Benchmade Adamas vs Tops/Buck Csar-T.
I never realized how rugged of a knife the Csar-T was until I watched one of Vininull's famous videos on youtube. It has scored the 2nd highest in his evaluation of hard use folders, only the Adamas has scored higher. So I purchased the Big Buck and made my own comparison of the budgest friendly beefy folders. I will leave the hard use testing to Vininull.
His scoring and links to videos can be found here. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgfctrIRsI1_dERmZ1JQYXhZTUswaEd6ZlZkOUdTemc#gid=0
My first ever review, hope it is somewhat useful.
First the sheath. Both come with sheaths that are made to attach to a MOLLE vest. Both are well made but to me the clear winner here is Edge:CSAR-T
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Scales: Both have G-10 scales. The CSAR-T has Bucks Rocky Mountain Tread Handles. They provide a very positive grip and your hand does not slip even when wet. The Adamas is not near as aggresive in it's approach. I still have no problems maintaining a positive grip and to me they feel more comfortable. Edge: Adamas
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Size/Weight/Shape: The CSAR-T has a 3 1/2" blade and weighs in at 8.6oz. The Adamas has a 3.82" blade and weights 7.7 ozs. In my pocket the size and weight differnce is hardly noticable. The CSAR-T is slightly smaller when closed even though the manufacturers website for the knives lists the Buck at 5" closed and the Adamas at 4.88" close.
When holding the knives the CSAR-T seems to be a little more ergonomic as it has a little bit of a curve to the handle. The Adamas from the blade to the handle feels a little more straight line. Slight Edge: CSAR-T
Manufacturing: The price difference I paid in these knives was about $44. Both knives are very sturdy no doubt but the Tops/Buck knife seems a little more crude, from the uneven metal spacers where the built hex driver is to the exposed very large washers at the pivot point. Both are made to be working knives and at this price point you are not going to be getting a work of art. That being said the Edge: Adamas
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Blade: The CSAR-T comes with a 3.5" modified Tanto made of .175" thick 154-CM with Zirblast finish and Paul Bos Heat Treatment. The Adamas has a 3.88" drop point made of .160" thick black BK coated D2 steel. Out of the box the Adamas came sharper. I have not tried to sharpen the CSAR-T yet, the Adamas easily sharpened back up to a razor edge on my Spyderco Sharpmaker. I am not going to pretend to be an expert on blade steel here. I prefer the drop point design to the modified tanto. The D2 and 154-cm seem to both be quality steel. The main reason the Tops/Buck knife got this one is because I don't care for the Black BK coating on the Benchmade. Edge: CSAR-T
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Locking Mechanism: This one isn't even close in my opinion and this is what sets the Benchmade apart for EDC. The Axis Lock is probably my favorite on the market. Especially the Axis lock on the Adamas. It is a beefed up version of the one found on other Benchmade knives.
Both knives lock up good with no blade play. The Liner lock on the CSAR-T is a double liner lock. You can see from the posted pics. This leads me to my largest gripe about the CSAR-T.
The liner lock is very hard to disengage. This isn't a knife you are going to sit in your chair and flip the blade out for hours at a time when you first get it. After a few times your thumb will be so sore you will be glad to just put it back in your pocket.
I don't know if this is designed to be like this because it is supposed to be a "hard use knife" but as you can tell by the below picture the lock engages the tang in the middle of the tang vs other liner locks I have it engages it on the nearest edge. I am guessing this is to ensure that the lock does not accidently disengage from the tang during hard use.
Edge: Adamas
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In my evaluation I would give my overall edge to the Adamas. It seem like a more polished knife and the locking mechanism on both knives is what really sets them a part. The Liner Lock on the CSAR-T is to hard to disengage while the Axis Lock on the Adamas is a stronger version of the already strong Benchmade Axis Lock and can easily be closed one handed.
I never realized how rugged of a knife the Csar-T was until I watched one of Vininull's famous videos on youtube. It has scored the 2nd highest in his evaluation of hard use folders, only the Adamas has scored higher. So I purchased the Big Buck and made my own comparison of the budgest friendly beefy folders. I will leave the hard use testing to Vininull.
His scoring and links to videos can be found here. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgfctrIRsI1_dERmZ1JQYXhZTUswaEd6ZlZkOUdTemc#gid=0
My first ever review, hope it is somewhat useful.
First the sheath. Both come with sheaths that are made to attach to a MOLLE vest. Both are well made but to me the clear winner here is Edge:CSAR-T
Scales: Both have G-10 scales. The CSAR-T has Bucks Rocky Mountain Tread Handles. They provide a very positive grip and your hand does not slip even when wet. The Adamas is not near as aggresive in it's approach. I still have no problems maintaining a positive grip and to me they feel more comfortable. Edge: Adamas
Size/Weight/Shape: The CSAR-T has a 3 1/2" blade and weighs in at 8.6oz. The Adamas has a 3.82" blade and weights 7.7 ozs. In my pocket the size and weight differnce is hardly noticable. The CSAR-T is slightly smaller when closed even though the manufacturers website for the knives lists the Buck at 5" closed and the Adamas at 4.88" close.
When holding the knives the CSAR-T seems to be a little more ergonomic as it has a little bit of a curve to the handle. The Adamas from the blade to the handle feels a little more straight line. Slight Edge: CSAR-T
Manufacturing: The price difference I paid in these knives was about $44. Both knives are very sturdy no doubt but the Tops/Buck knife seems a little more crude, from the uneven metal spacers where the built hex driver is to the exposed very large washers at the pivot point. Both are made to be working knives and at this price point you are not going to be getting a work of art. That being said the Edge: Adamas
Blade: The CSAR-T comes with a 3.5" modified Tanto made of .175" thick 154-CM with Zirblast finish and Paul Bos Heat Treatment. The Adamas has a 3.88" drop point made of .160" thick black BK coated D2 steel. Out of the box the Adamas came sharper. I have not tried to sharpen the CSAR-T yet, the Adamas easily sharpened back up to a razor edge on my Spyderco Sharpmaker. I am not going to pretend to be an expert on blade steel here. I prefer the drop point design to the modified tanto. The D2 and 154-cm seem to both be quality steel. The main reason the Tops/Buck knife got this one is because I don't care for the Black BK coating on the Benchmade. Edge: CSAR-T
Locking Mechanism: This one isn't even close in my opinion and this is what sets the Benchmade apart for EDC. The Axis Lock is probably my favorite on the market. Especially the Axis lock on the Adamas. It is a beefed up version of the one found on other Benchmade knives.
Both knives lock up good with no blade play. The Liner lock on the CSAR-T is a double liner lock. You can see from the posted pics. This leads me to my largest gripe about the CSAR-T.
The liner lock is very hard to disengage. This isn't a knife you are going to sit in your chair and flip the blade out for hours at a time when you first get it. After a few times your thumb will be so sore you will be glad to just put it back in your pocket.
I don't know if this is designed to be like this because it is supposed to be a "hard use knife" but as you can tell by the below picture the lock engages the tang in the middle of the tang vs other liner locks I have it engages it on the nearest edge. I am guessing this is to ensure that the lock does not accidently disengage from the tang during hard use.
Edge: Adamas
In my evaluation I would give my overall edge to the Adamas. It seem like a more polished knife and the locking mechanism on both knives is what really sets them a part. The Liner Lock on the CSAR-T is to hard to disengage while the Axis Lock on the Adamas is a stronger version of the already strong Benchmade Axis Lock and can easily be closed one handed.
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