how is everyone's 51's holding up?

Mines doin' okay.

I'm not a flipper, just a user, though.

Had a couple of the screws come loose (one clip and one scale screw) and Loctited them. I use Loctite 248.

The blade, being thin, works well for deli-meat, veg, and fruit cutting.

I switch the 51 out with a 31 in boot carry. The lightweight and unobtrusive profile is a plus in that carry.

Not a fan of the avarage D2 steel, but it is good enough and better than some other steels I've dealt with. The edge held up well enough when I did some minor wood cutting.

I've only been flipping it. I dropped it yesterday and got a crack in the titanium liner.

It's only a cosmetic issue, not serious enough for me to get it fixed. But I don't think anything like that with a 42....

I love how light it is, a 4.125" blade for 3.3oz!

Titanium cracking? Doesn't make sense

So far, so good. But I only flip it over an area rug while sitting on my couch. As brittle as titanium can be, I wouldn't risk those spindly machined-out handles by manipulating over a hard surface.

I dropped my BM trainer (with uncoated handles) MANY times. It fell on concrete, tile, carpet, everywhere. Not one crack. The latch broke off, but that's a different story. Maybe it's only a scratch? Can you post pics?

I'm away from my camera this weekend. I'll post the pictures Monday or after the Superbowl.

I usually practice over carpet, but it bounced off the floor and hit a wall. It's not really a "crack", but there is a hole where I remember there being titanium before.

OK, you're talking about a "void" in titanium. It's pretty common. Probably there was a VERY thin layer of Ti covering that void and it just chipped when you dropped it. Don't worry about it.
OR, if you worry about it enough, call BM and see what they have to say about it.

That's what I thought. I'm not going to worry about it, but I am a little disappointed that it happened.

If I try LifeSharp and send Benchmade some other knives that need some TLC too.

quote:

Originally posted by RxEnergy:
OK, you're talking about a "void" in titanium. It's pretty common. Probably there was a VERY thin layer of Ti covering that void and it just chipped when you dropped it. Don't worry about it.
...

That is the first time I've heard of voids in Ti sheet metal.

I have heard of voids in cast Ti, though.