Why so much hate for the Infidel??

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knifecollector73

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Jan 15, 2013
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I was just wondering why everyone hates on the infidel so much. There is a video on youtube of an otf paper cut test, where they fold paper over the hole where the blade fires out and eject the blade. Even the cheap otf knives did this without a problem hut the infidel barely made it through the paper. It just didnt have enough force to get the whole blade through. Was this rigged by a benchmade hater or is it just a crappy knife? There are also other videos dedicated to how the infidel is a cheap p.o.s. Is it really that bad? I hate to think any BM is that bad. Has anyone else ever tried the paper test? Is that unreasonable for an otf? If you have feel free to post a pic or video!

Thanks guys!

[video=youtube_share;StXvswf2_rE]http://youtu.be/StXvswf2_rE[/video]
 
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Benchmade designed it that way so that if it somehow got opened in your pocket it would not stab you clean through something and you bled out. It is a safety measure.

No one reads anymore or more people would know that. Instead they post erroneous videos on YouTube where they fancy themselves as "experts."

But an expert would already know Benchmade did that for a reason.

The Infidel is not a "crappy knife" IMO. I'm glad I have one, as for me!
 
Where would they (or i) have read that? I have read all the info they have on their website for the knife and it doesn't mention that. Also, I was not calling the infidel a "crappy knife". I wouldn't mind having one myself. I was saying that others have called it many things like that, or tried to make it sound like one. I'm glad to hear there is a logical reason for this. Where does BM explain that? I need to read up on it some more it sounds like.
 
I get people in our store all the time who imagine that this is some kind of stealth assassin's tool. Just put it up to someone and slide the trigger.

Sheesh. I just take it and activate it into my jeans to show it is not the way they work. (I try to hit a seam....)
 
I know its not an assasins tool, i just thought it would have a little more force than that. Its actually kinda cool you can hit yourself in the leg with it am its fine.
 
The Paragon that is fired first in the video is a single action automatic, meaning that the spring is able to stretch for more of the handle and be stronger than the spring in the infidel. Basically, only half of the handle on the infidel is dedicated to the deployment speed, whereas most of the handle on the paragon is.
 
There is a lot of misinformation about OTF knives. That they can penetrate a phone book, or a human skull by holding the knife close enough and sliding the button. Not true at all. The Infidel isn't exactly considered a utility knife, and being a restricted item in more places than it is actually allowed has lead to the misinformation. All the force the blade needs is enough to open and lock. Otherwise you a knife that will end up destroying itself because of the power of the spring. Over time you end up beating the hell out of the sear and the tool becomes useless. I don't see much hate, rather people buying more legal and practical options for their money. I also see what looks like unrealistic expectations and disappointment at play in large part by many consumers.

okbohn said:
I get people in our store all the time who imagine that this is some kind of stealth assassin's tool. Just put it up to someone and slide the trigger.

Sheesh. I just take it and activate it into my jeans to show it is not the way they work. (I try to hit a seam....)
Click to expand...

There are some OTF knives I sure would not try that with. Someone might have had a very good day and felt ambitious and installed a stronger spring. :)
 
Yeah, the paper test is an absolutely pointless test that has nothing to do with how well the knife functions. It's simply not made to do that. It has enough spring power to push the blade out and lock it and that's all it needs. People don't really understand the mechanism. The blade is completely free floating in the middle of the throw. The springs only act on it for a split second when it opens and closes and it more or less just throws the blade in the direction you want it to go, it's not actively pushing the blade the whole length. So if you want more power, you need stronger springs or longer springs which means you'd need to push the switch harder or longer. So since you don't need all that power because it's not going to help you use the knife anyway, why not go for a shorter lighter switch action?

An OTF is a lot like any other locking knife, what you really want to look at is how much play when it's locked, a good folder has none... a good OTF has a little, just the nature of the beast. That's probably why I haven't kept any of the ones I've owned, just bothers me when you're used to no play at all. Second is how strong the locking mechanism is, I found no fault with my infidel in that regard. The infidel is a well made quality knife... however it is a little over the top in price in my opinion. The microtech ultratechs are just as good or better in some opinions, and they come in almost 100 cheaper.

Either way, OTFs definitely have the way cool factor, but they're not super practical as you can imagine.
 
I don't consider myself an expert by any means. (Disclaimer – I am not a fan of automatic knives, and they are illegal in my jurisdiction anyway.) Disclaimer aside, my understanding is that good quality OTFs (including the Infidel and all of Microtech's OTFs) are specifically designed not to penetrate on open as a safety measure. Not only incase of accidental opening but if you were to open the knife under stress and inadvertently opened the knife near your body.

The myths out there are pretty humorous. I've even had dealers tell me that a Microtech HALO will shoot right through your hand. False. Though I wouldn't test this on yourself. They're still sharp knives and will cut.
Hope this helps.
 
I had one. Great knife. Total confidence in it. Traded because I was too tempted to carry....in an unfriendly state....and I dont get away w/ shit. Couldnt have bared to have it confiscated. I'll have another....and just be bad ass around the house...as the old lady rolls her eyes..

 
Had one. It was fun, but the double-edged blade wasn't terribly useful for daily tasks, and the chisel grind was a pain to sharpen.

The main reason I got rid of mine was even though Oregon allows carry, I got sick of being told "Those are illegal" by every know-it-all that ever saw it deploy.
 
If they were legal here, I'd happily own one as a collector's piece. (Along with a Microtech HALO). I like the single edge version better. I did handle one in Phoenix out of curiosity, and it seemed like a wellmade knife (as expected from Benchmade). Not sure how it would be functional though. But I don't consider any automatic to be particularly useful.
 
As others have noted, this is a design to stop someone from performing surgery on their femoral artery through their britches. Most OTFs have this and every single quality OTF that I know of has this disconnect feature.

I don't see the Infidel as practical, but it's a quality knife. Only a few companies have succeeded in making an OTF that doesn't suck, and Benchmade is one of those few. Operationally, it's a reliable knife for an OTF and reliable OTFs are very hard to do. Still, the practicality of OTFs in general are inherently limited, and they don't really catch my attention as I see them more of a novelty than an EDC. Especially given that Benchmade produces AXIS (which is one of the strongest and most reliable mechanisms ever created), they have all sorts of sizes and blade grinds available on AXIS knives, and that most of their AXIS knives are half the price of the Infidel or less, my attention is just elsewhere.

Pretty much regardless of what anyone does with an OTF, it's never going to have a lock that is anywhere near as strong, reliable, or practical as AXIS...
 
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