Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

11/19/2011 by Andy

-Price Paid: $58.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Hands down the best knife that I have bought for the money ever, after 2 years it's still going strong and it is absolutely reliable.

Before buying the knife I shopped it around and found that there where a wide variation in the asking retail prices and I managed to find one at a price that seemed fair to me ($56.99 plus $5.00 shipping).

I know that there are many out there are what is called steel snobs, but then who cares for the average guy like me the 154 Stainless Steel does the job and at the end of the day a knife is a tool...

Being just under 3 inches there is no legal issues when I travel and is the perfect pocket size. In short I love this American Made Knife and I have never had any problems with it to date..

I could not ask for more than a knife that lasts and is value for money...????

Ontario SP4 Navy

11/17/2011 by Blake

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I bought this knife with high expectations and it exceeded all of them! I has held an arm-shaving edge for all the years I've owned it. I have used it to open cans of beans and chili, clean deer and as a mini machete and have never had to sharpen it. It is the best and last knife you will ever need.

Benchmade 940 Osborne

11/08/2011 by Martin

-Price Paid: $139.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This has been the best knife that I have ever owned, when I first saw the axis lock I knew being a lefty that I just had to have it.

I bought the knife almost 2 years ago and I have carried it every day since I bought it, it's light weight and streamline with a steel that holds it's edge but is still not too hard to sharpen myself. I bought the plain edge version as I had no need for semi serration and only once has it gone hack to Benchmade for a FREE sharpening coming back with a better edge than when I first bought the knife.

I do like the green handles however the purple back spacer did take a little bit of time to get use too, but now I really don't care or notice it.

I am happy with both the knife and the customer service, not being a collector I just wanted a knife that worked right for me and this one ha with flying colors.

I also liked the idea of having something that's 100% American Made in my pocket..!!!

Benchmade 15030 Bone Collector Axis Mini Folder

11/04/2011 by Albert

-Price Paid: $79.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

I was recommended this knife by a friend and at first was a little wary about buying one, but once I got one into my hands I knew I had to buy one without any hesitation.

The ergonomics of the grip is superb and the blade is extremely versatile for anything thing from gutting a rope to simply spreading butter on sandwich.

The G10 scales makes the knife feel like a mans knife compared to many others I handled before deciding on it and the D2 steel although not a real stainless does seem to be reasonably rust resistant for every day use.

I personally prefer a chunky knife to grab onto and this one does do that, although the only thing is the sharpening does seem to take a bit more effort than a 440 Stainless BUT it's hold it edge for much LONGER so I guess it's a trade off..!!

They are not Cheep but you know the old saying if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, so in balance I am giving the knife all 10's as a well balanced American Made Knife that I think should last me a lifetime..:)

Spyderco Grasshopper

11/04/2011 by Hees

-Price Paid: $13.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

So I wanted a small edc knife for basic things like opening mail and packages and the grasshopper seemed a good fit but so many people complain about it... Here's my reasoning for carry compared to my delica...

Size: less than half the size and weight

Blade: not vg10 like the delica but 8cr13mov (aus 8 competitor) is plenty good for my use... And plenty sharp

Blade length: only about 1cm less than the delica so u get a lot of blade in a small package

Price: 1/3 to 1/4 price of the delica... For less than 20 bucks street you can throw it away instead of crying over your lost sebenza

Durability: well this goes back to price... Just toss it if it snaps... Needs to be sharpened more... But that's the fun part

No the big complaint I hear is stiff opening and not one handed... I mean I hope it's stiff because it's a slipit non lockback knife ... And the one handed thing has been debunked... Which gets me to the meet and bones of the video:

Opening the blade: u cant get a firm hold of the frame but you can hold the spidey hole between the thumb and middle finger and make a motion like you snapping with your ring finger then let the thumb do the rest

Closing the blade: rest your index finger in the first choil-like area and push the back of the blade until its bent... The choil will keep you finger from getting cut.. Then remove index and push with thumb

I see me and this knife having a long relationship together... It's small and sharp and non-threatening but still a lot of knife for less than a 20 spot... Not good at all for hard work but small tasks done very gentlemanly...

Disclaimer: not responsible for any injury with this technique

Spyderco Dragonfly

11/04/2011 by Heesoo

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Great light weight light duty gentle mans knife available in many styles.... It's especially nice in all stainless ....

I don't like the back lock but that's not too big of a concern... If you want a smaller delica get this knife!!!

Kinda hard to open one handed because stainless steel is slippery

The vg10 blade is a great plus as well....

Can't go wrong with this knife.

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Benchmade 585 Mini Barrage

11/02/2011 by Patrick

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This knife really rocks, it's the absolute perfect size for a constant pocket companion.

Before this I thought that the ultimate knife would be a small Automatic, but after having this little pocket rocket my thoughts are now who needs one (besides even if it's legal to own an Auto in your state what happens when you travel).

I really don't have a bad word to say about any of the feature of the knife, 154cm Stainless is great, the grip is good (but a little slippery when things are wet), the Axis Lock is the safest I have seen for either one handed or ambidextrous use, the lock is in the perfect position and easy to use, the blade studs are better than a spider hole and simple to open FAST.

I have only sent the knife in once to Benchmade for sharpening, it came back quickly and the customer service people where helpful and polite.

I do wise the scales where done in G10, but other than that it's Valox is light weight and does the job well.

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Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

10/31/2011 by Herman

-Price Paid: $68.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I have now owned my 556 "PE" for 5 years (maybe longer) and it has been a tough little knife that's been a constant companion in my pock every day.

I much prefer the opening stud on the blade to a spider hole, it is so much easier to use with winter or gardening gloves.

The 154 stainless steel is fantastic and good enough for me being east to sharpen and very rust resistant, the solid Valox Scales have great traction and are quit tough against the average dropping that any knife gets over time.

Th Axis Lock in absolutely fabulous, I would never bother with a liner lock or even a lock back again, it's newer technology just seems to make the other locking systems antiquated to me now.

I am going to give the knife 10 points all round, as it's served me so well for quit some time and when I have need them Beenchmade has been remarkable with it's customer service.

The only issue that I can see is that only the plan edge of the knife is covered by Benchmades FREE Every Sharp Service, but mine is a plan edge any way so it's not an problem.

I am that impressed with the knife this Christmas I have decided to give one to all my family and friends that will use it as a Christmas Gift this year (sort of makes my Christmas shopping easy this year anyway).

I might even treat myself to a 551 as well and make it easier on Santa Claus or in this case Mrs Claus..LOL

Victorinox Soldier Knife

10/30/2011 by Dillon

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This knife is a rather interesting piece. First, unlike many other knives I am used to, it has a number of tools in it. These tools perform quite well for what they were meant to do. On one note, the flat headed screwdriver locks into position. This makes it useful for light prying, and one does not need to worry that the screwdriver will fold when used.

One gripe I have about this knife is that like most Victorinox knives, it has a blade made from a relatively soft steel. I find myself sharpening it quite often. Another note is that it is a chisel ground blade with serrations on the front of the blade and a small 2.5 cm piece that is unserrated. I personally rebeveled my knife so that the blade is no longer chisel ground, but I retained the serrations. Due to the type of serrations this knife has, one can cut fibrous things like seat belts and ropes without the serrations catching on the material. The blade is serrated with an even, smooth wave with no points. The blade also lacks a sharp tip.

The liner lock on this knife is secure and one does not need to worry that it will fail. The liner has an interesting configuration with a hooked tip that fits into a corresponding cutout on the tang of the blade as opposed to the normal flat end. One thing I don't like about the liner lock in this knife is that unlike the locks found on my other knives, there is up and down play in this lock. It's not very noticeable during normal use, but if you look for it, it is there. It is not as though you could just shake the knife, and the blade will rattle up and down. Another thing of note is that compared to most other liner-locks, the liner of this one is on a different side of the blade. This makes it easier for left-handed people to unlock the knife with their thumb. Personally, I can open and close the blade one-handed with either hand just as quickly, so it is possible to close the knife with the right hand. One needs to practice a bit to get a hang of the fact that this knife is different.

Blade deployment is an oval hole. It is easy to deploy one-handed but is not as fast as most other knives due to the tightness of the pivot.

In the usual Victorinox style, everything is mirror polished and all metal surfaces are fingerprint magnets. Most metal parts have rounded edges. The handle is a little different than your usual fare of cellidor handles. This knife has a fiberglass fill nylon handle with soft inserts. This gives one a positive grip that is probably the best grip you can get on a Victorinox. The balance is quite good in this knife, and it is comfortable to use. It manages this despite all the tools in it. This knife does not have the spaces for the toothpick and tweezers which are quite liable to be lost. It is a plus if you do not need these.

This knife is quite a good choice if one is looking for a knife that one can deploy with one hand but still wants some tools like a saw, can opener, screwdrivers, and reamer. It is not a tactical blade and cannot be used to stab. It is a good working blade though and will shine in those situations.

Spyderco Resilience

10/23/2011 by Prepmeister

-Price Paid: $36.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

G-10 is tapered near liner-lock, which results in a sharp and sometimes uncomfortable edge on the handle near index finger. Otherwise, well designed. Can't be beat when you want MAXIMUM reach and cutting edge in a knife that's still reasonably thin and lightweight. Much less expensive than, for example, the "military" model--so definitely the way to go unless you're some kind of steel-snob or just have too much money.

Zero Tolerance 0200

10/23/2011 by Prepmeister

-Price Paid: $130.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Carries comfortably in knife pocket of "tactical" pants. Clip is small and black coated, so doesn't call attention to knife. Grip is well shaped with a deep choil and nice texture. Blade is longer than that on 300 series and is easy to open (with no assisted opening feature to complicate function or to potentially fail). Excellent steel of nice thickness. Pillars and liners are also super thick and strong. Has excellent overall design and lanyard hole. Recurve design is only hard to sharpen if you don't know how to sharpen a knife in the first place--plus you can have ZT sharpen it for free. Solid and dependable, this is my favorite folding knife. May freak out white-collar liberals and little old ladies if used in many public places, however.

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Kershaw Tilt

10/23/2011 by Los Angeles

-Price Paid: $225.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Thoughts Regarding the Kershaw Tilt 4001

Through channels, and completely unsolicited, I somehow was graced with what is likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use and review a very rare Kershaw Tilt 4001. (*see footnote)

So let's get to business.

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"The most innovative designers consciously reject the standard option box and cultivate an appetite for thinking wrong."

- Marty Neumeier, Designer and founder of Critique Magazine

The Kershaw Tilt represents to me a breakthrough moment in design innovation at Kershaw. It is tough, nimble, big, light, beautiful, wicked and functional.

When it comes to looks, the Tilt is in it's own class.

It's almost ironic that the company that made Ken Onion's curvilinear forms accessible to the greater public would be the same company that would release Ken Onion's aesthetic antithesis. Gone are the straight-from-the-barrier-reef flowing lines and supple three-dimensional molding. Enter instead a stark, bold, angularity that would seem more at home in a museum's modern sculpture collection than swimming in the ocean.

The Tilt's unique look makes it extremely hard to think of another production knife (or even limited series knife) at this price point that is worthy of comparison. Double or triple the price and you're left only with particular custom makers. This is rarified air, and I applaud the company for it's ambition in pushing the boundaries and daring to make a knife that looks nothing like any other.

But this knife isn't just about looks. The Tilt's technological innovations have been covered extensively before, but I would still like to cover what I consider the chief three:

1) Udderholm Vanax 75. Scores a penny. Curls a steel nail. Shaves arm hair afterwards. I haven't sharpened it because it hasn't needed it yet.

2) KVT (Kershaw Velocity Technology) Opening System. So fast it's scary. But make sure your fingers are clear when you're closing her up. It's fast both ways. I look forward to using the Tilt on my future camp/surf trips to see how this pivot system really holds up. Exposure to salt air and random debris is my biggest concern here. Will the ball bearings seize or slow? I have no answer at this time, and the fast way to find out is to bury it in the sand and then throw it into the ocean and fish it back out. I'm too big of a chicken to do that (yet), so I'll just let what happens, well, happen. Ask me in a year.

3) Frame Limiter Technology. This is the one that really gets me. Knifemakers the world over have devised all kinds of toys and tricks to keep users from overextending the lock bar on their frame lock knives. The most common solution is to bolt an additional piece of metal onto the frame to act as a stop. Others hope the presence of the pocket clip will be enough to deter overextension. Kershaw throws out the playbook and rethinks this problem from the ground up. And they came up with a solution that is as simple as it is brilliant. And it's a all just a matter of geometry. You see, every one else cuts the gap that divides the lock bar from the scale like this - scale ___||___ lock bar. It's always been perpendicular. But on the Tilt, the cut line is cut at an angle so that a cross-section view of the gap between the two is shaped like this - scale___//___lockbar. When the lock bar raises up, it's angled surface comes into contact with the angled surface of the scale and the bar stops dead in its tracks. No additional piece, just additional thinking. Dang. I wish I would have thought of that.

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"A design isn't finished until somebody is using it."

- Brenda Laurel, Ph.D., Computer Gaming Visionary and Pioneer and Chair of the MFA Program in Design at California College of the Arts (CCA)

Let's get to guts of the matter. How does the knife function?

The blade: The blade is remarkably thin for such a large knife, and as such has performed admirably for food prep. I didn't think I'd use this blade for that purpose, but the thin, straight, crazy sharp edge, combined with just enough finger clearance makes this knife a go-to kitchen tool. Who would have thought? My love affair with knives started in the kitchen, and my love affair with Kershaw started with Shun, so this pleases me to no end.

For those of you that might be worried that the thin blade might lack of strength, I can only refer you to my note above about the steel. this thing whittles wood, scores copper and tin and even curls a smile into a 16 penny nail. I'm satisfied.

The handle: This is where I have a little bit of an issue. The points at the top and bottom of the handle , and particularly the one near the pivot add 1/2 an inch or more of unnecessary length to the handle. It consumes quite a bit of pocket for a knife with a 3.5" cutting edge. Both the original Volt and my 4" Darrel Ralph offer more cutting edge for a lot less handle bulk than the tilt.

But the handle does come with a few benefits. First is the finger clearance mentioned above. You'll have a lot less knuckle rash when making scoring and pushing cuts with the tilt.

The large handle of the tilt also offers multiple hand positions. My favorite position for hard use is to grip the bottom half of the handle with the bend at the back of the handle fit into the crook of my thumb. This position gives me a great grip, while keeping my hand far away from harm.

The double choil or finger grooves give you plenty of grip for choking up and doing detail work.

I'm only a couple of weeks in, but so far the lockup has always been incredibly tight, but not so tight as to make the release difficult to manage.

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"If design isn't profitable, then it's art."

- Henrik Fiskar, Designer of the Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and BMW Z8.

I wanted to speak a moment about the Tilt and also about my favorite Kershaw to date, the original Volt. These knives both likely cost more to design and make than they likely ever will generate in income. I hope this never discourages the powers that be over at Kershaw from pushing the boundaries and releasing these knives to the public. If anything, these two knives in particular were priced $100 less than they are worth at the outset. I thank you for taking the time and bringing your two finest creations to date to us, money be damned.

- - - - -

Well, that pretty much sums it up. I'll leave you with one final quote, and I'd say the most important one when I think of the Tilt. Thank you so much for your time and comments or questions (if you have them).

"People think that design is styling. Design is not style. It's not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a renaissance attitude that combines technology, cognitive science, human need, and beauty to produce something that the world didn't know it was missing."

- Paola Antonelli, Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

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*** Footnote

"God is in the details" - Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Architect and father of the modern skyscraper.

In full disclosure: this knife came to me in part because it did not pass QC at the factory. It is marked as serial number 073, and while it was not marked with the signifying XXXX, it was clear right out of the package that it is a blem. Specifically, the spine side of the titanium scale is clouded as if it were splattered with a solvent of some sort in the factory. Or perhaps a contaminant was not completely cleaned off before the titanium was anodized? Hard to say, but the blem is strictly aesthetic and only noticeable on inspection. Another small issue was that the lanyard tube pin at the end of the handle was not fully seated, causing a very slight flair between the scales. One quick tap with a soft mallet and it fit perfectly, leaving the finish flaw as the primary blem.

But this is all trivial and I did not want to bog my review down with this information.

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