Got my birthday present today, tho a bit late, a 950 Risk. I've been staring at this one for over a year, and decided this tax season it would be nice to have. I've got other Benchmades, my first was a CQC7 back when they were new in the clamshell package - before Emerson "took" back his design. I was impressed with it then, it was certainly a much higher quality knife than any I had bought before - worth the $95.
Finding a Risk in that price range wasn't going to happen, not new at least. The local brick and mortar store did me a good deal and it came in - about the same price as the lowest I could find online, plus shipping. Which reminds me to cancel that ridiculous Ebay search - what are those sellers thinking?
Anyway, the knife. It's good. Really good. No surface unfinished. That's easy to say, but you look it over, and there are no rough, unfinished, or "natural" areas on the knife whatsoever. If you can see it, a Benchmade hand worked it with a Benchmade machine or tool, and it's finished. Inside and out. My bathroom toilet - premium brand that is - has worse finish. It's only fit to - never mind.
I got the satin, and it's satin, even on the machined lock ramps and detents. Not stamped, blanked, or left ground up from a belt, all satin. The spools, lock, and thumbstuds, finished. Not just turned with stray lathe marks, finished.
Did I say this is one well finished knife?
G10 is an interesting material, it's resin and glass, with tight layers, and really tough. On other knives I own, the G10 is ground, or sanded to shape. The Risk is sculpted. This isn't something done on the edge of a belt grinder, or dremeled. Its apparent from the precision, placement, and consistency that CNC was used to achieve the perfection, and it shows. No stray tool marks, and the layers of contrasting color well revealed.
Others have thought the model they got might be too rough initially, not mine at least. More like, still new, with no easing on the corners, but none too sharp to handle. I can see in a year - or three - where it will gather patina, and smooth out, like the other G10 knives I have. This one will still have grip, tho, because the sculpting will stick to my hand, where the flat scales of the others are already getting too smooth.
And, you get a cute little bag, too!
Benchmade has done well with this knife, and no doubt, a lot of that is due to Warren Osborne and his eye for design. This particular exercise pushed some boundaries - a lot of features on the knife are more counterintuitive in design, and that's exactly what meets the eye. It's different - really different. The blade shape, the cutout at the butt, the swell forward, not many other knives like it, that's for sure. Distinctly different.
Oh yeah, the lock. It's ok. Different, too. Still getting used to it, having to learn how to close it with different motions. I catch myself trying to depress the frame or liner. Knives with those locks always have some preload on the blade, they don't swing easy, oh, wait - Axis. You can hold it back . .
Well I sure had a fun time driving home. Keep it cool at stop lights.
Ahem, anyway, it's a great knife. Who needs a flipper, anyway, when you got an Axis? Instantly my favorite knife. It's that good. And been around for what, five years. Ask yourself, if you were thinking about getting one, and knew the clock was ticking, why wait?
Glad I didn't. First Axis, too. Worth it. Now I get it.
Finding a Risk in that price range wasn't going to happen, not new at least. The local brick and mortar store did me a good deal and it came in - about the same price as the lowest I could find online, plus shipping. Which reminds me to cancel that ridiculous Ebay search - what are those sellers thinking?
Anyway, the knife. It's good. Really good. No surface unfinished. That's easy to say, but you look it over, and there are no rough, unfinished, or "natural" areas on the knife whatsoever. If you can see it, a Benchmade hand worked it with a Benchmade machine or tool, and it's finished. Inside and out. My bathroom toilet - premium brand that is - has worse finish. It's only fit to - never mind.
I got the satin, and it's satin, even on the machined lock ramps and detents. Not stamped, blanked, or left ground up from a belt, all satin. The spools, lock, and thumbstuds, finished. Not just turned with stray lathe marks, finished.
Did I say this is one well finished knife?
G10 is an interesting material, it's resin and glass, with tight layers, and really tough. On other knives I own, the G10 is ground, or sanded to shape. The Risk is sculpted. This isn't something done on the edge of a belt grinder, or dremeled. Its apparent from the precision, placement, and consistency that CNC was used to achieve the perfection, and it shows. No stray tool marks, and the layers of contrasting color well revealed.
Others have thought the model they got might be too rough initially, not mine at least. More like, still new, with no easing on the corners, but none too sharp to handle. I can see in a year - or three - where it will gather patina, and smooth out, like the other G10 knives I have. This one will still have grip, tho, because the sculpting will stick to my hand, where the flat scales of the others are already getting too smooth.
And, you get a cute little bag, too!
Benchmade has done well with this knife, and no doubt, a lot of that is due to Warren Osborne and his eye for design. This particular exercise pushed some boundaries - a lot of features on the knife are more counterintuitive in design, and that's exactly what meets the eye. It's different - really different. The blade shape, the cutout at the butt, the swell forward, not many other knives like it, that's for sure. Distinctly different.
Oh yeah, the lock. It's ok. Different, too. Still getting used to it, having to learn how to close it with different motions. I catch myself trying to depress the frame or liner. Knives with those locks always have some preload on the blade, they don't swing easy, oh, wait - Axis. You can hold it back . .
Well I sure had a fun time driving home. Keep it cool at stop lights.
Ahem, anyway, it's a great knife. Who needs a flipper, anyway, when you got an Axis? Instantly my favorite knife. It's that good. And been around for what, five years. Ask yourself, if you were thinking about getting one, and knew the clock was ticking, why wait?
Glad I didn't. First Axis, too. Worth it. Now I get it.
