Guys I was recently issued a Benchmade AFOII knife by my unit and am wondering if these knives are considered any good? I looked up prices and boy are they high. Are these considered a quality made knife? Why so expensive, are they worth the money? This is the model we got in:



I’m more of a traditional folder like Buck kind of guy so don’t know a thing about Benchmades. Any comments?

Thanks gang,

-Jay

They are considered one of the very best. They are dear, but those willing to purchase them generally swear by them.

Arguably the best production knife made. If I was in harms way—I would not hesitate to carry either a Benchmade or Zero Tolerance.

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Possum—The other white meat!

In my experience, one of the best. Fit and finish are excellent.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Benchmade is warranted for life they will sharpen it and replace chipped blades at no cost

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age is just a number

I carry a Benchmade OTF Infidel daily. Effectively I stake my life on it. My experience is pretty good with their products.

Getting issued a AFO is a plus - usually very good blade steel, great design and good warranty support.

Yes, yes and yes!

In a moment of pure extravagance i bought a Benchmade Bushcrafter. I would no more “bushcraft” than I can rise and fly. (I have a Stihl chainsaw if I need to cut or “baton” wood!).

It was simply too beautiful of a knife. I take it out and polish it and admire it a couple of times a year. I have no doubt it would serve well has a hard use field knife.

Then the Griptilian family are some of the finest every day carry knives made.

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Possum—The other white meat!

I can't afford one. I wish I could.

If I did acquire one it would be an assisted opening, uncoated, plain edge, drop point blade, four inches or a hair less.

One like that would probably outlive whichever of my grandsons inherited it.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Have 4 and they are all great. The Axis lock is a fantastic invention. One is my EDC, a 470.

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Foster Positivity.

Been carrying a Benchmade North Fork for about 2 years now....... worth every bit of the $$s I spent..........

Heard the steel used and the lock-up system is top notch. Bit costly but probably the only EDC knife you will ever need.

There are a few on my shelf, nothing too fancy. A lot of the smart guys love to knock them, especially the Spyderco fans, and they love to knock the Axis lock, but I think the Axis is the shizzle. Nothing else works as well, especially when it comes to closing. You can close an Axis knife with one hand without putting a digit in the path of the blade.

If you ever have a problem with your Benchmade, the factory warranty is unsurpassed.

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Not in jail.

This is mine, EDC going into the 2nd year. No complaints.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Another vote in favor of their knives. I would agree that, for the money, they are probably one of the best production knives on the market. I have a couple that are in the carry rotation and they have never let me down. I can't speak to hard use, but those who do use them pretty rough swear by them.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

BREAKING: Benchmade Helps PD Destroy Guns - Official Statement -The Firearm Blog

They got into some heat with gun owners for helping police destroy guns. Even if there was no way to avoid destroying the guns, posting it on social media to brag about it was probably not the greatest choice.

I personally don't understand how this is such a big deal. They didn't steal guns or take them from law abiding citizens. They were confiscated guns. What's the issue with destroying them? I could understand if they were high dollar collectible guns that are hard to find but id bet they are run of the mill cheap guns that are readily available. If they were desirable guns they could auction them off and put the money towards the police department but if they aren't desirable guns, it's probably less hastle to just destroy. It's not like they are knocking on our door, confiscating our guns and destroying them. Sorry but I just see this argument too often and it's funny. Rant over.

I have several. The top one in this picture has been my main EDC for somewhere around 25 years. It's called the "mini Reflex. The spring corroded once, because it was my main trout fishing knife, and Benchmade rebuilt it at no charge. I have since stopped gutting trout with it...It's clipped to my jeans pocket everyday.

They are high quality, and are worth every penny.



Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I have several of their knives from standard to autos and even an OTF and they are great knives and the company stands behind them. I gave Benchmade autos to my son, daugher-in-law and son-in-law who are all Air Force pilots. They all carry them on the flight suits when they fly.

Mine's a Model 710. Don't think they make it now. It's on my belt more than any other folder. And I have some really nice ones from Puma and Lone Wolf. The Model 710 has a fully checkered G-10 handle.

My son used his to cut off the head of a copperhead snake that he stepped on. Fortunately, his boot was near the head, and he drew the knife, opened it one-handed, leaned over and beheaded the snake.

Don't know the model, but his has a tanto point and partial saw teeth.

Jay, what do you do in the AF that they issued you that fine a knife? The all stainless ones marked US are junk by comparison.

Top Notch !!

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John

I pryed my wallet open to get a Benchmade Coalition, auto 3" drop point. Yeah it's high quality with a supersteel blade and it's my daily carry knife. Extravagant? Probably but in the grand scheme of things, not so much.

The best...Benchmade or Spyderco and that comes down to the opening method that works for you. There are several knife forums out there that have knife collectors selling excellent items for very good prices. These people are collectors and typically not users so many knives are 98%-100%. You can find some great deals if you know the knives you are looking for.

Knife people have safe queens too and sometimes collect to excess

BM has an excellent reputation. I have the same knife except it's made by another Oregon company CRKT. Both good knives. I would buy either one for the prices they sell for. You can't go wrong there.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Been carrying a Benchmade for 16 years and through 4 deployments. IMHO they are second to none.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I have an Impel (pocket knife) and an Infidel (defense knife). They're the best automatics I've seen.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

A fixed Mountain Skinner and an assisted folder have proven to be excellent knives and when caught on sale are good values.

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“Look life in its iron face”

Benchmade knives are excellent. However, the steel is too hard for some people. Touching up the edge out in the woods can be difficult.

I have nearly the same knife, but it is a Gerber 06 military automatic, not a Benchmade. (I've never had to touch up the edge in the woods, so I don't know if it is hard or not):

Gerber Auto 06 Automatic Knife S30V Drop Point (3.7" Black Serr) 0377 - Blade HQ




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I have a fixed blade (a gift) and an axis lock folder that I purchased. They have a pretty good mil and first-responder discount. They used offer a one knife a year combo discount for mil / first-responder NRA members. If I remember correctly it came out to a 51% discount. That ended in 2017.

As others have said, Benchmade blades are a quality product. I bought a Mini Griptillian several years ago and have carried it daily since. I have many knives but the Benchmade is my favorite and I would not like to be without it.

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I don’t have an exact count without rifling through the safe knife shelf, but I’m guessing I own a dozen. Regular, automatic, butterfly, standard sheath, neck knives, you name it, I’ve probably got one. I carry an Impel auto in my pocket every day. Pricey, to be sure, but with knives, like most things, it’s been my experience that you get what you pay for. Emerson is the equal of Benchmade, in my opinion, of course, he came from Benchmade. Got three or four Emerson’s as well, and they’re top notch. If I’m stepping down in price, for folders, it’s Spyderco. Got a dozen or so of those in various sizes and blade styles, stainless handles, polymer handles, rescue style, etc. Very nice knives for the price. . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I have a 710 that I carried for a duty knife for over 20 years. Had to get used to sharpening the harder steel but it held an edge well. Now that I'm retired a mini Griptilian is in my pocket every day, another fine knife.

I would like to get a Bushcrafter just because.

I own two., a Presidio and a Mini-Rukus. They are two of the finest production knives made, IMO. Pictured, left side from the top, the first and fourth ones shown. They are carried regularly. The Axis lock is excellent.

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Well I know nutin when it comes to knives but I know how to read and based on the above 32 posts or so, ...JayFramer, I'm guessing you're good to go, congrats

Like Duckford pointed out, Benchmade cut up guns in order to assist the Oregon City Police Department in an effort to comply with the department's policies.
Spend Your money where you want.

Now that Benchmade’s patent on the axis lock has expired, other manufacturers may take up the design. (Chinese cloners like Ganzo did not wait for the patent to expire.) I am only aware of one respectable manufacturer who has done so as yet. The Hogue Ritter is modeled after the Griptilian using Doug Ritter’s blades, which Benchmade used to offer as a very desirable option.

If political correctness prevents you from buying a Benchmade, you could find yourself even better off with a Hogue.

Me, I’m not in the market, but on any given day, I could pull the trigger on a Mini Grip, a Bugout, or Benchmade’s very nice take on a puukko.

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Not in jail.

Welp, it looks like I'm going to have to amend my prior nice comments about Benchmade making good knives.

I have been reading the internet during the past hour. What I have discovered is not good, my fine feathered friends. The knife nerds (the experts, ya know) have a very different opinion about what makes a great knife.

It seems that any knife that is NOT made with SRT45711295VSuperDuperWhizBangSuperCarbonite Steel is a junker. Yep. So sad.

Are any Benchmade knives made with SRT45711295VSuperDuperWhizBangSuperCarbonite Steel? Yeah, I thought not.

I am gonna have to amend my nice comments about Benchmade until it starts using SRT45711295VSuperDuperWhizBangSuperCarbonite Steel
(not to be confused with SRT45711295VASRSuperDuperWhizBangSuperCarbonite Steel, which is a totally different thing entirely).




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Politics aside? Yes. PM me and I'll send you a link to my Benchmade story. Impressive, tough, great customer service.

I once worked for McKinnley Iron in St. Louis. We ran a dumpster box of firearms through the auto shredder.

Do you believe it makes me anti-gun?

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I love my tanto blade folder from Benchmade. I have both Spyderco and Benchmade knives and like them both, but I think that Benchmade has a smoother mechanism. Good stuff costs what it costs.

That BS about Benchmade and the Oregon City destruction of guns is just that, BS. Those guns were going to be destroyed one way or another. Benchmade is a business. They may as well get the revenue for the work then a different company. There's nothing here that tells me that Benchmade is some big, bad anti-gun company.

Yes, Benchmade makes quality production automatics. I have a number of autos to choose from, but my current EDC is the Benchmade CLA (composite lite auto).

Microtech, ProTech, Gerber and Spyderco also make excellent products. The most durable mechanism is probably the Ratworx, which cycled over 400,000 times before a failure. Other respected brands generally go 30,000 - 50,000 cycles, which probably represent decades of regular use (once you quit playing with it)!

Here’s a couple of videos showing the Ratworx testing.



I posted photos of some of mine in a previous thread, so I’ll just link to that.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/140411264-post57.html

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"I also cook."

Have been using Benchmade knives since 2000. Have and enjoy using the Benchmade Auto Benchmite for dress carry and the Benchmade Auto Presidio for everyday use. Simply outstanding in every respect. Very much like the types of steel used in these knives. The 154 CM is used for the Presidio. I think the Benchmite is ASU 34. Excellent quality. Excellent attention to detail in finish, etc. Few years ago sent the Presidio back. It got to where it was slow opening. Turned out it just needed cleaning Benchmade cleaned it, restored it to new function, sharpened it and sent it back. It was in my pocket today. Used it just a while ago. Just an excellent knife company in every respect. Sincerely. bruce.

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I've had a Benchmade knife in my pocket everyday for 5 years. It has a D2 steel blade which really holds an edge forever. I love it.

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Bill Bates

I've had two Benchmade Volli's with the S30V blades, best pocket carry knives I've ever used. Lost one and replaced it with the same. No fault of Benchmade, I left it on a shelf in Home Depot (lucky orange-vest associate!).

I have a D2 fixed blade Adamas as well, tough call which is the better blade. My Volli has been in my pocket for the last few years and honestly I feel naked without it. I tuned up my first one a couple of times but my new one has never been sharpened. I use it every day, from cutting packing tape to stripping wires or as a screwdriver tightening screws on another tool.

It may be "production" but I will continue to carry a Benchmade unless someone gives me definitive proof that there is a better folder out there.

My oldest son (18) and daughter (17) carry a Benchmade assisted opener as well.

They are quality knives, but if I paid that much for a knife I wouldn't want to carry it. I'm more of a Kershaw or CRKT kinda guy.

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Or something like that . . .

I had one for a while. Good quality knife. I can't remember which model...possibly a Mini-Presidio...? A little bulkier and heavier than the Spyderco Delicas that replaced it, but a little trimmer than the Emersons it replaced.

I did have one issue, though. The spring on the Axis lock broke. I contacted Benchmade, I sent the knife in, and they not only replaced the spring but they cleaned and sharpened it for me at no cost. I can't remember if I had to pay shipping to send it to them.

When I settled on Delicas for my folding knife needs, I sold it.

Have several. Their service is second to none. I’ve carried one for the last 15 or so years. They have never failed me.

I’m a Benchmade snob. I will only buy Benchmade.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Over the years, I have had many Benchmade knives. Still have about 4 of them. I buy the automatics, but not so much anymore. Don't get me wrong, they are top shelf, but there are several quality automatics that are considerably faster at opening. Microtech and Piranha come to mind. Both USA made.

You have a high quality issued knife

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

A photo of my Benchmade knives with three of their friends.

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I’ll cast another vote for BM. Probably have 40+ including autos, Balisongs, folders and fixed. Don’t recall ever getting one that had fit or finish issues though there may have been a couple that weren’t ground/sharpened as well as they could have been but that’s A minor event.

That being said I don’t care for every design or steel choice they offer but that can be said for every maker out there. My favorites are probably the Rukus 610 & 615, model 42 Balisong and pretty much any Griptilian. IMHO the Grip is Benchmades Buck 110. A real mainstay blade with plenty of options on size, grip material, blade shape and steel with a price point that won’t break the bank. Here are a few of mine.













Sorry, thought I had more photos than this.

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BCCI Life Member #2068