I used to HATE the idea of the 51 especially when all I knew was that the 42 was being retired and all I could see was a pic of the 51.

Being the Benchmade fan that I am and someone who us reliant and addicted to balisongs I have to say I'm just as happy today with the 51 as I was with the 42. The only thing I miss about the 42 is the way it looks. I liked the metal look.

I can do aerials and moves like Y2K pretty easily with the 51 and outside of the custom world the 51 is the highest quality balisong you can find. It's sandwich construction but that's irrelevant with Benchmade. I EDC my 51 and really can't imagine going somewhere without it.

Jedi's grade of the 51 overall? A+