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Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Handle Material, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type, Overall Quality, Pocket Clip, Weight
Cons: None
Worth it? Yup.
This is my second Benchmade knife. The first was a 470 back in 2013. I literally had zero issues with it. It was using in a warehouse environment and sharpened it maybe 2-3 times ever with s35v steel. Took it apart a few times for cleaning and stripped a body screw. I contact Benchmade some 10 years later about it and they immediately sent me an entire parts kit for a 13 year old knife for free. They got me as a customer for life. When I saw this previewed at bladeshow I knew I wanted it to be the emissary’s replacement. About the knife itself - Beautiful piece of art in a utilitarian package. M390 steel? Say no more. Weight is incredibly lighter than I expected even. The cerakoted blade and bronzed accents are a nice touch. The pocket clip is vastly superior to those of BMs past. Fidget factor? Check the flipper is crisp and smooth and the cerakote gives it a nice tang on deployment. The axis lock seems much improved and smooth like companies like Hogue or Kizer are doing well now. Factory edge is significantly better as well. Shave sharp out of the box. Do I think it’s worth $300+? Yes. Yes I do. Haters will hate but this I have no doubts will live in my pockets for another decade or more and work out just fine while having a US based company backing it.