Benchmade 15200ORG Altitude Knife Review

The Benchmade story all began in 1988, when they set out to make the best knives in the world. And plenty of people feel like that is exactly what they accomplished. Benchmade has grown a lot since then, and they’ve expanded to provide tools for elite tactical operators, first responders, and even collectors. Throughout all of the expansion, their goal has remained the same: they still are working towards making the best knives in the world.

When Benchmade is talking about their Mindset, they have said, “For over thirty years, Benchmade has been designing and manufacturing world-class products or world-class customers. When Benchmade was founded, the mission was to create something better; something exceptional. Today, we continue to innovate with the goal of taking performance and reliability to the next level. To exceed what is expected. Whether you are using a Griptillian for every day duties or taking the fight to the enemy with the Infidel, our knives are built to perform. When you choose to purchase a Benchmade, you do so because you want the best. You demand it. We live it and breathe it, and we know what you mean when you say: it’s not a knife. It’s my Benchmade.”

Today we are talking about one of Benchmade’s newest knives, their orange Altitude.

 

The Blade:

The blade on this Benchmade knife is made out of CPM-S90V steel. This is a super-premium stainless steel that can be hardened to a 59-61HRC. According to Crucible Industries, the maker of this steel, “CPM-S90V is a unique tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process. It is a martensitic stainless steel to which vanadium and carbon have been added for exceptionally good wear resistance. This steel offers substantial improvements in wear resistance over 440C and D2, and other high chromium steels, with corrosion resistance equal to or better than 440C. CPM S90V’s high vanadium content favors the formation of hard vanadium carbides instead of chromium carbides for wear resistance, leaving more free chromium available to provide corrosion resistance. The wear and corrosion resistance of CPM S90V make it an excellent candidate to replace 440C, where increased wear is a primary concern.” The carbon content is very high, but like Crucible mentioned, it’s the quantities of vanadium that really set this blade apart. The quantities of vanadium are almost three times the amount that you are going to find in their other steel: S30V or even Elmax. This steel is going to be very expensive, but you get what you pay for and it is completely worth it. One of the drawbacks is that it is going to be hard to sharpen. Luckily enough, it holds an edge for long periods of time.

The blade has been finished with an orange coating. There are plenty of advantages to a coated blade. The coated finish prolongs the life of the blade by increasing the level of corrosion resistance abilities. This is because the coating creates a layer in between the steel and the environment. This is a powder coating, which is one of the most common and most popular types of finishes. Powdered coating is applied as a free-flowing powder in a completely dry form. This is almost like paint with the solvent part removed. The coating is applied electrostatically and then cured under the heat which causes it to form a kind of skin. This type of coating increases the durability because it is harder than conventional paint. This is also a cost effective finish, because it is not the highest quality finish that you can find. Lastly, this finish adds a bright orange color to the knife. One of the drawbacks to a coated finish is that it can and will scratch off after time and use.

The blade on the Altitude has been carved into a drop point blade shape. The drop point blade shape is an all-purpose knife that can stand up to almost anything. Plus, the drop point blade shape is one of the most popular blade shapes in the cutlery industry today. Tis blade is formed by having the back edge of the knife run straight from the handle to the tip of the knife in a slow, curving manner, which creates a lowered point. It is this lowered point that provides more control and adds strength to the tip. Because of this tip strength and the ability to hold to up heavy use, drop point blades are very popular on tactical and survival knives. However, because the tip is broader, the drop point blade shape is not going to have the same sharpness that you can get from a clip point blade shape. This means that the drop point shape is going to be less suitable for piercing than the clip point knife. But you do need to remember that although you don’t have the ability to pierce, you do have so much strength behind it. And because the point on a drop pint blade is lowered, it is easily controllable, which makes it easier to perform fine tip work. One of the other reasons that drop point knives are so popular and versatile is because of the large belly that they sport, which is perfect for slicing. The most common place that you are going to find this knife is on a hunting knife, which is exactly what the Altitude is. Because of the lowered, controllable point, it is easier to avoid accidentally nicking internal organ sand ruining the meat. Plus, the large belly will allow you to slice through the skin of your game with ease.

The blade on this knife is a plain edge. This will give you cleaner cuts and allow you to take on a wider variety of tasks.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of carbon fiber with G10 micro-scales.

Carbon fiber is a term that is used for materials that have thin strands of carbon being tightly woven then set in resin. This material is extremely strong, but still lightweight. However, because it does take a lot of labor, it does tend to be expensive. And even though it is so strong, it is far from being indestructible and does suffer from being brittle. This is because all of the carbon strands are arranged in a single direction. In that direction, it is crazy strong (stronger than steel), however, as soon as the material is stressed in a different direction, it starts to break apart. This is why it is brittle. This means that the material can crack if it is subjected to hard or sharp impacts. The carbon fiber is bright orange, matching the handle and guaranteeing that you don’t lose this knife when you are put hunting. Overall, carbon fiber is strong and lightweight, but it is expensive and brittle.

The G-10 micro scales lay where the blade ends and the handle begins. G-10 is a grade of Garolite that is a laminate composite made of fiber glass. To make this material, the manufacturer takes layers of fiberglass cloth and soaks them in resin, then compresses them and bakes them under pressure. G-10 is hard, tough, lightweight, and strong. Plus, because of how it is made, adding texture is easy and still inexpensive. The G-10 micro-scales are on the handle to add texture and help increase your secure grip on this knife. Because you will be using this hunting knife during a lot of messy situations, the G-10 micro-scales are a very important feature.

The handle is pretty typical. There is a large finger guard near the blade so that your fingers are protected, even if you do slip. The butt of the handle flares out to increase your hold on the knife. One other addition to increase your grip is the rows of jimping on the knife. There is a short row on the spine where the blade ends and the handle beings. There is another short row on the bottom of the handle where the finger guard is. And there are two short rows on the bottom and spine of the knife near the butt.

A major bonus to this knife is the lanyard hole on the butt of the handle. This allows you to always have the knife with you when you are out hunting.

 

The Mechanism:

This is a fixed blade, which means that there is no moving mechanism on the knife. Some of the advantages to a fixed blade hunting knife is that they are very strong and not likely to break. This is because there is no mechanism that can rust or break down over tie. Also, fixed blades can be a good survival tool. Because of their strength and size, you can usually get away with using this knife for more than just cutting. You can perform tasks with it such as cutting, digging, splitting, food preparation, hammering (with the butt), and even slight prying, although I wouldn’t recommend the last one. The biggest advantage to having a fixed blade as your hunting knife is that a fixed blade is easy to clean and maintain. All you really have to do is wipe the blade and handle down, make sure that is dry before you put it back in the sheath, and oil it every so often.

 

The Sheath:

The sheath that this bright orange knife comes with is made out of Kydex. Kydex is a thermoplastic acrylic-polyvinyl chloride material that is most commonly sue din creating holsters and sheaths. This is a modern material, which has a couple of advantages that natural materials such as leather don’t have. For starters, Kydex is waterproof, scratch resistant, and will not stretch or shrink over time. This Kydex sheath also remains unaffected when exposed to most chemicals such as skin acids. This is an ideal sheath for a hunting knife because of how durable it is. Plus, Kydex sheath’s do not require much maintenance or attention, so if you are on a long hunting trip, you won’t have to worry about looking after your sheath. Especially since your knife and other tools are going to get messy when you are dressing your game.

Of course, like any sheath material, there are its disadvantages. For starters, a Kydex sheath is very noisy. You cannot take the Altitude out of the sheath or put it back in without a snapping sound. This is not ideal for hunting because if you are trying to be stealthy, you cannot; the snapping sound will scare away animals. Also, if you are continually putting your knife in or out of your sheath, you do risk dulling your blade’s edge. While the Kydex cannot stretch or shrink, it can become loose, which means that your knife will rattle back and forth in the sheath. Again, this is going to be too noisy for stealth hunting. Overall, this is a very quality material for a hunting knife.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.08 inches long, with a blade thickness of 0.090 inches. The handle on this fixed blade has a thickness of 0.35 inches. The overall length of this knife measures in at 7.38 inches, which is a pretty average size fixe blade, but is larger than your typical folding knife. This knife weighs in at 1.67 ounces. This knife was made in the United States of America.

 

Conclusion:

This knife is designed for a backcountry adventure. This knife is the perfect knife when you are hoping to be lightweight throughout your adventure and you happen to be counting each and every ounce. Benchmade says, “The ultimate lightweight hunting knife features the incredible edge performance for CPM-S90V blade steel and unique carbon fiber micro scales for dexterity and control not typically found in skeletonized knives. The Altitude continues to take hunting performance to new heights.” And now you can pick up this knife today at BladeOps. So come on down and get your new favorite hunting buddy.