Benchmade Model 147 – NimCub-II

Image courtesy of Benchmade

By Dave Wilkes

The Benchmade Model 147 – NimCub-II is a fixed 3.5” (7.87” over all length) blade knife “designed in collaboration with elite airborne military personnel.” The knife is made from 154CM (58-61HRC) stainless steel with a Noryl GTX® handle with EDM textured finish. The entire knife has a flat black finish and weighs 3.2 oz (I verified this with a digital scale. The sheath adds another 2oz). The friction fit sheath is made of molded nylon with a removable/reversible snap closure (to hold the knife in place) as well as a removable belt clip. The sheath is MOLLE compatible (MOLLE [pronounced as the name MOLLY] is an acronym for MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. A load carrying system used by the military and some police forces to attach various gear and equipment to their packs, vests, and belts). Depending on which part of the manufacturers description you read the blade style is either “Drop-Point” or “Modified tanto”. The knife comes in two styles, one with a smooth blade (the version I received and prefer) and one with a partially serrated edge.

Now I know very little about metallurgy, but I have always assumed that stainless steel was better suited for counter tops and cheep kitchen knives. However the manufacturer says the steel used in this knife is an “American made premium grade stainless steel originally developed for tough industrial applications. Known for its best all-around qualities, it offers great corrosion resistance with good toughness and edge quality.” After holding the knife in my hand and using it for a few basic tasks, I am inclined to believe it is tough. As for its other qualities? Well I guess that is what I am expected to find out.

Serrated version - Image courtesy of Benchmade

I have used a number of knives over the years, and I have developed an appreciation for a well-made cutting instrument. I strongly believe that a well made knife with a very sharp edge is not only more effective but safer since the user has more control. The Benchmade NimCub-II looks and feels like a well made instrument. The grip fits my hand nicely, the tine extends out far enough that I doubt there is any chance of my hand slipping down to the blade, but not far enough that it will get in the way. The thumb grip is in just the right location for me, with the serrations deep enough to give good grip while smooth enough to not be painful when applying force. The entire knife feels well balanced and substantial. The grip design makes the knife comfortable in all the different ways I expect to hold it: Full fist for hacking, with my thumb behind the blade for power and control, and with the lower part of the blade pinched between my thumb and forefinger for precision control. There is a small pummel extending out of the handle with a hole that could be used to attach a lanyard and looks strong enough to be used to break a vehicle window (I will see if I can arrange a test of this).

In my initial assessment of the knife I was impressed with the obvious quality of its design and materials; however I was less impressed with the sheath. The main part of the sheath seems fine and the “friction fit” seems to hold the knife quite well (I had to hold it by the end and swing it around before the knife would fall out) and the removable snap closure seems to work well and be reversible (the knife can be inserted in either direction and the closure can be adjusted to work for either hand). However the belt clip seems to be kind of cheep and clunky. Kind of incongruous when paired with such a fine instrument.  It is entirely possible that it is one of those deceptively simple but ingenious designs so I will give it the benefit of the doubt and hold off on my judgment of this until I have had a chance to use it. The only other possible flaw I can find so far is that when pressed, the plastic handle shifts just a bit. However since it is made to be removable (held in place with two Torx type screws) this may be by design or that the screw may simply be in need of tightening.

When I received the knife, after examining it, I tested the sharpness by shaving some of the hair off of my arm, and it was sharp. A visual examination of the blade edge shows one minute flaw in the edge. While this flaw is visible, when viewed at just the right angle, I could not feel it nor could I detect its presence when cutting various materials (paper, rope, wood). So I have no complaint about its initial condition or sharpness. After some preliminary tests on hair, paper and rope, I tried the knife out by making a feather stick using a piece of ‘fatwood’. For those who don’t know, a feather stick is a piece of wood used for fire starting by shaving thin strips of wood so they curl one after another but remain attached to the stick. This creates thin edges that catch fire easily. ‘Fatwood’ is a type of pine that is saturated in pine pitch and makes excellent tinder (I carry a piece of fatwood in my pack as part of my fire starting kit). The Knife made quick work of this task and the result was one of the finest feather sticks I have ever made, which I promptly ignited with a few sparks from a flint/steel (sadly before I got a picture of it).

Using a fixed blade knife for outdoors work is new to me. I normally carry a folding lock blade knife. While the folding knife is easy to store (fits in a pocket or can be tossed into a pack) I worry about it folding unexpectedly or breaking when I most need it. So it will be interesting to see how I can incorporate carrying this knife in my normal activities.

I look forward to using what so far appears to be a finely made cutting instrument over the next 3 months and I invite you to follow along with me. As always you are encouraged to participate in the discussion about this (as well as many other topics) on the 4AllOutdoors Forums.

UPDATE May 30 2010

Has it really been a month since I received the Benchmade NimClub-II? Time sure flies when you are having fun (or working your tail off). Since receiving the knife I have used it around the house for basic cutting tasks. Everything from rope and paper to wood and even PVC pipe. While obviously this knife is not intended for cutting PVC pipe, it did as well as could be expected, but worked great for trimming the rough ends of the pipe. It goes through rope, paper, cloth, and similar materials cleanly and with ease. Where it excels is with more arduous tasks such as trimming/whittling wood. I have used the knife to  shave/trim wood and even used it to whittle a spoon out of a branch during a hike…ok that one deserves a bit of an explanation. A while back I went on a short weekend backpack to try out a few new items and experiment with some new procedures. In the process of packing I managed to forget to pack my spoon. As luck would have it I planned soup for dinner and oatmeal for breakfast both days…oops! So I pulled out my multi tool and made a crude spoon. Ever since, I have been experimenting with carving spoons out of available wood when I get the chance. Well, obviously it was something I have been wanting to try with the Benchmade. I have to say that the knife made quick work of the small green branch I had available. And in the process I only cut myself once (stuck the point of the knife into the base of my thumb). Being quite sharp, the knife made a clean cut that while it bled quite a bit,  was easy to clean and healed quickly. I have also used this knife to open plastic packages and even to cut summer sausage during a picnic (it went through the plastic wrapper, paper covering, and sausage with equal ease). In using the knife I find the handle to be very comfortable and provide excellent grip and control. The strong stiff blade makes it easy to control and performs quite well. When I am using it, I can feel that I have a quality instrument in my hands. I picked up a knife sharpening system, and used it to keep a good edge on the blade. The knife holds an edge quite well, and it is obvious from use of the sharpener that the steel of the blade is quite hard. As such I would rather not have to put a new edge on it since that could take quite a bit of work, so I have been trying to not allow it to get dull. The sheath has worked better than I originally expected. While I still do not like the plastic belt loop, and find it difficult to operate (I need to use the tip of the knife to get it open), it has worked well on my belt as well as on my backpack straps. So far, besides work around the house/garage and for yard work I have taken the knife on a few day hikes, a few snowshoe trips and one overnight snow camping trip. While the fixed blade is not quite as convenient as a folding blade (that I can simply put in any pocket when not using it) I have less worry that the blade may fold up or break during use (I still have vivid memories of a folding knife closing on my fingers once while I was up in a mango tree…).

The finish of the knife seems quite durable, and most everything from  grease to pinesap cleans off easily. So to summarize this update, I really love this knife. It is strong, durable, and holds and edges well. The design of the blade and handle make it versatile and easy to use. My only complaint is a bit of a ‘nitpick ‘ and that is that I don’t really care for the belt loop on the  sheath. This has quickly become the first knife I reach for regardless of what I am doing, and I would not think of hitting the trail without it.

Update July 20 2010

I have been using this knife for more than 3 months now. I have used it to whittle wood, make feather sticks, cut tree branches, cut up aluminum cans to make alcohol stoves, and even split kindling for a camp fire. To say that I have not been gentle with this knife is an understatement. When splitting kindling I placed the knife on the piece of wood I was splitting and used another piece as a club. The knife took the abuse and split the kindling cleanly and easily. Afterwards it seemed none the worse for it.

In making alcohol stoves I cut up aluminum cans, normally using a sharp utility knife. This is effective but the utility knife blade quickly becomes dull. Seeing how sharp the Nim Club-II is and how well it holds an edge, I decided to try it out for this task. The sharp edge worked as well if not better than a utility knife, and held an edge far better. The design of the knife gives me very good control of the blade making the job easier and the results better. I ended up making 3 alcohol stoves and the knife still had a very good edge (“Ginsu Knives” eat your heart out!).

My biggest disappointment in my initial review of the knife was the sheath. While it is still not my favorite part of the product, I have changed my mind about its quality. For my Mt. Adams climb (as for just about every other hike since receiving this knife) I attached the knife sheath to my pack hip belt. On our way down from Mt Adams we took advantage of the deep snow and glissaded down the steep parts of the route. Some of these were quite steep and fast, and I crashed on a few. After the second time, I realized that I had the knife attached to my pack and that it was taking quite a bit of abuse since it was sticking down and dragging in the snow (sadly my camera was not working and I could not get a picture). On all of the subsequent glissades I found the knife packed with snow but still in the sheath, while the sheath was still firmly attached to my waist belt. I was amazed that it withstood such punishment (I have lost other items on far less aggressive glissade routes).

The knife is starting to show some signs of use. Some of the black coating is chipped in a few places. According the Benchmade web site, this is a special ceramic coating, so I doubt there is any way I will be able to restore it. I tried to contact Benchmade to ask them about restoring the coating about a week ago, but so far have not received a reply.

To summarize, this is one great knife. It is tough and holds an edge well. The design makes it easy to use and fits my hands quite naturally. While using this knife, I have decided that I still prefer a folding style knife as they are easier to store in a pocket or pack, but there is no way I am going to give this one up. It will be a standard part of my pack and get plenty of use around the house…at least until I buy a folding version. Benchmade’s reputation for top of the line knives is clearly supported by this item and I am going to consider Benchmade products anytime I am in the market for a knife from now on.

I would like to thank 4AllOutdoors.org and the folks at Benchmade for the opportunity to test and review such a fine product, and encourage the readers to submit any questions or comments you may have on the 4AllOutdoors.org Forums.

Dave (the turtle) Wilkes

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