Benchmade Triage 916 Knife Review

February 11, 2012 Posted by Thomas Gaige

Filed under Carpentry, Cutting & Chisels, Hand Tools, Tool Reviews by Tool, Tool Reviews by Trade

Manufacturer: Benchmade
Model: 916
Price: $140
Buy Now

Pros:

Rugged
Wicked sharp blade and hook
Confidence inspiring
G10 Hanldes

Cons:

Quality comes at price

The Benchmade Triage 916 Knife might be one of the best tools to have on
hand in an emergency. Even the name “Triage” imply the
three main purposes of this folding knife which include a flip out
strap cutter, carbide window breaker and rugged, purpose built blade.
Grippy G10 handle scales, backed with full stainless steel liners
inspire confidence because of its rigid construction. The simplicity
and power of the AXIS blade lock makes blade deployment and folding
nearly effortless. Thankfully we have not been in (or had to create)
a “situation” to use this knife as it was designed. After
our own testing and use, we find it very reassuring to know that
having this knife clipped in a pocket could literally prove the
difference between life or death.

The
Black Class of products from Benchmade were designed for special
purposes and extreme duty. Vocations like law enforcement, public
safety, emergency medical response, fire fighters and military
personnel should come to mind. This is not to say that “regular
Joes” can’t appreciate these blades too. The Benchmade Triage
916 Knife belongs to the Black Class for good reason. This dynamic
tool really works well as an EDC (everyday carry) since it includes a
sharp blade, but even more so because it raises the bar on what an
EDC knife can do. When we first flicked the blade out, it had the
appearance of being twisted. Further examination showed that the
blade features what Benchmade calls an opposing bevel grind. In other
words, if you were to take a cross section of the blade, it would
look much like a parallelogram. This was accomplished by giving a
chisel grind on the bottom sharp edge and a chisel grind false edge
on the top opposite side. This style edge makes for a very strong,
thick blade that lends itself well to flush cutting and slight (we
said slight!) prying applications. The flattened-off tip provides
yet another place to provide leverage in an emergency prying
situation and minimizes the possibility of puncturing or poking with
the tip. There’s nothing worse than trying to free somebody trapped
in a car and accidentally filleting them in the process – not good.

Great
balance and comfortable size

The
primary blade is made of a type of steel that is known commercially
as N680. It is a chromium-molybdenum based stainless steel that also
has vanadium and nitrogen added in the mix. What does that mean?
Well, the additional alloying elements give N680 stainless steel
excellent corrosion resistance, especially in salt water and other
highly corrosive environments. It is also extremely hard. Practically
speaking, that means it has high wear resistance and the ability to
preserve a keen edge. It’s obvious (at least to us) that, just from
the blade material selection, this knife is purpose built from the
start. Blades are offered in matte-finish stainless steel and black
with cutting edges that are straight and partially serrated.

Black
textured G10 handle scales

The
handle of the 916 Triage is made of black textured G10 material that
is backed with full 420J stainless steel liners. We are seeing more
and more that G10 is becoming a favorite handle material choice and
for good reason. It is an extremely durable material that is made up
of layers of fiberglass soaked in resin that is then compressed and
baked. It is absolutely impervious to moisture and stable in almost
any environment. For the 916 Triage, both black and emergency orange
color options are available, but no matter which you choose the G10
provides good looks and an amazing grip.

Benchmade
put its AXIS locking mechanism in this knife and we think it ranks
among the best locking systems available. We love the fact that it’s
so simple to use with either hand and offers such a positive lock up
every time. While this is not an assisted opening blade, flipping it
open is easy to with the ambidextrous thumb-studs. Ingeniously tucked
away in the lower backside of the handle, almost as a surprise, is a
hook-shaped safety cutter that is deployed by flipping it out by
means of a low profile thumb-stud. To keep this knife in easy reach
there is also a reversible clip that keeps the knife in a tip-up
orientation in your pocket. Last but not least, a small pointed
carbide glass breaking tip competes this rescue tool ensemble.

Testing
and Use

While
the Benchmade Triage 916 Knife is marketed towards emergency and
rescue professionals, we actually found that for the “average
Joe” or a contractor, this is a great EDC (every day carry)
knife. It was easy to get distracted at first with all the functions
and features, but once we put it in our pocket, it seemed to
disappear until we needed it. The handle is barely a half inch thick
and the clip design allowed the knife to ride low and flat in our
pockets. At first, it seemed to us that this knife should have had
some kind of assisted blade opening, but with a little practice, we
found that we could flick the blade out with speed and ease. On top
of that. It’s possible that an assisted blade mechanism could
potentially be a problem given the intended use and the need for
simplicity and ruggedness. We can’t praise the textured G10 handle
scales enough either. Even after frequent use and handling, the
scales have retained their texture and grippyness. Wet hands and
gloves are no problem either with this easy to grasp knife.

Seatbelts
are no match for the flip out strap cutter

While
no real emergency situations came up in our testing period (whew!),
we did find some ways to simulate what this knife could do. We used
it to cut rope, seat belts, nylon straps, cloth, duct tape, and
fiberglass duct work. It’s amazing what you can find in a junkyard
and in the worksite dumpster. All was done with ease. The knife
arrived razor sharp, but since we have used it so much over the last
month or so, we actually had to sharpen it again. While Benchmade
does offer free sharpening service, we figured we would give it a
try. Given the nature of many of the stainless steels out there,
getting a sharp edge can be tricky if not downright difficult. This
was not the case with the Triage 916. While we did have to use a
slightly different procedure to get the edge right, since most of the
sharpening happens from one side due to its chisel grid, we found
that honing a new edge was fairly easy.

Conclusion

If
you want to be an adult Boy Scout and always be prepared, leave your
Swiss Army knife home and pick up the Benchmade Triage 916. We found
many likeable attributes to this knife beyond the obvious built-in
features. The texture of the G10 handle scales was among some of the
best we have experienced and the handle profile and size instills a
sense of confidence. What’s more is that when folded and stowed in
your pocket, you will almost forget it’s there until you need it
again. Benchmade delivers top quality which you can discern by the
silky smooth blade opening, complete absence of blade wiggle, and
arguably one of the best locking systems on the planet. The AXIS lock
works easily, with either hand every time. For the rescue or
emergency response professional, this knife should be at the top of
your list. It could even help you save a life. For everyone else, if
it’s good enough for the pros it’s good enough for your to-get list
as well.