REVIEW – I have wanted a Benchmade knife forever! I’ve never had one. I’ve only ever gotten my hands on them in stores specializing in outdoor sports. So when The Head Gadgeteer In Charge told us there were a couple of offers to review them, I jumped as high as my 51-year-old body could muster and screamed ME! ME! ME! Lucky for me, she let me have one and I chose the Benchmade Adira in Tempest Gray. It has striking looks and is built for wet environments. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a fisherman but I do like to fish from time to time. Moreover, I like a great quality knife from a respected company to carry every day for all sorts of tasks. Does the Benchmade Adira make the cut? (See what I did there?) Read on, friend if you want to know my thoughts on it.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $250.00
Where to buy: Benchmade.com
What is it?
The Benchmade Adira tempest gray drop point knife is a dark variant of their angler’s folder with gray Grivory handles and a blue PVD-coated Magnacut blade. It’s specifically built for use in and on the water.
What’s included?
- Benchmade Adira knife
- Microfiber cloth
- LifeSharp Services information
- Warranty Information
Tech specs
Open length- 9” | 22.86cm
Blade length- 3.88” | 9.86cm
Blade thickness- 0.114” | 2.9mm
Closed length- 5.12” | 13.0cm
Handle thickness- 0.663” | 16.84mm
Mechanism- AXIS® Lock
Blade style- Drop-Point
Pocket clip- Yes
Blade finish- Cerakote Blue Titanium
Blade color- Blue
Clip color- Black
Clip finish- Black Oxide
Clip position- Tip-up
Clip type- Deep Carry
Ambidextrous- Yes
Handle material- Grivory
Handle color- Tempest Gray
Blade steel- CPM-MagnaCut Stainless Steel (60-62 HRC)
Weight- 4.23oz | 119.92g
Design and features
Let’s talk about the blade. This is the feature I’m most excited about. It’s Magnacut! This is my first Magnacut knife. From everything I’ve seen and read online, Magnacut is the holiest of holy super steels. Benchmade laser cuts the blades from a sheet of the stuff.
Magnacut is said to have the toughness of CPM-4V steel which was designed for hard use. Magnacut is known for its hardness capabilities, corrosion resistance, and edge retention. It is the choice of most knife makers for premium knives. The blade shape is my favorite, the drop point. Its shape is suitable for a wide variety of uses. The blade also has a blue Cerakote finish that not only looks good but also adds another layer of corrosion resistance. With all these features, this blade will be right at home around fresh or saltwater.
Next up are the Grivory handle scales. So what is Grivory? I didn’t know the specifics but here’s what Google told me: “Grivory is a semi-crystalline engineering plastic used to make technical components. It has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is resistant to chemicals.” This stuff feels like FRN but has better chemical resistance, low water absorption, low warpage, and high levels of stiffness and strength. And that design on the scales makes the knife very grippy, perfect for wet or gloved hands.
But Benchmade doesn’t rely solely on Grivory for the Adira’s stiffness. They employ steel inserts for the Axis lock and an aluminum backspacer to keep it light but strong.
The blade runs on bronze washers which might turn some people off, but it makes sense when you think about the intended use of the knife. You get any salt, sand, or other materials in bearings and you’ll certainly need to clean the knife often. And by that, I mean, you’ll need to totally disassemble the knife.
The Benchmade Adira is 9″ in total length but doesn’t feel like a big knife to me. It’s light and gives me a full four-finger grip. I do have big hands though, so keep that in mind.
It’s also very easy to carry with the reversible deep pocket clip. The black oxide finish on it fits the look of the knife well too, in my opinion.
Here’s one feature about Benchmade knives that I never knew. They offer their LifeSharp service, meaning you can ship your knife to Benchmade and they will clean, oil, adjust, and re-sharpen it for the life of the knife. They’ll even pay the return shipping. I guess that’s part of the reason for the price of their knives.
Performance
The Benchmade Adira performed just like I thought a premium USA-made knife should. It is razor sharp right out of the box. When testing it by shaving my arm, the hair would literally jump off. The blade has really needed sharpening per se. I use it daily for all kinds of tasks and all I’ve done is strop it a bit. I haven’t been out on the water here in Northwest Florida since I’ve gotten it so I can’t speak to the effects saltwater would have on it but the humidity here wreaks havoc on metal pretty much year round. Some of my knives need a regular oiling to keep rust away but so far, so good with the Adira. The knife runs smoothly on the bronze washers. Sure, it’s not as fast as it could be on bearings but again, you gain more reliability with the washers in and around dirty, wet, and goopy environments. Yeah. Goopy. You know, like when cleaning fish, cutting bait. You know, gross stuff.
Final thoughts
I love this Benchmade knife. I will admit that the Adira was not my first choice, dang you Zack! But I’m glad I got the opportunity to review a Benchmade knife and one that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. It is perfect for my environment, and when I next go fishing, the only thing I’ll have to worry about is not dropping into the bay or gulf and losing it. The knife isn’t cheap, but I think the materials used along with the LifeSharp services and warranty make it worth the asking price. I will say that initially, the knife didn’t seem to deploy smoothly. It took a little harder kick to the thumb stud to get it open. But given a little time, it opens quickly and smoothly every time now. If you’re a fisherman or outdoorsman and want that premium knife you can rely on, check the Adira.
What I like about Benchmade Adira knife
- Materials used
- The looks
- Benchmade reputation
- LifeSharp service
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing
Price: $250.00
Where to buy: Benchmade.com
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Benchmade. Benchmade did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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