Thoughts Hard Use Folding Knife- Benchmade Adamas

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waveone

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Jan 12, 2014
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Gents,

Looking for opinions on a hard- use folding knife. Specifically the Adamas or similar in steel and construction. This thread is NOT an opportunity nor invitation for a flame war.

I'm an experienced outdoorsman, back country hunter and I do my research on steels, fixed blade and folding knives. I'm looking for an overbuilt folder for EDC as well as use in the front pocket of my bibs when I'm in the field. Consider it a dual purpose alternative to a neck knife in addition to what I carry in my pack. I've got it narrowed down to three at this point, but always open to alternative, educated views before I pull the trigger. The Adamas is at the top of the list. What I'd like is the good bad and ugly here, if you're so inclined

Anyway, who has thoughts or experience on the CruWear steel performance vs the D2 used to make the Adamas? All opinions are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all
 
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For a hard use folder, the Adamas fits the bill perfectly. I've got a mini and I love it. It has great ergonomics and is an incredibly robust knife. There are no real downsides if this is the type of knife you want. It's big, it's weighty and the blade stock is thick so it's not exactly a laser beam slicer, but these traits are what makes it a tank.
 
My favorite fixed blade for woods carry is my Fallkniven F1. But sometimes there are situations where I don't want to wear a sheathed knife on my belt.
Like when I know I'll be in places with people (lol). In such cases I carry my old D2 Adamas. It does everything my F1 does. But, I never baton.
Being a fixed blade person, the Adamas comes very close to the "feel" in my hand of a fixed blade due to the wide scale design. Its size and weight though precludes it from any EDC, but I have my Grip, Bugouts etc for that. There's my Pro and Con.
 
In terms of what I have, I really like the Cold Steel Recon 1. I haven’t used it for anything crazy, but it feels sturdy and it’s something I know I can rely on.

For outdoorsy stuff, the Cold Steel Bush Ranger or Ultimate Hunter would seem to fit that role a bit more appropriately I suppose. There’s also the scandi ground Finn Wolf, though the Aus8 won’t perform as well as Cruwear.
 
I definitely consider the Adamas to be a heavy-duty folder. My concern would be the potential for an omega spring to break and my ability to get a replacement. I've seen enough people over the years tell of experiencing such a spring breakage in their Benchmade Axis lock knives that it gives me a little cause for concern. But that being said, I'd still consider the knife as an option.

Another option I would consider is something from Cold Steel, like maybe the AD-10. Cold Steel is known for heavy-duty folders, as well as having one of the strongest folder locks on the market (Triad lock).
 
I don't know...I've seen quite some bad reviews about the toughness / reliability of mini-Adamas...

Appears mini-Adamas's lock is far worse than even Bugout...

I don't know if the full-size Adamas share the same problem.


You can find more out there.
 
UNBLF said:
I don't know...I've seen quite some bad reviews about the toughness / reliability of mini-Adamas...

Appears mini-Adamas's lock is far worse than even Bugout...

I don't know if the full-size Adamas share the same problem.


You can find more out there.
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I don’t personally rate a folding knife’s overall “reliability” based on the spine-whack test and batoning. I have carried the mini adamas and used it for hard use tasks. When held like you would hold a knife, it doesn’t fail. Not sure why these youtubers try to push a lock to failure using methods outside the normal scope of use and then people judge the knife a failure. It’s all rather dramatic. If I want to split wood I’ll use a hatchet or axe. If I want to bang on the back of a cutting tool, again: hatch or axe, or maybe a fixed blade if desperate. Not a 3.3” folding knife.

It’s sort of like buying a pushmower and complaining you can’t brush hog with it without the blades going dull or jamming up.
 
Paratrooper06 said:
I don’t personally rate a folding knife’s overall “reliability” based on the spine-whack test and batoning. I have carried the mini adamas and used it for hard use tasks. When held like you would hold a knife, it doesn’t fail. Not sure why these youtubers try to push a lock to failure using methods outside the normal scope of use and then people judge the knife a failure. It’s all rather dramatic. If I want to split wood I’ll use a hatchet or axe. If I want to bang on the back of a cutting tool, again: hatch or axe, or maybe a fixed blade if desperate. Not a 3.3” folding knife.

It’s sort of like buying a pushmower and complaining you can’t brush hog with it without the blades going dull or jamming up.
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I fully understand and agree with what you said here. Yes I agree batoning is outside of what a folder is designed for.

If all reasonable folders can't do it, or at least all Benchmade folders can't do it. I'd just close the YT vids and buy one.

However, if the ordinary-looking Freek can do it, and even the super lightweight and "flimsy" looking Bugout can do it, yet mini-Adamas can't do it. I'd say it's a major design flaw. Especially when Benchmade advertise their Adamas line as the [tough] stuff.

Not trying to incite any arguments here, just sharing my honest thoughts.
 
UNBLF said:
I fully understand and agree with what you said here. Yes I agree batoning is outside of what a folder is designed for.

If all reasonable folders can't do it, or at least all Benchmade folders can't do it. I'd just close the YT vids and buy one.

However, if the ordinary-looking Freek can do it, and even the super lightweight and "flimsy" looking Bugout can do it, yet mini-Adamas can't do it. I'd say it's a major design flaw. Especially when Benchmade advertise their Adamas line as the [tough] stuff.

Not trying to incite any arguments here, just sharing my honest thoughts.
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Yes I agree if the Benchmade standard is that a mini Adamas is supposed to be tough, it should outperform the Bugout and freek… although given the full steel liners of the mini Adamas, I’d still much rather baton with it rather than the Bugout or Freek… lock fail or not.
 
I'm going to toss in a strange one, the Wildsteer W Pocket.

I'm on my mobile, so I'm not going to try posting pictures. I have the feeling it's more than you want to pay for a knife that doesn't have the widspread reputation of CS or Benchmade flavors, but if you've got a hankering for something unusual, it sure checks that off the list.
 
I have quite a few cold steel knives, and benchmade knives for that matter, I also have the full size adamas, and while I agree it's a tank of a knife, I find myself carrying the sr-1 lite or the 4-max scout when I feel the need to carry a hard use knife, plus if anything does happen to them I am not out 200+ dollars.
 
All excellent, well thought out responses gentlemen. When thinking of a hard use folder, I don't think of a Benchmade either. Not in any way. However this one in particular has grabbed my attention because of it's steel and overbuilt construction. The draw back for me is the Axis Lock, though I will not conceivably using it to baton. Clearly such use is outside the scope of of the intended purpose for folding knives, except in the most extreme conditions and out of necessity. So, we are in complete agreement.

In terms of the Adamas, the one minor concern is the degree of edge on the blade. It appears this can be contoured to a more acute cutting angle, but curious if anyone has done this
The reason it is a point of consideration is due to the need for slicing necessity, even feathering is necessary.

The other knives I'm considering are:

ZT 0308 CPM 20CV
ZT Galyean
AD10

All are or appear quite capable for the intended use.

One final question: I'm not a huge fan of dual surface knives. Primarily because the serrated aspect of the blade takes up half the cutting surface, and as pointed out, not all serrations are equal. Is there a way to have a custom serrated surface put on one of these knives?

Thank you all
 
Tom Veff does custom serrations, and he’s probably the best. You can find his contact info if you Google him. Keep in mind, you’ll PAY for it so better make sure it’s a knife you want to keep, because the ROI in customizations is practically zero.
 
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