Loudenboomer
Silver $$ Contributor
Dimond steel is one of my favorites for a quick "working" knife edge. When I'm in a pickle the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup or the top edge of a half rolled down old truck window gets me by.
Benchmade Knives
- Thread starter MasterYoda
- Start date
moondog
Gold $$ Contributor
Spyderco is in Golden Co. While I'm not a huge fan of their looks, I have one. because they're local. Be aware they have 2 lines, US made and not. I've got a couple of Benchmade and like them well enough. I sharpen my own and can get them sharper than factory. I carry a <- 75 dollar knife if I'm out hiking though. I've lost a couple and always thank God it wasn't $250!.
Loudenboomer
Silver $$ Contributor
Be aware they have 2 lines, US made and not.
Actually 3 lines. Many of the highest end Spydercos are made in Tiwan. The main stay is in Golden and then of corse the ChiCom. line.
Actually 3 lines. Many of the highest end Spydercos are made in Tiwan. The main stay is in Golden and then of corse the ChiCom. line.
coldboreshot
Silver $$ Contributor
Its good to hear stories about great customer service these days. I don't have any Benchmades myself, I lean more toward SOGs and Spartans. But instills confidence in the Bemchmade brand for me.
The Bug out is a great everyday carry knife. It’s lightweight and thin. I had one with S30V steel which is very good all round blade steel. But the CPM S90V is great for edge retention and not bad for toughness. It’s a little hard to work with, but once it’s sharp it stays that way. Magnacut and S90V have become my two favorite blade steels.I kept a Bugout with graphite scales and CPM-S90V steel. It was a great knife, but recently it was stolen out of my truck glove box...I have another custom knife made out of S35VN, it's a much nicer knife but I preferred the thin profile of the Bugout. As for the steel, I have no idea, I just use my EDC for whatever task comes up, it'll open boxes, cut straps, and whatever I need a knife to do. Cut fruit, no problem, even a steak. I try not to use my knives as a screwdriver, that's what a Swiss Army Knife is for.
I have a Benchmade Hidden Canyon for skinning small game. It is also CPM-S90V.
Neither of my Benchmade knives with S90V were very sharp from the factory. Both purchased from REI. After I sharpened them at about 29 degrees (that's 14.5 degrees per side) they were very sharp. Last year I used my Hidden Canyon to skin 1/2 a pig, it's a very comfortable knife to skin with, even though it's only got a blade that is slightly less than 3" but it has 2 sets of jimping on the top of the blade and is very comfortable to dress game with. Also has a G10 handle so it won't suck up blood.
That said, I plan to make my own drop point hunter pattered after the Bob Loveless. drop point hunter. R.I.P. The only reason is that I like to make my own tools...I think of it as blacksmith mentality.
As for sharpening for my EDC knifes I put a 17 degree edge on everything. The Japanese kitchen knifes get 15 degrees.
I gave this to my Kid for Christmas. It’s a benchmade Arcane flipper with CPM-S90V. Changed the edge to 17 degrees and it’s a scalpel.
lawman29
Gold $$ Contributor
Bart,
I like your contraption - Work Sharp. Do you recommend any other accessories other than what comes in the box??
Thanks,
Tim
What comes in the Box can make your knifes crazy sharp. It takes a little getting work getting use to it, but does a fine job.
Loudenboomer
Silver $$ Contributor
Bart Have you tried Maxament Knife steel. I know you mentioned you like S90-V. I do to. Maxament lacks the toughness of my M-4 and the like but I think it holds an edge longer than any thing on the planet!
I would take S110V over maxament. The S110V is stainless. Look up K390!
I also use a worksharp, and I have the old one like you. The newer one looks improved, but I just can't justify spending any more coin as this one sharpens fine.
This is my favorite knife, it is the one I learned to sharpen a knife on, took me quite a while to get it sharp but it will shave. My dad gave it to me when I was about 3 years old, it was his first knife. The knife has cleaned a LOT of fish...it once cleaned a 22 lb. bonita which I caught on an all day fishing boat in California. Unfortunately shortly after that my parents divorced and the fishing with my dad was gone...no more cabin cruiser, no more all day boats...It was dull for so long I had thought it was pot metal...but it's sharp now...I plan to pass it along to my own son...but before then I think it's got a few pigs and deer left in it...
Nice knife! Mine is actually the new Work Sharp Pro.
Oh, do you have the digital angle thingamajig that goes on the sharpening rod ??? It is time-consuming to get a nice edge on it. I am not sure what Benchmade sharpens their blades to, but mine seemed >30 degrees, they claim 28 or 29, I think. It could have been the angle on mine originally. I end with about 10-20 single swipes on the finest 1200 stone they ship with the unit.
I have bunches of knives...just always been fascinated with them. I'm building a drop-point hunter, patterened off the Bob Loveless design. I have 2 magnacut blanks to use, just in case I f#@$ up the first one...LOL
Probably the same reason I bought 4 bolt receiver blanks...
Pertinent to this thread is sharpening.
Anyone that owns a knife needs to understand how to keep it sharp. A knife is like any other tool, with a dull blade it's actually dangerous.
For my chisels and for some knives, I use Japanese water stones. This is a great skill to have, being able to freehand sharpen. This method works well, but is messy, IMO. My daughter and wife have a number of Japanese laminated knives, and those all get water stone sharpening.
I also have an India stone that uses oil to sharpen. I occasionally sharpen a knife on that.
I have used sand paper to freehand in the past, woodworkers refer to this as the scary sharp method.
Finally I have a small diamond plate that I use to sharpen knives occasionally. It's on a keychain.
However, the Worksharp is cheap and works well for knives, just that it's time-consuming.
In the past I have touched up my small Swiss Army Knife on the small diamond plate, but I was able to get it fixtured on the Worksharp and it's really sharp now. I've lost 3 of those at TSA since 911.
For best value and ability to get a knife sharp, my vote goes to the manual Worksharp. There are other Worksharps (like the Ken Onion) which are powered. I use the manual one with the sharpening rod as Bart pictured.
How do all of you others sharpen? At the end of the day you need to keep the edge sharp, however that is...it really doesn't matter if the blade is high carbon, I've forged knives out of 01 and 5160, they hold a fine edge.
Anyone that owns a knife needs to understand how to keep it sharp. A knife is like any other tool, with a dull blade it's actually dangerous.
For my chisels and for some knives, I use Japanese water stones. This is a great skill to have, being able to freehand sharpen. This method works well, but is messy, IMO. My daughter and wife have a number of Japanese laminated knives, and those all get water stone sharpening.
I also have an India stone that uses oil to sharpen. I occasionally sharpen a knife on that.
I have used sand paper to freehand in the past, woodworkers refer to this as the scary sharp method.
Finally I have a small diamond plate that I use to sharpen knives occasionally. It's on a keychain.
However, the Worksharp is cheap and works well for knives, just that it's time-consuming.
In the past I have touched up my small Swiss Army Knife on the small diamond plate, but I was able to get it fixtured on the Worksharp and it's really sharp now. I've lost 3 of those at TSA since 911.
For best value and ability to get a knife sharp, my vote goes to the manual Worksharp. There are other Worksharps (like the Ken Onion) which are powered. I use the manual one with the sharpening rod as Bart pictured.
How do all of you others sharpen? At the end of the day you need to keep the edge sharp, however that is...it really doesn't matter if the blade is high carbon, I've forged knives out of 01 and 5160, they hold a fine edge.
I carry this model daily, love everything about it other than the price. I lost my first one and had another on order before the day was over.
bozo699
Gold $$ Contributor
Is the old knife you pictured a Western?… I got one as a kid also,… still have it.
My Dad taught me how to sharpen a knife and axes when I was a young boy, he bought me my first knife when I was 3 the axe I think I was 5 shortly after that he taught me how to sharpen them told me never let me catch you with either of them dull. The knife was a sodbuster at some point I lost it but have had the axe for 55 years it’s a small double bit axe with a short handle I use it to build fence and hunting mostly but you could shave with it if you took a mind to. I’ve never used one of those new fangled tools like you have but can see there merits. My great uncle was a shipwright in the Bremerton shipyards and gave me some high quality oil stones when I was probably 10 years old I still use them I also use steel and ceramic and a leather strop and if I want it really sharp the palm of my hand after the strop.
Wayne
Not sure, none of the marks are visible, it was my dad's first knife also...I haven't given it to my son yet, but built another folder from Jantz that he's going to carry in his pack when we go out hunting. It has a stainless blade. There are lots of ways to get a sharp edge, so I think it boils down to what we all want for ourselves. If I didn't like the Worksharp, I'd probably prefer freehanding.
Some stuff like drawknives and axes, I use a stone and hold the blade stationary and move the stone over the edge.
For any of you that like to build knives. This is the materials I have to put together a drop-point hunter. For the handle pins I ended up with some mosaic copper with red, everything should look nice together.
bozo699
Gold $$ Contributor
I’m happy to hear the old knife being passed down. I have an old timer folding blade knife that belonged to my Grandfather, it has two blades one that locks one that doesn’t , I’ve never seen another like it. It’s a large knife too big for your pocket but that’s where he packed it. When my Father passed he left it to me and I’ll leave it to my son. My Dad packed a folding lock blade Buck, I’ve never cared for it as I really don’t like buck knives but it was his and I’ll pass it along as well. He sharpened it so many times the blade is about half its original size.
Wayne
Yes it has the digital angle thingy. If you look close at the pic it’s on the table. Changing the blade angle can take awhile, but once it’s sharp it’s pretty quick to get the edge back.Oh, do you have the digital angle thingamajig that goes on the sharpening rod ??? It is time-consuming to get a nice edge on it. I am not sure what Benchmade sharpens their blades to, but mine seemed >30 degrees, they claim 28 or 29, I think. It could have been the angle on mine originally. I end with about 10-20 single swipes on the finest 1200 stone they ship with the unit.
I have bunches of knives...just always been fascinated with them. I'm building a drop-point hunter, patterened off the Bob Loveless design. I have 2 magnacut blanks to use, just in case I f#@$ up the first one...LOL
Probably the same reason I bought 4 bolt receiver blanks...
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