Do aluminum handled Benchmade's scratch?

hotbossa

hotbossa

Joined
Mar 31, 2006
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I have seen and read about the new Benchmade 707 Sequeal and the Mini 525 Presidio. Both these knives have aluminum handles and look great! My fear is that the handles will get really scratched and look like sh*t after a while. Can anyone shed any light on this? I have never seen anodized aluminum that didn't scratch. Pics would be great. Thanks for the help!!
 
ya have never seen ano aluminum that didnt scratch because there is no such thing, it scratches, so does SS, Ti, and anything else i can think of thats a common handle material (thats metal).

ya can carry it in a pocket without anything else, carry it in a pocket sheath, or learn to live with it. but if ya carry it it will get scratched, thats just the nature of the beast.

or ya could get something in G10 i suppose lol.

some say the scratches give the knife "character" i dont know about that, just looks crappy to me lol.

but 2 out of 3 of my fav knives have Ti handles (spyderco ti ATR, EKI CQC12, and a emerson CQC8) if ya take care of them, carry them in a pocket without a lot of loose change/other detritus they dont get to lookin too bad.
 
ALL aluminum scratches.... no, wait a sec... ALL metal scratches.

I've seen one well-used and well-worn Presidio that has its edges a little dinged and scuffed. It looks as fine a knife to me as any new-in-box Presidio that I've seen and handled. It just looks.....used, as it should be.

The 707 Sequel now has smoother scales and you could probably more readily see scratches in them. Heck, even my G-10 scaled BM975 has some wear and tear and I wouldn;t have it any other way.

Think of this: does the protective black coating on blades scratch and wear off? Yep. Rapidly. Do they look OK to you even though they're scuffed and scratched? Yep. Especially if it's your knife, sure they do.

I wouldn;t worry about it. If the knife looks like "sh*t" because it looks like it is used the way it was designed to be used, then it probably looked like "sh*t" when it was bought. In other words, a knife that appeals to a person when new should appeal to that person as it shows signs of aging, or else it probably never really appealed to them in the first place.
 
i hate it when the coatings get all scuffed up myself, esp on an expensive knife.

some dont care though.
 
Yep, they certainly do get scratched up.
But I don't think it makes them look bad.
I think it adds character and shows that you actually use your knife.
 
SIFU1A said:
i hate it when the coatings get all scuffed up myself, esp on an expensive knife.

some dont care though.
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knives are made to use, not to look at. All of my knives from the $20 SAK to the $500 Strider get used, and all of them show wear. Especially my EDC knife. A knife without scratches is an unloved knife.

Now... scratches that don't come from use bug me. A guy at a gun show wanted to prove he could sharpen knives and my dad volunteered my knife. Guy scratched the shit out of the blade.
 
Supper said:
.

Now... scratches that don't come from use bug me. A guy at a gun show wanted to prove he could sharpen knives and my dad volunteered my knife. Guy scratched the shit out of the blade.
Click to expand...


Thats why I never let anyone other than me sharpen any of my knives. When I first really got into knives I had a M9 bayonet. I took it to a knife shop to get sharpened, when I got the knife back it was obvious it was put on a grinder. That was the last time anyone sharpened my knives

John
 
I venture to say anything used for a knife blade and handle scratches up. We don't see it on wood, G10, FRN, or the other stuff so much, but it's there.

"Pocket worn" is even simulated now - all rounded off, just no scratches. Apply your own, I guess.
 
Hotbossa,

I used to carry a Benchmade brand 921 Switchback all of the time. It has blue, anodized aluminum scales and road clipped to the pocket with my car keys and spare change. The only noticeable scratches are on the part of the scales where the blade is when the knife is open. They were caused when I let an idiot named Thom sharpen my knife. Otherwise, it is still looking good.

I'm currently EDCing a Kershaw External Toggle (also anodized aluminum scales) and so far, it's looking grrreat.
 
Just make sure you get bare aluminum. If scratches develop and they bother you it's pretty easy to buff out. Anodized aluminum your pretty screwed unless you bead blast and polish it down to it's naked state. Having said that I'm in the category that believes scratches add character. Why buy the knife if your not gonna use it?
 
My 940s... I have several, look very good for what I put them through. I actually took the anodize off of one and polished it. It scratches easy, but is really easy to fix. I carried it for a while with just a brushed finish and that was cool too. (scotch-brite is awesome)

Anyway, If you are buying it to collect it, put it in the safe. If you are buying it because you want to use it....Well... the battle scars just give it character.

Edit: Sorry, I kind of just said what gmarthur said!!!
 
I have a Benchmade 940 and a 520. The 940 has been with me for 3 years now and has hardly a scratch on it. The 520 has a couple of places that show wear, probably because it is larger and things in my pocket rub in it more. The anodized aluminum handles hold up great in my opinion. If you use it much cutting meat, food, fish, etc, you can wash it and it will not hold bacteria, etc, like some materials will.
 
Supper said:
knives are made to use, not to look at. All of my knives from the $20 SAK to the $500 Strider get used, and all of them show wear. Especially my EDC knife. A knife without scratches is an unloved knife.

Now... scratches that don't come from use bug me. A guy at a gun show wanted to prove he could sharpen knives and my dad volunteered my knife. Guy scratched the shit out of the blade.
Click to expand...


i dont think the scuffs look better on them thats for sure, i use mine but look at them also.
 
Using tool vs. pocket jewelry?

It's in the hands of the beholder.

Personally, my pocket jewelry uses aluminum handles precisely because I won't ding them up. But the tools - aluminum isn't good enough. Stainless, G10, or titanium only, please.
 
thombrogan said:
Hotbossa,

I used to carry a Benchmade brand 921 Switchback all of the time. It has blue, anodized aluminum scales and road clipped to the pocket with my car keys and spare change. The only noticeable scratches are on the part of the scales where the blade is when the knife is open. They were caused when I let an idiot named Thom sharpen my knife. Otherwise, it is still looking good.
Click to expand...

The same with me, just a few differences:

1. the knife was a 520

2. colour is black

3. there were no keys in the same pocket.

4. the idiot is called Ulrich.
 
In my experience, the anodizing on aluminum used for knife handles comes off just by looking at it the wrong way. I don't mind scratches, but this stuff is just plain awful.

I wish some knife company would start using Type III HA like what is widely used by flashlight makers.

I would not buy an aluminum bodied flashlight that is anodized with anything other than Type III HA, well maybe a $5 Dorcy but not one that is supposed to be top quality, and the same goes for knife handles.
 
the Benchmade aluminum scratches up pretty badly...but this does not affect anything.

if you want a knife that does not show wear at all, G10 is the only option as it is virtually indestructible
 
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