Personally... I dig this blade. A LOT.... so much so that it is part of my EDC and is NEVER left at home.
Let me say again, I LOVE this knife but it's not without its shortcomings, which admittedly are few. Most are very minor things but one is a big problem for a lot of people.... but we'll get to that directly.
Per Benchmade's website, the knife is made out of 440C stainless steel, which is not my favorite steel in the world but using a higher grade of steel would drive the cost of the blade up considerably... On that note I think I paid $80 bucks or so for it. There are trainer versions, the double-edge spear point I personally purchased, and a partially serrated single-edge variant as well. A combo with a trainer and a live blade is also available and if I were buying this knife again (I actually want a couple more so that WILL happen) I would opt for the combo package. The blade is 3.22 inches long and is 0.175 inches thick while the handle is 4.03 inches long making for an overall length of 7.25 inches.. The knife doesn't weigh much at all, the website states the knife itself weighs 2.2oz and the sheath 1.04oz for a total of 3.24oz. At less than a quarter pound of weight, this is A LOT of knife!
The clip on the sheath could use a bit more of a bend to give it a bit more solid retention, say on the suspension strap of a shoulder rig, a pants pocket like a folder, or the velcro strap of a ballistic vest.
Finally, as for cons, the version I have is a sticker.... there isn't a lick of cutting edge to it. Some will fuss but understanding that this blade is intended to be used quickly in a reactive manner and consistent with common hand-to-hand combatives striking techniques so, to me, that makes perfect sense.
You can see where I've worked to put at least workable edges on my personal one here so that I do have some cutting ability, but again we need to understand that this knife is meant for punching holes in bad guys.... not cutting. The reason for this is punching holes in organs with a thrust is much more likely to take an attacker out of the fight and slicing arms or legs or anywhere else due to the time difference between shock and exsanguination from an organ puncture versus exsanguination from even a major blood vessel being severed. The purpose of this blade is to either punch holes to buy time and distance to employ a better weapon or to cause as much trauma as possible as qucikly as possible to the highest value anatomical targets available.... a cutter can do this but there's a reason Fairbairn, Sykes, and Applegate all favored narrow double-edged blades for the work of putting the enemies of our nation in the dirt.... The thin, narrow, highly refined point of a double-edged blade slips between the ribs that protect the heart and lungs better than a cutting or slicing type blade ever can. I can't help but think these men did not specifically recommend these techniques to the Special Operations Forces of their day by accident.... Much like the Special Operations Forces of today, those guys didn't do ANYTHING that wasn't carefully and meticulously thought out to be the most effective method possible under their circumstances... Why bring that up? "SOCP" means "Special Operations Combatives Program" and I happen to know that this system was developed for our Special Operations Forces of today.... I can't help but bring out the correlation here.
As for pros, this blade's sheath is one of the best designed and most versatile knife sheaths I've ever saw. It is at home:
(My personal vest. I use full size rifle rated plates INSIDE the armor carrier so the trauma plate pocket is useless for me... may as well weaponize it!)
One of the big upsides to this knife is the ring at the top is purpose built to allow the use of a handgun without releasing the knife. This can be done with the gun hand or the support hand....
If you want a utility knife... This ain't for you.
If you want a slicer or a cutter for Filipino Knife Work.... This variant ain't for you.
But if you want a solid edged weapon option that won't fail you when the chips are down.... this is DEFINITELY a good choice.
I highly recommend this blade.
Stay Safe
Stay Frosty
Stay Dangerous
Until Next Time,
-Kenny Smith
CEO, Total Force Holdings, Inc.