Which one of these folders?

Quiet Storm

Quiet Storm

Joined
May 17, 2002
Messages
5,757
Please don´t tell me ´bout buying ´em all :)

I would like to know which one of the following folders you prefer (I am lookin´ especially for answers from those who handled/own more than one of these:

- Spyderco Chinook
- Spyderco Military
- Benchmade AFCK 2

Tonight we had a forum meeting in Germany and I could take a closer look at the Military and the BM. I like them both (and I really like the looks of the Chinook - I´ve never handled one yet) and would like to know your long-time experiences with these knives.

Thank you in advance.

Please don´t throw in other knives, cuz I´m pretty much informed what´s on the market and my next folder decision is pretty much narrowed down to one of the three mentioned above.
 
I have all three and they are all in my weekly rotation. Each has it's own merits and feel. You should choose which is more comfortable to hold in the grips you use to do cutting chores.
I have an order which each falls into according to grip comfort.

1.BM AFCK
2.Spyderco Military
3.Chinook

Lock strength between these three is not really that big of a consideration to me as they all kick butt in that area.
As far as cutting ability my ranking is a bit different. The Military is the best cutter of the lot with the AFCK coming in a very close second and the Chinook, of course, takes third place. I base this ranking on cutting ease thru rope, paper, wood, cardboard and kitchen veggies. The Chinook has an edge that is relatively thick in comparison with the other two and this affects it's overall performance IMO. It still cuts, it's just not as efficient as the other two, again IMO.
Ease of deployment is a tie between the AFCK and the Military. My samples open equally fast or close enough to where I cannot tell a difference.
Ease of carry is another factor that may be relevant to you. I find the Military takes up a lot of pocket space, but oddly enough, weighs the least of the three. AFCK takes up the least space and is in the middle as far as weight. The Chinook is the heavy weight here for sure. It takes up the most pocket space and is massive all the way around.
As an outdoor use or pure self defense knife, the Chinook is the one I'd choose but not so much for every day cutting chores. It is just a big honkin', tank tough, bad ass folder.

So, if I had to choose between these based on my own experience, I suppose it would be narrowed down to the Military or the AFCK. I really depends on what features your looking for and interest you the most. Even though I generally rank the Chinook as third place of the folders you specified, it still is a nice piece to have with you, and that is why I carry it in my rotation.

Good Luck as this is a tough choice.
 
The Chinook stands separately from Military and AFCK because of its somewhat limited ability to perform deep precise cuts and overage design intended to hold up at extreme loads rather than normal cutting. It’s also a decent bit onto heavy side for me.

Choosing from the rest two, points for AFCK:
  • more comfortable handle
  • better lock format if you add some bucks and go with Axis AFCK
  • the steel somewhat easier to sharpen in all versions
Points for Military:
  • one but serious – better cutting performance thanks to fully flat ground blade and thin edge. However this plus may easily be turned into minus in “heavy hand”. In another words if user begins to use this knife in non-knife role – chopping, prying, pounding etc.
  • round and big opening hole what is better for opening than AFCK oval hole with notched edges
Since cutting performance is the most important for me my choice is Military closely (really – very closely!) followed with AFCK. Handling comfort is also very important, in some circumstances even more important than cutting performance. Because it is very difficult to get good cutting performance if the handle doesn’t match your hand and causes discomfort when working. However Military handling comfort is acceptable for me. Lock format is not deciding point for me because Military liner lock is on of the best (if not the best) ever made. Also not an issue if you go with liner lock AFCK-2 as you have specified.

Advice – try to handle them both if possible to make your choice.
I have seen knife stores in Germany what have very wide knife offer, the one in Dusseldorf for ex., but their prices are truly lethal.
 
In some European countries – for ex. Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria – if you enter well stocked knife store you should be prepared to see the prices what can reach 2x and sometimes even 3x MSRP (Manufactures Suggested Retail Price).
In the mentioned store in Dusseldorf (btw very well stocked) I saw large Sebenza for 1.500 DEM (year or so ago) what is equivalent of approximately 750 USD.

In Poland you can find SOG X-Ray Vision for about 800 PLN what is equivalent of approximately 200 USD. This price is pretty high as to our salaries but at the same time it looks pretty attractive in comparison with Western European prices...

Welcome to European knife market :(
 
Of course taxes and import costs make the prices rise in an uncomfortable area for European knife buyers, but there are some online shops (probably not only in Germany) which sell American blades at acceptable prices. Still more expensive than in America, but it´s OK for me. But I have to admit that I don´t buy MTs or Sebenzas.
 
I don't have a Military, but that was due in part to the 1 liner. If they are double now, I might look more closely. I had a Chinook, but it was slow to open, and the lock always felt like it had some play (even after returning it to Spyderco to have the lock fixed). My blade play was fore/aft, ie, if I tried to make a hard cut, I could feel the blade pivot slightly to the spine. I'm sure it was solid enough, but the slop always annoyed me, so I rairly carried it. I would have prefered that one in tip up as well, but whatever. I really like the Axis AFCK. No blade play, great lock up every time, smooth opener (not as smooth as the liner lock version I have, but still smooth) and that D2 takes and holds a sweet edge. Significantly thinner handle then the Chinook, though a bit longer (or at least a longer grip without the birdsbeak). Reverable clip is always nice as well. If they have imporved the Chinook since I last looked, I might reconsider, but in the end I traded it for the AFCK I have now.
 
I haven't handled or used an AFCK.

Between the Chinook and Military, I say the Military hands down unless you are happy with a chunky hollow-ground piece of steel.

The Military, while having a rather long handle, is also very thin and will slide into just about any place you want to carry it, with very little discomfort of visual signature.

I also favor flat-grount blades and opening holes.
 
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