Pros: Lock Type, Handle Material, Blade Sharpness, Blade Material, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Weight, Lock Ease of Use, Overall Quality
Cons: Pocket Clip, None
Awesome Knife!
I've had this knife for about 6 months now and it's in my EDC rotation. With the exception of the now discontinued Snody H&K's, this is by far my favorite knife made by Benchmade. It looks and feels great in the hand. It's on the large side and definitely intimidating to non knife people. The Persian blade shape is awesome though. It's almost all belly and with the high saber grind, it's a great slicer. The handle is quite large, so if you have larger hands like me (I wear size large in work gloves), it's really comfortable. In fact, if I had larger hands, it would still be comfy. The texture on the G-10 scales not only looks great, but it actually grabs the hand quite well. It is on the heavy side, but it feels really substantial in the hand, so that doesn't bother me. The pocket clip is rather big and although it does carry fairly deep, you still have about 3/4" sticking out. I remove the clips and carry in a customized pocket though. For the size of the knife, it actually conceals exceptionally well. I've seen reviews that said the axis lock is sloppy, but mine feels great. I've never had an issue with the axis lock and I've had many different models with it. Using the thumbstuds, the blade doesn't snap out as fast as some of the other models, but with a little practice, it flicks really well. I have noticed that if I pull down on the lock and try to swing the blade out that it sometimes does have vertical play, but I think this is due more to the fact that the blade is very light compared to the handle. The balance point of the knife is directly under the second finger groove on the handle which is farther back than on most pocket knives. Using the thumbstud to open, I have never had any blade play issues. Benchmade has a great warranty, but regardless, knifecenter is a great retailer and I'm sure they would replace the knife if you got a lemon. It happens occasionally. One other thing I really like about this knife is that the spine is rounded and has a nicely jimped thumb ramp. Also, I prefer 154CM over S30V . Overall, Benchmade hit a home run with this one and I'm glad they made a manual version. Auto's are great, but not legal to carry for me. Besides, this has two ways to open and it's not much slower than the auto version. Don't hesitate to buy it, even just for the looks. This is one bad mofo! Even if knifecenter is a bit higher priced, they ship quick and will take care of you if there's any problems. 2 thumbs way up!
