'Nuther New Fixed Blade - 169 Protagonist
Looks like there is a second new fixed blade coming, the 169/7 Protagonist (could swear that name has been ued before...). Looks like a nice upgrade of the Nimravus. Very graceful and beautiful lines.
I doubt if the Protagonist will replace my beloved M2 Nimravus, but I will be getting one anyway, just because it is so pretty, and I would also like to see how well that handle holds up to harsh treatment. I'm a believer in the durability of Grivory and its relatives, but have a lingering suspicion of anything "rubberized".
For the record, I purchased my 140HS Nimravus fifteen years ago, just because it was a Benchmade and it was M2. Initially to test it, I carried it everywhere, hiking, camping, even on several kayak fishing vacations. I found the Nimravus was not only a great small fighter, but was utterly flawless at every task I put it to. It is almost ideally designed as a woodcraft knife. It has proven to be the best all around designed knife I own. If you don't already have a Nimravus you should get one of these new Protagonists. It could turn out to be your all time favorite knife as well. And if it is successful enough, maybe there will be a G-10 and CPM-M4 LE.
My M2 Nim:
I doubt if the Protagonist will replace my beloved M2 Nimravus, but I will be getting one anyway, just because it is so pretty, and I would also like to see how well that handle holds up to harsh treatment. I'm a believer in the durability of Grivory and its relatives, but have a lingering suspicion of anything "rubberized".
For the record, I purchased my 140HS Nimravus fifteen years ago, just because it was a Benchmade and it was M2. Initially to test it, I carried it everywhere, hiking, camping, even on several kayak fishing vacations. I found the Nimravus was not only a great small fighter, but was utterly flawless at every task I put it to. It is almost ideally designed as a woodcraft knife. It has proven to be the best all around designed knife I own. If you don't already have a Nimravus you should get one of these new Protagonists. It could turn out to be your all time favorite knife as well. And if it is successful enough, maybe there will be a G-10 and CPM-M4 LE.
My M2 Nim:
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I’d be all over the tanto model if BKC gave us an un-coated version..
+1 for steel upgrade LE0 -
quote:Originally posted by Painstakingly Meticulous:
I’d be all over the tanto model if BKC gave us an un-coated version..
+1 for steel upgrade LE
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Looks a little bit like a stretched out Fixed Griptilian. 0 -
Niiice. I like this 4"5" blade does reminds me of older Nimravus.
Good field blade as it uses 154cm, and nice price point.
Can't decide on drop point or Tanto tip though
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I think this will fill the void of easy to carry fixed blade in my collection. I just placed a preorder for a 169bk. Can't wait to get this thing in hand! This may have been asked elsewhere but has there been an estimated release date on these? 0 -
I'm sure they have the production schedule made, but they usually don't share that with us...kind of a ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies kinda thing...
Would make an interesting speculation thread to try to guess which order the new models will be released in...0 -
No sheath pics yet right? 0 -
I’m curious as to why BKC didn’t go with CPM-M4 on this model?? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Painstakingly Meticulous:
I’m curious as to why BKC didn’t go with CPM-M4 on this model??
It looks to me like they tried to keep the price under control to position it below the nimravus.0 -
Mainly for costing reasons... this is a military fixed blade after all. Also, 154CM is great for field resharpening, and has excellent corrosion resistance. 0 -
And the sheath?
BM sheath's have always been a sore spot.
Many feel the only way to think about it is, I'm buying an awesome knife and they're throwing in a free sheath.
Otherwise . . . it's arghhh.
Even a free sheath should have the wrinkles ironed out by now.0 -
The sheath for the 375 Adamas is good. If they do something similar for this one, no aftermarket will be required. Also, I'm sure the Cordura sheaths for the Nimravus will work. That's what I carry my Nimravus in, and it is quite good. 0 -
The sheath will be PIM, sorta like the 375, but with a secondary mounting bracket for Molle. 0 -
Should be interesting. Looking forward to this one, I'm very interested to see what fifteen years of thinking about upgrading the Nimravus results in. 
Also, kinda interested in a stainless Nimravus. 154CM is good steel. I still think of it as more rugged than S30V, though this may be erroneous except for certain characteristics. Anyway, planning to pick one of these up. If the 154CM Nimravus was still available with G-10 handle scales, I'd prolly pick up another Nim, but...One of these will do as well, and if I don't care for the rubberized handle after some hard use, I can get Keyman to make a set of composit scales for it. If the G-10 and CPM-M4 LE is slow to follow.
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I guess I must be one of the last holdouts...I prefer Benchmade's super high quality leather sheaths. I have probably half of each, and yes, the plastic and Cordura sheaths do better around water and blood, but man there's just something nice about fine leather. I don't mind cleaning the deer blood off my blade before re-sheathing the knife. 0 -
Im guessing its a less abrasive and bulky version of the nimravous. Kinda like they did with the pagan and presidio utra. Maybe more geared toward civilian and LE than military folk. 0 -
It looks tactical to me. So far it appears that only BK versions will be available, it is ostensibly based on the Nimravus which is black class, will almost certainly be black class itself, and the extreme "jimping" in the thumb ramp (that will have to be ground down to make the knife usable without gloves), it is named the Protagonist, plus Jason said so above.
Even so, I agree it is sleeker than the Nim, seems much more civilized. Certainly will have a broader appeal without the extreme handle scales on the current 14X. Though it isn't quite in the Hunt class, it should still appeal to the more casual outdoor user more than the Nim. Huge fan of the Nim that I am, I would not purchase one of the current ones without a plan to replace the handle scales. Great for military, too apocalyptic for me. I guess I shouldn't speak out of hand though, I carried a standard 520 for some years in my computer back and used it a fair amount, and enjoyed the feel of it for the most part. Hmmmm...well I assume the 140 will still be available for those with a Terminator esthetic.
The Protagonist appears in the pic to have a little bit of negative rake to the blade, in other words, the tip and primary edge line are lower than the center line of the handle. This makes slicing more efficient, but detracts slightly from the fighting potential.
I agree with you, fastj, a good leather sheath would be great for this knife. Kydex sheaths are the most mission capable for any kind of outdoor knife, really, simply because they are impervious to moisture. Even so, I do try to keep myself and my gear as dry as possible, for survival reasons, when I'm out, so a leather sheath isn't a big liability. And a good leather sheath is such a pleasure to carry. A Protagonist with custom handle scales in a nice black leather cross draw sheath would be the shi+:
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Beautiful sheath.
No rivets to damage the blade, solid attachment.
This is what I would expect from Benchmade.
A premium fixed blade with a premium price should come with a premium sheath.0 -
Po you took the words right out of my mouth when describing the old Nimravus, I too carry one almost every day as a neck knife and love the M2 steel.It was the knife I used to gut and skin out my caribou this past hunting season. The Protagonist looks to have a more comfortable handle and I can't wait to see how it feels but I won't be buying one until they make it in Cpm-M4 or at least offer it in D2 0 -
Now, many of you know that I am super stainless and tool steel fanatic...
Having said that , I still think BKC's choice in using 154cm is excellent stainless steel. In this case, the length of blade and main use (as Jason said the ease in sharpening in the field) it is very advantageous. I might request to start offering CPM-154 for avoiding pitting on rare occasion and increased strength from using PM technology.
I might like it in S30V for skinning, etc of wear resistance and corrosion resiliency. I wouldn't prefer tool steel for this.0
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