Hey everyone,

I just wanted to give some input on the satin/coating finishes on blades. I have three BM knives with black coatings and I have always been kinda scared to use them because I'm afraid that the coating will scratch or blemish. I've debated on keeping them unused and mint condition or using them real hard because they are Benchmades... top of the line stuff that can take it. Since my 710 was a gift from my girlfriend I thought would be unused and kept clean forever but shes the one that gave it to me so I asked her what she wanted me to do with it. She told me that she wanted me to use it because she didn't get me D2 steel to retain an edge on a shelf .

Because of this I decided to take my 710 the very first day I had a real job. I took my 710 to cut and demo fruit at Whole Foods. I honestly was expecting more sheeple but I thought that if I used this knife to cut fruit I could spread the idea that knives are just tools and people shouldn't be afraid of them. Some people actually complimented me on the knife and a few recognized the Benchmade brand! One gentleman actually said to me, "Hey, you got a Benchmade, you certainly know quality. I bet the fruit you are selling are high quality too!". The 710 is great for cutting fruit The coating gets shinier at the spots that contact the flesh of peaches, nectarines, and other citrus fruits, maybe it is the citrus acid? And the pit of the fruits scuff up the blade. It was the first time I didn't baby this 710. I saw the scuff marks and was kind of bummed and put the knife in my pocket. I later took it out to cut open a package and saw the scuffs and worn in parts of the blade. I smiled and thought, "Dang, this knife is real sentimental. It was given to me by someone I love and it was my tool for my very first job. It even has the marks to remind me when I look back at it years down the road."

After this, I really dug the black coatings on blades. To me, they are like blank journals ready to record stories along your life. This is why I love Benchmades, they have a lot more meaning to them than just a sharp piece of metal. They start as pieces of art coming from the designers and they are a symbol of both top of the line quality as well as mankind's innovation and adaptation.

Back to the finishes, I know it sounds silly but I really like the wear marks. Before, when searching through the forums I noticed many people like the satin finish much more because it hides wear a lot better. I almost felt this way too but I don't think I will regret getting the knife scuffed up from my first job. I will always look at this knife differently and it will always be in my collection. It's got so much sentimental meaning to it and I can't let it go. First knife I got from a loved one. With me on my first job ever. First one that let me experience the joy of looking at a knife full of memories. This knife ended my fear of scratching black coated knives. Now with my other two knives which are also black coated I have a win win situation. Either I don't use them and they look fantastic on display or they get character. I actually look forward to recording "stories" onto my knives in the future!

So to sum it all up, now I like the black coated knives even more than before. I didn't even think I would like to scratch such a beautiful coating but I would like to say that if you have not used your black coated blade a lot before, think about what I write here. It could just turn into a knife you love even more because it stores some of the adventure, experience, and memories from your life.

Sorry if I just bored all of you and if I went off on tangents all the time, I felt like I had to share my experience with you guys because I didn't feel this way about knives until I tried it myself. I also might have some attention thing haha. You really never know until you try. Also, since I have never had a satin blade, my next knife will be a satin finish. Who knows, maybe I will love the satin finishes even more than the coated ones! For those of you who made it this far into the post, thank you for reading

I got some pictures if you guys would like to see right here... I have no camera so that's why they are all fuzzy. This is from my phone. Also, the random assortment is just me trying to be kinda artistic with my pictures, if it is annoying just tell me, no hard feelings lol. Enjoy!





Edit: The wear on the tip ISN'T from fruits haha it is from me digging up weeds today when I was outside by my eggplant/pepper garden. Also cutting vines off of trees in my backyard. Fruit won't mess up the coating that bad!

That is a great three knives. Good pics from phone as well. Any pics are good pics we love them here. Good job on the mini review too. Thanks.

I'm a fan of coated blades as well. I like a knife that shows a little character. Great writeup and nice pics.

Thank you guys!

I definitely like if a knife shows character now. I do anticipate to have some knives that won't be used much at all also and will have that pristine black coating because I also like that!

Well, I will be sure to take pictures of my next knife but that might be a while away. I enjoyed sharing my experience with you guys. When I have time I could write up a review of the HK 14205 since I don't see many of those around yet.

I'd like the coating better if cardboard didn't destroy it, light markings are one thing.

I'm glad you like the BK finish, I like the way it looks when it's slightly worn, but I use my knives hard, let me see if I can dig up a pic of what happened to a knife in one day of use.

From NIB to this, it's my only pic showing the wear before I polished the blade.

I remember that ........ Nice Boobs , I mean Blade

Back to reality , I think BK coating comes off way to easily ......I like BC-1 much better , granted I dont know how it last (Ive yet to use one with the coatin) but looks wise .... its great. IMO

I'm a big fan of the coated PE blades.

cmango, the 14205BT is my favorite Benchmade. I probably EDC it 80 percent of the time. It's a real workhorse.

Not a bad piece of writing Cmango, thanks. A lot of my knives are coated in either BT or BK. I wish for the BK coating to last longer before wearing, but even worn the steel is still protected from the elements. The user 710 looks pretty good!