Benchmade Freek black blade

W

Wil lRogers

Joined
Oct 29, 2013
Messages
59
The Benchmade Freek with G10 handles has only a black coated blade option - no plain blade. Does anyone know why? I thought Benchmade was offering customization options, like coated vs. non-coated blades, on their knives. Why would they not offer this option? I see that a Freek with a carbon fiber handle and a plain blade will be released at the end of 2023 - do they not want the current Freek to compete with the upcoming version?
 
The Freek with the coated blade has M4 steel, which is not a stainless steel. As a general rule, Benchmade puts coatings on all of their non-stainless steel blade. (Obviously there have been exceptions to this rule in the past, it's just a general rule.) The Freek with carbon fiber handles has an S90V blade, which is stainless.

Yes, Benchmade offers customization options for some of their models on their site, but as of now, the Freek is not one of those models. In their custom builder, if you select a non-stainless steel, it will automatically have a coating on it, with no option to not have it coated at the factory.
 
Silent H said:
The Freek with the coated blade has M4 steel, which is not a stainless steel. As a general rule, Benchmade puts coatings on all of their non-stainless steel blade. (Obviously there have been exceptions to this rule in the past, it's just a general rule.) The Freek with carbon fiber handles has an S90V blade, which is stainless.

Yes, Benchmade offers customization options for some of their models on their site, but as of now, the Freek is not one of those models. In their custom builder, if you select a non-stainless steel, it will automatically have a coating on it, with no option to not have it coated at the factory.
Click to expand...

This.

Also, the original, now discontinued 560 Freek featured a satin non-coated S30V blade.

Wil lRogers said:
I see that a Freek with a carbon fiber handle and a plain blade will be released at the end of 2023 - do they not want the current Freek to compete with the upcoming version?
Click to expand...

I believe that Benchmade is simply taking the different designs of the 565-1 Mini Freek and 560BK-1 "Super" Freek and flip flopping them along with their blade steels. This way you can have a matching set of full-size and mini in either carbon fiber scales and S90V blade steel or G10 scales and M4.
 
Except that they're not giving you the option of the G10 scales with the uncoated blade. They haven't flip flopped to that point yet. Yes, the original had a rubber handle with an uncoated blade, but it's discontinued. Probably I could still find one for sale out there somewhere. But as I said in the first place, Benchmade isn't offering options for configuring the Freek the way they have with other knives. I'm trying to understand why not. To say they're "flip flopping them along" doesn't answer the question.
 
Wil lRogers said:
Except that they're not giving you the option of the G10 scales with the uncoated blade. They haven't flip flopped to that point yet. Yes, the original had a rubber handle with an uncoated blade, but it's discontinued. Probably I could still find one for sale out there somewhere. But as I said in the first place, Benchmade isn't offering options for configuring the Freek the way they have with other knives. I'm trying to understand why not. To say they're "flip flopping them along" doesn't answer the question.
Click to expand...

I wasn't trying to answer your question on why Benchmade doesn't offer the 560 Freek with G10 scales and an uncoated blade. I was offering an explanation on their design choice for the upcoming 560-03 Freek variant.


Also, Benchmade has very few knife models available for their Custom Knife Builder. Currently the Bugout, Crooked River, and Mini Crooked River are the only folding knives available for factory customization. This excludes the vast majority of their current catalog from this option. I would expect the 940, Barrage, and Adamas to get added to the Custom Knife Builder before the Freek does.
 
I think we all wish Benchmade would expand the custom knife builder to include more models, but I don't think that's too feasible at this point. It's still an awesome option to have.

At its peak, I think there were 5 models offered in the custom builder, just before the pandemic. The Griptilian and Barrage, both full sized and mini, and the Crooked River. Now it's just the full size and mini Crooked River, the Bugout and the kitchen cutlery. My guess is, it's based on sales, so they put their bestselling folders in there, and the cutlery is probably relatively low volume, so it's easier for them to let people order them specifically instead of producing a bunch in configurations people may not want.
 
I would have preferred a sating M4 blade on the mini freek that is coming out this year but was incredibly surprised and impressed at how tough the coating on the super freek M4 blade is.
Much less drag than I expected as well.
 
Like said above it's just standard policy for most nonstainless steels. The Bailout and Adamas families are the same.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top