Benchmade auto knives worth the extra money?

[MacGyver]

The claymore is a nice knife.  D2 is an interesting steel choice - it’s an amazing tool steel - but it does require some care.  It’s a hard use steel.  Take care of it and it will serve you well for a long time.

Corrosion resistance isn’t as good as some of the more modern super steels.  But, this is a powdered CPM variant - so it’s also not your grandpa’s D2. It’s a coated blade, so this should be a non-issue for most EDC folks.  If you get caught in the rain - wipe it down.  If you cut up a bunch of oranges - wipe it down.  Just keep it clean and don’t worry about it.

D2 does take some practice and determination to sharpen. As has been mentioned above - it’s easier to keep it sharp than it is to get it sharp once it’s dull.  I also wouldn’t worry about this much. Invest in some decent tooling if you haven’t already and sharpening won’t be an issue.  Note that I’d reach for my diamond stones first on a dull D2 blade.  Use that old whetstone you’ve got in the garage and you’ll be at it for a while.

The final thing I’d note is that this blade is hardened to a Rockwell 60-62.  This is hard. You can get a blistering edge - but it’ll be prone to chipping if you don’t make good choices about what you cut.

All in all - a good choice for an EDC that won’t let you down if asked to do bigger jobs. 

[jeff43]

I have a Spyderco sharp maker to sharpen knives among other things.

[MacGyver]

49 minutes ago, jeff43 said:

I have a Spyderco sharp maker to sharpen knives among other things.

Keep it sharp and that sharpmaker will serve you fine. A good strop wouldn’t hurt.  

[jeff43]

I got a couple pieces of leather i use.

[jeff43]

I’ve seen a couple of claymores on Gunbroker for around $160. Don’t know why there are that cheap, could they be fakes?

[willis68]

On 9/21/2023 at 1:14 PM, jeff43 said:

What do y’all think about the Benchmade Claymore?

They are in my opinion the best replacement for the AFO2 

I sharpened a couple and was impressed, I will eventually pick one up

[jeff43]

2 hours ago, willis68 said:

They are in my opinion the best replacement for the AFO2 

I sharpened a couple and was impressed, I will eventually pick one up

I bought one on Gunbroker for $140 shipped.

[jeff43]

37 minutes ago, jeff43 said:

Can you get a decent strop from Amazon? 
I saw SMKW has a Marble  brand belt type also.

[willis68]

On 9/23/2023 at 6:00 PM, jeff43 said:

Can you get a decent strop from Amazon? 
I saw SMKW has a Marble  brand belt type also.

Shop - StropBros

 

Trust me on this, well worth the money

[BigK]

On 9/23/2023 at 6:00 PM, jeff43 said:

Can you get a decent strop from Amazon? 
I saw SMKW has a Marble  brand belt type also.

I made an extra thick one for my carving knives, so my paws had more clearance room on the sides. It's extra coarse leather, so it sucks up a lot of compound. 

[Wheelert]

I have several Benchmade knives and absolutely love them all. Have an Auto Adamas, a Shootout, and an Autocrat. I use my Shootout daily as a work knife and it is spectacular! I have never had to use anything other than the polishing stone and leather strap to get it to shave like new. Usually do this about every 3 months or so. 
 Recently we have got turned onto the Microtech brand and they are great as well. We have an Ultratech, an Exocet Sand Trooper, a Hera, and a Dirac Delta. I have one of these with me everywhere I go and they have never opened in my pocket. None of the OTF knives have safeties but the throw on the switches are long and deliberate enough that they don’t fire by themselves but always fire when I need them to. The Auto Adamas does have a safety and it is always on before going in my pocket, that way I remember to turn it off when pulling it out, kind of like a trusty 1911. 
  The Microtechs do seem to have higher quality materials and the blades are super strong. As I use all but the Shootout for defensive tools only, I have never had to sharpen one. 

[tnhawk]

I've had a few Benchmade knives in the past but most of knives have been ProTech for the last several years.  I was disappointed with the one Microtech I owned.

[willis68]

So being a Protech dealer and Benchmade as well as others over the years: Protech has always had the Best firing, most torque automatics.

Benchmade once I put a TR3 Spring on my AFO2 became my favorite knife. The Benchmade Adamas as mentioned before is a Tank. The Mini Auto Adamas I have coming I expect to be my all-time favorite knife. Benchmade knives in my opinion, are well worth their prices.

Spyderco makes an amazing Auto Knife as well. When you are talking about OTF Automatics Gavin Hawk and his brother make the Deadlock which in my opinion is worth the money. I however have a hard time spending nearly 2k on a knife when there are still so many guns that I desire.

[Dansir]

I have a Microtech combat troodon. It is a beast. If you are looking for an auto I highly recommend microtech. Especially if you want an OTF!