- Joined
- Feb 12, 2017
- Messages
- 10
Hello all!
I recently decided it was time to upgrade my old Benchmade 940 and the consistently stellar reviews of the PM2 led me that direction. After checking it out at my local knife shop and really enjoying it, I picked one up. Specifically my model was with the standard PM2 with Black G-10, S30V and a Black DLC blade.
I wanted to post my impressions here because my experience with the PM2 seems a bit different than the consensus and I thought it might be valuable to put some of my thoughts out there to balance the overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Please note, the PM2 is a great knife and in no way, shape or form am I disputing that. I can clearly see why it is often a contender for best EDC.
Initial Impressions/Fit & Finish 10/10 - The first time I picked up a PM2 I really, really liked it. In fact, almost every time I took it out to use it gave a highly favorable impression. The G-10 is exactly how all G-10 scales should be; sticky but not too abrasive and visually quite nice. The DLC blade was very nicely done, ground well, razor sharp out of box and perfectly centered. The action on the knife was sticky to start and the lockup was difficult to disengage but in my experience this is par for most knives and after a hundred or so openings it was buttery smooth.
Blade 6/10 - This was one area I found myself disappointed in. For me, the blade shape and design was less than ideal. While exceptional as a slicing implement I found the utility use lacking for two significant reasons. First, the lack of straight cutting edge made jobs that required any sort of back-and-forth movement more difficult than they needed to be and struggled when I compared against my more traditional drop-point or tanto style blades. In particular I ran this knife through numerous rope cutting tests versus my 940 and it was significantly less able at cutting hanging or knotted rope. When used on a cutting surface it was slightly more efficient but in real use I'm more likely to be holding and cutting rope opposed to laying it on a cutting surface. The second, and oddly significant, issue I ran into was the thickness of the top of the blade and specifically the spydey-hole. Due to the uneven and very thick portions around the spydey-hole the blade consistently became stuck when cutting any thicker cardboard-like material. In fact, it consistently became so lodged that I had to force the blade completely out of the cut and resume again. Perhaps this is just due to my style of handling but I found it very odd and disappointing that the PM2 was significantly worse at cutting through thick cardboard than my old, fairly dull 940.
Ergonomics 7/10 - This was the other area I had some disappointments in. The first impressions of handling the knife were consistently VERY positive. The grip is excellent, the forward choil is fantastic and the jimping along the top of the blade is AMAZING. However, the more I used the knife the more a few flaws (from my point of view) began to surface. One, I found the bottom choil to be very nice but not entirely comfortable to use and somewhat awkwardly positioned to the actual cutting edge. Combined with the handle choil being too far from the cutting edge, it was a bit of a porridge situation for me; I was either too close or too far from the cutting edge. The second issue was the boxy corners on the handle scales. I have fairly large, but not huge, hands and I was bothered by the boxed off edges on the scales. For any prolonged use they became quite uncomfortable and it seems like a cut corner on a $130+ knife. I also found the combination of grip cutouts and swell to the scales too much and would have preferred a simpler handle. In general I really liked the feel of the knife every time I deployed it but became less and less satisfied the longer I actually used it. It definitely feels like a knife that has certain ways it WANTS you to handle it and while some people will certainly enjoy that, I found it restricting.
Deployment and Lockup 10/10 - Nothing but positive to say here. Second best deployment of any knife I've handled and probably my favorite lockup. Awesome.
Final Thoughts: The PM2 is a fantastic knife. The impressions when holding, deploying and retaining the knife are absolutely top notch and very hard to beat. The drawbacks, for me, are of a personal taste variety and not necessarily actual flaws. The blade wasn't what I was looking for in an EDC, although it would be EXCEPTIONAL in a heavier slicing capacity, and the handle was overly contoured and a bit awkward for me.
I recently decided it was time to upgrade my old Benchmade 940 and the consistently stellar reviews of the PM2 led me that direction. After checking it out at my local knife shop and really enjoying it, I picked one up. Specifically my model was with the standard PM2 with Black G-10, S30V and a Black DLC blade.
I wanted to post my impressions here because my experience with the PM2 seems a bit different than the consensus and I thought it might be valuable to put some of my thoughts out there to balance the overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Please note, the PM2 is a great knife and in no way, shape or form am I disputing that. I can clearly see why it is often a contender for best EDC.
Initial Impressions/Fit & Finish 10/10 - The first time I picked up a PM2 I really, really liked it. In fact, almost every time I took it out to use it gave a highly favorable impression. The G-10 is exactly how all G-10 scales should be; sticky but not too abrasive and visually quite nice. The DLC blade was very nicely done, ground well, razor sharp out of box and perfectly centered. The action on the knife was sticky to start and the lockup was difficult to disengage but in my experience this is par for most knives and after a hundred or so openings it was buttery smooth.
Blade 6/10 - This was one area I found myself disappointed in. For me, the blade shape and design was less than ideal. While exceptional as a slicing implement I found the utility use lacking for two significant reasons. First, the lack of straight cutting edge made jobs that required any sort of back-and-forth movement more difficult than they needed to be and struggled when I compared against my more traditional drop-point or tanto style blades. In particular I ran this knife through numerous rope cutting tests versus my 940 and it was significantly less able at cutting hanging or knotted rope. When used on a cutting surface it was slightly more efficient but in real use I'm more likely to be holding and cutting rope opposed to laying it on a cutting surface. The second, and oddly significant, issue I ran into was the thickness of the top of the blade and specifically the spydey-hole. Due to the uneven and very thick portions around the spydey-hole the blade consistently became stuck when cutting any thicker cardboard-like material. In fact, it consistently became so lodged that I had to force the blade completely out of the cut and resume again. Perhaps this is just due to my style of handling but I found it very odd and disappointing that the PM2 was significantly worse at cutting through thick cardboard than my old, fairly dull 940.
Ergonomics 7/10 - This was the other area I had some disappointments in. The first impressions of handling the knife were consistently VERY positive. The grip is excellent, the forward choil is fantastic and the jimping along the top of the blade is AMAZING. However, the more I used the knife the more a few flaws (from my point of view) began to surface. One, I found the bottom choil to be very nice but not entirely comfortable to use and somewhat awkwardly positioned to the actual cutting edge. Combined with the handle choil being too far from the cutting edge, it was a bit of a porridge situation for me; I was either too close or too far from the cutting edge. The second issue was the boxy corners on the handle scales. I have fairly large, but not huge, hands and I was bothered by the boxed off edges on the scales. For any prolonged use they became quite uncomfortable and it seems like a cut corner on a $130+ knife. I also found the combination of grip cutouts and swell to the scales too much and would have preferred a simpler handle. In general I really liked the feel of the knife every time I deployed it but became less and less satisfied the longer I actually used it. It definitely feels like a knife that has certain ways it WANTS you to handle it and while some people will certainly enjoy that, I found it restricting.
Deployment and Lockup 10/10 - Nothing but positive to say here. Second best deployment of any knife I've handled and probably my favorite lockup. Awesome.
Final Thoughts: The PM2 is a fantastic knife. The impressions when holding, deploying and retaining the knife are absolutely top notch and very hard to beat. The drawbacks, for me, are of a personal taste variety and not necessarily actual flaws. The blade wasn't what I was looking for in an EDC, although it would be EXCEPTIONAL in a heavier slicing capacity, and the handle was overly contoured and a bit awkward for me.
