If this came out 10 years ago and cost 200 dollars less people would have at least pretended to like it for a while. It's like they made this new lock, realised they could make a thin knife with it and that was the whole impetus behind the design.... as a knife it makes no sense at all.
Thanks for being honest. I never would even consider buying one just because of the price. I have paid over $500 once and it was for a CRK sebenza in Magnacut. No regrets on that one. I like my 940 and my mini Adamas but they will be the last benchmades I buy.
It's been a year. This knife NEVER leaves my pocket. I backpack, winter camp and bushcraft. I may have an LT Wright Genesis scandi on my side but the Narrows is always with me for light tasks and back up. I have dozens of fine knives. The narrows is hand -down my favorite.
Agreed with everything you said. Junk. Benchmade has become delusional at this point. What about that knife makes them justify even half that price? Insane
I've got a few older Benchmade knives that I have really enjoyed and made excellent use of. But they have lost me as a customer due to outdated designs and sub par quality control. Much better options for the money.
I had reservations about paying for a maxamet PM2. But that is a knife that has exceeded it’s value 10 times over. Benchmade needs to lay off the crack.
Great video Kevin. This knife is an absolute slap in the face to anyone who would even consider buying a Benchmade knife. $522. for this knife is just flat out disrespectful especially for a knife I wouldn’t carry if it were free. Fukka Benchmade for real. They have no respect for the customer or their hard earned money. Respect. D
@@doodysdaggers I'll tell you how it won, payola that's how. They have a huge marketing team and that team is not afraid to spread a little money around here and there.
I’ve had 1 Benchmade and I sold it within a month. Kizer and Civivi feels more valuable and they’re budget knives. Just felt so cheap to me. I’ll stick to Spyderco.
It’s was over when they let cops cut firearms apart.. everyone knows and liberal shit heads just don’t buy pocket knives because they don’t know what a real days work feels like. Edited… sorry forgot fuck Benchmade
Holy crap I had no idea it was going for that much! Never thought I’d say this… but buy a CRK instead, it’s more bang for buck! Benchmade is way out of touch.
Sadly a lot of the price comes from the R&D it took too make it that narrow. At 500+ those scales shouldn't be bending and the hardware & clip should be Ti.
One of my favorite knives is a Benchmade Mini Presidio. I think I paid only $150.00 for it maybe a year ago. Being an American company I don’t want to count them out, but I won’t be paying up just for the name.
Zero competition with the TRM Atom, and it’s almost $150 cheaper. BM is seriously out of touch, it’s just gimmicky to me… I just can’t understand what they’re thinking
Shop around. Be patient. Don't be in a gotta have it mood. I paid way less than $500. Others have too. I didn't like that it has fallen off my pocket hem many times and I didn't notice. Luckily it fell into my pocket. Edit: I have replaced the narrows w a brat for my carry.
There is NO WAY! Had one in had, not comfortable at all, lot of hotspots. I will stay with my Spyderco’s all day. My delica will out work that any day of the week, plus I can get 3 of them in K390 for the $$$$
As a hunter, who skins game, deer, elk, hogs, I don’t care about esthetics, and so its a tool that would work. It’s lightweight, has enough belly, and I wouldn’t mind having it in my pack., but for that kind of money I would expect the very best blade steel, but even then, I still think it’s too much.. They won’t be getting my money. I can’t think of anyone that this tool hits the bullseye for. And they have put their website on their blades many times in the past. I know my old 940 has it.
There’s just nothing about it that gets me excited. I saw it for the first time and just felt bleh. I did get a chaparral with the rafir noble scales. Love that super slicey little knife
Yet another reason why Benchmade hasn't gotten my money in quite a while. The last Benchmade I bought was the Bugout when it first came out. Had it for two days and then sold it. Just bought a Hogue Deka Magnacut for less than the Bugout goes for right now with far superior steel. Hard pass on this thing.
I agree on all points man. I held one 3 weeks ago at a shoot straight gun shop. They had a great selection of blades. The narrows felt like junk. I hated it!! I think benchmade needs to go back to basics and stop trying to make the pussies of the world happy. I like my knifes to cut, and be good in the hand at a decent price , while being good quality. That is what BM used to be
@@doodysdaggers You can put that blade on anything. Why surround it with a cheap enclosure and charge a premium price? I ordered a Kershaw Livewaire because of my dissatisfaction.
Benchmades I love are the Griptilian, Adamas, Nakamura, 940, Bugout and Bailout. Can't see much worth paying for in their current release line though. Too overpriced as it is. They would do well to revise their pricing because they're really killing themselves strategically and looking bad doing it. This Narrows is not a knife I would pay $200 for. If it was, you may find an audience for it. But $520? Chris Reeves sent out an email to all its customers to justify why they need to charge $50 more than a year before. After reading it, I was happy to pay it. I don't feel that way about Benchmade.
Yes you’re right! Inflation is a thing, so it makes sense knife manufacturers need to charge more than they did 10 years ago. But the Narrows is just out of this world
The most anticipated and talked about knife from probably the biggest and most popular US company. The fact that not one time have I seen this knife out of stock tells you everything. When normally knives sell out in hours! This knife should be $350 at the most. And I'm giving them $50 just for the butterfly and USA made. 😆 and truthfully I wouldn't pay 200 after watching reviews.
I've posited that Benchmade produced this laughable knife for the sole reason of getting people to talk about them and purchase their 'more reasonably- priced" offerings. One of the responses I got was from a dealer who said Benchmade is now by far the best selling knife in his store, albeit the less pricier models-- not the Narrows.
I know Benchmade have been doing the old price increase thing but this piece as soon as I seen it just hit me like a kick in the plumbs 🤮. That for how much not a chance in hell.
Benchmade is a huge company. They make a lot of money. Somebody is buying their products. I don’t understand the trend of making knives super thin and lightweight. There was one year where all they did was bring out the Bugout in bright colors. The same year Chinese knife companies were making excellent knives at reasonable prices. I felt that American knife companies would have to work very hard to compete. I feel that Spyderco is a much better knife company. But surprisingly Benchmade makes a lot more money. I have not purchased a Benchmade knife in a few years
I'm glad you called it like you see it, it sucks the price is ridiculous, they've done nothing but put two small slabs of titanium and m390 is sucky hard to sharpen. So you get garbage and garbage for $500! The only thing I can think of also is like for a bug out bag, or somewhere that you want something, but you don't want to take up a lot of space, but for $500.00 please!!!
Glad you showed this earlier than it sounded you were going to release it.. well done, glad you came out honest. That was a necessary opinion. Those that always give a basic knife ok in reviews lost me as a sub. I won’t spend $500 on that BM, it’s not a quality knife to justify that price. ..and I have spent more than that on ‘quality’ knife before! Maybe $250-ish. But I think I have bought my last BM! Too many better made, USA made knives I’ll buy instead ! Thanks Doody, well done! 😎♿️
because they want benchmade to send them free shit ! i think thats why ..no more benchmades for me .for that price i just got the microtech glykon @@doodysdaggers
I’d rather get a Mcness 3.5 Manuel or auto than this thing! So I was at EKnives about a month ago and was handling this knife then I put it down and bought the tactile turn maverick in all titanium and saved $200 and got a way better fit and finish on the knife I bought than the narrows!
Im so glad someone else feels like this. It pisses me off that Benchmade thinks we are so stupid that we'd actually buy one!! Im with you, even if cost the same as a bugout I wouldnt buy it. Just awful
Benchmade has lost their damn minds. The last one i bought was the full size Super Freek in M4 for $199 and i love it. Most of mine are from the late 90s early 2000s. I'm done with em.
I’ve got a dozen Benchmades and I’m a huge fan. I’ve had this knife in hand at a few stores. Novel design and different. I see the upside. I’ve found it at $435. Still waaayyy too much! I bet Benchmade takes it off the market as apposed to lowering it to below $350.
I've owned and own several Benchmade knives. With the USA made market now I won't be purchasing anymore Benchmade products unless they drastically change their tactics. Very disappointed in them.
Completely agree. I’ve owned a few Benchmades over the years and don’t anymore. Every time I couldn’t justify what I was getting for the price and ended up selling them. There are better alternatives for most of their designs
There's nothing wrong with this knife, its for a particular market. The target customer just wants the latest novel thing and will spend 500 on a fidget toy that does nothing at all. The machining and material knowledge they gain will show up on other knives that the masses will like. Its a concept piece. They have already sold a shit ton of them. The clones are already on chinese sites for 30 bucks. It's a winner in every way they measure it
The one I was super excited for was the benchmade immunity! I was in need and wanted was a 5th pocket utility cutter. M4 steel, looks beautiful. But $275 for an aluminum 2.5 inch knife is just ridiculous! You can get a protech that size same materials for 150 180. It urks me because I want to support or US companies especially now our entire community is china made now. Slap to our faces..
People will still buy it and just wear it in their pocket as a pseudo status symbol. Benchmade will continue with this nonsense. This knife looks extremely uncomfortable to use.
I considered this knife, but it's too thin, and expensive for what you get. then, I noticed a medford drop on dlt, slim midi marauder in s90v, so went after that instead. a hair more expensive, but definitely thicker than this, yet being slim and very pocket friendly for a Medford.
Well done - this is really just a bit of a gimmick. I typically steer clear of Benchmade products and I have several pocket knives and Neck knives in the 2 oz. range since I do hike and camp quite a lot. I can get several good knives for that amount of $$$. Interestingly - this was made a real big deal of @ Blade Show and I think it even won an award. That being said you are the very first person I have seen review this knife...now we all know why.
So I'm doin my lunchtime RU-vid scrolling and saw this thumbnail with "your" hands in the shot. COULDN'T CLICK ON IT FAST ENOUGH. 😂 I felt burned on the Taggedout "value wise" but I'm an adult, it is what it is. Dude, I always respect and appreciate your honesty and how ya get to the point. Have a good one. 👍👍🔪
I like the overall look, the handle reminds me somewhat of the Arcane I own which is very comfortable, except this one is so thin. I also like the concept of a thin knife for the times I want to carry in my back pocket and be able to sit down comfortably. I like the stone washed Ti. All of that said, my high limit on this would be $275 max. The blade material is ho hum, as is the overall look. The clip is effective, but the ano isn't anything very special. I still like BM, but I truly think that ego priced this knife, and not knife enthusiasts. And, as others have said, you can get a base CRK or Hinderer for less. I think a solution was invented for a market void not yet identified, and then priced far too high. I suspect they thought the Bugout was so wildly popular due to the thinness and lightweight, but that's not why I own several. They tried to create a premium Bugout, but went too far. The Bugout works because it's a design that just works. Not a single one of the 6 or more i have still has the Grivory handles, they've all been swapped for better scales - still thin, still light, and still less than $300.
I think the inflated price is bc they are so POed at all the years of complains over the Bugout Omega spring breaks, they finally made a questionable stronger variant.
There are soooo many USA made knives that I would choose over that. TRM Atom, Hinderer 3.5, small sebenza in magancut to name a few. The Narrows for 522.00. NOPE! Just my thoughts.
Only small knive should have liner locks , knive that you can not put enough pressure on it with you hands to make it fail (reeves suckbenza 34 lbs to fail ) !
I have the Schrade Slyte Compact. It disappears in my 5th pocket : )The SOG Ultra XR is thin and fancy if you want a gentlemen's folder. I wish there were more thin knives on the market!
I wouldn't necessarily refer to them as garbage. I would refer to them as overpriced and overrated. I have a couple of Benchmades , and I find them to be no better than a lot of less expensive knifes. Just one man's opinion.
Honestly, the price isnt even that big of an issue here. Its sitting at $522, which one could argue its about where a US made production titanium folder ought to be priced; it could probably be knocked down to $425. Its internally and externally milled, and uses a premium steel with a good grind. The machining quality looks good, I'm not seeing any jitter caused by tooling. It uses steel hardware, which I'm not sure why you consider that itself a negative. The real downside I'm seeing is just lazy design choices. Its too thin and feels unstubstantial. The material of the hardware isnt a problem, its the fact that its the same hardware you find on their other knives. M390 for the blade is nothing to complain about, but does look like it needs to be tumbled longer. Definitely should get rid of the website billboarding. And the left handed pocket clip holes are just ugly.
And still, people will defend BM. They are mediocre and their customer service is the worst ive ever experienced. I inquired about some warranty issues on my less than 2 month old Bailout and theycresponded by sending me a link to their web store and telling me thats where i could buy the replacement part. I escalated because I thought for sure it was a mistake. I'd always heard how amazing their warranty was. Nope, they applogized and sent me a discount code for my troubles. For a $200+ knife that was less than a few minths old and I'd only carried a few times.
All Benchmade knives cost 2x what they are worth. The Narrows is 4x what it's worth. I do not and will not own a Benchmade unless someone gives me one.
Benchmade should have used M390. Even with that it is way over priced. I might pay $275 to $325 and that’s stretching it. This will be discontinued before long.
Benchmade can keep their knives! Any company arrogant enough who thinks they can just throw their name on a knife and sell it at any price especially for a piece of 💩like that is dreaming.
Yeesh!!! 500$$!!!! I can buy almost 3 ZT0460Ti Sinkevich knives for the price of this one, and I like the Sinkevich way more. CPM20v blade, all Ti scales and KVT pivot for 180$, I'll take a few of those instead.
@@tacticalcenter8658 I disagree. Allot of it depends on the heat treat, and from my experience, and millions of other ppl's ZT makes great knives. But what isn't debatable, is Benchmade charging almost 600$ for a 200$ dollar knife, and they've been doing this for a while, the Full Immunity is also overpriced. I think with Benchmade, you're paying for the name more then the knife, at least brands like ZT are pricing it out for what it actually is.
@@tacticalcenter8658 most of my knives over 100$ I don't really use anyway, usually keep 'em put up, may carry one if I gotta wear a suit or something. I usually edc a cheap Civivi NOx steel framelock with a Nitro V blade, which I honestly really like, it takes a crazy thin edge and is pretty durable, and I can beat on it and not cry when it breaks. But from my experience with steels, every knife is different and has its own personality. I've had 3 of the same knives not perform the same. I think if the heat treats are done Rt, they usually function as advertised, but I think more than ppl realize, the result varies and can give ppl inconsistent experiences with almost every steel, Benchmade should've at least made it El Max or Magnacut for this price, yeesh!! Almost all of their Ti knives are around 500$, if I'm spending that much im getting one from my fav knife maker, Chaves. I do carry my Chaves TAK once in a while when I shouldn't.
@@tacticalcenter8658 I've seen a bunch of em, the results always vary. I've seen Nitro V perform as a premium steel on those tests before. On that channel.
@@tacticalcenter8658 I just watched several of Cedric and Ada's steel reviews on ZT knives of CPM20v and I don't know where you're getting that they're "junk" from. In the one I just watched, a ZT CPM20v outperformed the Benchmade CPM20v, and I never heard him call it "junk" in any of the steel rating charts he makes. There are a ton of ZT reviews on there with all kinds of results, some he liked, some he didn't, he seemed to think the cpm20v 0470 was up to par. Honestly, this is the only time I've ever heard anyone say "CPM 20v" or "ZT knives" are junk, but agree to disagree.
@@tacticalcenter8658 I just don't know where you're getting this from, he literally ranked ZT as a "B" from A-F, and I can't find what you're talking about. Literally just went through his library looking for this info, and couldn't find it anywhere.
Everything is getting expensive not just benchmade. This knife is overly expensive. All higher quality knives are. Even the imports. I've added six benchmades to my collection this year and they all been knockouts except for the factory edge.
I got a Chinese copy from Ali Express. Never felt so justified in doing so than for such an overpriced knife like this. But, I'm in the group that says ultra thin is good. I love my Native 5 and Para 3, but carrying the Bugout and Chaparral is a much better experience because it doesn't dig into my hip so much when I get out of the car or sit down. I wanted the thinnest carry knife I could get that could open and close safely with one hand. If Benchmade asked $180 for this I would have bought it, and I think that's what it's worth. I have a real Bugout and a Chinese copy that cost $20 and there's nowhere near enough difference to justify the cost spread. The Bugout should be $100.
I do love me some Benchmade but their pricing has started to turn me off and I’ve started carrying Spyderco. I recently bought the Para 3 and I can’t put it down. Again, I love Benchmade but their prices are just not doing it for me.
Great video DD, it costs more than a base Sebenza or Xm-18 At $522 they can keep it, to me it's not worth a penny more than $250. Looks great to carry but painful to use. That thin handle looks very uncomfortable for any extended use. What were they thinking? Smh.
They called it narrows cause it narrows your wallet Now if I had almost $600 to blow on a knife. I’d rather go with winterblade factor and still want/need a thin knife just get a couple knafs landers and remove the scales.
They had a choice between putting all the patent numbers on the blade or just a single URL to their list of patents. It's patent protection, not advertising. Otherwise, this knife is a hot mess.
Where is he wrong? Do tell. Do you think this knife is properly priced? Really? You can get a Sebenza in a better steel longer blade with more extras for $155 cheaper. Lmfao!
Price makes sense. $100 for the butterfly, . $100 for the website, $50 for the M390, $50 for each Ti scale, $50 for the hardware, and $100 for the state of the art axis lock, specially modified. Why don't you see it? Benchmade, get real.
