Kudos to Benchmade for making a knife for those who can't legally own something else. Working with limitations of blade sizes and mechanisms, Benchmade have put their foot in the door to countries with strict knife laws. Something I hope all other brands do.
Mine has better action, however, though I disassembled it, I didn’t clean/replace it’s lubricant yet. It’s been about 6 months now. I may do that soon after some more use. Another great review Nick.
I have multiple Benchmade’s, QC issues and all. I’m still a fan of theirs. I’m glad they have offered this slip joint to extend product options. I’m not a traditional folder person, owning just a couple, but I do like the modern steel and build of this one. I couldn’t see myself carrying a Proper, especially as traditional knives don’t have pocket clips, nor it coming with a sleeve. My pocket space is already fairly full. I would use the proper as a fancier letter opener at home, or something for my parents who have difficulties with different locking mechanisms. Nice blade and great review as usual!
You nailed the review with the good and the bad. I like the Micarta better than the G10 version. As you mentioned it needs a stiffer back spring because the pull is to soft (like a 4). Great review.
Thanks again for a great review. I am a fan of Benchmade, selectively. They have some really good offerings and others not so much. If you are interested in a truly great modern folder look at the Lionsteel Roundhead. Same price range titanium, M390, and several scale choices. Keep your reviews and disassembles coming.
A nice wee knife. I have 2, the sheepy in green micarta and the DLC/blue G10 ltd edition version. I’m in UK , so all my edc knives are sub 3” slippies, but this is firmly in the rotation of 7 or 8 everyday knives. Honestly, I think the closing on your finger thing is just paranoia. I’ve been using slip-joints for well over 45 years, and I’ve never, ever had one close on my fingers. I expect it’s a worry for people who rely on locks, when some of us really never had that luxury. Yes they are expensive. I bought my 2 Enzo PK70s, which are better in every measure than this knife, for less than even my cheaper Proper. Oh, yes and I do have a 940 which I’d love to carry, if only it was legal. Certainly the 940 has better fit & finish than my Propers.
Hey Nick, Great video as usual! I just picked up a used Benchmade Proper on eBay for about half price! I should receive it later this week. I’m more of the modern pocket knife guy trying out the slip joint. I haven’t bought one since my first Swiss Army knife as a kid.
I’ve two of these, the green micarta and a blue g10 dlc Ltd edition versions. I love them, though the Ltd one has only ever been out of the box to admire it, the micarta one has been carried a lot and is one of my edc knives. I’m in the U.K. so sub 3” slipjoints are all we’re allowed and I’ve about 30 or so of them. This is, along with my 2 Enzo PK70’s, my Quiet Carry The West and my two Taylor’s Eye Witness Barlows (spectacular looking knives) are my most frequent users day to day. My other favourite, on the homestead, is another Benchmade, the 940!
for that price you can get yourself a viper dan or a ukpk for an actual modern slip joint. The enzo pk70 has a better blade shape for slicing and a pocket clip
im going back to the roots from flippers etc to slipjoints...never got the same joy from using a modern knife as from a simple little knife...started with vics of all sorts as a young boy, then my first cheap linerlock with thumb stud, then flippers with all sorts of locks, to some more traditional fixed styles and finally im into the slipjoint game again with the bm 319 micarta and some vic aloxs...and finally im happy:)
Good review and I agree with all the good, bad and ugly points. Another good point is replacement of the blade if for some reason you should drop or misuse the knife and break the tip. Hope they improve the model as time goes on.
I wish these new modern slip joints would come with clips, people who don't want the clip can simply remove it and everyone is happy. I like the cold steel lucky for that reason.
A very fair review Nick. For me most of your bad points are minor niggles, I love my Micarta version, but it is pricey here in the UK closer to $175. I've put a leather lanyard onto it as I felt it was ever so slightly too small on the handle. The best thing though is that I can carry it anywhere in the UK, regardless of our prescriptive knife laws.
It's not as nice as the Benchmade but I'll stick with my S110V UKPK. I'm glad to see that Benchmade puts out some compelling stuff again. This one also has potential in the 20CV class. A Proper with blue anodized Ti-liners and grey G-10 would be pretty awesome. Great review, Nick!
been waiting forever for Benchmade to make a modern slip joint utilizing modern materials..I love my 318 in MIcarta. Perfect gentleman's pocket knife with a modern twist.
I'd love to see a review of the Lionsteel Roundhead. I have a few versions if you want to take a look. It's an incredibly well done (imo) slipjoint using modern materials.
Nick, take a look at the Lionsteel Roundhead. M390 steel, solid walk and talk, crowned spring and blade,and Ti liners and bolster. For like $125 iirc. I have one I can send if interested
Maybe I should be a patron then. Look forward to the review. Yeah they sold out pretty quickly, but I don’t really see it being a knife that resells for more than msrp. I think it’s a huge value, even for a few bucks more. As far as the second run, I’m sure more will he made. I think Lionsteel and Mike Latham really have a hit here, especially with the clip point coming. More will he made eventually. They’d be dumb not to
I really like this knife, but I would get micarta because the g10 looks awkward. I can only dream of a sprint run of this in a fancy micarta color and M4 steel
Why aren't clips being implemented in more modern slipjoints? I have my Serge slipjoint that only carry casually and my rough ryder working man fell apart after years of abuse and they seem to have stopped manufacturing that line.
hey nick im a long time viewer and I never usually make comments but i need a favor, ive been looking at a budget knife called the buck vantage avid large. I currently have the kershaw cryo but im not loving the speedsafe and the heavy weight of it. I feel the vantage is the right size and evrything for my edc but i need a professional opinion
I'm not Nick but maybe an Ontario Rat one or 2 depending on the size you want. For anothe excellent budget knife is the Spyderco tenacious. I've carried one for 2 years at work beat it to death and it's still going strong.
It looks really nice. But why does it costs over $100? I know Benchmade. I've got a Lansky World Legal and it comes with a blade medic for around $20, and it has a half stop. Love that beast!
No other knife co pisses me off like Benchmade.. However, I've had the micarta 319 and have 2-319-1.. I picked them up at REI for $59 each..The F&F is good on all of them.. I don't know much about traditionals but the walk and talk is good enough..$114 is a little pricey but not bad for Benchmade standards... At least I know nothing can break like several of my expensive BM's...
If only it were “a hundred and twenty bucks” here in the U.K.! Here everything is more expensive, but this is around £133 or nearer $180! But it’s close to the price of the Enzo PK70, which it is close to in terms of a modern take on a traditional knife. These two are two of my favourite U.K. EDC knives, the other being a Taylor’s Eye Witness hand made, worked back, rams horn Barlow. Either of the modern pair blow the Barlow out of the water, but the Barlow is so beautiful and so traditional I can overlook all it’s short comings! Incidentally, though these three cost £133 for the Benchmade, £120 for the Barlow and £108 for the Enzo (carbon fibre version, the titanium/G10 is £133, the same as the Proper). Of course, if the law wasn’t so dreadful here, I’d have a 940!
Not my nicest knife, I have many knives that cost more. But I carry the Proper everyday. I don’t know why, but the Benchmade Proper my favorite! Love it!
For me, in the U.K., this is a top choice for EDC. My 940 could get me 4 years in jail (yes, I know, it’s ridiculous!), but this is 100% legal and it’s only real competition is the Enzo PK70 (I’ve two of each).
Hey Nick! Just discovered your channel and really enjoying your videos. You are such a Spyderco fan, I'm surprised I couldn't find a review of my favorite EDC Spyderco knife, the Harpy. No Harpy?
Grew up with slip joints. The were perpetually dull, banging around on my pocket, hard to open, and closed on your fingers. Having been there as a kid I can't see going back. I get that some people like them and that legally it may be the only option in some places.
Exactly. Not to mention the scars on my knuckles from them folding under pressure. I'll never forget when i was a kid on a boy scout trip that 'clunk' sound it made when it hit the cartilage of my index finger joint. Never going back when theres plenty of options not to.
Would love to see a grippy slippy from benchy wenchy. Maybe put it out in a tie dye micarta version and call it the benchie wenchie hippie dippe geippy slippy??
I was looking at one of these for carrying in public because it doesn't look scary. I want something that I can pull out without people getting nervous.
If the Proper does not move you, then you are more likely a Spidy sort of fan that don't seem to be sold at all on looks. I bought one of these the other day. I know the function is not where they focused most of their attention. But, much of that is lost on me. I like knives as works of art and only secondarily for their smooth function. But, they don't call this a gentleman folder for no reason. The non-locking design should have clarified that for all. This knife has gone into retirement in my pocket.
I love my Proper, I went for the micarta variant as I really like the colour and texture. The lack of clip doesn't bother me really as it lives in my jeans coin / watch pocket with a little lanyard on it. Cheers for this review though Nick as this is a knife I love and it's great to see Benchmade giving us UK fans some UK legal gear :)
Revisiting this review after getting into slipjoints (DO NOT GET INTO SLIPJOINTS) I find myself asking "Why does this knife actually exist?" Back when I first heard about this knife I was willing to overlook the backspring not being completely flush and the action being pretty bleh. But now that I have a slipjoint or two (IT'S MORE THAN THAT, DO NOT GET INTO SLIPJOINTS) in my collection, this knife lacks the things that make a slipjoint most compelling. The fit and finish isn't there. The action is bleh. The slicing power is just not very interesting. I think the appeal of a modern slipjoint is in having the best of both worlds. A modern steel. Modern cover materials. Great fit and finish bordering on perfection. Slicing capabilities like no other. I'd been thinking about maybe getting one just to see if I would like it but after I handled it in a store it's a hard pass for me. Also after getting into slipjoints (DO NOT GET INTO SLIPJOINTS) I've learned why a slipjoint with a decent action is generally not disassemblable. That spring needs to be so strong that at some point the question becomes why bother? Nick touches on it in his review of the J E Made. I think that's why the Lionsteel CK-1 series is pinned underneath the bolted on covers (which... Really?). It's just so hard that lionsteel would rather you not try and then be angry that they made a knife that was so hard to reassemble.
Why the obsession with your knives ‘folding on you’? I’m in my 50’s and grew up with slip joints. I never had a lockback till I was in my 20’s and, being in Scotland, we’ve not been allowed them for a while, but I’ve never, ever had any knife locking or slipjoint fold on me. Perhaps there’s a connection with your reliance on locks?
Obsession? No its reality. Once you have a sharp one with a strong backspring fold on you you'll understand why, and forever be hesitant with slipjoints like us. I still have scars on my fingers from when I was a kid in the boy scouts and having blades fold on my fingers. I will never forget the 'chu-clunk' sound of the blade hitting the cartilage of my index finger knuckle. Since I have the option I will always take a locking blade!
Joshua Herman Yep, I got mine at REI for $60.00. I could not pass up a Benchmade at that price, I find that I use it much more than I originally thought I would. It’s become part of my EDC.
im not a slipjoint kinda guy but this is a cool knife. i got one and i always carry it loose in my pocket along with my bigger edc. Definitely one of my favorite knives at the moment.
At this price I will choose my Fantoni Dweller every time.... Italian made, modified warncliffe blade, bolt instead of pin construction, choice of wood scales, finger guard and a leather sheath for $125.
The Proper is a nice slipjoint, but cannot compete with comparable knives from European manufacturers in terms of performance and value for money. LionSteel Thrill, MKM Fara and Manly Wasp (to name just a few) offer more than the Proper for the same or even considerably less money.
The LionSteel CK01 puts the Proper to shame. It actually has amazing walk & talk with amazing fit and finish with M390 steel for about 120 USD. The Proper is just a poor excuse for a traditional. The walk and talk isn't just bad, it's atrocious on the Proper.
Hey Nick how about a blade steel video update. Sometimes you call S30V good to go and now you're saying it is great modern supersteel (4:40). I get confused and maybe I am not the only one. However keep up the great content. bye now
Disagreeing in one thing, buddy. S30V is not a super steel.. it is quite modern but it has a successor in S35VN and S30V has a tendency to chip. Have a great one and it is an appealing knife. 👍🏻👏🏻no criticism of BM QC... applause is well deserved. 👏🏻👏🏻
MrRuination almost all low carbon content steels are prone to chip, but I have had more issues with S30V than any other steel. And of course it depends on the heat treat. I am not a huge fan of S110V either and have only one knife in S110V left. I am not the only one having issues with S30V and chipping, Bird over at the Birdshot IV has the same issue, Mike Emler has the same issue, a buddy of mine with a PHD in metallurgy, who's a knife maker as well does have the same issue. If you stress test S30V through a wear test and you check the edge with a lupe or an electronic microscope afterwards you will more than often see micro chips in the edge. And especially if the edge is not convex, for instance on a Spyderco with a full flat grind, I have seen this issue more often than on other S30V blades. I am not a steel expert and was just pulling Nick's leg a bit, but I have no affection for S30V based on my personal subjective opinion. All steels can chip and often it depends of course on the angle of the edge you put on the blade. Lower the angle higher the risk for chipping. But personally I don't call any steels as super steels as it all depends on the heat treat and the grind. 20CV is a steel I like a lot , but if it isn't heat treated and ground properly it will not perform well.
Stop acting like you are an expert you might have a s30v knife with bad heat treat. From most accounts s30v and s35vn perform about the same. Also it's high carbon steels that are more prone to chipping.
Don't really care for the look of it. Don't really care for slipjoints either though. I'm glad to see Benchmade stepping outside the box. If only they'd realize their butterfly isn't all that special really and lower their prices to a reasonable level. Then I might be interested in another Benchmade, I own a 940 because my friend sold his to me for a good price. I've seen some cool ones since, but between the quality control (lack thereof) and the prices I'm just not sold on them until something changes... They have a great warranty and customer service though, I'll give them that.
Too pricey for what it is, and anything less than perfect fit/finish in even a moderately pricey knife is unacceptable. In a 'modern' slip joint (easier to manufacture to a high standard than a traditional), it's a disgrace.
Handled one. Didn’t like it. The blade started too far from the handle. As a knife like that seems meant to be held in the hammer grip, the blade really should come right up to the very edge of the grip. This doesn’t that’s a problem.
