Benchmade Anonimus~Why It Fails To Win Me Over... 

I agree with your assessment. I don't even see this knife excelling at food prep because of the excessive extension of the finger guard interfering with cutting board slicing. The guard would have to hang outside of the cutting board edge to take full advantage of the entire length of blade. Not for me.

I bought this knife and love it. Maybe it’s because I’m not trying to chop a tree with a knife or maybe it’s because I don’t have tender hands. All I know is it does everything I want it to do well and I would be more than thrilled to have this in a true survival situation…

Id say it looks like a good option for backpacking. The cruwear steel is reportedly strong enough in that thin dimension. The biggest drawback seems to be the thin scales causing hotspots, but since they’re removable, that could be solved with some custom scales. 2c

This is a fantastic tactical belt knife. Can do some other tasks, but this knife was born to be a fighter. Quick, super slicy and stabby, and very light on my war belt that is heavy enough. The oversized guard is good too.

Having XXL/XXXL hands I ABSOLUTELY love the size of the guard !!! In fact I end up PASSING on most knives do to the lack of a guard large enough to protect well when any "stabby" tasks are needed. ALSO, with my hand/finger size the guard has never hit a surface before my fingers do. Thickness of the blade, tho' mine has done well so far, YES I would prefer at least another 1/16 inch, just for more overall usefulness and trust in it.

They should’ve marketed it as a hunting knife or camp knife cuz that’s what it is . Better options out there for the other roles this knife is supposed to fill .

Great review! I think BM has their heat treatments figured out, but like someone else said before, the marketing team took over and mis-categorized a camp knife. I would love to see a review of a TRC from Gideon’s.

I have this knife and appreciate your comments. As far as a survival knife, we all have them as basically use them as a utility knife. I’d rather have this small, lighter, thinner knife since 90% of would I do in the woods this knife would suffice. For a 1 knife option it’s pretty good. Not perfect. The one thing I’ll never understand is jimping on a fixed blade knife. That’s my biggest complaint with this since it is a hotspot with wood working. Great review!

Great review! Your pacing and duration of video is perfect. Keep up the good work!

So glad I waited for some good reviews like yours before pulling the trigger on this one. Ended up going with the Lionsteel T5 instead. So glad I did! You're a life saver! 🙌

Great video Aaron. Thank you for sharing this useful information. Keep up the great work 👍

Aaron, you confirmed a lot of my doubts about this knife. Thanks for the thorough review and testing.

Light and thin is exactly why I bought it. It lives in my get home bag. Took a Dremel to the guard dingus.. My only issue is grip width. If no one comes out with micarta scales in the next 6 months or so, I'll make some from wood.(I'm a carpenter) I've had mine about 2 months.

I totally agree with most you said about the Anonymous, but your negative gripes about the knife actually work in my favor because of my smaller hands and preferences . I love and appreciate the thin bladestock , the light weight , the handle grip , and I love the finger guard size. It is the perfect knife for my outdoor excursions. I also carry a 14" Prandi hatchet , an Esee Izula 2 , and a Silky folding saw.

Nice blade but i agree with you, you are, as usual, 100% objectiv and honnest. Expertise and objectivity, nice surrounding, passion and an happy family, These are all the ingredients that make your channel so good. Take care!

Thanks for the honest review! I had the same concerns after looking at the specs when this released that you brought up as drawbacks. While I like a good finger guard, I feel like they got too caught up with a visual design in this model instead of really refining it towards what their intended use is. It's just trying too hard to do everything. I think a great alternative would be the White River Ursus 45 (and DLT does an exclusive in 3V).

Everything you said resonates with my initial assesment of this unit when I nearly pulled the trigger when it came out. Ultralight and the nice practical lines was the drawcard for me. I'd happily carry some extra weight for extra thickness. It would still come in pretty light.

Best review to date of the 539GY (DBK was 1st but perfunctory). Thanks a lot for the design insights & comp options. (I bought this as a pre-order but haven't put it in use yet.) Perhaps biggest accomplishment is the risk B-made took in design & materials-definitely welcome. Keep these reality based reviews coming as they help each user base (tac-survive-craft) considering this option. Cut on!

Thanks for all your hard work sir🤙 luv all your content 🙏

I’ve never looked at the specs and had no idea this was so thin in all dimensions. It can boil down to expectations and I think you’re right, assign it to a single purpose and then allow the customer to decide if it can do more for them or not.

thank u for the review. the handle has been mentioned on other videos as well. I don't like thin handles for outdoor woods knife

I feel like too many people get hung up on what the company labels a knife as instead of getting it in hand and figuring out what role the knife fits and using it for that

This would be a sweet defensive/tactical carry knife. Great balance & weight for that. Then just add the Benchmade Freak folder...perfect pair.

I have this knife and agree with you on the guard and thickness of the handle. I also think that the sheath could be better. I very much like the steel, the grind, weight ( very light package ), and thinness of this tool. For chopping one could use an axe or larger knife ( BK 9 ).

The Lionsteel is a far superior choice at a much lower price. No contest.

Happy to see you compare it to a Reiff! They make an incredible knife.

Great review! I have them both and I agree 100% with what you said. The Reiff F4 is a much better option! Benchmade tried to do a little bit too much and fell short of their mark

Thanks for not putting your hat on backwards and trying to be humorous. The format of this review of the Benchmade Anonimus is where you really shine. Great straight forward review with great information and footage of the knife in action. I was considering this knife but based on what I saw will opt for another design.

Great video

Good evaluation

Great review....i already own a hogue ex-f2, that gives me similar performance at fraction of a cost....and made in USA

Thanks Aaron! I really like the blade design. I really don’t like how thin it is. I really really don’t like the price. I would be happy with a cheaper steel that’s thicker at about half the price. Really glad you looked at this for us!

Cruwear is supposed to be pretty tough. I was under the assumption that is why they made it thinner, because it could be. I feel the same way though. I'd love to see what it takes to actually break it under use, compared to something more traditional, like an esee 6 or something. Also, I hate that finger guard.

We just got a few of these in too. It lost me when I partially unsheathed it and saw that big deep sharpening choil. I loathe deep straight-sided sharpening choils that trap cordage and other materials in low light situations. I learned that the hard way cutting gill nets and camouflage netting in the dark years ago. I prefer sharpening choils like on the Reiff F4 I just picked up.

I'd like to try it out. I always pair an axe for my chopping duties and a smaller fixed blade for my light tasks. I also prefer thinner blade stock companion knives because they give better general utility cutting performance

Most of your points were dead on but you have missed the biggest use for this knife which is absolutely and definitely a phenomenal hunting Blade good for gutting, skinning and processing meat, the only thing they could’ve done to improve it was reduce the finger guard as you already stated. I had this knife in my hand today and the thin blade is its biggest feature along with crew ware strength. The handle the weight and the balance once again will be a phenomenal hunting tool. I have no idea why anyone would say that’s a survival or Bushcraft knife and it’s definitely not a tactical weapon. For the guy that can afford this kind of doe for a top at knife Would absolutely make the top of my collection.

What kind of fillet knifes are you using that are that thick?? I doubt that bends like a filler knife should.

Super review👍

Don’t mind the thin blade and handle I have tiny carny hands and want my knife to slice more than baton.

Last year I said "not for me", however I wanted to test the CPM-Cruwear alloy & if it would be an acceptable EDC fixed blade, being so thin & light. I found the knife for sale at Cabela's which I have a Rewards Card for & I also had over $550 in Rewards Points, so not only did I get 15% off on the site, but my rewards points paid for the balance as well, so the knife was free to me & I've been EDC wearing the knife ever since. It's a "laser" for cutting & at up to 64 hardness, It should go a long time between touchups. So far, I'm loving it for my purpose. I keep a light coating of petroleum jelly just on the uncoated edge, as it's not high in stainless properties. I can't wait for Cabela's to stock a fixed blade in CPM-Magnacut so that I can get that one for free as well!

That thin profile makes the knife a lesser choice than an Esee and various other more cost effective options.

Honest review 👍

Cool,man

It looks like a great knife. You’re correct, not a hard use knife.👍 Love your reviews!

I use mine as edc. Slips in my pocket while on my belt very good. Agree it's not dedicated enough to be what the say but I love it as a edc sine I can conceal it well.

I like it so i bought one. No disappointment for me, but I usually carry a small axe to for the heavier work. I believe in using the right tool for the job so the axe is the chopper and the knife is for cutting.......

I really like thin handle blades and other than the dingus I really like it but I would consider it a farm knife or hunting. I feel like maybe if they were going for a kinda all around or everyone tool they could send another set of handle scales that are thicker and higher with it maybe micarta. Idk 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for your review on this guy, Aaron. My thoughts on it are similar to the points you made about it. I think they tried to stretch a 5" fixed blade over too many canvasses and ended up with abstract art. The cru-wear is a great choice and explains much of the price, especially with contoured G10 and boltaron. It just doesn't check enough boxes for me. The guard reminds me of my Extrema Ratio Requiem. It's not there for comfort, it's there to keep your hand off the edge during violent stabbing motions. Not something I value in a woods blade. The thinness of stock takes survival and even batoning firewood off the table. The messy area between the grip and the edge should be done just how you say, continue the scales around the choil. I like sharpening choils for my WE sharpener but not necessary. 90° spine and thicker scales would finish it out. I know this knife connects with some but definitely a no from me. I do have a Lion Steel T5 and right now it is my ideal woods knife. I'll strongly recommend that to anyone looking for a good all round 5" fixed blade to bridge the gap between survival and bushcraft. Very comfortable, lightweight but not overly, .200" thick with a tall saber grind and generous swedge makes it feel thinner for finer tasks but splits and batons like a thick ass survival knife. You did mention Sleipner steel, I don't believe they did the T5 in Sleipner unless I'm missing something. I thought it was only offered in Niolox and the M5 and a few others use Sleipner. I believe Sleipner is a little tougher but less corrosion resistant. Niolox is very corrosion resistant and still plenty tough for woodscraft of all kinds. I live in a relativity humid area and my T5 has never been oiled. It has no signs of rust anywhere.

Jack of all trades and master of none! I agree with you, they are marketing this to be multi functional but ended up with something that really doesn't do anything well... Especially at that price point.

I see more as a tactical knife. For outdoors I prefer the 200 Puuko or Bushcrafter.

My wife got me one, and i love it so much that i've been carrying it with belt loop removed in front right pocket.

@gideonstactical Do you feel that thumb jimping would be a good addition to the Reiff? Or is that something you don't think is needed?

The saddle mountain skinner could be an alternative

Would love to see a review about the tactical nimravus?

That's how thick blades on medium size knives should be! Nothing wrong with that. The real issue with the knife is the super thin handle....that's the only factor I didn't buy it. everything else, like heat treatment, blade shape/grind , materials etc all are great, handle thickness though... sucks. I don't know why, but I notice that handles become thiner and thiner. It has to stop somewhere, I won't buy such a knife again, I'm not a collector, even though I own more knives than many collectors, I use them because I live in the outdoors since I was born.

I've owned one since shortly after it released. Like you said, it's a excellent camp knife which is what I primarily use it for. I'd also gladly take it into a fight if I had to. It's capable for doing most bushcraft as well but I mean, I have a saw/ axe for that. I've beat the snot out of it and for a thin blade stock it is very strong, I mean it's cruwear. I'm happy with mine but would like a slightly more chunky handle and I would have appreciated a tighter fitting sheath as well.

Thanks for the video. I know you kept mentioning the thickness of the knife, but did it chip or break? I ask cause, if I can carry a lighter knife that does bigger things I’m ok with that

It does cut like a champ 👍

So nice that Lion Steel T5

Knockaround link isn't working, always come to one of your videos when I need to order a new pair. 🤘

When I first saw the Anonimus I thought for sure I had to have one. When I first got one in my hand I bought a Leuku instead.

Yeah BM tried to tick too many boxes and missed them all. They should redesign it thicker at .130” and ditch the dingy near the ricasso or add to the handle to make it more comfortable.

I have a Gerber that looks exactly like that one

Aaron, thank you for your review. I have to agree with your review points about this Benchmade Anonimus. I am not a big fan of Benchmade due to their past. However, I do like that they make their knives in the USA. I will buy their signature "Bug Out" and also their "Adamas" folding knives only because they are made in the USA. But they are very expensive to buy. Something your watchers may also consider instead of the Anonimus is the "3DK MAK" knife. It is shaped much the same as the Benchmade Anonimus. The "3DK MAK" is around the same price and is very well made. I have not yet been able to take "3DK MAK" out yet. But I am looking forward to it. Thank you and God bless.

Honestly, I agree with all points made here. In trying to please everyone, the designers ended up pleasing almost no one. At that price point, you really need to do everything right with a specialized tool, and this just isn't that. Unfortunate.

Benchmade use cruwear because its thinner. They talk about how cruwear is so good they can get away with a thinner blade. From their advertising. I don't bother with benchmade anymore.

Man am I glad I watched this video. This was a knife I'd had my eye on since I saw it on knives and tools website and thought wow that knife is beautiful. It looked like it ticked all my boxes. But over here in the UK this is more like £300+, which on my budget is a fair chunk of money. For that price I want a perfect knife, or one very close. The failings you pointed out have now cleared it right from my mind. This is not a knife I will be buying. And it's a shame cause had they got just a few issues dealt with better it could have been a great knife. Oh well.

Bought the puuko version a yr or more ago and really didn’t like how fat the V edge and grind behind it was definitely one of the mistakes I’ve made buying knives.

As Flossy Carter would say " that price is TGH" Benchmade isnt thinking straight with that knife its more of a camp knife and hype brand knife at the price. ehhhh naw im good, ill stick with my ESEE knives 3 - 6 and carbon steel Mora Garberg.

Exactly, I got to handle an Anonimus at the Blade Show and the knife just felt awkward all the way around. The Benchmade staff were pushing the knife pretty heavily, but all the points they were trying to make for it applied better to the Benchmade Bushcrafter than the Anonimus. It just seems like whoever came up with this over thought it and over designed it. I get it, lots of us already own a Bushcrafter so they developed this hoping to sell us one more knife.

Pretty much exactly what I thought about it

Just looking at the design, you'd think it'd be way thicker. Love the profile, like the sheath somewhat, but man... when my Adamas auto is thicker than that blade stock, wow... smh That Reiff handle reminds me of my BK-16 and BK-17 handles, very very comfortable to use!

Your videos have reached another level, brother! Best knife reviews on RU-vid. Keep up the good work! God bless you and your family. Oh, and ps., don't give your money to Benchmade. Godspeed

If it doesn't feel right in your hand then you should look elsewhere. A good blade and sheath and whatever do not matter. Not impressed with the Anonimus. Give me a Joker Lynx any day. I also liked that T5. That looks like a great handle too.

A jacket?! There's a heat advisory from now till Sunday here!🤣 HOT AND MUGGY! 🥵

Lionsteels new T6 In K490 is almost the same price. That steel is the bomb and that knife is a straight beast

Cru wear rust resistant? More and s35?

Apologies but I've forgotten Mrs GT's name. I wonder what her perspective of a thinner, lightweight outdoors knife might be. I agree that I personally do not see the knife fulfilling a role in my personal requirements. Always good to see this type of review where the strength of the brand doesn't influence the integrity of the review.

Sound like it would make a good fixed blade Bugout type knife.

Beautiful looking knife but I agree with your review.

Not my knife. It reminds me a bit of TRC knives. They also have a light thin blade, I think in 2 models.

I like the design but the Benchmade Leuku is a better outdoors knife, in 3V, for $100 less. They didn't even bother to look at their own catalogue when pricing this. Being Cruwear I wouldn't suggest it for good prep unless you really take care of your stuff. The marketing team constantly misplaces knives, like the Bailout as a black class when it's less durable than a 940.

How would you put this up to a Becker BK16 in terms of bushcrafting?

That's a knife for people that know how to use a knife...looking for unwarranted strength and thickness is something I did in my younger days when you know how to properly use knives you can process wood or cut down a tree with a thinner and lighter blade with ease..I wouldn't hesitate to use this as my only knife in any situation..the price sucks though

Agree re. not a true survival knife. I agree 100% with all of your comments. I particularly hate the extended guard. My final comment - You must have 100% confidence in your survival knife (and all survival gear). You must be able to trust it to save your life. You cannot be second guessing or avoiding certain tasks because you fear your knife will fail. I would not have that confidence in this knife and therefore would never use it as a survival knife.

I just ordered the TKC Field Buddy 5.5 in 3v steel with micarta scales. Does anyone have any experience with it? It may be a good option as well.

Hmmm idk I find with a thin blade I can do things I can’t do with a thick knife but still do the things a thick blade can do maybe not quite as well but a thick knife just can’t do the things a thin blade can like slicing, filleting, carving… I don’t like the guard though at all. Thicker scales would be great. SRK from cold steel would be a better option at way less cost

Well a multi-purpose knife not really Bushcraft I think it's more in the technical military spec line of knives

So I personally own 3 of those products. Like them all.

Is it just me or does the handle not look symetrical? When looking at from the top it looks like one side is wider than the other.

Nice but that guard has to go! Better to have a choil like an ESEE. The Knife Connection has perfect tension on their sheaths, you can literally lock it in with the sliding bolt.

👍

G'day Aaron, well you could stab, bushcraft, survive with an expensive kitchen knife, .......but given a choice, why would ya. The Rock 62 looks interesting. Cheers Duke.

Your main beef is that the knife is to thin to be good for a bushcraft knife. What does that ultimately mean? It may snap under heavy use? It’s my understanding that the CPM Cruwear steel is extremely tough.

Everyone seems to say the same thing here. I just watched the Prepared Mind 101 review and Cris Tanner said the same thing maybe and inch or 2 longer and needs to be thicker. The steel may be tough but it doesn't give the weight for survival.

I agree with your observations, Benchmade probably stretched their marketing/ spin doctoring messaging again and hoped that the semi tactical and survival aspect would appeal to the mall ninjas with a bit of disposable income...

This seems like a great knife for backcountry carry

Light weight, tough hikers knife. That's all I could see it for

Thanks for the great video brother.. there is tons of survival knives under $50 that impresses me.. mainly the harbor freight's $10 survival knife I love it. And I am a huge fan of mossy oak..👍

if somebody gave that to me I’d grind off the jimping (I hate a hot thumb !) and most of the hand guard. I like a thin blade I could get by with it, I will say I am not much of a fan of broad blades though.