Which benchmade knife for camping, axis lock please

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Tuffblade

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Apr 13, 2008
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ill be making tent pegs by carving a point, making feather sticks for fire, some paring task, hiking and diving in a lake, just to observe the geological features or any wildlife i might come across, i also accept spyderco knives, its just gotta have a reliable and tough lock, no blade play, and will hold an edge. some of my favorite steels are 154cm, vg-10, no s30v please, due to chipping issues ive heard d2 chips, too.
 
BM710. Awesome knife. I would not believe most posts you hear about chipping. D2 is tough stuff.
 
Ritter grip. Mini or full size. It is an extremely thought out design, the blade shape is killer. Tough as nails. It really is a great survival knife.
 
Benchmade: 710, 552, 14200
Spyderco: Military, G-10 Police

I wouldn't worry about S30V chipping. I haven't read anything recently about that issue and I personally haven't experienced any chipping. I've owned quite a few S30V knives.
 
Gonna have to say Griptilian or Mini Griptilian. I don't think you'll have any issues with S30V, but if you just want to stay away from it, a Mini Grip is a great way to go. Tough steel that holds a very nice edge, lightweight, Noryl GTX handle with steel liners that's never chilly like a full metal handle. They also come in bright colors, making them harder to lose in the woods.

Since you said you'll accept Spydercos too, I have to suggest a Delica 4. I've been carrying one recently, and it's a very nice knife with great ergonomics, and lightweight to boot.
 
The Benchmade 520. Overbuilt quality, excellent useful blade shape, 154CM that BM does so well, and the handle stays grippy even when covered in water and mud. There is a reason this knife has been the mainstay in the black class lineup for as long as it has.
 
A lot of times when I go camping I just use my EDC. I have yet to feel under-equipped, though it is fun to bring along a big-un. And judging by your proposed tasks, you would not be under-equipped using an EDC either. So for me a good axis lock for camping would be a mini-grip.
 
BM Griptillians ... 154cm, but have cheezy hollow handles ... good steel, low price
BM 500 Pardue ... 154cm, steel handle, mid priced ... Both are Axis lock
Sorry about the information you were given on s30v ... Hardness of s30v totally varies by the heat treat .... one might chip, another not ... to rank all s30v as chippable is way too simplistic ... s30v heat treated by Jones Brothers is probably one of the best steels available today.
 
check out the 950 rift or 615 mini-rukus. either of those can handle anything you might need a blade to handle
 
I've got a 710 which I love and is in my pocket right now. For camping it would be the Ritter Grip, since it's specially designed for camping type actvities -- food prep, woodcract etc. And as a prior poster said, it's an extremely well thought out design.
 
If axis lock is a must, then I'd have to recommend a Griptilian. The 710 is a great knife, but if you are an office guy by day and wilderness man by night, it might be a little long for the legal side depending on where you are. It carries like a small knife, but it has about a 4" blade.

I recently bought a 740 Dejavoo, and it's an excellent knife, especially for a liner lock. I haven't had any problems with it. Over this past weekend I hacked down a few good sized limbs (about 1" thick) and shaved a couple of home-made bows for the fun of it. It's still shaving sharp and didn't close up on me at all.
 
BM 520 for sure. Bought 1 month ago. Black class, 154CM, 3.42" blade, AXIS lock. Very-very grippy handle. Perfecr sharpness just from the box. One possible con - could be considered too big as for pocket carry, but it's easy to operate even in glove. IMHO perfwct choice as EDC knife and for self-defence.
 
There are a lot fo great choices:

Either the Rukus or Mini-Rukus (not mini at all!) are great.

Any of the Griptilians are very good deals for the money - for camping I think a full sized Grip, and especially the Ritter Grip are best.

The 710 is a classic.

My experience with S30V has been very good - no problems whatsoever. On the other hand, I reprofile every knife I use to a convex edge, and polish the edge to a very smooth finish. Some folks think this eliminates ro greatly reduces the possibility of chipping. All I know is it makes them cut much better, and resist dulling longer. I also strop my edges regularly. I've never had any chipping with S30V treated this way.
 
coop1957 said:
BM710. Awesome knife. I would not believe most posts you hear about chipping. D2 is tough stuff.
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D2 is one of the best if its tempered right and Benchmade knows what they are doing. in truth I prefer the presidio over almost all others, its a good size and tough as hell:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
The Rukus would be my first choice from BM. S30V absolutely rocks! Don't let rumors keep you from owning an awesome knife. There's always someone who's gotta say that some exotic steel doesn't live up to their expectations.
 
I've been carrying a BM5000S for almost 6 years as my EDC. This is the automatic version of the BM520. Both knives are extremely well engineered and hold an edge well. The 520 will easily handle all of the task that you are asking of the knife. But as Enderwiggin mentioned the Griptilians are priced well and come in various colors to help prevent loss in the backwoods environment. The idea that an exotic steel like S30V will chip isn't unheard of but I'd suggest googling "S30V problems" and you'll find that not many people have problems with it. I hear the occasional "it's difficult to sharpen because it's very hard" but the thing to consider is once it's sharpened it'll maintain that edge for a longer time. The BM 154CM is a great steel though. Also to consider.. are you completely sold on a folding knife? Benchmade also makes some great fixed blades. I have an older designed BM140SBKD2. It is the Nimravus without the 520 style handles (that is how they are currently designed) and D2 steel. I've used my 5000S and my 140 both very hard for camping, EDC, military exercises (while I was active duty) and neither have chipped. Also previously mentioned the Doug Ritter modified griptilian is a great knife with an extremely well designed and made blade. I bought the http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=552-RSK+Mk1 RSK (ritter griptilian) for an ex girlfriend in the military. We still keep in contact and that knife has survived Iraq, the abuse of an owner than knows nothing of regular knife care, and it still performs well.
 
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