Update! Benchmade 665

craytab

craytab

Joined
Jan 26, 2012
Messages
29,050
Update in post #13!

I just got one in the mail today. It is fantastic! Fit and finish are nearly perfect. Blade is centered. No blade play. Grind lines look great. Lock is very interesting and operates perfectly. One little ding in one liner. Other than that, perfect.

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This brings me to the discussion point. I have never paid so much for a Benchmade. This was nearly $200 :eek:. And for 154cm :(. So why did I get it? Several reasons. I wanted to see if it would be worth the price fit/finish and quality control wise. It passed in those departments. But $200 just for something we should get anyway? I wanted to get to know the lock a bit better. I played with one in a store. It was cool. Also, hearing from Keyman that when de-assisted it was better than the Axis lock really peaked my interest. I have not seen hardly any of these on the forum. The price is so high on these especially when taking into account some of the fit/finish QC issues BM has had lately. Add in the price increase with MAP, I don't know how long this will be around. I am not sure it will sell enough to justify its production. Nor do I know if they will use this lock in other knives.

Okay, okay. Got it. Passed on fit/finish & QC. Uniqueness. Has the potential to be better than one of the best locks on the market. Is that it? $200 for that? Nope. I also got Freebies!

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KnifeCenter was running a promotion with several of BMs more recent productions. Did I need this stuff? No, not really. I have other torx sets, and lube/cleaners, and certainly better sharpeners. This will work for back ups (I'll throw the sharpener in one of my bags) and for different parts of the house (I have been known to take apart knives in more than one location of my home). This did sweeten the pot though. I believe this is the future for dealers figuring out how to get customers despite MAP or whatever you want to call it. I have only ever purchased 2 other Benchmades new, a Grip and an 810. Both were pre-MAP. All the other Benchmades I own came from the secondary market. This little incentive did push me over the edge.

Your thoughts?

Another pic:

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Exactly my thoughts,can't get past the fact you're getting plain jane 154-CM for $200.For me,I go for some S35VN or some Elmax. Also don't like the handle scale choice......even plain black scales will do.

Thanks for sharing Craytab
 
razorburn said:
Exactly my thoughts,can't get past the fact you're getting plain jane 154-CM for $200.For me,I go for some S35VN or some Elmax. Also don't like the handle scale choice......even plain black scales will do.

Thanks for sharing Craytab
Click to expand...

the 154cm is not my choice in this price range. Almost hurts. Could be worse. Some of the new CRKTs are just under $100 with AUS8 :eek:

I love black and blue things. It was either this knife or getting a custom grip with blue handles and black everything else. I might try to deassist tonight. Keyman gave me some great instructions. I'll post an update.
 
BM's 154CM works.
It gets razor sharp; as a good steel should, and for me at least stays sharp a good amount of time. Historically speaking, I've been quite a steel snob. M2, M4 or M390 was a must.
But, it is as I said BM"s 154CM works. For me this one is all about the lock. Love it!
Easier then axis, that's what I say. I de-assisted mine and it has made it's way into the top three slot in my rotation and that's really saying something. It's got a lot to like; smooth as silk movement, no play in any direction, good edge, great size, axis lock and it all works with the touch of a button.
 
Keyman said:
BM's 154CM works.
It gets razor sharp; as a good steel should, and for me at least stays sharp a good amount of time. Historically speaking, I've been quite a steel snob. M2, M4 or M390 was a must.
But, it is as I said BM"s 154CM works. For me this one is all about the lock. Love it!
Easier then axis, that's what I say. I de-assisted mine and it has made it's way into the top three slot in my rotation and that's really saying something. It's got a lot to like; smooth as silk movement, no play in any direction, good edge, great size, axis lock and it all works with the touch of a button.
Click to expand...

Yeah, 154cm was not a deal breaker. Just wish I got more for the money. But yes, it is about the lock. I'll let you know if I will be sending you a bag of parts. Just kidding. But not really.
 
Keyman said:
A bag of parts in the mail?
Sounds like my kind of fun. :D
It would be a pleasure.
Click to expand...

Ha! No bag of parts for you!

I did it tonight. Took a long while. The complexity of this design is amazing. I'll PM you with some questions tomorrow.
 
Been hovering over the 'Buy' button for this blade for a while now.
I went for the 581 instead.......still hovering!
Cray, can you follow up after you de assist please??
Joe
 
I like the look... I've never been a big fan of assisted knives, but for some strange reason, I like the Mini Barrage. Don't know if this one would
have the same feel or not. I don't have a problem with blue, it's my favorite color :D
 
How does this lock work?
Can you post disassembled pics?
What is the difference between Axis vs this one?
What is the blade size from tip to scale?
 
Okay, I took it apart Saturday night. I had mixed results then. The action didn't seem smooth and there was blade play I could not get rid of. The action did smooth out over the next couple days. after consulting with Keyman again I took it apart again this morning and made some adjustments. In this process I figured out a game changer this BM product has made. Unlike other BMs, adjusting the pivot is not a precise ordeal. You can crank this thing down and it will not hurt how smooth it opens. In fact, to get rid of the play you NEED to crank it down! At least this is how it was on my example. This eliminated the blade play to almost undetectable. It is very impressive!

It took a while to take apart and reassemble. I did some unnecessary things that caused increased time like taking the axis bar out. You don't need to do that. As per Keyman's instructions I took the scales off, removed the spanner nut on the pivot being careful not to move the spring housing, and flipped it over to the presentation side and popped out the spring. Put it back together. Not too difficult.

YM1KteAh.jpg



This truly seems like a game changing knife. With no assist it is on par and maybe better than the axis lock but has advantages in other areas. There is no need to balance the knife butt on the palm of your hand to disengage the lock. Just push the buttons. The pivot adjustment is far superior. This is my 5th straight day of using this as an EDC, which is rare for me, I usually switch daily. Watch the exchange fellow knife nerds. You may see some more of my other knives for sale there. This knife is that good! And to get back to the reasoning I laid out in the OP, is this knife worth the higher cost? I can now answer with an unequivocal YES!

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Wolf7 said:
How does this lock work?
Can you post disassembled pics?
What is the difference between Axis vs this one?
What is the blade size from tip to scale?
Click to expand...

It is an axis lock, all be it a bit modified. The Axis bar is not round and it is operated mechanically.

Thanks for posting the pictures Keyman and for all your help!
 
Looks interesting. I would be more inclined to purchase it from Knifeworks for $178.50 but it looks like a lot of other stuff came with it from Knifecenter.
 
jazub said:
Looks interesting. I would be more inclined to purchase it from Knifeworks for $178.50 but it looks like a lot of other stuff came with it from Knifecenter.
Click to expand...

Well, then you wouldn't be getting the same knife I did :thumbup:

You are talking about the 665. What I purchased is the 665BK ;)
 
Oh yeah, the more expensive option. The thread title is 665 and so I commented on the 665. Cool knife.
 
So after you deassist it fiddles similar to an Axis, but button-operated?

Sometimes I'm the guy Chris Reeve detests, I'll admit it.

Fun factor matters.
 
NG VI said:
So after you deassist it fiddles similar to an Axis, but button-operated?

Sometimes I'm the guy Chris Reeve detests, I'll admit it.

Fun factor matters.
Click to expand...

Yes. Tiny bit different but very much the same. It is a blast to open and close over and over again.
 
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