A lot of people say that there is no such thing as “the best knife”. Well I disagree.  Everybody has their own opinion on what they think is the best blade.  Now let’s talk about folding blades (the choices are endless).  During my time in the military I was lucky enough to try many different folding knives (knives that were made available to me in the 90’s). Any SEAL out there knows how hard we are on knives, guns, gear, etc.  It’s no secret that we are afforded the latest, most advanced and toughest crap that can be manufactured for us to successfully do our job and come home safely.  Knives are no different and while I was in the SEAL’s, I went through quite a few folding knives.  I actually was questioned at one point, what the hell I was doing with them.  My response was “I am using them to do my job“.  Well, that went over like a fart in church.  After a long talk with my Chief and he talking with the our equipment representative, there was no longer any more questions. We were issued a new one, end of story.  It didn’t matter if we broke one knife or 10 knives, if the knife couldn’t hold up to task at hand then we would look for a tougher knife.

Anyway, after a lot of trial and error, I finally stuck with Benchmade knives. It holds an edge like no other folding knife that I have used and easy to maintain an edge with proper sharpening and maintenance.

The pocket clip on the side of the knife, which can be put on either side of the handle is incredibly ridged and holds very securely to your pocket, most places on your operator gear or any damn place you choose to put it.

The custom hole that is in the non blade end of the handle, can be used for a lanyard as a secondary point of securing. If you plan to be active in your  movement or know you will be in tight areas that will cause you to rub against things or even get caught on stuff, there is a hole at the back-end of the handle.  This has been purposely placed there to allow it to have secondary point of securing it to whatever and wherever you decide to secure it to.  It has happened more than a few times to me, especially when I was in the military.  Whether navigating through the woods, crawling across the ground or working my way through urban areas, it would never fail that I would catch it on something.  I would realize it, because I could feel it slapping against my leg or side from the lanyard that it was hanging from. I would quickly grab it while moving put it back in its place on my gear and keep moving.

Holding my current Benchmade D2 Griptilian with the diamond grip pattern on the handle, feels very secure and natural in my hand. there are 6 different ways that I know of that you can hold this beauty in your hand.  It feels solid in my hand even if it is wet, sandy or dirty. If it gets greasy or oily, you may have some problems gripping it, but let’s be realistic for christ sake!  It feels like an extension of my hands capabilities for such things as cutting rope, shoe laces, whittling marshmallow sticks for campfire smores, or any other McGyver’ish thing in daily life.  You are probably wondering , what the hell campfire smores has to do with being a SEAL?  Well, if you are narrow-minded and not paying attention to what I have written so far then it doesn’t make any sense at all.  Stop the press!  I am a veteran.  I use it to whittle marshmallow sticks for the kids and me (hell yes, I eat smores!).

When it is open, the safety lock keeps the blade securely open. I have definitely tested how well it keeps the blade locked in the open position, to the extent that it gives me chills , not knowing if I will be the lucky recipient to the nickname “lefty”.

Knives of all brands, types and quality are made of many different types of steel/mineral combinations.  Thanks to chemists out there in the world, the blades just keep getting more and more superior to what we knew back in the 20th century (Vietnam, Korea, etc).  Companies are now using different fusion processes and multiple steps for the different types of blades they sell.  I am not even going to try to bullshit you about the different types of steel in the blades and how it is graded, because that would be stupid, as I am most certain there are some serious knife-steel geeks out there that know more about that stuff then I can even fathom.  What I will do is provide you with a link from “Best Pocket Knife Today” that may even surprise the most knowledgeable of steel heads out there.  The reason I picked this site is it has a few different Benchmade folding knife models among the different grades of steel quality.  Ironically, my Benchmade D2 Griptilian is in the mix!

http://bestpocketknifetoday.com/discovering-the-best-knife-steel/

So, with all of this information in your hand and your mind going in spin-mode about which FRIGGEN folding knife you should get, I would definitely recommend the Benchmade Brand over many others.  Just remember that you get what you pay for.  If you only want to spend $25-$30, go to the local hardware store.  If you are ready to drop $120 and up, then the local hunting stores, gun dealers and internet is the way to go.  If you go to the internet, I would recommend going directly to the website that carries your knife of interest.  Whether it is Benchmade or any other brand, that is the safest approach.  Remember the Warranty and return policy too..  GOOD LUCK!

This article was originally published on the Loadout Room and written by Duncan