808 Loco - First Impressions Are Not Everything
Ok, so read this through before you start to have a personal opinion or reaction.
My first visual reaction while unboxing the 808 Loco was of being underwhelmed by the handle scales. I was hoping for a little more grain (weave) visible in the G-10, but the scales are pretty much matte black.
Upon the first opening of the blade, I was wondering how I was ever going to use this thing. The blade is so canted forward from the handle, I didn't see how it could be used except to cut things you were holding in your hands, or for point in self-defense. I really thought I had a dedicated self-defense or weapon retention tactical knife with limited practical utility capability and ergonomics. I thought I might actually wind up returning it. Then, I got to really looking at it...
At first I thought, well this will be worthless in the kitchen, you won't be able to get hardly any of the edge down on a cutting board, or even use it to cut your ginormous gourmet cheeseburger in half, unless you want to use only the tip. But then I put it down on a flat surface next to one of my Griptilians, and realized the situation wasn't really much different with the Griptilian. In fact the canted blade angle helps ergonomically, because it straightens out your wrist. Okay...so mebbe my first impression was mistaken, maybe this thing will work out okay as a regular utility knife.
Once I had assured myself somewhat on that score, I got to looking at other features of the knife. As Keyman pointed out in his first impressions, the robustness of the construction of this knife comes through right away. The blade is thick, the liners are thick, the Keyman nerdaliper says the Axis lock is .270 NMUs (nerd massive units)
. Keyman says it basically has the same construction in terms of specs as the Adamas folder. It is strong.
It is a thick knife from handle side to handle side. Most of that seems to be due to extra thick bushings and liners. The G-10 scales are actually quite thin, which is sensible design if you ask me. I find it pretty unobtrusive in my pocket, it seems to ride very nicely. The back of the handle is smooth, so even with a big knife, I can put my hand in my pocket without getting it scratched. The deep carry clip seems sturdy.
All the custom-like hardware pieces are very much appreciated by me. The diamond-crescent shaped standoffs are great. They provide open back construction without the drab factor from barrel shaped spacers. Nice job Benchmade!
The cutout in the scales for the thong hole is very nicely done too, with a really nice ferrule/spacer/tube. You could actually thread your thong/lanyard through the barrel, or tie it around it, which can keep your thong/lanyard kind of out of the way of your grip more, or oh heck just because some choice is always nice.
The milling on the pivot heads and Axis nuts is very nice too! Very nice custom touches! The pivot has a Torx head on both ends. I haven't seen a two-screw pivot on a Benchmade knife in a long time. I'll have to take a look at Keyman's exploded view pic again and see what that is all about. Personally, I'm happy to pay that extra $50 to get these custom touches on a knife, or to have the opportunity for this model. If you want an all business, price point model, the HK Axis is there for us.
The blade is awesome, btw...widest flat grind in the lineup by a good margin, I believe, with a very thin, almost zero grind edge. This knife will be a scary slicer. And a hole opener, yay! No thumb studs to rust or get in the way of sharpening. At first I thought the blade was smaller than I expected, but mine measures out 3.75" from the front of the handle, almost all of which is sharpened length, longer than the stated 3.68" (maybe that's sharpened length?). I really like the blade profile. It is a much more graceful "reverse tanto" profile than the 810 Contego in my opinion. The Loco looks graceful both closed and open.
Handle ergonomics are very good. Everything is smooth and comfortable, the hand lays on it very comfortably and naturally. Nice flat spot on the back and spine for the thumb. The canted angle of the blade will be a great advantage for cutting power, keep your wrist straight in slicing cuts on anything not laying on a flat surface. And NO JIMPING!! Haleluja! None is needed! The ergonomic design of the handle will keep your hand in place without having to use teeth to penetrate your skin for traction. Another big well done.
Last point, the web site calls the Loco a "heavy tactical folder" with "tricked out hardware and attitude." It is a strong knife with a definite design emphasis on tacticality, to butcher a term. I won't go into what I think are the advantages for self-defense, cuz I've gotten tired of that conversation, but safe to say, the Loco is well made for several aspects of self-defense. The uncompromising shape kinda forces you to use it the way it is designed to be used, but I suppose that is true of any "tactical" knife.
So at this point, having worn the 808 Loco around the house, so to speak, for a few hours, I am enthusiastic about it's construction, and optimistic about its utility potential. I plan to carry only the Loco for a few days until I get a solid impression of how it works. Look for longer term impressions soon. Awesome knife!
My first visual reaction while unboxing the 808 Loco was of being underwhelmed by the handle scales. I was hoping for a little more grain (weave) visible in the G-10, but the scales are pretty much matte black.
Upon the first opening of the blade, I was wondering how I was ever going to use this thing. The blade is so canted forward from the handle, I didn't see how it could be used except to cut things you were holding in your hands, or for point in self-defense. I really thought I had a dedicated self-defense or weapon retention tactical knife with limited practical utility capability and ergonomics. I thought I might actually wind up returning it. Then, I got to really looking at it...
At first I thought, well this will be worthless in the kitchen, you won't be able to get hardly any of the edge down on a cutting board, or even use it to cut your ginormous gourmet cheeseburger in half, unless you want to use only the tip. But then I put it down on a flat surface next to one of my Griptilians, and realized the situation wasn't really much different with the Griptilian. In fact the canted blade angle helps ergonomically, because it straightens out your wrist. Okay...so mebbe my first impression was mistaken, maybe this thing will work out okay as a regular utility knife.
Once I had assured myself somewhat on that score, I got to looking at other features of the knife. As Keyman pointed out in his first impressions, the robustness of the construction of this knife comes through right away. The blade is thick, the liners are thick, the Keyman nerdaliper says the Axis lock is .270 NMUs (nerd massive units)
It is a thick knife from handle side to handle side. Most of that seems to be due to extra thick bushings and liners. The G-10 scales are actually quite thin, which is sensible design if you ask me. I find it pretty unobtrusive in my pocket, it seems to ride very nicely. The back of the handle is smooth, so even with a big knife, I can put my hand in my pocket without getting it scratched. The deep carry clip seems sturdy.
All the custom-like hardware pieces are very much appreciated by me. The diamond-crescent shaped standoffs are great. They provide open back construction without the drab factor from barrel shaped spacers. Nice job Benchmade!
The cutout in the scales for the thong hole is very nicely done too, with a really nice ferrule/spacer/tube. You could actually thread your thong/lanyard through the barrel, or tie it around it, which can keep your thong/lanyard kind of out of the way of your grip more, or oh heck just because some choice is always nice.
The milling on the pivot heads and Axis nuts is very nice too! Very nice custom touches! The pivot has a Torx head on both ends. I haven't seen a two-screw pivot on a Benchmade knife in a long time. I'll have to take a look at Keyman's exploded view pic again and see what that is all about. Personally, I'm happy to pay that extra $50 to get these custom touches on a knife, or to have the opportunity for this model. If you want an all business, price point model, the HK Axis is there for us.
The blade is awesome, btw...widest flat grind in the lineup by a good margin, I believe, with a very thin, almost zero grind edge. This knife will be a scary slicer. And a hole opener, yay! No thumb studs to rust or get in the way of sharpening. At first I thought the blade was smaller than I expected, but mine measures out 3.75" from the front of the handle, almost all of which is sharpened length, longer than the stated 3.68" (maybe that's sharpened length?). I really like the blade profile. It is a much more graceful "reverse tanto" profile than the 810 Contego in my opinion. The Loco looks graceful both closed and open.
Handle ergonomics are very good. Everything is smooth and comfortable, the hand lays on it very comfortably and naturally. Nice flat spot on the back and spine for the thumb. The canted angle of the blade will be a great advantage for cutting power, keep your wrist straight in slicing cuts on anything not laying on a flat surface. And NO JIMPING!! Haleluja! None is needed! The ergonomic design of the handle will keep your hand in place without having to use teeth to penetrate your skin for traction. Another big well done.
Last point, the web site calls the Loco a "heavy tactical folder" with "tricked out hardware and attitude." It is a strong knife with a definite design emphasis on tacticality, to butcher a term. I won't go into what I think are the advantages for self-defense, cuz I've gotten tired of that conversation, but safe to say, the Loco is well made for several aspects of self-defense. The uncompromising shape kinda forces you to use it the way it is designed to be used, but I suppose that is true of any "tactical" knife.
So at this point, having worn the 808 Loco around the house, so to speak, for a few hours, I am enthusiastic about it's construction, and optimistic about its utility potential. I plan to carry only the Loco for a few days until I get a solid impression of how it works. Look for longer term impressions soon. Awesome knife!
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Awesome write up. I agree with all of your points. It really does go prett quickly from "why the Hell did I order this" to "wow, just wow." I was very impressed by how well it sliced with just a few of the quick tasks I put it through. I pulled out the phone book paper just to see how it would do and was pleasantly surprised by how easily I could push cut through it. I then used it to cut up some fairly thick cardboard from freight I had received during the day and it did an awesome job at that. As much as I love my Adamas, this is definitely a more well rounded knife for the tasks I encounter daily. 0 -
Good write up Po. I was wondering about the thickness of the handle/scales. That was my main question and I now have a good idea if it is similar to the Adamas.
I will probably pass, as a knife that thick I would prefer just to use a fixed blade. Awesome information.0 -
Nice write-up, Po! It's always fun to read em. 0 -
One of the reasons I chose the 757 over waiting for the 808 was the ergos. Now I see that my concerns were not well founded. I think the 808 will be my next knife. Great write up!
Okay, either the 808 or the 484-01. Love that new Nakamura..
Jay0 -
Great review, Po. I am still on the fence as I can't quite decide what niche this knife would fill for me. Glad to hear it's working out for you though. 0 -
Hi Guys,
I'm still undecided regarding the ergos of the Loco. I'm gonna have to use it a bit to know. I'll get back to you.
Fox - wrt thickness, the catalog says .67" for the Loco, .73" for the Adamas. However, the Adamas folder is much blockier. I don't even have a pocket clip on my Adamas. The Loco has a narrower and more slurvy handle shape, and I find it rides in my pocket nicely. In fact, good or bad on the ergos, I'll be keeping the Loco, just because it carries nicely and is just so freaking cool.0 -
Hows the "opening" with the oval. The video I saw the guy looked to have a little trouble opening it. Is it "flickable"? 0 -
Yes it is Easily "flickable".
1.) Because of the mass of the blade.
2.) Because when you pull the axis bar back, the blade just falls out of the handle.
This thing is just awesome.
It has thrones (a royal chair) for both the thumb and the pinky finger.
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My thumb does not fall into the hole like it might on an AFCK or 550 Grip, but doesn't need to. I catch the top edge of the oval with my thumb, no problem, and flick the blade open, no problems. 0 -
Thanks for the write up PO, been on the fence a little, but have been considering getting a little "crazy". 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Po:
My thumb does not fall into the hole like it might on an AFCK or 550 Grip, but doesn't need to. I catch the top edge of the oval with my thumb, no problem, and flick the blade open, no problems.
I prefer The middle finger flick it works really well on my Loco and a few others0 -
quote:Originally posted by Po:
Hi Guys,
I'm still undecided regarding the ergos of the Loco. I'm gonna have to use it a bit to know. I'll get back to you.
Fox - wrt thickness, the catalog says .67" for the Loco, .73" for the Adamas. However, the Adamas folder is much blockier. I don't even have a pocket clip on my Adamas. The Loco has a narrower and more slurvy handle shape, and I find it rides in my pocket nicely. In fact, good or bad on the ergos, I'll be keeping the Loco, just because it carries nicely and is just so freaking cool.
Yup I'll be keeping my Loco to ! Great review BTW and very Similiar to my thoughts and as the days go on I'm liking it more and more . It's built like a tank nice and solid . Even though it's so big it rides nice and is very comfortable . Wish the grip had a little more bite though when it comes to pulling it out of the pocket . But liked you mentioned it's a keeper for sure .0 -
Oh, yeah, index finger under the blade flick works very well. Thanks for that suggestion.
I have a small fob tied on mine - hangman's knot style - I grasp the fob with my middle and ring fingers, thumb and index finger pinch the handle. This provides a quick and secure draw.
I'm not warming up to the ergonomics of this handle though...
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quote:Originally posted by Po:
Oh, yeah, index finger under the blade flick works very well. Thanks for that suggestion.
I have a small fob tied on mine - hangman's knot style - I grasp the fob with my middle and ring fingers, thumb and index finger pinch the handle. This provides a quick and secure draw.
I'm not warming up to the ergonomics of this handle though...
Your welcome ,Cool glad the index finger under the blade flick is working for you as it does for me . Thanks I'll give that a try I have a Lanyard that might help pulling from the pocket great idea ! The grip on the Loco is for sure different but the more I mess with it the better it feels. Especially the reverse grip .0 -
First of all, thank you Po for well written review.
AS you and Keyman has pointed out stout S30V is welcome to anyone wants over 3.5" knife, yet like to have the blade "maneuverable".
I like to point out that cant on blade is very good to hold the knife with spine side up and blade on thumb side. Try to stabbing like this with regular straight blade. The tip angles up because of natural angle of one's wrist makes it to be upward blade.
This cant place the blade, at least horizontally flat. This makes dangerous in thrust cutting. Adding to the fact, Osborne Tanto-ish tip will enable handling the impact.
I am waiting for non "first production" logoed 808BK. It is a bit heavier than my current favorite 950, but certainly lighter than Adamas folder.
I can't wait!0 -
Well, I been handling and cutting stuff with this knife for several days now, and I have to say, I'm not making friends with the handle. I've always been leary of knives with humps and peaks in the handle profile. The Rift gets a pass 'cuz it fits my hand, the Contego works pretty well 'cuz the back of the handle is smooth... The Loco though, just doesn't seem to fit right. With my index finger in the cutout, the peak in the bottom rear of the handle hits right in the middle of my pinkie, and the hump on the handle back pushes into the web of my thumb. If I put my thumb up on the back of the knife and slide my hand down so my pinkie wraps around the flat at the end, I can cut hard without too much discomfort. In general though it is just not a comfortable handle for hard cutting. Makes the awesome blade and overbuilt construction seem like kind of a waste.
So, if a strong knife with an awesome blade isn't good for hard cutting, how can the Loco justify its $200 street price?
Is just pure awesomeness enough?
Yes, I think it is.
I'd sure be interested to read what other people think about using this knife.0 -
Po, I have been on the fence on the Loco. I believe you may have just saved me $200. 
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I think the size of your hand has a lot to do with it.
If your hand is big/wide enough to get the thumb and pinky where they belong, it's all good.
If your hand falls short of that, not so great. I love mine and find it very comfortable.YMMV0 -
I have medium size hamds and think I made the cut for fitting nicely on the 808 . The grip angle is something I'm trying to adjust to but I'm liking it more everyday . 0 -
My hands are glove size XL due to the width of my palms. 0 -
I don't know, Po?
I too take XL gloves.
I find that when I load the knife into my hand, making sure my pinky is in the right spot first, everything else falls into place quite nicely.
However, when I load the knife into my hand by index finger first, my pinky ends up landing right on the lump/bump, not good. It's not a standard grip, it's more like a pistol grip.
It's hard to explain. "Tiny", the 6'3" guy I work with, well his hand seems to fit perfectly with absolutely no issues, go figure.0 -
It sounds like a Rift then. I too wear XL gloves with wide hands. If I hold a Rift with my thumb out on the blade's spine, sort of choked up on the knife, it's perfect. But that's the only way I can hold the knife comfortably. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Keyman:
...I find that when I load the knife into my hand, making sure my pinky is in the right spot first, everything else falls into place quite nicely...when I load the knife into my hand by index finger first, my pinky ends up landing right on the lump/bump...
Yes, actually, that describes my experience exactly. If I put my thumb on the handle back-blade spine flat, it moves my hand down the handle, and I can cut hard in relative comfort. It is just a slight adjustment to my natural grip. Is the Loco a revolution in hard use folding knife ergonomics, no. It is a revolution in Benchmade design and construction.
Even with a two or even three point deduction for funky ergonomics for hard use, the awesomeness factor still drives the 808 Demon Griptilian from Hell over the top on the ten point scale in my opinion. Bottom line, if I knew what I know now, I would still buy one. They are totally cool.0 -
Well this has all been some very nice reading. A few weeks ago i noticed the 2015 knives on kw's site. I new right away that i loved the looks of the 808. I felt the curve of the handle reminded me of an 806... I'll not compare specs of the two.
I've ordered an 808 it should arrive in a couple days.
Po's write up was nice and informative.
His last posting confirmed my decision to purchase one, to be a sound investment.
Relying,( pre post reading) on my previous experiences of many benchmade knives. I felt and am now more convienced that this one was/is a Well designed and constructed Knife. That, i would be happy with based on coolness factorand 2)overall ergo elements. being that i enjoy the 806 very much.0 -
A little tribute to the Loco
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quote:Originally posted by TheBlueram234:
...i would be happy with based on coolness factorand 2)overall ergo elements. being that i enjoy the 806 very much.
I think anyone would be happy with it that values style to some extent and isn't buying the knife purely as a working tool. It does cut stuff pretty good after all.
I have a long history with the AFCK though, and the two feel nothing alike in my opinion. I've worked all day cutting crab pot line with an AFCK with no complaints. I know which of the two I would pick up if I were to do that again tomorrow. Just sayin'...
But hey, I put the Loco in my pocket for a few days to get a feel for it, and now it doesn't want to leave.0 -
I've been pretty partial to my 908 Stryker.
the comparison on the 806 was needed on the handle blade curve similarities. not actual handle ergos.
in ready for a new primary EDC.
should arrive Saturday.
What better day to have a new knife I am sure to fall in love with at first site... be delivered.0 -
Please give us a report when you've had a chance to get to know it a little. I am really hungry for other people's data points on this.
It is a pretty nasty SD knife in saber grip...I'm not sure that's a good way to fight with a small knife, but opinions on that vary widely.0 -
well very little need for self defense knife.
I enjoy having a High Quality Cutting utensils in my pocket.
I'll do a review. I'm hoping for a little more time to hang out on the forum0 -
ok, so i see how this is more of a griptilian blade style.
my comment about the 806 was more about thecurved nature of the handle and blade... more so than blade style and such.
I carried the loco to work today and it was quite helpful in breaking down a few boxes and cutting some stuburn packing tape and plastic strapes.
as to hand comfort.. my biggest issue is the clip. it digs into the pad of meat just below the pinky.
the little bump on the inside of the handle towards the butt, does not bother very me much. I love my mini onslaught.
anyway when i took the clip off of the 808 i noticed much improved comfort. I decided to swap out to a chrome arrow clip. ( I know... I know... any othere knife we would have cried for a deep pocket clip) (( call me Loco... i don't care))
I swapped screws to chrome as well. she looks sweet.. you think?0
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