I don’t mean too brag, but Benchmade sent me the new Fact 417 a tactical every day carry
knife to do a review on because they know a tactical bro when they see him. They
may have been impressed with the theory behind my Grayman videos. Or my simple demonstration
of a fighting grid for self offense. Ok, if you’re opponent is here here here here
here here here here here or here but I’d stick with the karambit. Remember there’s
no such thing as a defense grid because defense is for dead people. Or maybe it was my logically
sound car rants about snow flakes… what do you mean it’s a feathery ice crystal
typically displaying delicate sixfold symmetry? And while you ponder those reasons let’s
check out the overall dimensions like the length and weight. Blade length and and
cutting edge, man that’s pointy. Handle size and grip area, a nice grip area for it’s
compact size. Spine thickness and handle thickness. And tallness when the blade happens
to be closed and not opened- I think that rolls off the tongue better than tallness
closed. The Benchmade Fact is a compact tactical knife, that has a long and pointy
blade known as a spear point, made from S30V steel with a satin finishes that looks slightly
stonewashed if the light hits it just right or you’re just really high. The perfectly
centered blade pivots on opulent phosphor bronze washers. And since my blade says prototype,
I am ordered to immediately destroy it after the review. And it must be noted… if you’re
going to carry a long thin pointy blade… it’s not for prying and you need to mind
the tip. If you’re prone to treating your Owen blades worse than a jerk you might loan
a knife too… or you drop things a lot… maybe thin pointy tips aren’t for you.
The blade is deployed by thumb studs and locked into place with an axis lock- because it’s
a Benchmade. The thumb studs sit close to the handle when closed, however you can get
your thumb in there easy for consistent deployments. Flick flick flick flick. I look like a real
pro huh. I did need to adjust my pivot slightly to get it to my desired fidget-ability though.
A flick out and flick backward makes it a pretty friendly and badass looking fidgeter.
However everyone in the office already knows to stay away. And like all my Benchmades
with an axis lock you can get it to open just by flinging it downward at the right angle.
I still haven’t had a Benchmade open in my pocket though.
The handle… for such a compact and light knife much like the blade the handle is larger
than expected. There is plenty of room for my hand- maybe not the hand of a loved one
too but even for larger more tactical hands it works. The murdered out handle is constructed
out of two parts a matte black special ops stainless steel liner and skunkworks black
anodized aluminum scales that are scalloped and textured. At first feel the handle feels
like a grippy G10, and not aluminum- but it is and the surface isn’t that smooth. If
you’re thinking smooth like a lion steel aluminum handle- well it’s aint. The knife
is designed to be grippy and not fly out of your hand when it’s wet. Because remember
you’re on a tactical mission. There’s a some widely spaced jimping on the blade
spine, so that’s cool. The handle is relatively comfortable despite having texture, and you
can grip it nice and tight without discomfort. I
like the pass through skeletonization of the handle, because normal skeletozation can create
pockets of goo or filth inside the handle that’s not easy to clean out, the pass through
weight saving holes make it easier to clean. The handle is open back design with a few
matte black standoffs, and the blade edge doesn’t get close to the back of the handle,
and the tip isn’t close enough to the rear of the handle to knick your palm when closing
it. Which is great because as frequently as you use your palm those little cuts hurt.
The clip is reversible to the right or left side IN A TIP UP CONFIGURATION for faster
deployment. The clip is deep carry and springy and matte black so it checks all the tactical
boxes with a tactical pen.
Alright comparison time. First the fact. I’m not gonna lie- after the Mini Crooked
River I thought Benchmade had knocked it out of the park. Then when I got the fact, well
it’s equally a great for desk warriors and mall ninjas It’s super compact light…
looks cool, reversible pocket clip. The blade is useful and pointy, it’s gets under
tape and paper easily… it kind of looks like a tactical letter opener- an oxymoron.
However pointy thin tips can lead to breakage if you’re not careful. Now the Mini Crooked
River. You know my other new favorite bench made. This one has a nice comfortable slightly
smaller handle and blade- not quite as stabby, but a little more robust of a tip if you ever
pry or beat up on your blades a bit. How about the Griptilian, a knife which can take a beating.
Similar handle sizes, however I think the Fact handle is a little more comfortable because
it doesn’t have handle jimping on the top or bottom. The fact is about a $190 knife-
the griptilain is about $100. Plus steel snobs tend to prefer s30v more over 154CM.
I don’t care much though. Also which is more tactical caring or not caring- discuss.
How about the spyderco Para Military 2. This one has a nice thin blade stock too,
and a very uneven edge grind but I still love it. Nice comfortable handle. But let’s
take a more tactical route… if you’re familiar with the Yojimbo 2 well thanks very
thin and pointy too… Also mine has terrible blade centering. And I’ve never beat it
up. Some people think Benchmade has the worst QC but for me my Spydercos have been worse.
However I don’t generally obsess about that stuff- as you’ve probably realized by now.
Anyway one more long pointy blade. My Cold Steel Frenzy. This one is long and stabby
a thicker blade stock. I dunno this one is probably more for the self defense crowd-
those who prefer hypotheticals over utility. Personally it’s too big of a knife to carry
in a pocket for me.
Let’s do a side by side comparison of blade profiles here. The Fact is in the center,
and hopefully you can pick out what the other ones are. Notice the fact is actually thicker
in the middle because it’s a spear point, so just because it has a thin spine, the thicker
center helps reinforce the blade. Now let’s do a top down view. Notice the Fact win the
center has about the thinnest spine, again though it gets thicker in the center. The
Endura 4 there actually has about as thin of a tip. However it is a much tall blade…
basically all of them are.
Alright so the Benchmade Fact. Kind of like the 940-1 it’s a bit unusual looking at
first, but somehow it works for a utility blade well. Piercing and stabbing are common
every day carry tasks and the Fact is about as good as it gets for that. It’s well under
4 ounces, and is thin and pocketable. However note, the matte scalloped handle is designed
for traction- so expect it to wear on thin pocket material. If you wear nice clothes…
and want the fabric around and inside your pockets to stay fabulous and beautiful maybe
it’s not the knife for you. On the other hand, I’m a person who doesn’t mind pocket
wear and character on my jeans so it works well. The knife has a great hand feel, plenty
of room on the handle and is realitivly compact. Out of the 8 or 9 Benchmades I own… it’s
probably in the top 3 for every day carry. I think the Mini Crooked River is my favorite,
then I can’t say if the 940-1 or the Fact ranks higher. The Bugout figures into it too-
maybe that’s 4th. Again check back in 6 months. Or don’t. It would be nice if Spyderco
made a sub $200 knife that looked great to me this year… but all their best stuff is
out of my price range. If you like this review subscribe to my channel, give the video a
thumbs up, leave a comment, and thanks to all my old and new subscribers. 20,000 now!
Thanks for watching.