- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
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Introduction
Bradley Cutlery (http://www.bradleycutlery.com/) is a new player on the scene. They currently have two models, the Alias I and Alias II, both manufactured by Benchmade to Bradley's design. There's been a lot of talk about these knives lately, that they're essentially clones of the Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza. I'll get to that, but it's only fair to look at the Alias on it's own terms first.
First Impressions
When I first got the Alias II, I was surprised by the size; I was expecting the larger model! Duh. The two models differ only in size; the Alias II is little more than a scaled-down copy of the Alias I. The Alias II has a 3" blade, while the Alias I sports 3.6" of the same premium S30V steel. Oddly, both models have the same blade thickness (0.12" or 3mm), so the smaller blade of the Alias II seems quite sturdy for a knife this size. The primary grind is a flat saber grind with a deep swedge, which keeps the full stock thickness out to within less than an inch of the point, for a strong, rigid blade.
The handle is well shaped, and fits the hand well for such a small knife. The handle is curved to fit the hand, and there's a slight finger choil where you disengage the frame lock, but it's not as positive as most recent Spyderco models; there's no secondary choil at the blade ricasso, but on a knife this size, that's not really a problem. Balance is right at the choil. The handle is also relieved slightly near the choil on the front side, to give better access to the thumbstud.
Unfortunately, the thumbstud is right-hand-only; would it kill them to put an ambidextrous stud? On the plus side, the pocket clip is user-changeable to tip-up or tip-down carry, but still right-hand only. Sorry, southpaws.
The frame lock is well done; there's plenty of engagement between the lock and blade tang, yet even after high grip pressure, it unlocks easily. The lower edge of the lock bar is scallopped to provide excellent traction for your thumb. This example isn't new and the lock engages a little more than half the tang thickness at this point. The tang end is radiused, not just angled, so it will take a lot more wear before it gets to 100% of the tang width.
The rear of the blade spine is grooved for traction, although the grooves aren't bevelled on the sides like the Sebenza. Oops, I wasn't going to go there yet. Oh well, since I'm comparing to the Sebenza, here's one more: the edges of the handle slabs have a rounded bevel all around, but lack the Sebenza's longitudinal grooves, and the bevel isn't quite as rounded, either. Still, it's more comfy to use than the old Pinnacle, with it's squared-off edges.
In Use
The Alias II handled well for it's size. My small-to-medium hands fit all four fingers on the handle, but just barely, with the pinky just wrapping around the end. Still, despite the lack of a deep choil or pinky hook, the grip always felt secure. It's not as thin as, say, Spyderco's small steel-frame designs, but thinner than, say, the Benchmade 705.
I gave it a whirl in the kitchen, slicing and chopping onions, coring and slicing peppers, wedging limes, cubing meat, etc., and the drop-point blade handled nicely. Despite the relatively thick blade, it sliced through single-thickness corrugated cardboard better than many larger knives I've tested; it tended to bind up in heavier thicknesses, though, and the small handle made it difficult to really bear down in comfort. Still, pretty impressive for a little knife.
Sebenza Clone?
Benchmade has tried to imitate the Sebenza before, with their Pinnacle model, and while it was a good sturdy knife in it's own right, it didn't match the smoothness, comfort and elegance of the original. They've also produced the Blackwood-designed 630 Skirmish and 635 Mini Skirmish, which share the same solid-titanium frame and lock as the Pinnacle, but have much deeper recurved blades and drastically more exotic lines.
(Top to bottom: Benchmade 750 Pinnacle, Bradley Alias II, Benchmade 635 Mini Skirmish.)
A few of Bradley's design choices do seem deliberately "borrowed" from the Chris Reeve design: the matte grey titanium handle slabs; the integral frame lock ("Monolock" in Benchmade/Bradley parlance), pioneered by CRK; even the blue-anodized thumbstud and frame spacers add to the visual similarity.
But there are significant differences as well: the blade pivot (typical adjustable pivot screw, vs. CRK pivot bushing); the blade grind (flat saber grind with deep swedge, rather than the CRK's hollow grind); and the blade finish (satin, rather than stonewashed).
I think a lot of people are missing the real sources of this design: the blade shape is nearly identical to the Benchmade Ares knives (730/732/735), while the frame shape looks a lot like some of the Osborne-designed Benchmade models. The pocket clip is Benchmade's "split arrow" clip, identical to the one used on several recent BM models. Overall, this Alias II resembles more than anything a 705 McHenry & Williams with solid titanium scales. Sebenza clone? Only superficially, IMHO.
(Top to bottom: Benchmade 730 Ares, Bradley Alias II, Benchmade 770 Osborne Carbon Fiber.)
Then there's the matter of price. The Alias II can be found for about $200; the larger Alias I for about $40 more. Compared to a $385 Large Sebenza or $330 Small Sebenza, it seems like a bargain. But, you can also get a Benchmade Skirmish or Mini Skirmish, with the same premium blade steel, solid titanium frame, frame lock, and equivalent fit & finish, for a bit over $100. Looking at it that way, the Bradley seems a little pricey.
Conclusion
Don't get me wrong, the Bradley Alias is an impressive knife. If you like the Ares blade shape (and a lot of Ares fans consider it nearly perfect) and lightweight, grippy titanium handles, but think the Skirmish is a bit too "out there" for your taste, the Alias might be the knife of your dreams. But don't think you're getting a bargain-priced Sebenza. In fact, you might want to wait and see if the price comes down a bit.
Bradley Cutlery (http://www.bradleycutlery.com/) is a new player on the scene. They currently have two models, the Alias I and Alias II, both manufactured by Benchmade to Bradley's design. There's been a lot of talk about these knives lately, that they're essentially clones of the Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza. I'll get to that, but it's only fair to look at the Alias on it's own terms first.
First Impressions
When I first got the Alias II, I was surprised by the size; I was expecting the larger model! Duh. The two models differ only in size; the Alias II is little more than a scaled-down copy of the Alias I. The Alias II has a 3" blade, while the Alias I sports 3.6" of the same premium S30V steel. Oddly, both models have the same blade thickness (0.12" or 3mm), so the smaller blade of the Alias II seems quite sturdy for a knife this size. The primary grind is a flat saber grind with a deep swedge, which keeps the full stock thickness out to within less than an inch of the point, for a strong, rigid blade.
The handle is well shaped, and fits the hand well for such a small knife. The handle is curved to fit the hand, and there's a slight finger choil where you disengage the frame lock, but it's not as positive as most recent Spyderco models; there's no secondary choil at the blade ricasso, but on a knife this size, that's not really a problem. Balance is right at the choil. The handle is also relieved slightly near the choil on the front side, to give better access to the thumbstud.
Unfortunately, the thumbstud is right-hand-only; would it kill them to put an ambidextrous stud? On the plus side, the pocket clip is user-changeable to tip-up or tip-down carry, but still right-hand only. Sorry, southpaws.
The frame lock is well done; there's plenty of engagement between the lock and blade tang, yet even after high grip pressure, it unlocks easily. The lower edge of the lock bar is scallopped to provide excellent traction for your thumb. This example isn't new and the lock engages a little more than half the tang thickness at this point. The tang end is radiused, not just angled, so it will take a lot more wear before it gets to 100% of the tang width.
The rear of the blade spine is grooved for traction, although the grooves aren't bevelled on the sides like the Sebenza. Oops, I wasn't going to go there yet. Oh well, since I'm comparing to the Sebenza, here's one more: the edges of the handle slabs have a rounded bevel all around, but lack the Sebenza's longitudinal grooves, and the bevel isn't quite as rounded, either. Still, it's more comfy to use than the old Pinnacle, with it's squared-off edges.
In Use
The Alias II handled well for it's size. My small-to-medium hands fit all four fingers on the handle, but just barely, with the pinky just wrapping around the end. Still, despite the lack of a deep choil or pinky hook, the grip always felt secure. It's not as thin as, say, Spyderco's small steel-frame designs, but thinner than, say, the Benchmade 705.
I gave it a whirl in the kitchen, slicing and chopping onions, coring and slicing peppers, wedging limes, cubing meat, etc., and the drop-point blade handled nicely. Despite the relatively thick blade, it sliced through single-thickness corrugated cardboard better than many larger knives I've tested; it tended to bind up in heavier thicknesses, though, and the small handle made it difficult to really bear down in comfort. Still, pretty impressive for a little knife.
Sebenza Clone?
Benchmade has tried to imitate the Sebenza before, with their Pinnacle model, and while it was a good sturdy knife in it's own right, it didn't match the smoothness, comfort and elegance of the original. They've also produced the Blackwood-designed 630 Skirmish and 635 Mini Skirmish, which share the same solid-titanium frame and lock as the Pinnacle, but have much deeper recurved blades and drastically more exotic lines.
(Top to bottom: Benchmade 750 Pinnacle, Bradley Alias II, Benchmade 635 Mini Skirmish.)
A few of Bradley's design choices do seem deliberately "borrowed" from the Chris Reeve design: the matte grey titanium handle slabs; the integral frame lock ("Monolock" in Benchmade/Bradley parlance), pioneered by CRK; even the blue-anodized thumbstud and frame spacers add to the visual similarity.
But there are significant differences as well: the blade pivot (typical adjustable pivot screw, vs. CRK pivot bushing); the blade grind (flat saber grind with deep swedge, rather than the CRK's hollow grind); and the blade finish (satin, rather than stonewashed).
I think a lot of people are missing the real sources of this design: the blade shape is nearly identical to the Benchmade Ares knives (730/732/735), while the frame shape looks a lot like some of the Osborne-designed Benchmade models. The pocket clip is Benchmade's "split arrow" clip, identical to the one used on several recent BM models. Overall, this Alias II resembles more than anything a 705 McHenry & Williams with solid titanium scales. Sebenza clone? Only superficially, IMHO.
(Top to bottom: Benchmade 730 Ares, Bradley Alias II, Benchmade 770 Osborne Carbon Fiber.)
Then there's the matter of price. The Alias II can be found for about $200; the larger Alias I for about $40 more. Compared to a $385 Large Sebenza or $330 Small Sebenza, it seems like a bargain. But, you can also get a Benchmade Skirmish or Mini Skirmish, with the same premium blade steel, solid titanium frame, frame lock, and equivalent fit & finish, for a bit over $100. Looking at it that way, the Bradley seems a little pricey.
Conclusion
Don't get me wrong, the Bradley Alias is an impressive knife. If you like the Ares blade shape (and a lot of Ares fans consider it nearly perfect) and lightweight, grippy titanium handles, but think the Skirmish is a bit too "out there" for your taste, the Alias might be the knife of your dreams. But don't think you're getting a bargain-priced Sebenza. In fact, you might want to wait and see if the price comes down a bit.
