Good blade - Bad handle
I got the larger of the two size options and the blade came very sharp and has the right balance between flex and rigidity for filleting large fish. Sharpening for me means using the wide clamp on a Tormek extra fine diamond wheel. Edge results on the Magnacut steel are excellent. The knife can do a 50g BESS score and can cut superb fillets of salmon. The handle however is way too small for men. It is great for a woman. My girlfriend loves using this. For me, and I have a size large in a glove, so not “big” hands, it is far too thin and almost small on length as well. It is “safe”. The forefinger recess does prevent your hand sliding forward but the width of the grip needs at least double the palm swell to enable a secure and skilled use of the knife. Not sure how this passed Benchmade’s R&D feedback? I have their S45VN Meatcrafter and this is much better but still on the thin side for butchering. Again, my girlfriend loves this knife as well. I am back using my Kiki Matsuda and Phil Wilson knives and these now live permanently in the kitchen. This was an unexpected bonus but if your hand size is large and above - think carefully as to whether you will be satisfied.
