Benchmade 158 CSK-II

Benchmade CSK or Combat Survival knife is from Benchmade's Black Class or tactical line. This knife has gotten a lot of bad reviews due to a YouTube video that someone had made using this knife as a hatchet. Well if you have any survival knowledge you would know better than to use your most important tool recklessly. You wouldn't use it to pry into a metal safe either, and when it broke say "its a poor made knife". Basically I'm saying use your tools for what they are intended for and you shouldn't have a problem. This knife hasn't failed me because I use it for its intended purpose....to be a knife.  

You can tell by just looking at it, that it is designed to fill both purposes as a survival knife and as a fighting knife. Its a fairly thick blade and is good for most survival functions. Its very lightweight (7.5oz) an blackened blade doesn't produce glare. Something very important in a tactical environment. The blade is made from 57-60HRC 1095 carbon steel. Measuring 10.75" overall with a 6" blade. Perfect length for a survival blade.

Clip point blade

You can see the MOLLE attachment on the back of the Sheath

I do wish the handle was a little longer but it does fit well in the hand with Benchmade's "Tactile" grip. The grip also has a lanyard hole, to me is a must on a fixed blade survival knife. 

It comes with a nice leather sheath. I prefer leather sheaths for their durability and they are quiet. This sheath is quality leather as well as heavy stitching. The sheath has multiple carry options: on a belt, attached to MOLLE panels, or strapped completely to your leg with dual lanyard points. I do make the suggestion of replacing the leather cordage with 550 cord for durability. 

UPDATE 7/26/12: After a few months of using this knife, I'm quite impressed. It is a 1095 steel, but I believe it has had a good heat treatment. It's easy to sharpen and holds an edge quite well. I used it for about any survival task that you could possibly think of. It batoned well, chopped okay, and I was able to do some finer work. The knife is well balanced and that helped with the finer task. The coating does wear off pretty quick, one bout of batoning and it will make the knife look as it's been used for a few years. I did grind off a section on the rear of the blade near the handle to be used to strike a firesteel. I will say that I would like to see it somewhat cheaper than the $100 price tag.


Coming in at just $100 and can be found cheaper at some web stores. 

http://www.benchmade.com/products/158