Benchmade Nimravus Knife Review

For more than three decades, Benchmade has been designing and manufacturing world-class products for world-class customers. When they were founded, they had a mission to create something better, not just good, but exceptional. Today, they continue to innovate with the same goal in mind. They also innovate to take performance and reliability to the next level. They want to always be exceeding what is expected.

Benchmade says, “Whether you are using a Griptilian® 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. And programs like our LifeSharp Lifetime Service and Warranty are the foundation of our commitment to excellence. We live it and breathe it, and we know what you mean when you say: It’s not a knife. It’s my Benchmade.”

They know that to create a fantastic knife, everything about the process needs to be fantastic. They are building knives for the most demanding demographics of customers. They serve everyone from special operations forces to the elite backcountry hunters. Benchmade knows that building for these groups requires the best raw materials. They select premium blade steels and pair them with aero-space grade handles to create premium-grade knives and tools that provide great value for each and every one of their customers.

Next, is the mechanisms. Benchmade recognizes that the mechanics of opening and closing a knife are essential to its function. They ask themselves questions such as “Is it easy to actuate? Can it be opened with one hand? Is it ambidextrous? Will it absolutely not fail when you need it the most?” They know that these are critical considerations when it comes to the mechanism.

The next piece of making a fantastic knife is the manufacturing. Benchmade says, “The Benchmade factory employs modern laser cutters and CNC machining centers that offer control and tolerances commonly found in the aerospace industry – often to tolerances half the width of a human hair. Our commitment to modern machining techniques and rigid quality control has allowed Benchmade to bridge the gap between custom and manufactured.”

The last thing that really sets Benchmade apart is their LifeSharp. Benchmade says, “Benchmade knives are all supported through a team of skilled technicians. Their only function is to ensure your Benchmade is in optimal working condition for your entire life. This service is called LifeSharp®. A name that speaks for itself. When you send your knife to the Benchmade LifeSharp team, the knife is completely disassembled and all worn parts are tuned or replaced. The knife is then lubricated and reassembled, a sharpener applies a factory edge to the blade and the knife is shipped back to you. All at no cost to you.”

Today we will be discussing the Benchmade Nimravus.

 

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of 154CM steel that has been hardened to a 58-61 HRC. This is generally considered a high end steel that has been made by Crucible Industries. This steel is pretty hard and often compared to 440C, although it is an upgraded version of 440C. Crucible upgraded the steel by adding in Molybdenum, which helps the steel to achieve superior edge holding compared to 440C, without taking away its high levels of corrosion resistance. This steel does have a decent level of toughness, which is going to allow you to take on your basic tasks, plus some. 154CM steel also holds an edge very well. When it does need to be sharpened, it is not too difficult with the right equipment.

The blade on this knife has been coated, which works to prolong the life of the blade. A coating does have a wide variety of benefits, such as it increases the wear resistance of the blade, the corrosion resistance of the blade, and cuts down on glares and reflections which is crucial for this tactical knife. You don’t want a reflection off your blade to give your position away when you are in the field. That being said, coatings usually do scratch off after time or even hard use. Once the coating has scratched off, you are not going to get any of the benefits form the coating until the blade has been re-coated. One of the other drawbacks is that the coating is not going to always be applied as evenly as it could, which creates ridges or divots that can hinder your ability to slice.

The blade on this knife has been carved into a drop point blade shape, which is one of the two most popular blade shapes that you are going to find on the market to date. The blade shape has reason to be so popular—as it is versatile and extremely tough. The blade shape is created by having the spine of the knife curve from the handle to the blade in a slow, curving manner, which gives the shape its lowered point. The lowered point serves to give the user more control over their cuts so that you will be able to perform fine detail work with this knife. The tip on the drop point knife is also very broad, which is where the knife gets its characteristic strength from. The strength of the drop point blade shape is what makes it such a great option on a tactical knife, as it is able to withstand forces that many of the other blade shapes would not be able to. The drop point blade shape has a large belly, which lets you slice with ease. The larger the belly, the easier it is going to be for you to slice. The drop point bade does have one major drawback, which is because of its broad point, you do lose out on some of your piercing or stabbing capabilities. If you are looking solely to stab, I would suggest looking for a knife with a clip point blade. The fact that you do lose out on some of your piercing capabilities is usually ignored because the high amounts of strength overrides the lack of piercing abilities.

This blade is a plain edge, which does let the user take on a wider variety of tasks. The plain edge is also easier to sharpen, because you do not have to worry about the teeth, as you would with a serrated blade. This also means that if you need to sharpen it in the field with a rock, you will probably be able to manage. That being said, because it is a plain edge, you probably will need to sharpen it more often than you would with a serrated blade.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum. Aluminum is a low density metal that is often used in knife making. This material is very corrosion resistant, which helps to cut down on maintenance. The most common type of aluminum alloy that is used is 6061-T6, which means that the type of aluminum is 6061 and it has been T6 tempered. This alloy also has one of the highest yield and tensile strengths of all aluminum alloys. This aluminum alloy is also used in aircraft extensively, which is where it got its nickname of “aircraft aluminum.” Some people view this as a benefit, but it just is what it is, you shouldn’t be tricked by this name of its.

The handle has been anodized black. According to thebalance.com, “Anodizing is a method of increasing the corrosion resistance of a metal part by forming a layer of oxide on its surface. The part that is being treated forms the anode electrode of an electrical circuit. Anodizing increases resistance to corrosion and wear.” The process of creating this protective oxide coating is achieved electrolytically. The aluminum part to be treated is first submerged in an electrolytic solution bath along with a cathode. When a current is passed through the acid solution, hydrogen is released form the cathode and oxygen forms on the surface of an anode. The anodizing process increases the wear resistance, the corrosion resistance, and makes it less prone to scratching, which is a common problem when it comes to aluminum. Overall, the anodizing process adds a sleek, black color to the handle while also prolonging its life.

The handle is pretty simple, with a thick row of jimping on the spine of the handle. The spine is pretty much straight, but does slowly curve towards the butt of the knife. There is a deep finger groove and a thick finger guard on the belly of the handle. Both of these will significantly protect your fingers while giving you a comfortable and secure grip. The belly of the handle does have a slight bulge to it, which helps you grip the knife more securely. As a bonus, this knife does have a lanyard hole, which helps you keep this knife with you at all times.

 

The Mechanism:

This is a fixed blade knife, which has a variety of benefits that come along with it. Many people do like folding knives more because they are easier to conceal and easier to have with you at all times, because they are smaller. However, I would argue that the benefits of a fixed blade for your tactical knife outweigh the benefits you would get from a folding knife. The first thing that sets a fixed blade knife apart is that the blade and overall knife can be significantly larger. The blade can be much longer because it does not have to fit inside of the handle. And because the blade does not have to fit inside of the handle, it can also be thicker, which helps to make the blade more durable. Going along with that, the entire knife is more durable and less prone to breaking because there are less parts on a fixed blade and no mechanism. You don’t have to worry about a spring, hinge, or even just the inner workings of a fixed blade because there are none of those things. Because there are none of those things, maintenance on a fixed blade is easier too. All you really have to do is wipe down the blade and handle and make sure everything is dry before putting it in its sheath. Lastly, a fixed blade is a superior tactical tool because all you have to do is pull it out of its sheath and it is ready to go.

 

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this knife is a nylon sheath that is MOLLE Compatible and has been equipped with a MALICE CLIP. Nylon is commonly used in knife sheaths and are often compared to leather sheaths because of how often they are used. Just like leather, nylon is going to be tough as well as strong. Plus, nylon sheaths are resistant to rot and mildew, which you wouldn’t find with a leather sheath. Nylon is not super vulnerable to water as well, which helps with the maintenance of the sheath. The biggest advantage for this specific sheath is that it is MOLLE Compatible. All of that being said, there are also some major drawbacks to having a nylon sheath. The first one is that it is not going to last as long as leather or other synthetic materials. The biggest drawback is that nylon does get stretched out over time, which means that the sheath is not going to give your knife a snug fit for a lifetime.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 4.50 inches long with a blade thickness of 0.115 inches. The handle on this knife has a thickness that measures in at 0.58 inches. The Nimravus has an overall length of 9.45 inches long and weighs in at 6.20 ounces. The sheath that comes with this knife weighs in at 5.00 ounces even. This knife was made in the United States of America, so you can feel proud to own, carry, and use it.

Conclusion:

Benchmade says that this is one of their all-time best-selling combat fixed blades. You should find out for yourself by picking up this knife today at BladeOps.