FYI: dj is one of the white hats.

I'm getting that feeling, but shopping around that site, there are like 10 knives that I fell in love with, and now I'm not so sure if the rift is going to be first, second or 200th...

What am I getting myself into?!

Welcome cocsp2002,

Well you are lost allready and you even have to decide on your first one.
I say the Grip is a very good start.
It's not the prettiest but a very good every day performer.
The rift is a step higher and also looks good.
But as you said plenty of choice
Good luck making up your mind.

muhahahahahahah, the sickness is rising....

A quick list of my favs in no particular order:
710
950
73X
72X
94X
Grips
520

Common thread is they are all axis....

The 950 was my first benchmade, and it is still my favorite. Without a doubt I will have it for the rest of my life. It is the damn coolest looking knife ever and it feels great.

Don't settle for anything else! You will love it.

Well, after much convincing, the wife has OK'd one new knife after payday! To stay on her good side, though, I'm going to keep it sub-$100. Off the top of my head I think this narrows me down to the Grip, Presidio ultra, mini rukus (maybe, need to double check the price), and maybe one or two others. I think the new barrage is under 100 at the works, too. I say let the opinions roll in! I couldn't be more excited.

Grips, barrage and even the new 890 torrent will fall under $100 along with the Ultras.. It really depends on you. You should probably make your first piece one with axis so that would eliminate the 890 being a liner lock.. You cant go wrong with the grips, they are a staple item from Bm with millions of happy owners.. The 585 is really a nice piece with assisted axis for $80 ish.. And FWIW the mini ruckus is pretty far on the other end of $100.. Good luck..

Yeah, my kershaw is a locking-liner, and the blade is pretty secure, but it's nothing compared to the stability of an Axis lock. Plus your fingers don't cross the blade when you close an Axis knife, so that's a big plus since a lot of times I use my knife, I'm using one hand either for support/balance or to hang from something. I think really my only requirement for my first BM is that it needs to handle anything I can throw at it, and it needs to have an easy to maintain blade.

I think I'm leaning toward presidio, since everyone seems to say it's an absolute tank, and it has a larger blade than a Grip. I'll wait on the rift for an anniversary gift or until tax time next year.

My wife will have an easier time swallowing a nearly $120 knife when we have an extra $2000-$2500 sitting in the checking account.

She's surprisingly cool with the collector idea though, since it's an excuse to buy a nice safe, and she wants guns as much as I do. God bless that "if you get your toy I get mine" mentality.

The 5 series Presidios are tanks, especially the aluminum scaled ones.. You really cant go wrong with any of the pieces your choosing from..