Benchmade 950 Rift

Reviewed 10/08/2014 by Todd Crawford

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This is my EDC Benchmade and use it EVERYDAY in my job. Keeps a nice sharp blade and very easy to maintain. Only issue is the clip but Benchmade warranty covers that.

Reviewed 05/14/2014 by troy

-Price Paid: $165.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

i have had it over a year use it every day have a 550 zt and some more higher end knifes i love the axis lock and the 154 cm steel i have a gerber with 154cm steel too i use it at work it holds a edge so long i have lots of knifes use this one every day the black on the blade has come off a bit but i beat this knife for edc i think its great u wont go wrong buying this one

Reviewed 06/14/2010 by Richard

-Price Paid: $140.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

This is my review of the Benchmade Rift. It is my favorite knife out of the approximately the one hundred I have. In a nutshell, it was a brilliantly designed by one of the best minds in the industry, executed by a world class company, and produced here in the best nation in the world!

Now, let's start with the details, starting with the blade. It is a ___ inch 154CM blade featuring Osborne's trademark reverse tanto point. The blade is flat ground, with the grind starting somewhat between FFG and saber ground. The reverse tanto provides a strong tip that the tanto provides, while retaining a functional belly. The belly combined with the almost fully flat ground makes it a hell of a slicer. The tanto tip provides strength to the tip, and unlike conventional belief, the tanto tip does not make it a good all-around piercer, but instead helps introduce most of the widtth of the knife very quickly. This makes the best of use of the short time when the power of the stabbing motion is as its peak. This allows for Cold Steel to pull off their famous stunts and allows the tanto to achieve a reputation for being an armor piercer. While the real life applications for an EDC carry do not require such a strong point, it is always good to have assurance the the tip will not break off under hard use. The tip, however, is still acute enough for any task I can think of. Benchmade likes to use 154CM for many of their top knives, and while many people (ahem steel snobs) think Benchmade should offer their black and blue class knives in "better" steels like VG-10, D2, and S30V, 154CM is only marginally inferior on paper, and I daresay 95% of "knife people" would be unable to discern a difference. Benchmade's heat treat is also top notch, and the 154CM can take just a fine of an edge as S30V and VG-10 and even finer than D2, and holds it for a VERY VERY long time. Now here is the most ingenious part about this blade: the choil. The blade is listed as a __ inch blade. It does indeed extend that far from the handle, but the choil makes the edge start at a half inch past the end of the handle. By that, the distance from the start of the edge to the tip is only a bit past 3 inches. I asked one of my buddies, who is a LEO whether or not the knife is okay for civilians. The law in my locality is, like most knife laws, is an outdated and subjective. It states that the blade must not be bigger than the width of the palm. Not counting the choil, the blade is "legal". My LEO friend checked it and said that it was fine. Now this may not seem like a big deal, and I may be excited over very little, but I come from the school of thought that if a knife is to be used in an altercation (it really has almost no value in a SD situation with disproportionate legal implications, but is a brutal and deadly offensive weapon) the only real way to use it is to pump it in to the adversary as many as you can until they drop. This is how it is done in prisons, and has proved effective all over the world. Every little bit of length helps, especially considering that the fact that flesh compresses three times, so the extra half of an inch can equal one and a half inches of penetration. Other features that bear mention including an attractive swedge to aid penetration and contoured thumbstuds that are more than adequate for opening the knife.

Now on to the handle: It is contoured G10 that is both attractive and functioning. The scalloping along the edges of the handle give the the user a firm grip and allows for good tool retention. I am glad to see that there is no scalloping along the center of the handle, which prevents the handle and the clip from eroding your pants away. I am also to see the lack of a backspacer (which some people like, some don't). This allows for the inside of the handle to be cleaned easily. One critique of this knife is the lack of jimping along the thumb ramp and the finger choil. While I don't think tool retention is lacking, it may help in some tasks. Worth mentioning is the little hump at the rear of the handle. I have seen this executed on many knives (ie: Benchmade Pika II) and all have been unsuccesful, but in this instance, it has been very comfortable. The handle is torx construction. One easy and failproof way to see if the handle "works" is to stab it repeatedly into a constructed target out of a old pair of jeans and stuff it full of cardboard. I did this and the knife stabbed deeply, and while the handle still felt comfortable in my hand. There is also a hole in the base of the handle for a lanyard.

For the lock, we have Benchmade's proprietary axis lock, which is proven time and time again. The omega springs keep the lock functioning and even if one spring is broken, the other spring can keep the lock functioning. The lock is designed to fit snugger as it wears in, which makes it pretty much the perfect lock. There is absolutely no blade play, and it locks up Fort Knox. The axis lock on this model also is angled upwards, which I think has no change in the operation of the lock, but allows for an added dimension of safety of being harder to accidentally disengage.

A final aspect of the knife to discuss is the clip. It is attached by three torx screws, and is very secure. The spring is very stiff and allows for the knife to be attached very securely to the pocket. There is no play in the clip, and the clip is reversible for left and right handed carry, and is only available in tip-up carry.

Overall this is a very excellent knife, offered by Benchmade's Black Class, designed by Osborne, and produced here in the US of A. I give it a 10/10 overall. For any needs, EDC or professional field use, this is the superior tool/weapon to use.

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Reviewed 04/30/2010 by rudeblade

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Beautiful looks and feel, should have some top grip when handling the thumb wants to run forward. Great blade shape , very strong design and very smooth action an feels very good at just under 5 oz. One of my favorites from benchmade ! Would recommend it to a friend.

Reviewed 03/16/2010 by M2HSSr

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I have had this kife for about a month. I used to use Benchmades exclusively, but strayed to customs and CRK knives for a while. I picked the 950 up in a trade and it has totally renewed my love for benchmade knives. The G-10 is a work of art on these. The handle combined with the G-10 grip your hand back as you hold it. The blade is very useful. It has a deep belly and a strong tip. Benchmade's 154cm is great. The heat treat that they use is the best IMHO. It rides in the pocket well. It feels substatial in the hand. The axis lock, as always is a dream to use. As for value it scores a 10 for me. For the price you pay for this, I am hard pressed to find another knife with all the options and feel that the 950 gives

Reviewed 03/05/2010 by Joe K.

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I purchqased my first 950 in 2008, the regular production version with a plain edge satin finished blade and the charcoal colored G-10 handle scales. At first blush from the catlog I wasn't sure, but in my hand for a hour at the store I was hooked.

I've since sold that one in favor of the new 950-1, this with black G-10 scales and PE satin blade and it's one of my favorite Benchmades.

The 154cm that BM produces is very good, fairly easy to sharpen and has good corrosion resistance.

I give the Osborne Rift a 9 out of 10.

Reviewed 01/24/2010 by Your Name

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

Comments:

ive had 3 of these go through my collection and they have all been fantastic. pictures of the G10 do not do it justice, the machining of the G10 is spectacular and makes for an awesome gripping surface. the rip of the blade is very stout with the reverse tanto style.

Reviewed 08/13/2009 by Aaron

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This knife has proved to be a great knife. The knife is thin and light(relatively), but extremely solid. The blade shape is great IMO. It is more utility oriented and is one hell of a slicer since it is a fairly thing blade with a near full flat grind.

The price is a little iffy for me. I think it is a big step forward compared to a griptilian, but the price is double that of a griptilian. Then again, after the griptilian in price, I think this is the best setup benchmade has in terms of price and the blade shape. The persidio and similar lines have somewhat awkward blades for the handles they are attched to. Might just be me. The rift is a great knife if you do have the money and interest in it.

Reviewed 08/11/2009 by Kyle

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

By far my favorite Benchmade, Offers A unique design but with practical materials and ergonomics. Axis lock provides strong lockup with ease of use in both opening and closing the knife, perfect retention once broken in.

The Milled G10 Handles work as good as they look, offering great grip without tearing up your pocket, the blade shape is strong, yet thin enough to cut well, the 154cm steel offers good edge retention while being easy to sharpen well. Practical blade shape cuts well and is easy to work with.

The Coated versions of these knives need break in, they will be rough opening from the factory, however the 950 is the smoothest knife I own.

Wish I had two.