Showing posts with label Benchmade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benchmade. Show all posts

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Only One!

 I inadvertently rubbed that strange brass lamp, and the Genie promised me only one wish, not three.  I guess inflation gets everyone.  But there is a catch; magic has a price.  "The price," the Genie solemnly announced, "is you can only have one automatic knife for the rest of your life."

I can work with that.  Here's my choices.


A.O.S.  by Les Adams

Les Adams makes an A.O.S.(Always-On-Safety) automatic knife.  He makes the carbon fiber handles himself, and since the knives are actually made for LEO and military use, each one has a unique serial number.  It's a well-made knife with a 154CM stainless steel blade with 59-60 Rockwell hardness, C scale.  He claims the stainless coil spring has twice the spring force of any auto knife.  I believe it.  The knife opens with a jump, and the blade locks open with a resounding 'clack.'  But you must pull the safety back and hold it in the unlock position while pressing the opening stud.  Same for closing.  It's cumbersome.


Benchmade Mini-Reflex

The Benchmade Mini-Reflex has a lot going for itself.  The one I have is a pre-production model from 1998.  It hasn't changed much since then.  The small 3.25-inch flat grind blade is held in an aluminum handle.  I was told this one is epoxy-coated, which is something Benchmade stopped very early in production.  The knife has a safety on the spine and a recessed area for the release button.  The button does extend above the handle.  The spring in mine isn't as strong as the A.O.S..  If the blade is stopped after an arc of 90 degrees, the spring doesn't have enough stored energy to open and lock.  A flip of the wrist solves that.


Puma Medici Switchblade

I also have a classic Italian stiletto switchblade made for the German market in the 1970s-1980s.  Made by Puma Medici, it has some interesting features.  The blade features a classic stiletto shape with a single factory-sharpened edge.  It has a nail nick, which may reflect an expectation of a weak spring in the future.  Or perhaps it simply means these blades were available from another project and used.  The blade is stamped rostfrei and is most likely 440C steel.  The spring is a double, side-by-side leaf spring and doesn't appear to be easy to replace.  I typically store this knife open to prevent spring fatigue.

Pro-Tech SBR

My Pro-Tech is more of an art knife than a user.  It's their SBR pattern with a "…unique micarta top, variety of colors, blade treatments, and inlay buttons." SBR stands for Short Bladed Rockeye, and the designer is Les George.  The release button is inlaid with mother-of-pearl.  There's no safety, but the button sits in an indent, so the top of the button is flush with the handle. 

Microtech's 2021 Blade Show knife

I have a Microtech from the 2021 Blade Show.  It's an OTF with a double-edged dagger blade.  The 3.3-inch blade is ground from M390.  M390 is another great stainless steel, enriched with chromium, vanadium, and a touch of tungsten.  Double-edge knives have the advantage of having two edges that can be sharpened.  That is also a significant drawback in a working knife.  You can't use your other hand to apply additional pressure to the back of the knife.  At least not more than once.  The other flaw is OTFs are famous for pulling stuff back into the mechanism, creating problems.  It's not hard to disassemble the knife, clean it, and carefully lubricate it before reassembling.  The lubrication tends to hold on to the crud the blade pulls in.  Again, not a major problem, except that you need a small, special socket with a triangular opening to disassemble this Microtech.


Spyderco's Autonomy 2

Last on my list of possibilities is Spyderco's Autonomy 2.  It's an auto knife made at the request of the US Navy for their rescue swimmers.  Its wide, leaf-shaped blade is made from LC200N.  This is an extremely rust-resistant steel.  It has good toughness and edge retention.  The release button is a large ring for gloved users.  The safety is just beneath the release and has well-defined edges to grab gloves.  I like the arrangement of safety and release.  My thumb can operate the safety and release without having to change my grip.  It's a nice knife, and at one time, only the overruns to military contracts were available to the public.  Sal has well-defined ideas about how and who should use his knives.

So, which knife did I tell the Genie to bind me to?


Behind the metal cap is Autonomy's spring.  Easy to get to.  Easy to oil. Easy to clean.

The Spyderco Autonomy 2, of course.  It's a well-made knife, and more importantly, if you turn it over, you'll find a metal cap with four holes in it.  Under that cap is the knife's coil spring.  Water drains from that spring cavity; you can oil the spring from there, and you simply unscrew the cap to replace the spring if needed.

 

Now, if the Genie's binding was different, that I could only have one knife, I'd…

However, that's a story for another day.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Benchmade 730 Elishewitz

         I just came across a pristine Benchmade 730BT Ares designed by Allen Elishewitz.  It’s an amazing knife, and I'm lucky to have it pass through my hands.

Let’s walk through what we can find out about it.

Benchmade 730BT by Allen Elishewitz


The Benchmade logo has changed over time.  This logo says Benchmade across the butterfly and has two antennae.  Under the butterfly, you'll find U.S.A. printed.  This was the logo Benchmade used from 1999 to 2002.  The back side of the blade says Elishewitz next to his logo.  Above this, on the false edge, it says 154CM.

The 1999 to 2002 Benchmade Butterfly


Blade Forum claims the original release in 2000 was with ATS34 steel.  The following year, 2001, the steel was listed as 154CM.  Other variations were released, but the next important marker was in 2003.  The knives produced then did not have Elishewitz name or his logo on the blade.

This makes me think the knife was produced sometime during 2001 or 2002.  Pretty cool!

You only need to look at one of his knives and you would know Allen Elishewitz was born to design knives.  Actually, Allen was born in Texas and spent a good part of his childhood living in Southeast Asia.  Allen played a variety of martial arts and later became a Recon Marine.  This background gave him well-defined ideas of what makes a good knife for either self-defense or as a utility tool. 


The ARES is designed to allow the user to move the pocket clip to left or right carry.


The Benchmade 730BT Ares has an icy purple and black G-10 handle.  G-10 is a fiberglass/epoxy resin composite.  Fiberglass has the advantage of not absorbing most liquids, like water, beer, or blood.  G-10 has excellent dimensional stability and extreme resistance to normal environment hazards.

The blade is black coated 154CM steel.  You could describe it as a drop point, saber grind blade.  The blade is free of jimping, but the steel liners near the axis lock are jimped.  The blade has for all practical purposes a full length false edge.  The combination of grind line makes the blade interesting.

154CM steel is an interesting stainless steel.  It was developed and manufactured in the United States by Crucible Materials Corporation (now Crucible Industries).  154CM is a modification of 440C stainless.  Molybdenum was added to beef up its edge retention, corrosion resistance, and ease of sharpening properties. 

In case you’re interested, here is the formulation:

Carbon 1.05%  Chromium 14.00%  Manganese 0.50%  Molybdenum 4.00%

Silicon 0.30%  Iron 80.15%.

All this is very interesting, but you know what really matters?  It's how it feels in your hand.  And Allen’s design feels excellent.  The blade opens smoothly and locks in place with a click.  I like that.  The click tells me the knife is locked open, ready for whatever task I assign it.  The G-10 handle has two steel liners, so the weight of the open knife is kept in the hand.  The balance point is about an inch behind the axis lock.  This makes for a lively, controllable blade.

I like it a lot.  As I said earlier, it's just passing through my hands.  But then, it may stick around for a while.  Who knows?

 

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Two-Way with Benchmade


In this corner we have Benchmade’s Anthem and in the opposite corner we have Benchmade’s Bugout.  All right, I want a clean fight.  No clip gouging, no biting and no hitting below the axis lock.  Okay?  Now go to your corners and come out on the bell.

Bonggggg!

This is an unfair fight.  But let’s see how it shakes out.

The Anthem is a manual opener with Benchmade’s famous AXIS lock.  Introduced in 2017, its unique feature is the handle is machined out of a solid billet of titanium.  For the same strength, titanium is 45% lighter than steel.  So this knife weighs in at 3.66 ounces.  The titanium handle is sculpted in a chevron pattern that is pleasing to the touch and attractive to the eye.  The knife is set up for tip up carry and the titanium clip is left/right reversible.

Anthem knife
Hey, good looking...

As soon as anyone uses the term wonder steel, a new one appears on the horizon.  Still it is the correct adjective to describe this steel.  Let’s talk composition.

20CV is a martensitic steel containing 1.9% carbon, 20% chromium and a whopping 4% vanadium with 1% molybdenum and a smidge of tungsten.  The high concentration of carbon and vanadium produces a high volume of incredibly hard vanadium carbides.  These carbides strengthen the steel and give it wear resistance which benefits any knife blade.  The chrome rich steel has excellent corrosion resistance. 

Starting as a powder steel 20CV has small grain and uniform distribution of tiny carbide grains.  But machining is difficult, having only 35-40 percent of the machinability of 1% carbon steel.  Hardening, annealing, tempering operations are complex and time consuming.  Despite these complications the Anthem’s blade reaches 59-61HRC.

Anthem folding knife
The screws in the spine anchor the AXIS lock
The opening stud is easy to find and is spaced nicely from the body allowing easy access.  The blade glides open on what looks like bronze washers.

It’s a beautiful knife.

If I had to summarize Benchmade’s Bugout, I would have to say: “Now for something completely different!”  I also have to add different isn’t bad.

The Bugout was introduced this year, 2018.  It too is a manual opener with an AXIS lock.  It’s thinner, lighter and more compact than the Anthem.  The steel is CPM S30V, another super steel.

S30V is a martensitic steel containing 1.4% carbon, 14% chromium and also 4% vanadium with 2% molybdenum. The rest of course is iron.  Vanadium reacts with carbon to produce very hard carbides.  Harder than chromium carbide.  Generally, steel has to contain 10.5 % chromium to be considered stainless.  One factor to consider in this equation is how much of the chromium is removed from the metal as carbides.  Fortunately, as chemical reactions go, vanadium carbides are the favored product, so most of the chromium is available for protection from oxidation or staining.

Bugout in your Bug-out Bag
A nice Introduction to Benchmade quality knives.

Powdered metal products, in general, have smaller grain size and a better distribution of the carbides than cast steel.  It’s reported to be as easy as D2 steel to machine, which according the fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia, isn’t all that easy. 

Hardening, annealing, tempering operations seem to be relatively straight forward.  Bugout’s blade reaches 58-60HRC.

The handle is a glass fiber filler nylon called Grivory.  It one of many types of engineering nylons and its properties are well understood.  There will not be any surprises here.

The knife is set up for tip up and the metal clip is reversible left/right and set up for deep pocket carry.

Partial Steel Liners Bugout
You can see the steel liner ending just at the top finger.  there's a second one on the other side.

The knife doesn’t have full handle metal liners.  The metal liner is about 1.7 inches long and it looks like it’s injection molded into the handle and then screwed at the tail end for additional strength.  The opening stud has a nice blue color but it’s held near to the grip making the knife a little more difficult to open as compared to the Anthem.  The AXIS lock is also tucked into the handle and the blade doesn’t swing free when the AXIS lock is used as does the Anthem.

As Gin Wigmore says “going head to head”:

Property
Bugout
Anthem
Steel
CPM S30V
CPM-20CV
Handle Material
Grivory
Titanium Billet
Blade Hardness
58-60 RHC
59-61 RHC
Blade Length
3.24 inches
3.5 inches
Closed Length
4.22 inches
4.56 inches
Lock System
AXIS
AXIS
Weight
1.85 oz.
3.66 oz.
Clip
Reversible – deep carry
Reversible
Orientation
Tip Up
Tip Up
CATRA Edge Retention
145% of 440C
180% of 440C
Cost
$135 MSRP
$500 MSRP

CATRA edge testing is one of the new witchcraft testing procedures to produce a reproducible, operator independent, meaningful edge retention value.  The problem with many of these types of test is finding a test material that is also constant and reproducible.  In any case it’s better than you and buddy shaving leather or cutting steaks.

So, what do I think?
These are knives designed for different needs and different people. 

The Bugout is a nice “Welcome to Benchmade” knife.  It’s small and compact but provides enough cutting ability for most uses.  It’s the knife I would carry in places I couldn’t carry a knife.  Places I thought I might lose a knife.  If I was packing a true hell-for–leather bugout bag, one of the knives would be a Bugout.  If I was going to stash a knife, a couple hundred in twenties, compass and matches in a sealed wax container… you get the idea.

The Anthem, well, it a great knife and for me it would a “barbecue” knife.  Something I’d pull out of my pocket to show off.  I’d carry it in places where I never intended to use a knife.  It would be a status symbol for me, if I used those kinds of status symbols.  But look, if you need to get the most out of a knife, if you use a blade hard and need every possible advantage of edge, weight and durability, the Anthem could be your answer.  It’s pricey, but I think it would hold up better than the Bugout to hard, brutal use.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Zedd vs Foray


Talk about a mismatch!  The Zedd is made in Russia by Kizlyar Supreme and the Foray is made in the USA by Benchmade.  Did someone let a lightweight in the ring with a heavyweight?

Foray and Zedd D2
Today's match:  Kizyar Zedd D2 VS Benchamde's Foray


Let’s see what happen.  There’s the bell.

Let’s start with the blade.

The Zedd uses D2 steel.  D2 is considered by many to be the best knife blade steel because of edge retention and corrosion resistant properties.  The steel has high carbon 1.3% and less than 13% chromium.  A lot of that chromium is tied up as carbides and not available for corrosion resistance.  These blades are hardened to 58-59 Rc.

Despite its drawbacks, too many people like D2 to simply dismiss it out of hand.  Just wipe it off with oil now and again and it will be fine.
 
Foray uses CPM-20CV steel.  This steel contains 1.9% carbon and 20% chromium.  The recipe is topped off with a jigger of Vanadium (4%) and a dash of Tungsten (1%).  I did notice that there are several different formulas for 20CV stainless on the internet.  Here’s a link to the Crucible information sheet.


20CV is reported to have better wear potential and edge retention.  The nature of powder metals, when handled properly, produces a finer grain with smaller carbides and better properties.  Will 20CV become a world beater?   Well, that’s an answer we’ll have to wait for.

The Benchmade blade is hardened to 59-61 Rc.

Zedd and Foray
Both nice looking knives!


The Zedd utilizes both a flipper and ambidextrous stud.  I like that option.  As their website says, “…let's agree that it is not always a good idea to flip open a knife in public.”  I would go farther and suggest sometime the polite, two-handed opening is the way to go!

The Foray is set up for stud only, but can be open with either hand.  Yes, I know you can pull the axis lock back and flip the blade open.  I also know in every knife class I have taken, everyone who uses that method of opening their knife loses it at least once during the practice drills.  People using studs and flips never drop their knife while opening it.  Something to think about.

There is no question the Benchmade Foray is easier to open and close than the Zedd.

I wish the Zedd were set up for a 4 position clip.  Unfortunately the curved nature of the clip doesn’t allow it to be reversed.  It is set up for tip up carry.  That’s a plus.  Nor is it set as deep pocket carry as the Foray. 

Benchmade vs Kizyar
The Zedd D2 on left has a curved clip as compared to Foray straight clip


Many of us remember knives with molded plastic clips.  They couldn’t be moved and they didn’t allow for deep pocket carry, and we thought they were the cat’s pajamas.  But that was 20 years ago.  Almost all the better knives come with moveable clips.  While deep seated knives are less noticeable, I’ve found them a little more difficult to withdraw from my pocket.

Having ranted about that, I need to point out that the Foray is only left/right tip-up reversible.
The Foray weighs 101 grams as compared to the 141 grams the Zedd weighs.  That difference is less than a double shot of rye whiskey.  That difference is not important to me.

The Zedd uses a liner lock and I like the design, the entire thickness of the liner is behind the blade.  The Foray has Benchmade’s Axis lock.  I can’t go to war over which lock is better, but I will say the axis lock treats lefties better than the right-handed liner lock.

Full thickness of Zedd linerlock
Kizyar's Zedd has the full thickness of the liner lock behind the blade



Here’s the box score!

Zedd
Foray
Blade steel
D2
CPM-20CV
Blade length
3.22 inches
3.22 inches
Blade thickness (max)
0.11 inches
.14 inches
Handle
G10 over metal liners
G10 over stainless liners
Operation
Manual flipper and stud
Manual stud
Clip
Metal
Metal
Clip position
I position, right side tip up
left/right reversible tip up
Lock
liner
axis lock
Handle thickness
0.58
0.56
Over all open length
7.87 inches
7.34 inches
Price
$120
$225

Now, these aren’t my knives and I can’t perform the indicated functions. That is, cut with them, carry them, use them, resharpen them.

What do I think?  Well, nobody pays full retail if they are willing to do a little searching.  Even so, the Zed is quite a knife for the price. 

I’m not a steel junkie and I don’t mind sharpening my knives.  The larger, contoured handle of the Zedd fit my hand better in static tests.  I still have enough hand flexibility to work a liner lock with either hand and I liked the flipper/stud option.


For the money, I would go to go with Kizyar Supreme‘s Zedd as a basic everyday carry knife.  

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Benchmade CLA

I just got my hands on Benchmade’s auto knife, the CLA.  I kept thinking the C stood for something military, or governmental-like, central or clandestine.  Instead it stands for the plebeian word, composite.  But don’t be fooled by that.  It may say Composite Lite Auto, but it’s a sweetie by any name.

Benchmade auto knife CLA
The CLA is a relatively new addition to their black class of autos.

The heart of any knife is the steel.  The CLA has a 3.4 inch blade made of 154CM.  That’s Crucible Industries’ martensitic stainless steel.  Martensitic?  So much about steel can be laid at the feet of carbon.  If steel has a low enough level of carbon, the iron is arranged in patterns called ferrite, but it can’t hold very much carbon.  Hot iron can dissolve more carbon than cold, so as the metal cools out of the furnace, a form called austenite develops.  It can hold more carbon than ferrite, especial when hot.  Cool the hot austenite and it has to get rid of the excess carbon like a bad check.  Unfortunately by then everything is frozen solid, so austenite does the only thing possible: it changes shape to martensite.  This change in crystal system is what gives classic samurai swords their curved shapes, but that’s for another time.

The blade is tempered to 58-61 RHC.  Martensite can be made harder, but it also becomes brittle.  Brittle is the arch enemy of any blade.  Being a stainless the blade contains 14% chromium, which forms a transparent oxide film protecting it from all but the harshest conditions.  It’s called stain-less and not stain-proof for that reason.  The main difference between 154CM and 440C is the higher level of molybdenum.  Moly, as she’s known, also forms carbides like chromium.  These carbides help stabilize the crystals in the steel from deforming under pressure, which provides edge retention as well as strength.  The blades come as plain or partially serrated.  I normally prefer the plain edge based on looks, but the partial serration looks damn good too!

Enough about steel.  I never worry if knife companies like Benchmade, SOG or even Case are using the right steel.  They wouldn’t still be in business if they couldn’t get the best possible properties out of the metal.

CLA open on benchmades black class box
Note the safety next to the large button.  The button is off set to add a layer of security.

The CLA’s handle is 4.45 inches long, under a half inch thick and curved to better fit your hand.  The scales are composed of G-10.  This material is a composite of woven glass cloth and epoxy resin cured under pressure.  It is very mechanically stable and resistant to most acids, solvents and bases as well as being an electrical insulator.  It’s entirely possible when cockroaches have replaced humans as the dominant species on earth, G-10 will still be hanging around.

Like all Benchmade autos the spring is stout enough to open the blade with authority.    Even a superficial examination of the knife shows the safety lock next to the release button.  I’ve always liked that.  You can off-safe it with your thumb and then simply roll on to the button to open the knife.  That’s nice!

The open box construction makes it easy to clean and oil.  Note the jimping at the back of the blade.

The pocket clip is left/right reversible and the knife is designed to be carried tip up.  The clip is placed to give you relatively deep pocket carry.  A hole next to the clip provides an attachment point for lanyards and retention devices.  It’s a nice knife and if I carried it over water or deep snow I’d use a retention line too!

The back of the blade has several lines of jimping which are carried onto the knife handle.  Jimping provides an additional friction surface as well as another tactile indicator of knife and blade orientation. 

I wish I could tell you how it cuts, but frankly it’s not necessary.  Benchmade knows how to sharpen an edge and how to correctly temper 145CM steel.  This knife is going to cut.  Besides, is slicing up a strip of cured horse hide really going to tell you how sharp it is?

I like the way the CLA feels in my hand.  I wouldn’t hesitate to carry this knife for everyday chores as well as off the beaten path contingencies.  If trouble comes looking, you might be very happy to have your own CLA!