handle ratio wins it for me on the AFCK.
The AFCK and the Para 2 open very differently, but I have never failed to open the AFCK and I have Failed with the Para2, also, the AFCK never half-opens, the Para2 does sometime, but this might be due to wear, I have to use the Para2 yet.
If i had to fight someone I might choose the AFCK because of reach, handle lenghth and overall sturdy design. The Para2 looks like it will fail sooner in ULTRAEXTREME AND UNREAL CONDITIONS which I will never face. Also, If you had to defend yourself, a Paramilitary 2 in M390 would work like a charm and would be as useless when faced with a bear, gun or beehive accidentally knocked with head.
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solution:

AFCK in M390

 
Kai Winters said:
Both offer some great knives. Why debate? Buy some of both and enjoy :)
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I have 6 Benchmades and I'm looking or another one, and I just got a Spyderco PM2 to try.
I have never had any problems with any of my Benchmades, they have all been perfect in construction. Likewise the PM2 seems to be perfect.

Blades- the Spyderco blade looks a bit "odd" to me but I think the shape is very functional. The wide blade and wide handle make the Spyderco larger than my Banchmades. I like a keen point and the PM2 has that, a lot of Benchmade designs are moving another direction.

Handle- the PM2 handle fits my hand well but seems to be longer than it needs to be for that blade size, and it is also a bit taller than my corresponding Benchmades.

Opening- once I got used to them, they all open equally well.

Lock- the PM2 has a fairly unique lock. I don't mind linerlocks and I have a lot of them. The Axis lock is more convenient for me and I don't worry about the strength of either type of lock. The compression lock is a bit harder for me to operate although I've gotten somewhat used to it. I think the axis lock is safest for me, a linerlock and the compression lock both can expose my fingers to danger under the worst conditions.

Cutting- I haven't cut anything with my PM2 yet but I can't imagine how its blade geometry would be better than my Benchmades because they have blades equally as thin.

Blade steel- my understanding is that the minimum steel used in the PM2 is S30V. Benchmade has a lot of models still using 154CM but they also have models standard with D2 and limited editions with fancier steels.

This crude comparison comes up a draw, the differences in one brand vs. another might appeal to some people more than others so it is OK for each of us to have different opinions.
 
Spyderco all the way. Plus they don't paint there g-10 they use real brown g-10 . The benchmade 275 is painted talk about cutting corners.
 
I started out with Benchmade in the late 1990s for my first folding knife.

Most of my recent knife purchases have been from Spyderco though.

I do have two newer Benchmade models I am interested in: the 810 Contego and the 53 Mangus.
 
I have to say that I absolutely love spyderco knives (don't have much experience w/ benchmade)... that being said i recently sent off a Manix XL to them to have some work done (ref. to side to side blade play) and I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed in their customer service. I want to be clear that I am not badmouthing anyone, but I did want to post my experience for others.

It was not that they did anything wrong, but I would like to see a little more communication. I was the one that had to call to make sure they received my knife. This only after many, many attempts to get in contact w/ their warranty department. Apparently the person in that dept. had taken a 2 week vacation so phone calls went unanswered. Secondly, I was the one that had to follow up after they had my knife about 3 weeks to see if they had figured out the issue and when it was going to be sent back (again, after multiple calls a day I finally got someone in the warranty department) - I did find out that they put it in the mail just shy of the 3 week mark, which was nice.

So I guess that's it... I love spyderco knives and am sure I always will! I would just love to see a little more communication w/ their customers - maybe an email or phone call to advise that they received the knife ok and an update as to what was wrong w/ the knife when they are sending it back. I am sure that 3 week turn around time is about average on a warranty claim w/ any knife company, so that is understandable. I know I am not the only one that hates being left in the dark when you have to send your knife off! :)

* Update: I got my knife back around the day after I posted this post... They included my $5 saying that it was covered under warranty... the problem was completely fixed @ no charge. I don't take back my constructive criticism, but they kept me as a customer and I will be back for more :).
 
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Who would have guessed? After 112 posts this thread has actually taught me something I wasn't aware of. Kershaw fans didn't understand the question!
 
I give the slight edge to Benchmade because I really like the AXIS lock, but I honestly am a huge fan of both. It's more like 1a and 1b for me. Kershaw rounds off my top 3.
 
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