Help on First Benchmade Purchase

Hair said:
Considering I can squeeze the handle slabs together easily with my bare hands, I think it isn't incorrect to say that.
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Get a 710 then... I just tried with all my might to squeeze it together and all that happened was some popping in my hand...

I've got nothing against the Grip, it's a great knife, and I intend to get one of the new 154cm versions. But it's a little too light for me.

If the 710 is too big, look at the 707. Full liners, 154cm, G-10 scales. Very useful design. My only complaint is that the 707 is just a bit too small. I wish they made that pattern in a 3.5 inch blade.
 
Hair said:
Considering I can squeeze the handle slabs together easily with my bare hands, I think it isn't incorrect to say that. The contact between the FRN pieces along the 'spine' of the handle makes it hard/impossible to do so along the spine, but that is not because of the liners.

The liners make the pivot and lock area strong. The FRN pieces themself make the spine very stiff as that is where they come together. But the rest of the knife is easy to bend and squeeze together, as if it has no liner there at all.

None of my full liner knives are this flimsy. My unlined knives are. The problem is that the liner is near the spine of the handle, where little support is needed, and not along the front where the FRN does actually need support.

So I think it is very fair to say that the liners *mainly* support the lock and pivot, as that is the truth. They do a very poor job at supporting any thing else. Note that I never said that supporting the lock and pivot is *all* they do. My choice of words was careful and true.

If you were to remove the liners from the bottom half of the handle, you probably wouldn't notice. If you removed them from around the pivot and lock, you probably would notice. Supporting the pivot and lock is their main job in this particular knife. It's not their only job.

Mind you, I am not bashing the knife. It is a great knife and doesn't need full liners. I think I even like my Grip more than my full-lined AFCK.
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Now I see how you have made 400 posts since November.
 
Psychopomp- I do want an 710, but not because I think the Grip needs full liners. Like I said, I like my Grip more than my AFCK with full liners. I was simply answering someone's question, not badmouthing the Grip. When I was "corrected" despite not being wrong, I defended myself.

I guess answering people's question and defending myself is not a good way to make 400 posts to some people...

Also, I want to clarify that I cannot squeeze the Grip's handles so they touch. I mean that if I grip the handle between my thumb and index finger and squeeze, the slabs will give and move toward each other. This is VERY much like a FRN-handled knife with no liners and VERY unlike a FRN knife with full liners.
 
Hair,Psychopomp,

really, thanks to all of you guys answering this queries that I am able to be knowledgeable with the knife before I make the purchase.

I come from a place where the knives that we are talking about is not that popular so it is difficult to find first hand info on the knife from actual users. All, I could only spend very limited time in the knife store to handle the knives I mentioned. and the only test i could make in the store if for cutting paper.
So these thread is really helpful as a source of info before i make the decision specialy since my funds are limited.

On the liner, I posed the question because the current knives that I have(except for the 110 which is always in the cabinet) doesn't have liners. My question is really, what is the advantage of knives having the full liners versus knives that don't. I guess that an obvious disadvantage is the extra weight of the liners but does the extra rigidity offered by the liners out weigh the weight disadvantage?

I don't know if this is just imaginary or not but what I noticed with the delica the reliant is that after sometime of it being carried by me in the back pocket, the opening is not as smooth compared to when it was brand new. I don't know if this is because it needs cleaning or because I am comparing it to the BM knives that I have handled recently or because they get squeezed in the pocket and the handle gets deformed a bit(but i think this is the least likely reason).

That is why i am looking for a folder with a liner. that is why I looked at the resistor with the full liner in the grip

Bird
 
Orthogonal1 and Psychopomp,

I called the shop and said that they don't have the 707 or the 710 which you guys mentioned. what they have is the 720.

Would that be a good step up from Grip?

And this might be a far off question but within the same price of the 720, is the SPyderco paramilitary, which would be a good addition to my collection.

It it would help. I ' m 5'8'', 165lbs. , I would thing with average sized hands. I use medium in golf gloves.

rbc
 
The 720 is a good knife, but it does not fit my hand well, the only Mel Pardue design I'd say that against. But if your dealer has it, go handle it - if it fits your hand, it's a hell of a knife. My fiancee loves hers. :thumbup:

OK, helpful mode. :) Of the models you listed, I'd point you at the Resistor, although there's nothing wrong with either HK.

The Griptilian is great knife, a world beater in bang for the buck.

But.

The reason I no longer own a Griptilian is that I own a 730 and a 710 and a 520 and a 720 and a 921 and a 940 and a 770 and a 705 and - well, you get the picture. :p The full-built Axis locks are NOT better values than the Grips, but they ARE better knives - at a higher price.

You sound like a guy who is already well infected with knife-itis. :D So I'm going to guess that once you're bitten with Axis-itis, you'll eventually want more than one. So if you're willing and able to spend the extra forty bucks or so, I'd go ahead and start with a full built Axis, rather than Zytel.

Based on what you say you're looking for, I think of the knives Benchmade still makes, I'd encourage you to look at the 520, or the 710 - very hard working knives, with excellent ergonomics, and great cutting blades. Both are very versatile, tough, hard workers, with good potential for last ditch self defense.

If you're sure you want combo edge, I'd get the 710. Otherwise, the 710 is pointy, easy in the pocket, comfortable in the hand, and has G-10 scales. The 520 has a tough drop point, a high slicing grind, a VERY secure grip, that fills your hand (but also, I must warn, most or your pocket) and has aluminum scales - more rigid, but more prone to feel hot and cold with the weather.

If you want a knife ALMOST as tough and useful as those two, but much lighter and slimmer, look at the 940 and 943.
 
what about bm 921, has a s30v main blade for heavy stuff and a small utility blade in the back for paper chores that you dont want to dull the main blade with
 
I'll agree with Nick Hyle, go and find the knife that fits your hand best.

I prefer the Military more than the ParaMilitary, but thats just me. The Military is the "Classic" and the Para is the "New Kid."

When I "feel" a knife, I prefer a handle longer than my palm (sticks out when gripped in a fist) as I have found it lends itself to better control.

The 720 blade has been commented on as being good for outdoors type tasks (and it looks like it would be). But to me, any classic blade shape, of approximately a tenth of an inch thickness seems to work well in a 4-inch(+/- an inch).

Go see how the Para and 720 fit you, check their fit, lock-up, etc.

Go home, think about it, and decide. (A bit of wait slows down the "gotta have" buys).

Never know, while you think about it, another contender may show up for consideration.
 
Well guys, thank you for all your help and posts,

i went back to the shop and a looked some more.
I looked at the 720, and also found out that they had a 721.

The 722 was great, axis lock g10 grips , only problem was that it was in a tanto blade. I already have a Emerson reliant with a tanto style blade. I really did not find it that useful for my cutting needs versus the Delica so i was looking at the other blade styles.

NExt choice was 720, by when I check for blade play,on the open locked position, there is a discernable side to side play. I asked the shop attendants if there had a torx key whichwe could use to tighten the nut but they did not have so I kept away from the 720 also.

Because of that, I took a look at the ParaMili and the ocelot of spyderco that was also in display in the shop. Both knives were ok, but the question i was asking myself was, do i let the chance of getting a knife with an axis lock slip by this time? I can't make myself to come to a decision that time so I went home.

after a week, I came back and I saw that the para-mili with straight edge was already sold, the ocelot was in combo edge. So It won't really add to the flexibility of the collection at this time.

So I looked at the benchmade line up again.

I went back to my original objective for my available money, which was to get an axis lock , and second to get a blade style which I still don't have. so I ended up buying the 521 griptilian , with straight edge blade.

It is in my pocket right now and I can't wait to get home to start testing it.

thanks to you all,
rbc
 
congrats on the grip, I am sure you will not be dissapointed.

And just a word on the Para-mil. It is an excellent knife, and even though the compression lock on the Para is a totally different style lock than the Axis, in prcatice they can be used much the same. On the Axis you can pull it back with your pointer finger and the blade just falls open. You can do the same thing with the compression lock on the Para, only it pushes over instead of pulls back. Compression lock is not ambidextrous though. The Para also has no liners , aside from what makes up the lock, but it is made of G-10, which is much stiffer than FRN like on the Grip, so you kind of get the best of both worlds. you get reletively good stiffness, but it is still very light for its size.

Just a few things to consider before buying your next knife. It won't be long. :D
 
gishun,

yup , I think chances are you are right, that it won't be long.

My original post in the start of this thread, I said that my next puchase might have to be next year.

right not, i'm thinking of getting a para but it is not available here in black and plain edge blade.

I'm seriously eyeballing a PE persian, or a combo edged ocelot.

It won't be long
 
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