Benchmade HUNT 15060-2 Grizzly Creek AXIS Folder Knife Review

The Benchmade HUNT Knives are here.  First to hit the shelves is the 15060-2 Grizzly Creek AXIS knife.

A journey that began many years ago, the Benchmade HUNT knives are the compilation of efforts from research labs, tests and most important–many miles of field research.  These knives are built from the most advanced materials available–in fact, they are built from materials that are normally used on surgical equipment and space vehicles.  They are used in the toughest of situations because they are tough, dependable, and reliable.  Just like these materials, the HUNT knives  provide tools that are ruggedly durable and perform to a higher standard.  The HUNT line is all about The Art of Pursuit.  

When you are choosing the best in hunting tools, you are looking for a tool that provides edge retention, durability, and corrosion resistance.  In a HUNT knife you are going to find each of these things.

Edge Retention has been unanimously declared the most important feature in a hunting knife.  When you are many miles from the closest sharpening station, you want your blade to be razor-sharp and stay that way.  The less frequently you have to field sharpen your blade when field dressing your game, the better.  Based on the standardized CATRA edge retention tests, which measures initial depth of cut as well as edge retention over many cuts, CPM-S30V was selected as the blade steel for all the HUNT knives.  It consistently scored in the top group of premium hunting steels.  The other major factor in edge retention is the blade angle.  Too shallow of an edge angle and you can’t cut well, too deep an angle and the blade dulls quickly.  Through a variety of field and lab tests, Benchmade has determined that best angle is between 30 and 35 degrees.

Durability of a knife blade is a factor of the “ingredients” used to form the steel as well as the manufacturing process.  CPM-S30V is a sintered powder manufactured steel.  This means that the correct blend of ingredients is measured out and then cast into millions of tiny round pellets.  These are then fused into a single billet under heavy pressure and high temperatures.  This gives CPM-S30V an extremely uniform grain structure–which means  that because of its uniformity it has no “weak” spots like many other steels.

Corrosion resistance is critical in a hunting knife.  In head to head comparisons with D2 steel, CPM-S30V outperformed D2 by a significant percentage.  In fact, during the lab testing which put the two steels into 96 hours of extremely corrosive conditions, CPM-S30V outperformed D2 by 619%.

With a Benchmade HUNT knife like the Grizzly Creek folder you get a knife blade that is incredibly well-balanced in the performance department.  It gives you fantastic edge retention, corrosion resistance as well as durability.

What about the rest of the knife?  The handle on this knife is Dymondwood® which is a layered composite made from natural fibers.  This gives you the advantage of having a natural handle material that has high dimensional stability, resistance to moisture as well as the classic wood look that so many hunters prefer.

How about the layout of the knife?  The 3.5″ modified drop point blade has just a slight recurve.  This gives you excellent pull cut ability which is critical when field dressing your game.  Nearly at the tip of the blade there is a short section of jimping on the spine which allows for you to “choke” up on the blade when skinning.  This gives you maximum control on precision cuts.  More jimping is found on the blade spine right where it connects with the handle.  This gives your thumb an excellent control point when making heavier slicing cuts.  The blade opens smooth as silk with the ambidextrous thumbs studs.  And the AXIS lockup is world-class. In my mind, the AXIS system is one of the very best found on the market today–reliable, strong and easy to use with either hand makes it both functional and convenient.

A gut hook is found in the butt of the handle.  The gut hook has a serious thumb/finger groove filled with heavy jimping that gives you a solid control point on the hook when using it.  It is definitely handy to have both a main blade and a gut hook on the same knife.

The handle has a classic, pocket knife silhouette.  The two handle scales are atop stainless steel liners that gives the knife strength and rigidity.  The semi open frame makes the knife extremely easy to clean after use.

The knife has a tip up pocket clip.  Built in the USA, this fantastic hunting knife is sure to delight you and many generations to come.  You can find your own here on our website so when you are out on your next expedition you have Benchmade HUNT knife.  The Grizzly Creek is a fantastic place to start–it gives you all the benefits of a mid-sized folder with a guthook all packaged into one tough, durable hunting tool.

SPECIFICATIONS: 

• Blade Length: 3.50″
• Blade Thickness: .124″
• Handle Thickness: .56″
• Blade Material: S30V Premium Stainless Steel
• Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC
• Blade Style: Modified Drop Point
• Weight: 4.76 Ounces
• Pocket Clip: Reversible, Stainless Steel, Tip-Up
• Lock Mechanism: AXIS
• Overall Length: 7.84″
• Closed Length: 4.34″
• Sheath Material: Sold Separately
• Class: Blue