CPM-20CV

Hinderer Knives XM-18 Slippy Review

Hinderer Knives is a company best known for their overbuilt XM Series. Burly titanium framelock flippers that helped popularize the titanium framelock flipper. So to see them release the XM-18 Slippy, a slip joint using their XM pattern, is a bit of an oddity. But then again, it’s not that surprising given the recent resurgence of interest in slip joint knives.

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And oddly enough this may be their most practical daily carry folder yet. Reasonably small, slim, lightweight, and retailing for under $300, this may be the Hinderer that you didn’t realize you needed.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The XM Slippy has an overall length of 7″, a 3″ blade, weighs 3.71 ounces, and is made in the USA. It’s a great size for urban or suburban daily carry. It has similar dimension to the XM-18 3″, but is a hair thinner, .4 ounces heavier, and $150 cheaper.

I think if they had to borrow from one of the XM framelocks, the 3″ version was smart. This is all I need for an EDC knife. The 3.5″ version would have been way too much.

Hinderer has rolled this knife out in a couple of blade shapes, but shown here we have their classic drop point. It’s hard to go wrong with the clean look and practical features of a drop point. A good functional tip, plenty of belly, and Hinderer’s high flat “slicer” grind all work together to provide all-round performance.

Most of these early XM-18 Slippys appear to be coming with CPM-20CV blade steel. We are starting to see more high end knives in CPM-20CV. I’ve reviewed a couple Benchmade knives in this steel, including the G-10 Griptilian. Another notable knife in CPM-20CV is the Cold Steel 4MAX.

So at this point I have a few knives in my long term collection in CPM-20CV and I’ve put some miles on them. CPM-20CV is Crucible’s answer to Boeller M390. It’s the same chemical composition as M390, but it’s made by Crucible in the USA. I think it’s a great steel, and it provides a good blend of edge retention, ease of sharpness, corrosion resistance and toughness. Here is a link to ZKnives’ page on 20CV where you can get some more details.

In practice this is a slicey knife that has performed admirably in all the typical EDC chores. I have used my Slippy for your basic EDC knife stuff including opening mail, breaking down boxes, light food prep, and the random jobs that you invariably encounter when carrying a pocket knife. For each task the Slippy worked fine. It slices well and the stonewashed finish hasn’t shown much in the way of wear. Edge retention has been great, and when it’s time to touch it up, all I’ve needed to do is run the edge along the fine stones that came with my Spyderco Sharpmaker. I can’t ask for much more out of a daily carry blade.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocekt Clip

The handle is textured G10 scales over titanium liners secured with Hinderer’s custom hardware. One complaint is they have a lot of extra bolts on this thing. The show side has the pivot, 2 bolts by the lanyard hole, and then 3 button head bolts running across the handle. These may be necessary for their slip joint mechanism, but it’s not pretty. It would look much cleaner if they could ditch the button heads.

Beyond that, everything has been executed with Hinderer’s typical care and attention to detail. All the pieces have been beautifully finished, the parts line up, and any sharp edges have been broken. Anyone who has handled a regular XM will know what I’m talking about. The fit and finish is top notch.

This is a comfy little knife. The 3″ XM pattern is tried and true, and it’s just the same for this slip joint version. You have a good size handle with plenty of room for a full 4 finger grip. If you want to choke up on the blade you can with the forward choil. There is a run of mild jimping on the spine of the handle right above the pivot, and the textured G-10 scales offer grip without shredding your pocket like a fresh emery board.

The pocket clip is your standard XM-18 spoon style clip positionable for right side tip up or tip down carry. This is a proven clip that does a good job of keeping the knife mostly buried in the pocket. Hinderer includes a filler plate so you fill the void in the G-10 when you reposition the clip.

There isn’t much to complain about when it comes to this pocket clip. Some may favor a deep carry clip, but very little of the handle peeks up out of your pocket anyway. In practice the Slippy carried like a dream. Thin, lightweight, and discreet.

Walk and Talk

For the most part, all the stuff above is essentially a review of the 3″ XM-18 in CPM-20CV steel. Nothing earth shattering in my findings. This section is where it gets interesting. Our titanium framelock has been replaced with a slip joint, and our flipper and thumb studs have been replaced with an adjustable thumb disk.

The thumb disk is removable with an allen wrench, so this knife can be made into a 2 hand opener. Good for certain legal jurisdictions. Personally, I left the thumb disk on, but I did adjust it by loosening it with an allen bit from my WiHa bit set, and then sliding the thumb disk down the channel cut into the blade.

I positioned it to a good “sweet spot” where my thumb naturally brushes it when gripping the knife. In practice I think this is a cool feature. The groove in the blade may look a little weird at first, but I quickly got over it, and I like how the thumb disk can be adjusted to fit your hand.

Here is a size comparison with the Slippy next to my Spyderco Native 5:

Lets talk about the walk and talk, since this is a slip joint after all. The backspring on this knife is pretty good. I’d give it a “6” on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being floppy, and a 10 requiring significant force. I’d put most Swiss Army Knives around a 3 or 4. The Slippy has a good amount of resistance, but it won’t rip your fingernails off as you try to open the blade.

The blade opens up with a satisfying snap, and that same strong spring holds the blade open. There isn’t a hard half stop, but there is a “no man’s land” at the 90 degree point. From there you can push the blade closed and the spring takes up the slack to bring the blade home.

Blade centering is perfect on my knife.

Hinderer Knives XM-18 Slippy Review – Final Thoughts

I liked this XM-18 Slippy more than I expected to. What I appreciate is the simplicity. The Slippy has everything you need, and nothing you don’t. I know everyone’s needs are different, but for me 99% of the time I don’t need a locking folder for my daily carry chores. So this slip joint version strikes me as streamlined and practical given what I require out of an EDC knife. For those wanting a more robust locking folder, there is always their regular XM-18 series.

In addition to the practicality of the XM-18 Slippy, I’m also drawn to the price. A sub $300 Hinderer is an accomplishment in my book. The Slippy is a full $150 cheaper than their framelock version. It’s still expensive, but this is a relatively small batch precision product made in the USA. It oozes the kind of quality you would expect from Hinderer. My example is flawless, and at this price I’m a little more inclined to roll the Slippy in my daily rotation carry than keep it as a collectible.

As for potential downsides, I’m not a fan of the extra screws featured on the show side. I haven’t taken this knife apart to see why the bolts are necessary, but probably should. If I do I’ll snap a picture and update the review. Also, some may not be able to get around the thumb disk and channel in the blade. It’s unusual and strikes me as an acquired taste, but I don’t mind it. Like the rest of the knife, it’s practical and it works.

In closing I think Hinderer did a nice job with their take on the slip joint. The slip joint bandwagon has been gaining a lot of steam lately, but Rick and his team have found away to offer a unique take on the slip joint that compliments their existing lineup. Recommended if you are looking for a premium non-locking EDC, are curious about the design, or are a fan of Hinderer knives in general.

Hinderer Knives XM-18 Slippy
From: BladeHQ

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I recommend purchasing the Hinderer Knives XM-18 Slippy at BladeHQ, Amazon, or Knife Art. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Benchmade Anthem 781 Review

by Aaron Shapiro 3 Comments

Last Updated: July 18, 2019

There was a time when Benchmade was kinda the sleepy “Gunshop Knife Brand.” There would always be a few dusty Griptillians sitting in the case next to the preowned Glocks, and while the Grips might be fantastic value-props, they a bit vanilla-icecream-y if you get my meaning.

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However, something has been changing in the last few years. I don’t know if someone put some sriracha on the break table over there in Oregon City, or what, but something has injected some pep into their design team. Introducing the Anthem 781, Benchmade’s first Integral Titanium folding knife. There are lots to say about this one, but before I get too deep let’s go over some specs:

(Please note these measurements are according to my ruler and calipers, manufacturer’s listed measurements may vary.)

Blade Length: 3.25” of cutting edge, 3.375
Overall Length: 8.125”
Thickness: .585” with clip, .421 handle only
Blade Thickness: .115”
Steel: 20CV
Weight: 3.7oz
Lock: The famed Axis Lock
Country of Origin: USA

Blade Details

With a knife like the Anthem, I believe that it’s intended to be a daily carry type piece. It’s not overly large, doesn’t have any sort of complicated aspect to it, and the functional bits are designed to be, well, functional.

The blade is a great example of this: drop pointed shaped with a rounded (or crowned) spine. Eyeballing it, I’d guess that it’s flat ground but I suppose it could be a shallow hollow grind as well; either way, it’s a great slicer. It came out of the box with a very nice, toothy, utility edge and I didn’t feel the need to change this on my wicked edge. In the couple of weeks that I’ve been carrying it I have had occasion to break down boxes, slice up food, and perform just daily “knife-stuff” tasks with it, nothing crazy, no batoning or zombie apocalypse type stuff, but in terms of daily EDC tasks, it excelled.

In terms of the steel, I will briefly comment on it: Benchmade chose 20CV for this blade, and I believe that to be an excellent choice for a knife like this. 20CV is a high toughness and corrosion resistance steel, that hardens to around 62HRC. I have no means testing to see if my knife is in that range, but I can tell you that it’s performed beautifully and has been easily maintained on a strop. 20CV is very similar to M390 (one of my favorite steels) and I have been really pleased with it in this application.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Ah yes… The INTEGRAL handle. This is really what makes this knife stand out, isn’t it? This is the first Integral from Benchmade. For those of you not familiar with the term: Integral means that the handle of this knife is milled out of a single block of Titanium as opposed to two that are screwed together. There aren’t any screws holding the knife handle together. In the past, this level of knife making was reserved to custom makers that had a lot of time on their hands (it takes a while to mill a channel out of a block of Ti) but recently a few companies have started incorporating integrals into their lineup.

One of the interesting things about Benchmade’s execution of the integral handle is how they incorporated the axis lock into it. When you look at the spine of the knife (the money shot of any integral) you’ll see two screws hidden in the decorative milling, these hold the locking method in place.

In the hand the first thing that came to mind for me was how thin the knife is; It carries very well in the pocket and feels great in hand. The handle itself is trim in both dimensions thickness and height, but there is a sort of faux-choil towards the blade that locks the hand in securely when holding the knife open. Otherwise, the milled texture gives you a little bit of grip on what would otherwise be a pretty slick knife.

The pocket clip is an ambidextrous milled Ti clip that is more than a little phallic, but it is also very functional. There are several makers out there that are offering custom clips made from Moku-Ti so if you want something different there are options for you. The knife carries well with approx 1/2” sticking out of the pocket, offering a perfect grip to withdraw it.

Deployment and Lockup

The blade on the Anthem opens by way of ambidextrous thumb studs. The blade deploys easily thanks in part to bearings washers. The action is smooth and easy.

For lockup, the Anthem comes equipped with Benchmade’s Axis lock. I’m not sure there’s much to say about the Axis lock that hasn’t already been said. It’s an incredibly solid lock mechanism that isn’t prone to lock rock, doesn’t really suffer from failures in the way a liner or frame lock might, and it is completely ambidextrous to use. The execution of the Axis lock is worth noting on the Anthem, there’s a block screwed to the spine of the knife that acts as the anchor point for the axis lock mechanism.

Benchmade Anthem Review – Final Thoughts

So to wrap all this up…the Benchmade 781 Anthem is a great step forward for Benchmade knives. I think it shows a focus shift on Benchmade’s part too, hopefully, starting to produce some higher-end knives. I am also very pleased to see their adoption of some different steels. I love CPM154 and S30V, but it’s good to have some variety. Between the 20CV here and the S90 in the 940-1, it’s been refreshing.

Now, the caveat to this entire review: This is an expensive knife. MSRP is around $500, with retail landing closer to $425 on BladeHQ and Amazon. Competitively, this puts you in the ballpark of a Chris Reeve, or above the ballpark of some really nice Zero Tolerances, but what you’re paying for here is the time and difficulty in making the handle. It’s a remarkable feat, but you have to decide if it’s worth it to you, for me it was too cool to pass up. The nice thing, however, is that you won’t be getting a gimmicky integral for that price—you’re going to be putting a knife that will make a great daily carry in your pocket.

COLD STEEL AD-10 3.5" S35VN Steel Ultra-Sharp Drop Point Blade 5.25" G-10 Handle Tactical Folding Knife with Tri-Ad Locking Mechanism

CONSTRUCTION - The AD-10 tactical folding knife features an ultra-wide, ground thin at the edge, honed to razor-sharpness blade that offers unprecedented cutting, shearing, and piercing power while resisting bending, breaking, or chipping
S35VN STEEL BLADE - Crafted from S35VN steel, the AD-10 folding knife's blade ensures super-fine cutting edges and exceptional edge retention; This premium steel is renowned for its durability and ability to maintain sharpness through rigorous use
STRONG HANDLE - The handle of the AD-10 knife boasts heat-treated, full-length aluminum liners and 3D machined G-10 scales, providing unparalleled strength and grip; Its precise contouring and integral finger guard ensure a snug and secure fit in the hand
TRI-AD LOCK - Complete with the Tri-Ad, the AD-10 offers unrivaled strength, shock resistance, and durability; This reliable locking mechanism provides peace of mind, safeguarding your fingers during use and ensuring the blade remains securely in place
SPECS - Weight: 7 oz (198.4 g); Blade Thickness: 3.8 mm; Blade Length: 3 1/2"; Blade Steel: S35VN; Handle Length/Material: 5 1/4" G-10; Overall Length: 8 3/4"; Knife Type: Folder; Blade Shape: Drop Point; Locking Mechanism: Tri-Ad Lock

I recommend purchasing the Benchmade Anthem at BladeHQ or Amazon. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Benchmade Proxy Review

by Dan Jackson Leave a Comment

Last Updated: September 7, 2019
Warren Osborne is one of the most recognized names in knife making. While he was an extremely talented custom maker, a large part of his renown is due to a series of high profile collaborations with Benchmade. The 940 is one of the most notable collabs, but Warren Osborne is also known for designing the Rift and Barrage, among others.

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Warren Osborn passed away in 2016, after a long a long struggle with a cancer. The Benchmade Proxy was his final collaboration with Benchmade. I happen to think it was an interesting design. Benchmade has only recently gotten into flippers, and this Proxy is one of their takes on a titanium framelock flipper. As Warren’s last collaboration with Benchmade I knew it was something I needed to get my hands on.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Benchmade Proxy has an overall length of 8.85″, a 3.87″ blade, weighs 4.86 ounces, and is made in the USA. This is a substantial knife. A bit too much for me to carry on a daily basis, but I’m sure it will make a fine EDC for those that like larger knives. At under 5 ounces, it’s plenty light and pocketable for a near 4″ bladed folder.

The Proxy features a long sloping drop point blade. It kind of reminds me of the head of a shark. For whatever that is worth. It’s a strong blade cut from near 4mm thick stock. The knife has a high flat grind and has been left thin behind the edge. It’s fine for cutting boxes or fruit, and I suspect it would hold up under tougher chores as well. The tip is placed low on the knife. That shortens the belly but makes it good at stabbing things. Benchmade went with what appears to be a matte satin finish. It’s a utilitarian finish that hides wear well.

The most prominent feature on the blade is the oversized sharpening choil. That makes it easy to sharpen, but you lose some edge, and if you aren’t careful material you are wanting to cut can get caught up in the large choil.

Benchmade selected CPM-20CV for the Proxy’s blade steel. This is the same steel my G-10 Griptilian came in, and now that I’ve owned that knife for almost 2 years, I have a little experience with it. Manufactured by Crucible Industries, CPM-20CV is advertised as a steel with high corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and good toughness. Chemically it is similar to M390, which is an excellent steel. CPM-20CV has an extremely high chromium content, which results in its corrosion resistant qualities.

In practice I have found that CPM-20CV performs admirably. It exhibits a nice balance of edge retention and sharpenability, while exhibiting excellent rust and corrosion resistance. To be compared with M390 places it in excellent company, and I consider CPM-20CV to be top tier blade steel. A great choice for a high end folding knife.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Benchmade Proxy features a titanium frame lock mated to a one piece G-10 backspacer and handle scale. Everything is held together with torx fasteners. It’s kind of an odd combination between the light brown G-10, the sandblasted titanium, the satin hardware and the mirror polished clip. The varying textures and angular design almost make the Proxy feel like a small piece of modern art. The build quality is excellent. Tolerances are tight, the parts line up, and the 3-D machining on the handles is excellent.

I also like the omission of the lanyard hole. I’m not a big lanyard guy, but you see them on pretty much every knife. It’s refreshing to get something without a lanyard hole. While that is bound to piss some people off, personally I don’t miss it.

The Proxy is a large and comfortable knife. It’s got a big simple handle, so it will conform to most hand sizes. There is little in the way of texture on the knife, but still my fingers fall naturally in place. Warren did design a forward finger choil, and that feature allows you to choke up on the blade and get close to what you are cutting. You can also choke back on this handle, providing you a couple inches of additional reach. Potentially useful if you have to do some light chopping or use the Proxy in a “tactical” application.

The pocket clip is Benchmade’s split arrow clip, buffed up to a high shine. While I generally like the split arrow clip, I’m not a huge fan of the shiny version shown here. It’s kind of loud and it doesn’t match the rest of the knife. It feels out of place, although I’m not sure what I would have put instead of this clip. I probably would have reconsidered the entire hardware selection, finishes, and color choice.

The Proxy carries well considering it’s almost a 9″ folding knife. The sturdy split arrow clip, and bead blasted titanium handle work together to provide good traction without tearing up your pocket. At .5″ thick the Proxy is not the thinnest knife, but it’s not the thickest either. Benchmade milled out some large grooves to make it a little slimmer and more pocketable. All said, I think the Proxy is not a bad knife to carry.

Deployment and Lockup

This is a bearing equipped titanium framelock flipper. I haven’t reviewed a Benchmade framelock flipper before, so this is new territory for me. In practice it flips great. I’d say it scores a solid “7” on my 0-10 scale. Maybe a little behind the action you would find on a Zero Tolerance flipper, but not by much. It’s snappy and responsive action and the bearings are smooth. So smooth you can shake the blade closed. Nice.

The titanium frame lock is reinforced with a stainless steel insert. The insert does not double as an over travel stop mechanism, a feature I’ve come to find standard on most flippers from ZT, Spyderco, and Kizer. That said, the lockup on this knife is early, and free of any sort of play. It’s rock solid.

Here is a shot of the Proxy next to my Strider SnG. I chose the SnG because the Proxy borrows the integral G-10 handle / backspacer.

Blade centering is pretty good on my knife. Not perfect. It favors the G-10 side by a mm or so, but is nowhere near rubbing.

Benchmade Proxy Review – Final Thoughts

The Proxy is a curious knife. Warren Osborne made a name for himself providing unique designs, and I think the Proxy continues that legacy. Individually, there are number of seemingly dissimilar components. Added up they all come together. Sorta. Part of me can’t help but feel that this blade was put together with leftovers from Benchmade’s parts bin, but other parts of me appreciate the simple design. The knife is nicely made and is both comfortable to use and a capable cutter. It’s a great work knife.

While it may not be to everyone’s taste, I think the Proxy is a good knife. I appreciate the Proxy and I appreciate Warren Osborne for his contributions to the knife world. I can safely recommend the Proxy for fans of Warren and fans of this design.

Benchmade - Proxy 928, Plain Drop-Point

HIGH-QUALITY: The CPM-20CV stainless steel blade features excellent edge retention, corrosion resistance, and low maintenance. The G10 and titanium handle offers durability and great performance.
WELL-DESIGNED: The 928 features a highly strong and functional Monolock mechanism with the added convenience of a flipper. It's a manual knife that can be opened and closed with one hand.
ALWAYS READY: The 928 combines high performance and a highly modernized look. The reversible pocket clip offers ultimate accessibility.
VERSATILE: The Proxy 928's drop-point, utility blade style and all-around functionality make it ideal for everyday use, outdoor activities, and even tactical applications.

I recommend purchasing the Benchmade Proxy at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Cold Steel 4-Max Review

by Dan Jackson 8 Comments

This is a knife that requires little in the way of an introduction. The Cold Steel 4-Max is arguably the most overbuilt hard use folding knife of all time. Modeled after designer Andrew Demko’s custom 4-Max folder the 4-Max brings Andrew’s clean design and attention to detail to life.

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This isn’t your garden variety Cold Steel offering. Built in the USA and retailing for about $400, this high end production offering is for those that want to get as close to an Andrew Demko custom as they can without buying and actual AD custom. I’ve wanted to check one of these knives out ever since they announced the project in 2014. 4 years later and I finally have one in hand.

Will the knife survive the hype? Read on to find out.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 4-Max has an overall length of 10.00″, a 4.00″ blade and weighs 10.2 ounces. This is a big honking knife. As you will be able to see in the size comparisons, if the Ultimate Hunter is a great white, then this 4Max is a megalodon. It dwarfs normal folding knives. It’s almost a caricature of a folding knife. It’s massive in every way. Some may view a knife this big as novelty item rather than an EDC. Personally, I like mine for trips to the supermaket and high stakes hostage negotiations.

My 4-Max is made in the USA, but Cold Steel has moved manufacturing over to Italy. They changed the G-10 from the tan shown here to a blue grey on the Italian version. Personally, part of the allure of the 4Max to me was that it was made in the USA. It’s a knife so ridiculous that it almost needs to be made in the USA. Otherwise it’s just an imposter. That said, my research shows the Italian 4Max is very nice, and possibly even a smidge better than this USA version in the fit and finish department.

The blade on this sucker is massive. It’s a simple drop point with a deep belly, high flat grind, and decorative swedge. The grinds are crisp and even. The edge has been evenly applied, although the sharpener did run up onto the choil a little. That seems to be consistent from knife to knife. I’m not a fan of how that looks, and is one of my gripes.

You would think a knife this overbuilt would be a poor slicer, but the 4-Max actually has great blade geometry. It slices beautifully thanks to the high flat grind that gets surprisingly thin behind the edge. I can slice apples like nobody’s business with the 4Max. The tip also displays a good balance between strength and practicality. It’s stout, but isn’t a pry bar either. The knife is fully functional and surprisingly good at performing day to day tasks.

For blade steel Cold Steel went with CPM-20CV. CPM-20CV is Crucible’s answer to Boeller M390. It’s excellent stuff providing a covetable blend of edge retention, ease of sharpness, corrosion resistance and toughness. It’s a high end steel. So far it has done everything I’ve asked it to. Admittedly that has mostly been EDC chores including breaking down boxes, cutting fruit, and opening mail. I’m keeping this knife for long term evaluation and will update this section periodically.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Handle of the 4-Max is G-10 over titanium liners with a titanium backspacer. Handle construction is solid. The G-10 scales have been nicely finished. All the parts line up, and the overall impression is solid.

So far the tan G-10 has held up well. I’m not a huge fan of light colored G-10 as it tends to pick up dirt and stain, but I haven’t had that issue with the 4-Max.

The ergonomics of the 4-Max are excellent. This is a huge knife, so there is plenty of real estate, and Andrew Demko is well known for his simple and ergonomic designs that accommodate a variety of grips and hand sizes. The ergonomic features include a generous forward finger choil, lightly textured G-10 handle scales, and a short run of toothy jimping. The jimping is nice because it captures the pad of your thumb without being overly aggressive.

All the edges of the G-10 have been chamferred. I haven’t noticed any hot spots. The balance point of the knife is an inch or so behind the pivot, so it has a forward heavy feel. It all but begs to be chopped with, an odd sensation from a folding knife. The pommel is large and angular and could be used as an “impact tool” if the need ever arised. The 4-Max is also comfortable in a reverse grip.

Time to talk about the pocket clip. This is a large titanium pocket clip. It allows for right or left side tip up carry only. It’s not a deep carry clip, but it’s oriented so that the knife buries fairly deep in the pocket. Spring retention is excellent.

In practice, this knife carries as you would expect. You need to wear a belt while EDCing the 4-Max, lest you wish to arrive at your destination in just your underwear. It’s big, it’s heavy, and it takes up a ton of space in your pocket. I wouldn’t turn up my nose at a belt sheath for this one.

Deployment and Lockup

The 4-Max makes use of large ambidextrous thumb studs. Quite a bit of travel is required to pop this blade open. Thankfully the going is smooth due to the massive phosphor bronze washers. When you finally maneuver the blade into the open position you are greeted with a hugely satisfying “click”. It’s kind of like closing the door of a German car.

Here is a size comparison with the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter, a large knife in its own right.

For lockup we have an oversized Tri-Ad lock. It’s got a stop pin bigger than most pivots. Lockup is absolutely bank vault solid. Not a smidge of play here, and according to Cold Steel this lock can handle ungodly amounts of punishment. No complaints with respect to the lock.

Where I do have a complaint is when it’s time to unlock the knife. Tri-Ad locks can have a reputation for being tough to disengage, but this 4-Max takes it to a new level. Not only is a good amount of pressure required to release the blade (understandable), you have to position your thumb dead center on the lock release. If you travel too far forward or back, you won’t have sufficient travel for the lockbar to raise enough to disengage.

Once you get the lock disengaged extreme care needs to be taken with this blade. The spring tension turns the 4-Max into a guillotine of sorts. Care always needs to be exercised when closing a folding knife, but extreme care should be taken with the 4-Max. The combination of strong spring, heavy blade, and razor sharp blade make this one a little disconcerting to use. I’ve never felt nervous closing a pocket knife before, but after catching the edge of my ring finger in this blade I have a new level of respect for the 4-Max. Be careful.

Here is another size comparison with the hugely popular Spyderco Paramilitary 2:

Blade centering is good, but not great on my knife. It’s a mm or so off. No where near rubbing, but at this price point I would obviously prefer something dead centered.

Cold Steel 4-Max Review – Final Thoughts

The 4-Max is the closest most of us will come to ever owning an Andrew Demko custom knife. It was built without compromise, and in that respect the 4-Max is a roaring success. If you are looking for the biggest, baddest hard use folding knife on the planet then I think the 4-Max should be at the top of your short list. It’s beautifully made, and it cuts surprisingly well. And I challenge you to find a more solid folding knife.

My biggest gripe is it’s a tough lock to disengage. Not only is there a lot of spring tension, you have to place your thumb right in the center in order to successfully disengage the lock.

However, if you are looking for anything resembling a practical pocket knife for urban EDC then I think you should look elsewhere. This knife is huge and heavy. No way I would want to carry it around on a daily basis. But it’s a beautiful and unique piece and I appreciate it for what it is.

With the 4-Max, you are either going to love the idea of it or hate it. If you are somehow on the fence about the 4-Max I would suggest picking one up. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Cold Steel 4 Max Folding Knife

CPM-20CV Steel
Pocket / Belt Clip

I recommend purchasing the Cold Steel 4-Max at BladeHQ or Amazon. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Benchmade G10 Griptilian 551-1 Review

by Dan Jackson 29 Comments

I wasn’t one of those guys that had a big issue with the plastic handles on the original Griptilian. I always thought they were light and durable. Maybe not the sexiest choice of materials, but certainly practical. But for many the plastic handles of the Griptilian were a source of contention at best. At worst they were a deal breaker.

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So for the longest time if you wanted a Griptilian with G-10 handle scales, you had to go to the after market. This market was pioneered by ex-pat Kevin Wilkins. His line of WilkinsGRIP aftermarket scales were the enthusiast’s best choice if you wanted a G10 Griptilian.

Benchmade finally came around in late 2015 and released both the 551-1 Griptilian and 556-1 Mini Griptilian with G-10 handles. This is arguably the most exciting thing Benchmade has done since the 940-1 Osborne.

This knife was provided to me free of charge by the fine folks over at KnifeArt. In no way has this impacted my impressions of the 551-1. I think the people over at KnifeArt are good guys, I think they run a quality website, and I appreciate their letting me check out this 551-1. Now on to the review.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 551-1 has an overall length of 8.07″, a 3.45″ blade, weighs 4.17 ounces and is made in the USA. The G10 version is almost an ounce heavier than the original Griptilian, but it does not feel heavy for it’s size, and seems significantly lighter than my WilkinsGRIP equipped BM 552 / Ritter Griptilian.

The 551-1 has an identical drop point blade to the original Griptilian and is offered with your choice of thumb stud or thumb oval. I always preferred the look of the thumb stud version of the Griptilian, so that is what I got.

When I compare this blade to my original Griptilian the only difference I can detect is that the blade has been given a bit of a stonewash. Of course, the 551-1 features a new blade steel, and I will talk about that below. But beyond that you have the same excellent blade shape of the original Griptilian, with a saber flat grind, and swedge. This classic drop point shape has served me well for many years now.

Besides the switch to G-10 scales, the biggest news about the 551-1 is change to CPM-20CV blade steel. This is a steel that I was previously unfamiliar with. Manufactured by Crucible Industries, CPM-20CV is advertised as a steel with high corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and good toughness. Chemically it is similar to M390, which is an excellent steel. CPM-20CV has an extremely high chromium content, which results in its corrosion resistant qualities. From what I can gather, this appears to be a good choice for a folding knife. It may not have the toughness of a steel like 3V, but I think the extra corrosion resistance is a nice trade off here. My regular 154CM Griptilian has been through the ringer, and it occasionally shows small spots of rust if I forget to clean it.

My 551-1 came razor sharp from the factory, and this 20CV seems to hold an edge well. So far I have used the knife to break down a few boxes, open mail, etc. I haven’t wailed on this knife like my original Griptilian and so far have only needed to gently strop the knife to maintain its edge. No corrosion or complaints thus far, but I am not 100% convinced that this steel is worth the price premium over regular 154CM to me.

Still, it’s an interesting steel and I intend to keep this knife for long term testing and evaluation. I’ll update this review as I “gather more data points” and use the knife in the coming years. So far so good.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Obviously the handle is the main event here for the 551-1, and is basically the entire point of this knife. I am pleased to say that this new G10 handle has been beautifully executed. It is fully 3-D machined, and features bright blue liners and anodized blue backspacers beneath gray overlays. I am not sure if the gray-blue combo would have been my first choice, but the blue certainly “pops” here and my handle has been flawlessly executed. I am hoping Benchmade will roll out some other color combos in the future.

Like the original Griptilian the 551-1 features partial nested steel liners. That is about the only similarity with the handle construction of the original Griptilian. Even the hardware has been upgraded on the 551-1. This new handle is a totally different animal and it transforms the look and feel of the knife.

My favorite aspect of the new handle is how they shaped it to match the contours of the original Griptilian. If you handle aftermarket scales for a Griptilian, they are usually very big and boxy. These aftermarket handles change the ergonomics substantially and add additional weight. That is not the case for the 551-1. Here you get a feel in hand that is very faithful to the original FRN Grip. Of course there is a little extra weight, and the G-10 does feel slightly different, but the overall profile and hand filling nature of the original model has not been lost in translation. Benchmade did away with some of the extra texturing on the handle, and the diamond pattern here isn’t quite as grippy as on the original knife, but there is plenty of grip here for me and I’d go so far as to say that this is an improvement over the original knife from an ergonomics perspective.

Benchmade decided to include a deep carry pocket clip on the new 551-1 rather than their original spoon clip. I like this deep carry clip. It makes for a discrete knife that I have actually worn with slacks at work a few times now. This is a proven clip design. I think the 551-1 carries well for what it is. This is a larger knife, and it is heavier than it’s FRN predecessor, but this is still something that normal guys can carry and use and I think this is a viable EDC option (although admittedly the mini-551-1 is really all you will need for 99% of your EDC tasks).

Deployment and Lockup

Benchmade has equipped the 551-1 with an impressively beefy set of phosphor bronze washers. Because you have an open back design, the washers are very prominent on this knife. The blade flicks open effortlessly. This is a satisfying knife to open and close. Whether you decide on the thumb stud version or the thumb hole version I don’t think you will have a problem accessing the blade.

Of course for lock up you have an axis lock here. I have discussed the axis lock for years now. It remains one of my favorite locks as it is fully ambidextrous and allows you to easily open and close the knife with one hand. I find that the use of G10 handle scales adds a lot of structural rigidity to an axis lock knife and the 551-1 is no exception. It feels solid, and may inspire more confidence in the end user than FRN.

Blade centering is perfect on my knife, as I would expect from a nearly $200 folder.

Benchmade 551-1 Review – Final Thoughts

I must admit I was somewhat skeptical about this knife given the enormous price premium over the regular FRN verion, but the 551-1 has been beautifully executed, and I can see where the extra money went. They didn’t just slap some G10 on this thing and call it a day – every single facet of the original Griptilian has been re-considered and in someway upgraded. It’s clear Benchmade spent a lot of time and effort to dial in the 551-1.

Compared to its FRN predecessor, this new 551-1 is simply a superior tool. If the original FRN scales drove you up the wall, then the 551-1 cures that ill handily, and if you are a Griptilian fan I’d say this is basically a “must buy”. I was skeptical at first, especially given the price point, but the 551-1 has exceeded my expectations.

Benchmade - Griptilian 551-1 Knife, Drop-Point Blade, Plain Edge, Satin Finish, Gray Handle G10 Handle, Made in the USA

HIGH-QUALITY: The CPM-S30V stainless steel blade is extremely well-balanced, offering superb edge qualities and rust resistance. The glass-filled nylon handle is tough yet attractive, making it ideal for hard jobs and everyday carry.
WELL-DESIGNED: Benchmade's AXIS lock is exceptionally strong and fully ambidextrous. The Griptilian 551 is a manual knife that can be opened and closed single-handedly.
COMFORTABLE: The 551's lightweight design and handle grips make it comfortable to hold and use. The reversible pocket clip offers ultimate accessibility.
VERSATILE: The Griptilian 551's drop-point utility blade style and all-around functionality make it ideal for everyday use, outdoor activities and even tactical applications.

I recommend buying the 551-1 at Amazon, or BladeHQ, KnifeArt.com. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.