Benchmade Rukus II Automatic Knife Review

Since we’ve gone over the overall history of Benchmade a couple times here on this blog, today I thought we’d start this Benchmade knife off with a brief history of the Benchmade logo.

The Benchmade logo is a big butterfly with their company name going through the middle of it. This logo seems very peculiar to people who don’t know Benchmade very well or don’t know the history of Benchmade. Why would such a hardcore company choose a butterfly to represent them? Well, when Benchmade was first founded, it was actually called Bali-Song, Inc. and they produced only Bali-Song, or butterfly knives. They reached a point where they were producing enough other products that it didn’t make sense for them to keep their original name. They cycled through a couple more before Benchmade stuck. And while their new name represents the quality of their knives—it’s not handmade, nor is it factory made, because the parts are factory made, but the individual knives are assembled completely by hand, their logo represents their roots and where they came from. Benchmade is still commonly associated with butterfly knives and do still make a phenomenal butterfly knife. And now you know why such a tough company chose to display themselves with such a delicate logo.

Today, we will be going over the Benchmade Rukus II Automatic knife with a CPM S30V black blade and aluminum handles.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of CPM S30V stainless steel. This steel was designed and manufactured by Crucible, which is an American company. They designed this steel specifically with knives in mind, so you know that you are going to get all of the best qualities from it. When Crucible is talking about this steel, they say, “CPM S30V steel is a martensitic stainless steel designed to offer the best combination of toughness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. Its chemistry has been specially balanced to promote the formation of vanadium carbides which are harder and more effective than chromium carbides in providing wear resistance. CPM S30V offers substantial improvement in toughness over the other high hardness steels such as 440C and D2, and its corrosion resistance is equal to or better than 440C in various environments. The CPM process produces very homogenous, high quality steel characterized by superior dimensional stability, grind ability, and toughness compared to steels produced by conventional processes.” This steel is thought to have the perfect combination of hardness, toughness, and edge retention. One of the only drawbacks to this steel is that it is not easily worked with, meaning sharpening a knife with this steel might prove to be tricky. This is not going to be a pain though, but if you are a beginner sharpener, this might not be the most ideal steel to start with. When S30V steel first was released, it was very expensive because it offered qualities that were near impossible to find elsewhere. However, now there are super steels on the market and S30V has an older brother that has been designed with the same qualities, except easier to sharpen. While this steel is still going to cost a decent amount, it won’t take an arm and a leg like it used to.

The blade on the Rukus II has been finished with a black coating. A coating finish serves a variety of purposes on a knife blade. The main reason that people prefer coated finishes is because they do help to prevent corrosion. The coating creates a layer in between the steel and the environment, preventing it from rusting. This means that maintenance time is reduced because you won’t have to worry about oiling your blade as often. A second reason that many people love coated blades is because it creates a matte blade. If you are going to be out in the field with your knife, a matte finish is crucial. One of the last reasons that people love a coated finish is because they look good and create a smooth finish. Unfortunately, with all of these good qualities, a coated finish is still not preferred by many people because after heavy or continued use, the coating will scratch off. When the coating scratches off, you’ll have to re-coat the blade to get the same benefits out of it. The coating can also be applied unevenly, which does reduce its ability to cut well.

This blade has been carved into a drop point style blade, which is the most popular blade style in use today as well as being one of the most versatile blade shapes that you can come across. The drop point blade style has a convex curve to the spine as it approaches the tip of the blade. Or, in simpler terms, the spine of the blade starts to drop towards the tip of the blade here it meets the curve of the belly of the blade to form the tip. This dropped or lowered tip is where the blade shape gets its name from. And, this lowered tip means that you are going to have much more control over your cuts and you will be able to perform detail work with this blade. This lowered tip is also what makes this blade shape such a positive option for a hunting knife—with the extra control you won’t have to worry about slicing into the organs and ruining the meat of the game that you are dressing. This blade shape is so versatile because it has such a large belly that makes slicing extremely easy. This large belly equips you from anything such as survival circumstances to opening a letter. One of the other big benefits to this blade shape is that it sports such a broad tip. This broad tip is what gives you so much strength behind the knife, allowing you to excel in survival and tactical situations. Drop point blades are often confused with clip point blades because they do sport a lot of similarities. The biggest difference between the two is their tips. The clip point has a fine, thin, sharp tip that allows you to effortlessly stab. However, the clip points tip is also much weaker because of how thin it is, meaning that you really won’t be able to do any tough tasks without it being prone to breaking and snapping. The drop point has a broad tip, which gives you the strength we previously talked about, however, it is also a draw back because you lose almost all of your stabbing abilities. You win some, you lose some in every blade shape scenario, but with the drop point blade shape, you win a lot more than you lose. No wonder it is the most popular blade shape in use today.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum which has been anodized black. Aluminum is a very low density metal that is often used in knife making because it is so corrosion resistant. Aluminum is a soft metal, so it is usually only used in the handles on knives, instead of the blade or tool piece. It is often anodized not only for aesthetics, but also for its wear resistance. Most knives use 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, which means that the type of aluminum is 6061 and it is T6 tempered. 6061-T6 aluminum has one of the highest yield and tensile strengths of all aluminum alloys. 6061-T6 is used extensively in aircraft, and is often referred to as “aircraft aluminum”, but sometimes this is actually seen as a gimmick, because it doesn’t mean very much pertaining to the actual qualities of the steel. Aluminum alloy is cheaper to produce and machine than Titanium, but it is lighter, weaker, and less resistant to wear as well. For the most part, Aluminum is an inferior metal to Titanium aside form tis lightness. However, when producing complex knives, especially with automatic knives, aluminum is much cheaper to produce and the material costs less.

The Ruckus II aluminum handle has been anodized black. Not only does this add the black color that gives this knife such a sleek look, it also works to protect the metal better. This makes it tougher, harder, more durable, and more resistant to corrosions. The anodization process starts with a controlled oxidation to create an engineered surface layer. Then, an electric current is passed through the metal and the aluminum is dipped into an electrolytic acid bath. In this reaction, oxygen ions migrate from the electrolyte onto the surface of the aluminum—anodizing it. These ions build into a protective layer of oxide that is harder, more durable, and sometimes as much as 30 percent thicker than the pure aluminum.

The handle has diagonal grooves cut into the lower portion of the handle. There is jimping near the butt, on the spine, and on the finger groove to give you a very controlled and secured grip. To protect your fingers there is a light finger guard and to create a comfortable grip on this knife there are three finger grooves carved into the bottom of this handle. The butt of this all-black handle is squared off. On the butt of the handle there is a protruding glass breaker.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this is designed for tip up carry only, but it is eligible for a left or right hand carry option.

The Mechanism:

This is an automatic knife, so before we get into the mechanics off it, let me say this: automatic knives fall under a strict set of laws in the United States. They are not legal to purchase or carry in all states, cities, or areas of the country. You are responsible for knowing what your local laws are before purchasing or carrying this knife. You will be responsible for the consequences that follow if you choose to not be informed.

Automatic knives are also known as switchblades, pushbutton knives, and even ejector knives. This style of knife has a blade that is stored inside of the handle. Instead of manually flipping, or pulling, the blade out of the handle, you push the silver ejector button that sits on the face of the Rukus II. There is a spring inside of the handle that flicks the blade out automatically when this button is pushed and then the blade gets locked into place. The blade is unlocked manually by operating a mechanism that unlocks the blade and allows it to be folded and locked in the closed position. This knife features a button lock mechanism.

The Specs:

The blade on the Benchmade Rukus II measures in at 3.4 inches long with a handle that measures in at 5.1 inches long. The overall length of this knife when opened is 8.5 inches long. This knife weighs in at a large 4.94 ounces. This Benchmade knife was made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

The Rukus II is one of several new mid-year released knives by Benchmade this year. Modeled after the popular H&K MP5, this model features an all-black aggressive design and been given an upgrade from 154CM stainless to industry-leading CPM-S30V for increased strength and edge retention. Not only that, but it will resist rust effortlessly while giving you excellent toughness and hardness. Great ergonomics, a protruding glass breaker and integrated slide safety make will really give you a tactical advantage–regardless of the task of where you are in the field. The handle has excellent texture to give you a very secure grip on your knife at all times. This Black Class model, the 9600BK, features a black anodized aircraft aluminum handle, a drop point style blade in a black finish and the reversible pocket clip is designed for tip up carry only but is eligible for a left or right hand carry option. Pick up your Benchmade Rukus II Automatic knife with a CPM S30V stainless steel blade that has been coated black today at BladeOps.