Black blade or regular on benchmade?

Knighj1 · 03-10-2013, 11:52

Owners chime in, I am looking at a new knife(benchmade afo II).
I currently have black handle silver blade(and blade still looks great after years) and was contemplating getting the black on black.
My concern/question, is how will the black on the knife look with use? Will it hold up? I am not hard on knifes, but also not easy. Your input

http://www.bladehq.com/item--Benchma...K-AFO-II--3102

FSHNFVR · 03-10-2013, 11:56

I like the look of the black but mine does show wear. For me it's a tool not a collector.

Knighj1 · 03-10-2013, 13:24

Yea same for me, but I don't want it looked old and worn 6 months in, when my other knife looks great years in

Breadman03 · 03-10-2013, 14:27

I have a Cold Steel Recon Tanto with a black blade. I really haven't used it much, but the few times I have has left it with several scuffs. Honestly, I don't think the black finish will look good very long. I consider it a way to minimize shiny objects in a combat scenario.

Knighj1 · 03-10-2013, 18:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breadman03

I have a Cold Steel Recon Tanto with a black blade. I really haven't used it much, but the few times I have has left it with several scuffs. Honestly, I don't think the black finish will look good very long. I consider it a way to minimize shiny objects in a combat scenario.

good point, Im not military or law enforcement, so I dont really need it for the tacticool look, I just prefer the look of the black over the silver, but want it to look as good as possible for as long.

But the handles are black and metal, so they are also going to show wear, so it may not matter

boomchakabowwow · 03-11-2013, 10:49

I have both black and regular benchmades. My black blades look tattered. But I don't mind it. Silver looks perfect.

Bren · 03-11-2013, 11:44

I don't care for black blades. They don't really serve a purpose and show scratches and wear worse, plus they are so common to cheap-o ninja knives that they make even a nice knife look cheap, IMO.

***syntaxerrorsix*** · 03-11-2013, 14:39

I vote for no coatings for the same reasons mentioned above.

NMOFT · 03-11-2013, 15:06

I've got a Benchmade with a black blade and I'd rather have it w/o the black coating.

moonwilson · 03-11-2013, 15:11

Blade coating on stainless blades serves no purpose other than to make the knife look stupid. And sometimes to cover up sloppy grinding. Given the choice, I will pick uncoated, plain edge blades every time.

itstime · 03-11-2013, 15:29

My vote is you will be happier with the silver. Black is cool but you always look at it to see how much of it is left.

BenjiEDF · 03-11-2013, 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bren

I don't care for black blades. They don't really serve a purpose and show scratches and wear worse, plus they are so common to cheap-o ninja knives that they make even a nice knife look cheap, IMO.

I agree on all points.

Racefan · 03-11-2013, 16:57

Benchmade claims the BK1 black coating aids corrosion resistance, especially around saltwater. "Stainless" steel will stain and corrode - are the naysayers discounting this claim?

(I have no knowledge either way - truly interested in the responses, but I do have an Olive Drab/D2 black Griptillian that I like a lot)

***syntaxerrorsix*** · 03-11-2013, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racefan

Benchmade claims the BK1 black coating aids corrosion resistance, especially around saltwater. "Stainless" steel will stain and corrode - are the naysayers discounting this claim?

(I have no knowledge either way - truly interested in the responses, but I do have an Olive Drab/D2 black Griptillian that I like a lot)

There is better steel for those conditions Benchmade uses X15 T.N. Stainless Steel ans Spyderco uses H1.

Paint is paint and I don't prefer it on knives given the option.

NMOFT · 03-11-2013, 18:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racefan

Benchmade claims the BK1 black coating aids corrosion resistance, especially around saltwater. "Stainless" steel will stain and corrode - are the naysayers discounting this claim?

(I have no knowledge either way - truly interested in the responses, but I do have an Olive Drab/D2 black Griptillian that I like a lot)

Mine is an Adamas 275 and the coating is scratched and getting thin in places, so I don't know how effective it would be in a salt water environment. I agree that using different steel would be better than a coating. The D2 steel that BM uses seems to be pretty corrosion resistant anyway. I suspect that the coating on my Adamas blade is mostly for looks because D2 doesn't polish up very well.

***syntaxerrorsix*** · 03-11-2013, 18:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by NMOFT

Mine is an Adamas 275 and the coating is scratched and getting thin in places, so I don't know how effective it would be in a salt water environment. I agree that using different steel would be better than a coating. The D2 steel that BM uses seems to be pretty corrosion resistant anyway. I suspect that the coating on my Adamas blade is mostly for looks because D2 doesn't polish up very well.

D2 steel isn't very stain resistant at all. 12% Chromium can be blamed for this.

NMOFT · 03-11-2013, 18:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by syntaxerrorsix

D2 steel isn't very stain resistant at all. 12% Chromium can be blamed for this.

My knife gets wet and the blade dosen't rust, so maybe the black coatong does some good.

***syntaxerrorsix*** · 03-11-2013, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by NMOFT

My knife gets wet and the blade dosen't rust, so maybe the black coatong does some good.

I'm sure it helps, keeping it clean and dry with a light coat of oil will help much in the same way. I like it okay but it can be brittle and is very sensitive to heat treat. I'd rather have O1 or another tough carbon steels over the limited stain resistance gained from D2. I think the only knife I have left that is D2 is the BM Bone Collector folder in walnut.

It's all about what you need the steel to do divided by what knife you want

Knighj1 · 03-11-2013, 19:16

Thanks guys, the plus to the plain blade is they have it in stock. I appreciate all the input

BenjiEDF · 03-11-2013, 20:04

154CM is awesome steel, as long as you don't bury it in your backyard for a year it'll be ok (read: just clean it off with some oil like you would any gun every once and a while). The ONLY steel that I would prefer over 154CM for a folding pocket knife would be S30V.

PhantomF4E · 03-11-2013, 20:12

I have a Benchmade Osborne limited edition assisted opened in 154cm. Blade is black. while you can gurr up the finish the blade takes to a scary sharp edge I can shave with .Mine has held up quite well and has more than a dozen saltwater baths. A quick rinse and a little ballistol later , it is good to go ... After the licorice smell wears off anyway !! I have an old ckrt for abuse. The Benchmade is a back up for my 2 Walther P99 magazines !!!