Knife Review: Benchmade Thin Blue Line Tactical Triage Folder Knife

The Benchmade Thin Blue Line Tactical Triage Folder Knife

For over thirty years, Benchmade has been designing and manufacturing world-class products for world-class customers.

When Benchmade was founded, the mission was to create something better; something exceptional. Today, they continue to innovate with the goal of taking performance and reliability to the next level. To exceed 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.”

Their ideal knives start with ideal materials. Benchmade builds knives for the most demanding customers, from special operations forces to elite backcountry hunters, and building for the best requires the best raw materials. Benchmade says this about their materials, “We select premium blade steels and pair them with aerospace-grade handle materials to create premium-grade knives and tools that provide great value for our customers.”

The next thing that makes Benchmade knives so top notch is their mechanisms. The mechanics of opening and closing a knife are essential to its function. Benchmade asks themselves questions like 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 ask these questions because they are critical considerations when it comes to the mechanism.

Next is how they manufacture. 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. Their commitment to modern machining techniques and rigid quality control has allowed Benchmade to bridge the gap between custom and manufactured.

The last thing that makes Benchmade really unique is their LifeSharp service. Benchmade describes this, “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 Thin Blue Line Tactical Triage folding knife, this is a new arrival at BladeOps. It is currently in stock as well.

The Blade:

The blade on this tactical knife is made out of CPM-S30V stainless steel. This steel has been produced by Crucible Industries, which is a well-known steel manufacturer. They are known for making high end steels specifically for high end pocket knives. The unique thing about CPM-S30V steel is that Crucible deigned and made this steel specifically with high-end pocket knives in mind. This means that each of the characteristics that you are hoping to get, you can. It means that this steel is high end and reliable.

For starters, it is highly corrosion resistant. This allows the steel to be the perfect option on a tactical knife. You may never know what you may encounter, and you won’t want to have to deal with cleaning this steel constantly to keep it in good condition. Instead, the high levels of corrosion resistance lend themselves well to be a low-maintenance steel, and thus, a low maintenance knife in general.

The next thing that really sets CPM-S30V steel apart is that it has bene made with a near perfect balance between hardness, toughness, and edge retention. This is unique because the harder the steel is, the less tough it is. The tougher the steel is, the less hard it is going to be. And, you do need the hardness to keep the edge for long periods of time. While it seems like this balance would be easier to achieve, it really is not. Crucible has done an outstanding job with it. Really, it is this balance that sets CPM-S30V steel apart from the rest.

There is one major disadvantage to this Crucible steel though. It has a larger grain structure and it is rather hard. Both of these things do mean that it is going to be a little bit tricky to work with. This mean that it can be difficult to sharpen. In fact, a beginner sharpener will probably not have much luck with sharpening this steel.

The CPM process is explained by Crucible when they say, “The CPM process produces very homogeneous, high quality steel characterized by superior dimensional stability, grindability, and toughness compared to steels produced by conventional processes.” Really, this just means that all of the good characteristics of the steel are going to be enhanced further. Plus, it will be slightly easier to sharpen than a regular S30V steel would be.

The blade has been finished in a standard black finish. This black finish does prolong the life of the blade, like any finish would. It has also cut down significantly on any glares and reflections, beucase the finish is applied smoothly and evenly. Not only does the well-applied finish help with maintaining the light, it also is going to make your cuts smoother. The finish should get rid of any texture that the steel might have, making it easier to slice with. Of course, this is just a basic finish, so it will scratch off after time and use. This is a bummer on such a rugged tactical knife like this one.

The blade on the Thin Blue Line Tactical Triage knife has been carved into a drop point blade shape. This is the most common blade shape that you are going to find in the cutlery industry. The popularity of the shape is no surprise when you find out how tough and versatile it really is.

For starters, the spine of the blade curves down to meet the point, creating a lowered point. This is the first advantage of the drop point shape: the lowered point is going to give you more control. The dropped point is also broad, which is where the strength of the blade comes from. The drop point blade shape is such a popular option because it is so tough and strong. It is able to take on many different tasks without the concern of it breaking.

The last reason that this is such a popular option is because the belly is large. The large the belly, the easier it is for something to slice with.

The only drawback to the drop point is that because the point is broad, it does take away some of your piercing abilities. This shouldn’t’ be a huge disadvantage because the rest of the shape really does make up for what it lacks in piercing ability. There isn’t much that you cannot do with this blade, so a minor drawback should really just be minor.

The Handle:

The handle has been made out of G-10, which is a common material. This material is known for being durable and rugged. Plus, there is plenty of texture to provide you with a solid grip. When it come sot a tactical knife, the grip can be one of the most important features. Benchmade recognizes this and has roughly textured the entire surface of the handle. Plus, near the finger groove, on the face of the handle, there are three grooves that run across the width of the handle. These grooves are going to further enhance the grip that you have on this knife. Really, the grip is going to prepare you for nearly any situation. Like I earlier mentioned, when it comes to a tactical knife, you can never be sure what you are going to encounter.

There is a lanyard hole near the butt of the handle. There is also a finger groove that has been finished with a row of jimping, giving you even more of that desired grip.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on the Thin Blue Line Tactical Triage knife has been designed for tip up carry only, but it is reversible for either left or right handed carry. This does mean that the entire knife is going to be much more ambidextrous friendly. The clip, as well as the hardware, is black, helping to create this all-black knife.

The Mechanism:

This Benchmade has been equipped with the AXIS mechanism as well as a dual thumb stud. BladeOps explains their AXIS mechanism by saying, “A patented Benchmade exclusive, AXIS® has been turning heads and winning fans ever since its introduction. A 100 percent ambidextrous design, AXIS® gets its function from a small, hardened steel bar that rides forward and back in a slot machined into both steel liners. The bar extends to both sides of the knife, spans the liners and is positioned over the rear of the blade. It engages a ramped tang portion of the knife blade when it is opened. Two omega-style springs, one on each liner, give the locking bar its inertia to engage the knife tang. As a result, the tang is wedged solidly between a sizable stop pin and the AXIS® bar itself.”

This all means that the AXIS mechanism is going to make this tactical knife more reliable and safer to use. The blade will also be easier to use than a typical folding knife, because the AIS is going to do the bulk of the work and keep you safe while it does it. You should never have to worry about your blade closing while you are working with it, and the AXIS is going to help in this mission.

A dual thumb stud is simply a thumb stud that extends out of both sides of the knife. This means that it has all of the same great advantages that a typical thumb stud does. It is going to be easy to get the hang of and easy to use. All you have to do is push against the stud with your thumb, which will help to swing it open, lock it into place, and be ready for use. However, a regular thumb stud is not ambidextrous friendly, because it does not extend out of both side. The dual thumb stud ensures that you can use it whether you are left or right handed.

The Specs:

The blade on the Thin Blue Line Triage Tactical knife measures in at 3.48 inches long, with a handle that measures in at 4.85 inches long. This means that the overall length of the entire knife when the blade has been deployed is going to measure in at 8.33 inches long. This is a standard knife, although it is slightly larger than average.

However, with the extra length and the sturdy materials, this knife does weigh in at 5.28 ounces. This is slightly larger than the sweet spot entails, but all in all, it should not be too heavy for you to have with you at most times. Also, for a tactical knife, the weight is ideal, because you will know that you can rely heavily on it.

This knife was proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This folder knife features black G-10 handles, a drop point style blade in a black finish and the reversible pocket clip is designed for tip carry only.

The Thin Blue Line rendition of the Tactical Triage shows support to our nation’s public safety personnel with upgraded features with solid Benchmade construction. Each model utilizes Benchmade's patented AXIS® mechanism and uses dual thumb studs to deploy the blade while the updated milling pattern provides an improved grip on the handle.

This Benchmade knife is currently in stock at BladeOps. Click here to purchase yours today.