Which of the three? Difficult decision.

G

Gon

Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
132
Yet another one of these decisions...
Looking for an all-purpose tac folder. The demands:
  • Plain edge.
  • Has to perform light utility tasks, cut the occasional packaging, food item, rope..
  • Has to be built tough enough for a defensive instrument.
  • Relatively fast presentation from any pocket.
  • Easy enough to sharpen with a Sharpmaker and limited sharpening experience.
  • And the most difficult demand...
    I cannot ship the knife to the manufacturer to get it fixed. It must be in decent shape from the factory, and it must not fail in a year or two because of lock wear or broken springs. My personal repair skills are limited to tightening and loosening a screw:(
And the candidates.:D
  • Emerson Mini Commander
    [*]Emerson PSARK
    [*]Benchmade Axis AFCK
All three seem to have very similar grips, weigh about 4 ounces, are almost the same size, and approximately of equal price. There's plenty of opinions around about the AFCK, but I can't find much reading on the two Emersons. My biggest concerns are
  • Emersons' alleged QC problems
  • Emersons' lock strength
  • PSARK blade in utility use
  • Axis springs
  • Coating wear
  • Sharpening so that the blade is not damaged by accident. I understand you can screw up pretty bad when sharpening the point of PSARK?

Enlighten me forumites, just don't say "get'em all" :)
And if you absolutely, positively have to recommend something else altogether, go for it. It's just that these seem.. so very right. :D

- Gon
 
Axis AFCK hands down for long-term reliability. Benchmade is going on four years of having the Axis Lock on the market and reports of premature lock failure are minimal, to say the least.
 
Axis AFCK. Even on the rare chance you have to fix an Omega spring, they aren't much harder to fabricate than turning a screw...

Phil
 
with the BM AFCK , also. Don't own a AFCK myself, but I do own a BM 705S and a 940BT2, and both have the axis lock, always works great. I believe that I've seen here at BF that the axis lock will still function even with one broken omega spring. Would appreciate some feedback if I'am wrong !!
 
Hi Gon,

This is the same dilemma I went through when I decided to get my first long term, high quality knife. I ended up getting a Cold Steel Recon 1 tanto with a plain edge. I've had it for about 2 months now and it's great. Infact if lock failier is a major concern for you, this might put you at ease. About a week ago I was doing some shaving work on the top of my cousins' door. The door itself was to tall for the frame, and since it was cheap ply wood I decided to use my recon to shave the excees of. Well about halfway though the job my (out of shape) leg got a tremendous cramp. So bad my knees got weak and I started to fall. Not wanting to fall on my knife I tossed it away from me and it bounsed of and old cheap foot cheast.

Well seeing as how this knife had been a rather expensive birthday preasent I wanted to make sure it was undamaged. When I picked it up to examine it I noticed it had hit the metal lining of the cheast about an inch away from the handle on the spine of the blade. I could see the mark on the teflon finish of the blade. The first thing i thought was that the lock had been really jarred and I was worried about it's stablity, but when I worked the action it was still smooth and fast and the finish was still unbroked just slightly dent ed so I didn't have to worry about corrosion.

If you don't like the tanto blade the recon series also comes in a drop point style and a spear point style, plain edge or half serrated. Oh well just my $0.02.

MAY WE LIVE FREE OR DIE TRYING.
 
I don't know... Since your requirements call for it being right the first time, and you want it simple enough to repair if you have to, I'd abandon all of the complex designs you've listed and go with a Sebenza...
 
Okay, seems pretty one-sided so far ;)

The 806D2, without exception, comes with the BM teflon coating. Have you experienced it to be weak / easily scratchable? (of course this is minor details, but I noticed some people saw this as a problem..)

If you have this sort of experience, have you tried to remedy the situation somehow?

Mr. Rapaport: I'm afraid the Sebenza is out of my price range (sub 150$). I really want the kind of grip (G10, deep finger groove) that AFCK and those two Emersons offer.

Thanks for your input guys!

- Gon
 
Of those three it would not even be close for me. 806 all the way. If you use the knife a lot, yes the BT will scratch and chip. Its all cosmetic. If it really bothers you, after it gets bad you can go one of two routes. Strip off the remaining BT for a plain blade. Or, send it off to Bodycote and have the blade blasted, hardchromed and coated with Boron Carbide, which is much stronger than BT.

I own an 806 and it is awesome, so do Thicker scales and G-10 than either Emersons or the 806 awesome blade design for utility and SD. Fit and finish is custom level. Action is the smoothest of all my folders (Benchmades, Emersons, Spydercos, etc.) It rides tip up like the others you mention, but rides deep pocket which some prefer and others dislike. I carry mine in a G2 canted sheath so thats not an issue. I love mine and if I had to get rid of all my folders but one (a seriously frightening thought) I would keep the S2K. Good luck. ;)
 
How tough is BC coating?
Do you think it would benefit a SRK by changing the coating?
 
I am going to give you a slightly different answer - Benchmade 710HS. The high speed steel holds an edge maybe as long as the D2? Anyway, the length of the blade is similar 3.9", but the handle is a little shorter, making it easier to carry. Just as fast and reliable.

The AFCK has in its favor a tip down carry option though. Either would make you happy. I have toyed with getting the AFCK too, but the 710HS has a slightly recurved edge which I really like.

Happy buying - many here are Benchmade fans.
 
Guess I'd go with the BM AFCK also.

No offense to Mr. Emerson-he makes a really great knife- or his fans, but his designs are just a little too 'tactical' for my tastes.

AFCK seems like the most bang for the buck on your list. Very practical blade profile, easy maintenance, proven reliability.

I wish Benchmade would give us a TSEK AXIS in D2. I have been carrying the 813 Mini-TSEK and I really like the drop point blade. Very useful for EDC.
 
Of the options offered: go with the AFCK, but other BM's are good too. One thing I noticed about BM is most of their knives are on simular themes. Find one knife they make, and chances are they have the same knife with a different blade shape, or handle configuration, or size, etc. etc. Example: like the Blue Star but what an Axis lock; buy an Ares. So shop around.

I personally would second the Cold Steel idea. Recon ones are good knives and so are the Voyagers. I can see mine(3" and 4") lasting for a long time. But since a million knives are on the market, the last thing you want is for us to recommend them all!:D So, just check on the Recon Ones.

BTW, Recon 1's come in tanto, spear, and CLIP point versions. Not to call out ERINT, just correcting a typo.
 
Hey Clint,

I often wondered how those Cold Steel serrations are maintained. They are so tight together, is there any way to reliable sharpen them (maybe I'm just too blind or dumb to know it)?
Although I really like some of the Cold Steel designs and their lock-up, I have shied away from them because of the serrations.

Just thought I'd take oppurtunity to ask...

Thanks-

Mongrel
 
Gon,
Definitely do not go with any Emerson’s knife! Though they are quite comfortable to handle they all have single-sided sharpening what makes them nor easy to use for peaceful utility tasks neither to sharpen with Sharpmaker.
Definitely Axis AFCK is the best choice of your mentioned.

If I have understood you request well you have chosen your selection mostly following certain grip philosophy – deep finger groove, curved downwards handle, thumb placement slightly forwards, on the blade spine etc...
If so BM 710 Axis Lock probably wouldn’t work well for you as well as it doesn’t for me. 710 is great knife and I can’t say its handle is uncomfortable for me, simply AFCK fits my hand noticeably better.

Please take a careful look onto BENCHMADE Pinnacle. Though it is discontinued probably you can still find some around. The Mono Lock doesn’t have small parts and additional springs, there is definitely nothing to break. Also easy to clean in mean conditions...

If you want more probable choices take a look onto KATZ KNIVES Special Forces – tough lock back construction, comfortable handle, more than decent steel, thin high performance edge. A decent bit onto heavy side however...

All three mentioned – 710 Axis Lock, 750 Pinnacle and KATZ Special Forces have recurved part of the edge. Not an issue working with Sharpmaker but can cause certain problems if sharpened on classic flat 2-inche wide bench stone.

But something suggests me that the best will serve you SPYDERCO Military. Fully flat ground blade with thin edge clicks through everything like dream, excellent edge hold, easy to open, lot of cutting power in slim and lightweight package, one of the best liner locks ever made, btw it has adjustable for wear pivot pin. Try to handle it before buying. If the handle will work well for you and if pretty big package is not an issue – you definitely can’t get better choice as to listed requirements.
As bottom line – CPM 440V blade is not too easy to sharpen but the Sharpmaker and good deal of patience should be enough ;)
 
Another one to take a look at is the Spyderco Endura (or Endura II), or maybe even the smaller Spyderco Native.
 
again.....BM....

i've tried and tried to find an Emerson i'd keep. i'm just going to have to find someone who has a bushel basket of Commanders i can pick through so i can find a good one.

the only other one i'd take a look at is the Microtech Amphibian. it's got the recurve/drop butt handle/rock solid from factory, but the price might be a little high. and personally i'm not fond of the silly new plastic thumbstud.

Metis
 
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