New Knife: Benchmade 810 Contego (with pics!)

[SgtToadette 59]

Hey guys,

 

This initial review starts off with a sad story. I've been carrying Benchmades for a long time and been a huge fan. It seems to be the case that I lose my EDC about once every 2 years or so. For the last two years, I have been carrying a 581 Barrage. It served me well and was a great proving ground for M390 as a superb blade steel. Sadly, it went missing at work after falling out of my back pocket at some point. I was sad to see it go, but I'm excited to try new knives.

 

I've been eying the Contego for a while now, but never had a reason to bite the bullet since I had no real need. It carried a hefty $210 MSRP and in the heat of the post-Newtown panic, most of my disposable income has been going towards over-paying for ammo, not fine cutlery.

 

So, without further adieu, here she is (pardon the quality of the pictures, I'm using a 5mp potato cam)!

 

 

So with the first picture out of the way, here's the specs of the Benchmade 810 Contego, courtesy of Benchmade's website:

• Weight: 5.92 ounces.
• Blade Length: 3.98 inches.
• Blade Material: CPM-M4
• Locking Mechanism: AXIS Lock.
• Opened Length: 9.28 inches.
• Closed Length: 5.3 inches

This is my first venture into Benchmade's Black class line of knives, which is their line geared towards military and law enforcement. I've only ever owned Blue class knives which are their more general use knives. When I opened the box and handled the Contego for the first time, this difference in classes became more understood and is, at least in this example, more than marketing semantics. The Contego feels like a user's kind of knife. It isn't going to be a collectors piece, which is just how I like it.

 

This leads me into talking about the grip:

 

 

I've tried my best to capture the roughness of the texture with this picture. If anyone has ever handled one of the newer Cold Steel Recon 1's, the texture on the 810 is very comparable, but the execution is far more pleasing to the eye. The grip is made of G10 which is pretty much the standard for most knives carrying the butterfly insignia. If you look closely, you'll notice several grooves on the top and bottom the handle. The backspacer is also lined with rather deep grooves as well.

 

 

It's clear this knife was designed to stay in your hand until you willingly let go of it. The ergonomics are solid, if a bit abrasive. Whether or not that level of grip is a good or a bad thing is going to be a matter of personal preference. I will note that this added grip makes re-clipping the knife back into my pocket more difficult. I personally prefer to have the added grip.

 

One of the big selling points about this knife is the blade, both its shape and its steel. I have a lot of respect for tanto style blade in terms of their durability, but I never buy them for two reasons: First, the blade is harder to sharpen and second, I find them hideous looking. The 810 uses a "reverse tanto" style which maintains the more organic blade shape of a drop-point or similar style knife, while also keeping the tip strength of the tanto style.

 

 

It has proven rather hard to demonstrate the exact geometry of this knife in pictures. If you look in the picture above, you'll see that the top of the blade is at it's thickest point when it is closest to the handle. It is then contoured, but as it nears the tip, thickens back to full thickness and then completes the tip. This is very similar to the top of a tanto blade, give or take a few contours and tapers.

 

This knife also has one of the sharpest factory edges I've had on a knife from Benchmade. I'm going to attribute this to continuing improvement on Benchmade's part, but also to the blade steel (CPM-M4). This isn't a stainless steel unlike my 581, so I opted to have the black cerakoted variant.

 

(Quick note: This knife comes in 4 variants: Black plain-edge, black combo-edge, satin plain-edge, and satin combo-edge. While this is traditional for Benchmades, it is important to note that the satin variety of knives are also cerakoted. This was done with the intention of providing options for those who prefer the look of a satin blade.)

 

The Contego also comes with Benchmade's new "deep-carry" pocket clip. This design allows for the knife to remain clipped to your pocket while riding lower in your pocket. This is a cool thing for a New Jersey resident looking to be discreet, but I like to have a bit more handle exposed so I can have more purchase on the knife when I'm extracting it from my pocket. Again, this is a matter of personal preference. Here's a profile of the clip for clarity:

 

 

You'll also see in this picture the glass-breaker. It's cool to have, I guess. I'd personally rather not have it since it tends to spend more time poking me more when I grab it out of my pocket than breaking glass. For a Black class knife it makes sense, but I'd rather it not be there. You're not going to see me ground it down or anything, though.

 

That's pretty much all there is to report. I've only had the knife for about a week now, so I don't have anything of value to add in terms of edge retention or durability. If the blade steel and typical Benchmade quality are any indication, however, I expect great things from this knife.

 

P.S. I bought this knife from BladeHQ.com for $139.00 shipped, which is a steal.

 

[AnthonyC83 0]

Awesome knife! I have one as well. M4 steel is my favorite blade steel. It's a pain to sharpen but the edge lasts through a lot of work.

[Tack Tickle 0]

Love it! Huge fan of Benchmade, period!!! The sheepsfoot blade is a very useful shape for all different uses. The new CPM steels are great with edge retention. The axis lock is a nice feature as well. Very easy to use.

 

That's how I acquired a BUNCH of griptilians. They kept "disappearing", but fortunately only temporarily. However, long enough to buy more, haha. Ended up with the 440C, 2 CPM154's and a D2, haha. Love them all.

 

That particular blade you have there is definitely a nice find!!! Congrats! Hopefully your lost blades will reappear!