The Anthem
It's been done before but I wanted to share a few thoughts on this knife,
A masterpiece, no less, I managed to grab a new one on the secondary market, this thing is a piece of art, solid, precise, sleek, what can I say, mine came perfectly centered it had to be if I was going to make the purchase.
Moving on, the milling on this knife makes it a pleasure to look at from any angle, the blade to integral handle is beautifully proportioned, I've seen a few integral style knives, especially Chinese, Rike, Schmike, We, whatever, would'nt spend my $ on those but the Anthem, this is going to be my holiday, gentleman's, wedding, Bar Mitzvah carry for sure.
Any thoughts from members here will be appreciated.
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If they made this thing with a 4 inch blade I would pay whatever BM asked.
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Hello Archer
Rike Schmike
That’s how some Chinese brands get me.👍
I purchased what is reputed to be the last Anthem from the official U.K. importer. My opinion is that It’s beautifully made & finished. The combination of bearing pivot & axis lock make for almost frictionless open & closure of the blade. ( The very feature that makes the function of the knife so sweet is also its downfall here)😔
I was keen on the 20CV steel but not so much the blade shape. Perhaps a little too understated for my taste. ( My old EDC was a 420 Resisitor 😂) I accept that as subtle dress knife, the blade shape is better suited.
Using the knife evidences a really practical & subtle blade profile. Stone wash finish is somewhat dull for a show case ‘Integral’. Satinised primary grinds may have better hi-lighted the blade for a more overall balance compared to that eye popping one piece handle 😎 The chevron milled grooves & bronzed anodised finish.
What’s not to like ? Well, not much as I’ve found from light usage. The ergonics are pretty good, given that you have a more “art-deco” pocket clip that’s in your hand a little more but there’s no hot spots I can detect. One observation of the very pretty pocket clip is that the knife rides higher in the pocket than many of us would perhaps like. (Advertising that you carry a knife in many countries just isn’t worth the agg of some “Snowflake” calling the police) I know one other owner that changed the pocket clip for a deep carry Ti item that he bronze anodised to great effect. 👏
The Anthem retails at a minimum of £399 when last sold. It’s a lot of money in relative terms, The minimum sale price I found was $425. No matter how you look at, it’s an expensive knife. I love that Integral handle & operation of the blade. I can appreciate the chunk of Titanium being shaped on multi head CNC milling machines & the hand finishing. It’s a little piece of modern day Oregon city that I see when I hold this knife.
Is it worth the money ? Yes it is, with the additional sentimental reasoning that is largely irrational, that the Anthem is the last Benchmade axis lock knife I will ever get to buy in U.K.
I doubt we’ll see the like of this knife type imported into U.K. again, or any other axis lock knife that will likely class these as a flick or gravity knife under forthcoming legislation here. They will become prohibited offensive weapons, subject to forfeiture or 6-12 months prison term if caught in possession.
The final Anthem, literally, pictured with another WMD, soon to become completely illegal.
Edit : extra pics added.
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archer posted:
If they made this thing with a 4 inch blade I would pay whatever BM asked.
👏 I agree 😎
That would fit my hand better too.& a more sculpted blade blade with a extra top swedge would be nice. I can wish. My time is done for a few years til I leave England permanently.👍
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Also agree about the size of this knife. A four inch blade would require a larger handle which would negate the issues I had with the anthem. In the knife world these days the sweet spot is in the 3.4-3.75 inch range so I don't blame Benchmade for going where they did. I quite like the blade shape and find it to be very similar to the classic sebenza. I'd love to see a version of the 943 with a the same blade shape but larger.
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