Benchmade 755 - Any comments (with my 1st impression!)?

On a whim I just purchased a Benchmade 755. The online reviews were favorable. Anyone out there have any experience they want to share about this knife? This will be my 1st Benchmade product.

Thanks in advance.

kelmo

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

Excellent choice ... congrats

Benchmade quality is outstanding :thumbsup:

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

Can't go wrong buying a Benchmade. More importantly, what do YOU think of it?

BTW, next try one of their Axis locks. You'll be flipping it in your sleep!

Mark

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

What specifically do you like so much about Benchmade? A few weeks ago I decided to buy a bunch of different knives to try out various steels/manufacturers, and of course I did buy a Benchmade (Barrage). It was and still is backordered, so I haven't been able to play with it yet, and as it was by a not-small margin the most expensive of the bunch, I'd like some help in justifying the cost. (I bought a Spyderco Manix 2, Kershaw Tactical Blur, SOG Flash II and the Benchmade Barrage all at basically the same time, already had a Cold Steel Vaquero and a Kershaw Tremor.) Thanks for your input!

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

thedoc007 said:

What specifically do you like so much about Benchmade? A few weeks ago I decided to buy a bunch of different knives to try out various steels/manufacturers, and of course I did buy a Benchmade (Barrage). It was and still is backordered, so I haven't been able to play with it yet, and as it was by a not-small margin the most expensive of the bunch, I'd like some help in justifying the cost. (I bought a Spyderco Manix 2, Kershaw Tactical Blur, SOG Flash II and the Benchmade Barrage all at basically the same time, already had a Cold Steel Vaquero and a Kershaw Tremor.) Thanks for your input!

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Well there's the overall quality, the use of excellent steels, interesting designs but for me it's the Axis lock. After a bit of practice (and some fine tuning of the pivot screw) it becomes possible to snap a knife open as fast as an automatic and more importantly, close it just as fast. I find this to be extremely convenient. The Barrage is a great knife and the 580 is one of my favorites, but unfortunately it's an assisted opening knife which I feel is kind of counterproductive with an Axis lock. It really isn't necessary for opening the knife and interferes with closing it.

The Axis lock is horribly addictive and I'll find myself snapping my Benchmades open and closed for hours on end while watching TV, talking on the phone, reading or whatever, and even with all that abuse, not a hint of blade play.

Mark

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

thedoc007 said:

What specifically do you like so much about Benchmade? A few weeks ago I decided to buy a bunch of different knives to try out various steels/manufacturers, and of course I did buy a Benchmade (Barrage). It was and still is backordered, so I haven't been able to play with it yet, and as it was by a not-small margin the most expensive of the bunch, I'd like some help in justifying the cost. (I bought a Spyderco Manix 2, Kershaw Tactical Blur, SOG Flash II and the Benchmade Barrage all at basically the same time, already had a Cold Steel Vaquero and a Kershaw Tremor.) Thanks for your input!

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Yeah, benchmade quality is just outstanding. And the knives come laser sharp when you buy them.

I've had 2 barrages, for example. The first one was the lower end model 580 (ABS/plastic handle), since I figured I didn't want the extra heft in my EDC. And it was a quality knife, still have it, still use it (though I've managed to screw up the Axis lock twice, but its simple enough to fix with some patience...), but the difference between the 580 and the 581 Osborne (all steel/aluminum) is night and day. Easily the best pocket knife I've owned. Yeah, it has more heft to it, but it is rock solid for an EDC or any other use.

Also, their quality/warranty/gaurantees are pretty good (lifetime sharpening, lifetime warranty/repairing, etc.).

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

42 and shadowstorm, great info, thanks for taking the time. Since the Barrage is still on backorder, I have time to reconsider. After seeing a few videos of the Axis Lock in action I think you may have a point about the assist being counterproductive. What model would you recommend for non-AO? I like the size of the Barrage, so what models should I take a look at? Thanks again.

Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

I have a bunch of Benchmades and others. I got my 1st Axis lock Benchmade probably 12 years ago. The mini barrage black blade serrated has been my main EDC for the past year, small and very useful. I love the assisted opening in the barrage. I also have a full size black tanto blade barrage. Right now I'm EDC'ing a Benchmade Stryker I got 2 weeks ago, very similar, but different steel.

Benchmade has a killer warranty that includes sharpening. +1 for barrage.

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

thedoc007 said:

42 and shadowstorm, great info, thanks for taking the time. Since the Barrage is still on backorder, I have time to reconsider. After seeing a few videos of the Axis Lock in action I think you may have a point about the assist being counterproductive. What model would you recommend for non-AO? I like the size of the Barrage, so what models should I take a look at? Thanks again.

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That's a tough one… The 580 is a polymer scaled knife so it's relatively light for its size so possibly a full sized Griptillian. With a Grip you have a choice of blade styles and if you decide to look into the custom Grips you can choose between a variety of blade styles, steels and handle colors.

OTOH, there's the 940/943 Osborne. Out of all my Benchmades, the 940 is the one I usually find myself carrying and playing with. I bought it solely on reputation, despite the fact that I thought it was one of Benchmade's least attractive designs. It just grew on me the longer I owned it and I've come to love it. It weighs less than 3 oz, has steel lined aluminum scales and a strong reverse tanto S30V blade. The 943 is the same but with a clip point blade. (not that there's anything wrong with 154CM)

BTW, I've found that cuttleryshoppe.com has the best prices on Benchmades if you use the BM25 coupon code for 25% off and NUTNFANCY for free shipping.

Mark

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

42, thanks again! I was afraid of this, though...every time I learn more about anything on CPF it ends up costing me more money. I've decided to buy both the 581 Barrage and the 940, for the non-AO Axis Lock. I just can't resist the looks and M390 steel of the 581, even though the AO might be unnecessary, so I'm telling myself that each will fill a niche.

Good tip on cutleryshoppe too, without the discounts the prices were fairly competitive, but with the discounts they are substantially cheaper than I have found anywhere else. I had originally placed the order for the 583 Barrage with Going Gear, does anyone know if they do price matching? I would like to give them the business, they have treated me well in the past, but the price difference is fairly large...

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

OK I got my 755 today and this thing is built like a tank. Calling it robust does not do it justice. I love this knife. The handle fits my hand perfectly. It came out of the box razor sharp. For some reason I cannot use the thumb post to open it. I must read the instructions. The pocket clip and knurling will make this difficult to clip it to the inside of my pocket. The overall size of this knife will prevent me EDCing it (I work in a government office) but at last I have the high end blade I was looking for.

My BM 755 will reside in my go-bag and do weekend duty when I'm relaxing about town.

Man this knife is beautiful.

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

Thedoc007, I don't want to think of the money this place has cost me. Now that you're getting your first Benchmade Axis knives, you're doomed. I predict you'll have some variety of Griptillian by the end of the year. By the way, you can find some pretty nice third party Titanium deep carry clips online. I'm slowly upgrading most of my Benchmades.


The 581 is a great knife with a great steel. There's a link on Benchmade's 581 page to a great article on this knife. I have the 580 and it has the most powerful spring assist I've ever seen. Even holding the blade back until just before lockup and slowly letting go, the spring will push the blade the rest of the way to lock, no momentum needed.


I think you'll love the 940. It's one of the few knives on the market that can be called 'legendary' without a hint of exaggeration. As I said, I wasn't too impressed by the looks of the knife but the functionality won me over. While I dislike tanto blades due to so much wear on a tiny point of the blade and the extra steps required for sharpening, the reverse tanto design has really impressed me with its ability to keep a lot of strength up near the point of the blade. This is really a surprisingly tough knife despite its light weight.


The pivot may need to be adjusted, but I don't recall any Axis or other flipper design that didn't need a bit of fine tuning. Once i get the pivot screw exactly where I want I use a bit of blue Locktite to keep it there.

I'm glad the Cuttlery Shoppe link helped. Very nice folks over there, and my go to place for Benchmade knives. I called to be put on the waiting list for a Volli and wound up getting their last numbered first production series.


Are you still exploring what's out there?

Mark

Kelmo, glad you like the 755. Could a tight pivot screw be causing you the opening problem? What do you think of the Monolock? I've never used one and I'm curious how it differs from a frame lock. I've read a lot about this knife since it's on my list and everyone agrees that it's a mini-monster. Do you have any ZTs or similar knives for a comparison?

Mark

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

I'm definitely still exploring, but my initial push will be over with my two new Benchmades. I only joined CPF a couple months ago (always liked flashlights, but CPF opened up a new world) and between the 10 new lights and 6-7 new knives, my budget is tapped out for a good while. Basically when I start a new hobby, I like to take a shotgun approach and try different things. Even if I seem to like one type of light/knife better, I don't want to focus exclusively on it at the expense of possibly missing out on something I hadn't considered, or a type that turned out to be better than I thought. I think at this point I have enough of a range to really drill down and decide what features are must haves for me, and which I can do without. And I must say it again, Mark, I really appreciate you taking the time to give some advice. Makes a newbie feel welcome!

Re: Benchmade 755 - Any comments?

Thedoc007, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself! That's what CPF is for. Since you're still exploring, there's a particular knife you may want to think about because it's been recently discontinued but still shows up on Ebay at a semi-reasonable price. It's the Kershaw 1775 OD-1. (the OD stands for Over Drive) 'Blems' (factory seconds that may have a cosmetic flaw) are still showing up on Ebay for $30-$40. This is one of my absolute favorite EDCs because of the extremely clever and unique flipper mechanism. It's roughly the size of a Leek and uses Sandvik 14C28N steel. I grabbed a couple extras because it bugged me that Kershaw would discontinue such an innovative design. They still have the smaller, Chinese made OD-2, but it isn't as nice as the US made OD-1.

Not trying to make my Griptillian prediction come true, ;-) but here's a couple links to youtube videos that show a Griptillian being put through its paces.

http://youtu.be/s5Twgq9UiRQ
http://youtu.be/IqcQsTfgUMk

I'm posting this because it provides a good display of the Axis lock in action, the amount of abuse it can go through and mainly to point out that the 581 is roughly the same size, uses a better steel and has a stronger handle. The Grip is a great knife but anything the 551 can do, the 581 Barrage can do better.

Mark

42 said:

Kelmo, glad you like the 755. Could a tight pivot screw be causing you the opening problem? What do you think of the Monolock? I've never used one and I'm curious how it differs from a frame lock. I've read a lot about this knife since it's on my list and everyone agrees that it's a mini-monster. Do you have any ZTs or similar knives for a comparison?

Mark

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Hey 42,

I finally figured out how to open it. I was applying force to the wrong pressure point. Once I figured it out it became 2nd nature. The Monolock is great, it is a bar of titanium notched to fit it's mirror image on the base of the blade. I will never worry about the blade accidentally closing on my fingers. Disengaging it is also easy with one hand. I really don't have anything to compare it to. My collection is the 755 and a SOG Flash I and II.

Can anyone recommend a holster for the 755?

kelmo

Thor's Hammer Custom Leather should be able to make whatever you want

Any news on exciting new knives?

Hey 42,

Nope. Satisfied with my small stable. How about you?

Nothing new here, I just need to concentrate on sharpening the ones I have. How's the 755's M390 edge holding up? I'd be a little concerned about sharpening that one!