Benchmade 760BK LFTi

Reviewed 05/10/2012 by abu uzayr

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Alright, time for an update on my previous review after spending an unplanned 2 weeks in the Hadramaut Valley, 35km east of Tarim, Yemen. Firstly, a theoretical comment on the issue of the hexagonal stop pin. The various sides of the stop pin are chamferred at slightly different angles so the stop pin can be rotated to ensure solid lockup with no movement - you just have to find the right side of the hexagon if it wasn't set properly out of the factory. Right, back impromptu camping in the Hadramaut Valley, with no axe and no can opener. Used my LFTi severely to baton dry desert wood down to size every day. Use a 3inch thick dry branch to hammer down on the spine of the knife blade. Also probably opened around 50 tins of canned food for the group over the 12 day period. Needless to say, the black coating took a seriously severe beating, with very little left on the knife spine or the tip of the tanto blade up to the yakuta or point of blade inflection. Knife actually looks good beaten up the way it is. The frame lock now locks in at a very secure 70%. The blade remained shaving sharp after 12 days of abuse and was good to go in butchering and dressing a small goat at the end of the trip. One last comment compared to my last review - the ride height in the pocket is very high and actually prefect for quick retrieval - where I can actually get a good secure grip on the closed knife when retrieving it, without having to dig deep into my pocket like other knives. Couldn't believe that the "gentleman's folder" like I called it in my last review did the job I would normally reserve for a fixed blade. Which leads me to the conclusion that looks are deceptive and this Lum LFTi is NO gentleman's folder - this little beast has graduated to Brute. Rest well Mr Lum and thank you for a great knife!

Reviewed 03/02/2012 by abu uzayr

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Bob Lum design - so it has the most graceful lines of any tanto folder ever to hit the market. And this Benchmade version is truer to the late Bob Lum's design that the Spyderco version released several years ago. CPM M4 is said to be one of the hot steels on the market today, but I havve unfortunately not used the knife enough to comment on how it compares to S30V, VG10, 154CM or anything for that matter. My reason for lack of use is that the LFTi, although some would classify it as a large folder, it is somewhat of a gentleman's folder. Its sleek profile and elegant lines belie its size, but I usually carry something suited to self defense, bushcraft or something overtly suited to get what needs to be gotten done quickly. Make no mistake, I completely believe this beautiful knife will get the job done, but Mr Lum's Onslaught, a Matriarch, Lone Wolf T3, ZT301 or Strider DBL would be more effective. The knife would look stunning without the black coating, but every review about M4 says its prone to rusting, hence the coating is probably a good idea. Its also cheaper to coat a knife blade than to buff iy up to a satin or mirror finish and this knife does not come cheap. On the downside, I do not like the hexagonal blade stop pin, why not just use a round one. Blade lock up on the frame lock is bank vault solid, but the pocket clip which is positioned to act as a safety to ensure that the frame lock is not over extended when the lock is disenaged, makes for the knife to sit way too high in one's pocket.I would have prefered 3 screws on the pocket clip instead of 2, but they suffice - I would just have prefered 3. Same goes for my ZT301 and every other folder with 2 screws securing the pocket clip. A major drawback of this knike is that it comes with one of the worst out the box grinds I have ever encounted. The angle is way too thick/shallow and I sure this knife was not designed to baton wood as its primary function, which the thick/shallow edge geometry seems to indicate. Luckily I know a good man at the local knife shop who reprofiled the edge angle for me. So now the combination of the 4mm thick blade and the reprofiled edge is perfect for my needs. I further took the bkade to some 1000 and then 1200 grit paper and its hair popping sharp. This is a great knife and even though I normally carry for the back alleys and battle field, this one is a perfect compliment for the days spent at the head of the boardroom table. Thank you Bob Lum, may you rest well.

Reviewed 01/09/2010 by JM

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

This Benchmade is really cool. It is Lum designed, and really just feels right.

Mine LFTi is first production in CPM-M4. The CPM-M4 is a great steel. The steel is a tooling steel, and takes a wicked edge. Pretty easy to sharpen as well. This steel will rust on you if you don't keep it clean. Many people even oil it, although I personally do not.

The blade shape on the LFTi is awesome. I really like the tanto, from both a looks standpoint and functionality standpoint. It keeps the blade nice and broad but give a nice tip to pierce with. The LFTi has a thumb stud(wish it had a thumb hole) but I can live with that. The blade is coated black, andthe coating does scratch but itn't weak by any means.

The handle on this knife is really great. Unlike my other Ti Benchmade, the handles on this don't get nearly as slick when they are wet, mainly because the holes provide some grip for your hand.

More importantly about the handle on the LFti is the fact that it has a frame lock, which is my favorite locking mechanism on a knife. The lock is very strong, locks up tight, and is positioned such that your palm helps heep the knife locked during use by forcing the lock further into the blade.

The action on this knife is nothing short of epic. It is so smooth and easy to open. This knife is a bit big and burly for EDC, but if you like carrying a big knife it might not be so bad. Really, the LFTi could effectively serve as a camp knife, EDC knife, or just a knife to put in your collection.

The knife is a touch expensive, but that's what you pay for a quality knife these days. I think my LFTi ran me 175 bucks or so. In the end, I don't think you will be dissappointed with this knife.