- Joined
- Oct 7, 2009
- Messages
- 63
Benchmade is a well-known knifecompany from Oregon making both USA and overseas produced quality blades. The Adamas is my first Benchmade, so I'm quite stoked. I haven't hardtested it yet, but I have a lot of experience with knives to make a decent opinion by just looking and trying it out. I would classify this as a hard-use utility knife/emergency tactical knife. This knife is not too expensive for being a USA-produced blade.
The Benchmade 375 Adamas comes in two versions, a folder and a fixed version. The fixed version is available in black or sand(desert tan). Here are the SPECS(taken from Benchmade's website):
Blade Length: 4.20"
Blade Thickness: 0.170"
Handle Thickness: 0.170"
Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel
Blade Hardness: 60-62HRC
Blade Style: Drop-Point
Weight: 5.60oz.
Made in USA
It also comes with a black injection molded sheath. The knife also comes with a ambidextrous retainer strap and a Tek-Lok(allthough my knife didn't come with one strangely enough).
Paracord is also included for people who want to wrap their handles.
THE BLADE is a 4.2 inch drop-point with a sabergrind. It has nice belly and is not overly thick(4.2mm). It has plainedge on the bottom and a more gimmicky looking serration-pattern on the top. These serrations will work quite well if you try to cut through thin, tangy plasticsheets, destroying thin plywood etc., but not for slicing or general cutting, but they definately have their place for use. Out of the box, this knife came razorsharp, as all Benchmades should.
Because of this, I would not classify this as a survivalknife since it's kinda thin og dual edged which makes it difficult to baton. As mentioned, this is a hard-use utility knife in my opinion. I wish they've offered a version without the top-serrations. The folder does not have top-serrations. Other than that, great buisness-end.
The steel is D2. This is a very wear-resistant tool steel with great edge-holding capabilities, it is also called a semi-stainless because it has 12% chronium.
D2 can rust on you if you don't oil it, but it will be more stain-resistant than normal carbon steels. It is also more difficult to sharpen, so it is recommended to use a diamondsharpener for it.
The black coating will protect the blade from the elements, but it will wear down. It is not the famous crincklecoating of an ESEE or TOPS.
THE HANDLE is probably the best skeletonized handle I've held. It is very ergonomic and fits my hand like a glove. I have medium sized hands, so if you have quite large hands, it might become a bit narrow and small.
That is why the knife comes with paracord so you can wrap it if you want. Just visit YouTube and you will find an easy demo on how to wrap this knife with the supplied length of paracord.
The handle has very good jimping which really bites into your flesh. A very important and good feature when doing hard cutting tasks. Benchmade has also rounded of the edges, so no sharp corners or hot-spots- The fingerguard at the bottom is large enough to protect you from forward egressing. The reason why there's no scales, is to keep the cost down. No complaints about the handle other than it could have been a bit longer maybe(for you large-handed people).
THE SHEATH is good, nothing exceptional. It has a lot of lashing holes for for different attachment-methods. It will also accomodates large and small Tek-Loks and probably MOLLE locks too. It has a screw so you can adjust the tension. It also comes with a buttonsnap that you can completely remove if you want(sorry for not including in the pictures). This snap will make the knife jump-proof and held insanely secured to the sheath. I wish they had opted for kydex instead of plastic, but that would just increase the price of the knife. On the positive side, this plastic won't be affected by desert heat from the sun which kydex can. The sheath is available in sand or black color.
OVERALL I think this is a great knife. Right priced and very useful in its own rights. This is not a survival knife, but a tough utility knife. Competative options are many, but knives that have similarities are the Chris Reeve Professional Soldier(I know it is a custom knife, but I think CRK is kinda overrated), TOPS/Buck CSAR-T Necker for example. But if we look away from the skeletonized part and the serrated part, there's too many knives that competes with this knife.
If you want a hard-use, utilitarian, good edge holding, USA-made, high quality and easy maintenance knife, this is a good option. If you're looking for a small/medium survival-knife, water knife, you might want to look elsewhere.
Anyway, I can recommend this knife to any people who love knives.
Have a nice day!
NK
The Benchmade 375 Adamas comes in two versions, a folder and a fixed version. The fixed version is available in black or sand(desert tan). Here are the SPECS(taken from Benchmade's website):
Blade Length: 4.20"
Blade Thickness: 0.170"
Handle Thickness: 0.170"
Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel
Blade Hardness: 60-62HRC
Blade Style: Drop-Point
Weight: 5.60oz.
Made in USA
It also comes with a black injection molded sheath. The knife also comes with a ambidextrous retainer strap and a Tek-Lok(allthough my knife didn't come with one strangely enough).
Paracord is also included for people who want to wrap their handles.
THE BLADE is a 4.2 inch drop-point with a sabergrind. It has nice belly and is not overly thick(4.2mm). It has plainedge on the bottom and a more gimmicky looking serration-pattern on the top. These serrations will work quite well if you try to cut through thin, tangy plasticsheets, destroying thin plywood etc., but not for slicing or general cutting, but they definately have their place for use. Out of the box, this knife came razorsharp, as all Benchmades should.
Because of this, I would not classify this as a survivalknife since it's kinda thin og dual edged which makes it difficult to baton. As mentioned, this is a hard-use utility knife in my opinion. I wish they've offered a version without the top-serrations. The folder does not have top-serrations. Other than that, great buisness-end.
The steel is D2. This is a very wear-resistant tool steel with great edge-holding capabilities, it is also called a semi-stainless because it has 12% chronium.
D2 can rust on you if you don't oil it, but it will be more stain-resistant than normal carbon steels. It is also more difficult to sharpen, so it is recommended to use a diamondsharpener for it.
The black coating will protect the blade from the elements, but it will wear down. It is not the famous crincklecoating of an ESEE or TOPS.
THE HANDLE is probably the best skeletonized handle I've held. It is very ergonomic and fits my hand like a glove. I have medium sized hands, so if you have quite large hands, it might become a bit narrow and small.
That is why the knife comes with paracord so you can wrap it if you want. Just visit YouTube and you will find an easy demo on how to wrap this knife with the supplied length of paracord.
The handle has very good jimping which really bites into your flesh. A very important and good feature when doing hard cutting tasks. Benchmade has also rounded of the edges, so no sharp corners or hot-spots- The fingerguard at the bottom is large enough to protect you from forward egressing. The reason why there's no scales, is to keep the cost down. No complaints about the handle other than it could have been a bit longer maybe(for you large-handed people).
THE SHEATH is good, nothing exceptional. It has a lot of lashing holes for for different attachment-methods. It will also accomodates large and small Tek-Loks and probably MOLLE locks too. It has a screw so you can adjust the tension. It also comes with a buttonsnap that you can completely remove if you want(sorry for not including in the pictures). This snap will make the knife jump-proof and held insanely secured to the sheath. I wish they had opted for kydex instead of plastic, but that would just increase the price of the knife. On the positive side, this plastic won't be affected by desert heat from the sun which kydex can. The sheath is available in sand or black color.
OVERALL I think this is a great knife. Right priced and very useful in its own rights. This is not a survival knife, but a tough utility knife. Competative options are many, but knives that have similarities are the Chris Reeve Professional Soldier(I know it is a custom knife, but I think CRK is kinda overrated), TOPS/Buck CSAR-T Necker for example. But if we look away from the skeletonized part and the serrated part, there's too many knives that competes with this knife.
If you want a hard-use, utilitarian, good edge holding, USA-made, high quality and easy maintenance knife, this is a good option. If you're looking for a small/medium survival-knife, water knife, you might want to look elsewhere.
Anyway, I can recommend this knife to any people who love knives.
Have a nice day!
NK
