Sledgehammer said:
So far I like the 732 Ares, 690, 707, 705, and the 94x.
I would like to stay at 3.5" or smaller for blade length.
Thanks!:thumbup:
The 73x and 94x are two of my very, very favorite knives. If you want a liner lock, the 690 is an incredible knife. I *personally* find that while the 705 and 707 have excellent blades and look great, they are just not truly comfortable in my hand - but a great many people love them. On the old Benchmade forum, the 705 had it's own mafia.
The 73x is a tank. Fills my hand, has done everything I ask it to, makes me feel safe in the valley of death, has a wonderful general purpose blade. It's a medium knife that punches way above its weight class. THE folder I carry when I have serious work to do.
The 94X hits that great sweet spot of being light, thin, and elegant enough to carry and use comfortably as easily in dress slacks at a wedding as it does in jeans on the farm, while being much tougher and more useful than a knife that size should be. The only real drawback I've found is that the handle, while well shaped for a secure and comfortable grip, is thin enough that if I wind using as a REAL work knife - it's so thin it bites into my hand enough to be a nuisance. But the other 95% of the time it simply has no drawback. My town and city knife when I'm places that allow carry over three inches. (Admittedly mine has this pride of place partly because it's the carbon fiber limited edition, and that gives it a bump over my aluminum Benchmades in my book.)
Other BMs to definitely look at:
The Presidio is probably the tankiest of Benchmades tanks, and that's saying something. This is the M1 Abrams of the line. It ain't light, it ain't thin, but it's tougher than hell. Like the Ares, a midsize that punches like a heavyweight. and of course the mini Presidio is then the tankiest of their small knives. VERY grippy - you will not drop these knives. (They WILL chew up your pants.
)
The Switchback is probably the closest competitor the 94X has. Thin and light, but with very good ergos, I think its main strength is not the cute little slipjoint second blade (although that's nice around sheeple) but the very finely ground main, S30V in a very high flat grind. The best pure cutter in the current BM lineup.
The 960 is sort of a not quite mini 94x. Or a mini 73x in aluminum, actually. A little smaller, very good looking, but again excellent ergos. It carries like a small knife, but definitely cuts and holds like a medium folder.
My advice is, if you've been eyeballing but not fondling, find a way to fondle.
Some of these knives have very different ergonomics, and everyone's hands are different. If at all possible, find a place where they can put a 732, 940, 707, 921, 960, Presidio and Grippy on the counter, and you can see what fits your hand the best. There isn't a bad knife in the bunch, but they DON'T all feel good to all people, and that's what it comes down to.
If that just can't happen, do you have a dealer who knows you well enough to send you a box of a half dozen on spec, for you to choose on from? (Man, I love my Benchmade dealer.)
tim8557 said:
I personally like Cabela's BM Griptillian and Mini Griptillian in D2 steel
I do too. But the 73x and 94x are simply better knives. The grips are comfortable, and the Cabela's D2 versions are a very, very good deal. But for ~$100 you can get rid of that hollow plastic "thock" sound and feel of cheapness that is the bane of the Griptilian.
