2024 Mini Auto Adamas tough choice: buy now or wait on ​⁠

I’m a huge fan of the Adamas family of knives, but Benchmade left me with a difficult choice: take the new for 2024 Mini Auto as it came, return it to the retailer or fix it myself? This video is my first look at this out the side auto knife and it is not going to please anyone, least of all the folks who already grabbed it off the shelves of big and small retailers like ‪@knifecenter‬ ‪@BladeHQ‬ ‪@SMKWcom‬ and DLT. At least, and hopefully, it helps you to make an informed decision if you haven’t pulled the trigger!
#edc #sharp #benchmade #adamas #knife

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Stud or Dud? Lmk what you think!

[@AndrewC-12]

Did you do a hardness test on the cruwear?

[@Ilovemodularity]

This is indeed a very handsome knife. I am thinking of buying a 273-03 as a tool. Will this knife have any unlocking issues when splitting wood? Like getting stuck in the wood and then applying pressure to the tip of the knife?

[@Carnivorous_edc]

Good video. Had a difficult time seeing the lock engagement from the microscope. Looking forward to the follow up on this.👍🏼

[@Demigodoffood]

I absolutely love mine I have the mini auto it does great with ranch work, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, welding, firefighting training, camping, it’s an absolute pleasure to have in the hand and is a beast of a work horse.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Sure thing. And I respect and appreciate all you do, especially your being a first responder! THANK YOU, SIR

[@LaillahaillaAllaah]

I have to say, your videos and your in depth analysis is on another level. I’m glad I didn’t get the adamas. It was totally on my radar but if it’s not QA’d properly than yeah, I’ll wait.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Ha! That’s gonna make me so popular with the industry!

[@LaillahaillaAllaah]

@@CuttingBoardRx well you’re appreciated by us, the consumers, without which there’d be no industry. Keep up the awesomeness.

[@martinhafner2201]

My original Freek came with 25 degrees on one side and 35 on the other. S30V is kind of wasted if you don't bring the edge down to under 20 degrees per side. So I reground both sides down to 17 and it has been working great over a number of years. I do think that Benchmade is charging enough that we should at least get an evenly ground edge to some kind of recommended angle instead of some random angles that have nothing to do with the alloy and the knife design.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@martinhafner2201 Their target consumer is an REI shopper who doesn’t know much about anything and doesn’t mind paying $50 for a pair of underpants, $80 for a t-shirt, or $380 for a polyester-lined “arctic” jacket 🤣

[@mokgable]

I have the shot show version mini Adamas with the burgundy micarta handles. Beautiful knife but I was also pissed about the vertical play. I want to love it so much but it just drives me crazy. I sent it in to benchmade to address the issues and they just "adjusted it and sharpened" and sent it back.... No different than it was when I sent it in.....

[@Barney_Greenway]

Glad you brought up the edges of recent Benchmade releases. First time I noticed it with a Bugout in S90V. It was almost a sawblade. Taggedout came perfect, but with what they call their "SelectEdge", so you pay premium. Recently I received a Freek in S90V and the shiny golden Mini Adamas in Magnacut, both edges didn't get into paper. Don't know what they used on these, felt like maybe sub-300 grit media 😟

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Someone commented that he worked at BM and they are using Work Sharp guided belt sanders. Don’t know if that’s true, because Work Sharp is capable of a better edge 🤣

[@Barney_Greenway]

@@CuttingBoardRx Absolutely. That's what's sad about this. They can, when they want to. But they think they can get by, offering this grater of an edge 😠

[@Haveaknifeday73]

You recently did a test on the T6000 and I thought you did an awesome job - for a knife that has a lock and demands such a high price I believe you proved alot by your test - you caught the attention of the almighty (metal complex) who was not very kind on your test- he's paid by these companies and his opinion has almost zero credibility because he simply cuts paper - your a threat for these so called knife reviewers who are so easly brought - it's refreshing to see such honesty - this world is not always a fan of honest people - keep up the good work - your a threat that's a good sign - 😊😊😊

[@CuttingBoardRx]

That was T1000 test, but yeah T6000 wasn’t an improvement, I checked them out this weekend. If you want to fight bullshit, get everyone to call and email DLT trading and Blade HQ to demand discounts in the amount of MC’s or Neeves commission. Let the companies get their own media department like Knife Center did.

[@Haveaknifeday73]

@@CuttingBoardRx yes T1000 sorry

[@zero61288]

Dud! Benchmade should have learned their lesson already. I really want to buy a mini Adamas but the price is too high. Just like all Benchmade knives now. I’m pretty sure I know how you’re going to fix that knife but can’t wait to see your video on it

[@Knivess0]

Get it second hand. That's the only way I'll ever buy one, and you see them on the second hand for about 200 pretty often in great condition.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Idk if you closely saw the receipt in this video, but I paid $210 for the first one and $335 for the second one (don’t have that receipt)

[@zero61288]

@@CuttingBoardRx I saw the price of $210 and was shocked to see it that “low” lol. $335 sounds right, based on their current prices of other models

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@zero61288 I get 30% off retail on a regular basis and sometimes better

[@MrCaissed]

In the late 60’s the Adamas was and still is a guitar! Made by Ovation! I have a 1978 model signed by Charles Kaman. He looked at a helicopter fender and dreamed a guitar out of it. These guitars are known for having a wide rounded back made of fiberglass and a sounding board with 22 holes made of wood and fiberglass. Was this the inspiration for the benchmade Adamas? I have the guitar but can’t afford the knife.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@MrCaissed Ha! I owned an Applause by Ovation at some point in my sad self-taught guitar career 🥲 That’s a Chinese version of the instrument you’re talking about. Much like Chinese copies of the classic US knives, it had much better price and much less longevity. Great to have you on the channel!

[@phthano2580]

Fantastic analysis. I just checked my Shot Show 2023 burgundy micarta Mini-Adamas and I can confirm it does have the issue sadly.

[@justinh1258]

I picked up a 12/23 full size manual Adamas and the detent is insanely weak. Barely flickable by the thumb studs and very minor movement can unlock and fully deploy the blade. Are your full sized ones like that? I also have very minor vertical play but I’ve spine whacked it numerous times and it’s never failed.

[@Philippians--vz1mi]

End of the day, when companies charge what they charge for these knives then blade play is unacceptable, it's that simple. I can fix & do fix all my own knives, but what happens to some poor person who saves up buys one & wouldn't have a clue how to fix it??? if it was $30-50 USD okay fine but we are talking a lot of bread here. take care & thank you for the great videos .

[@Kendro311]

I've been getting back into knives lately, been watching a lot of videos and stress tests. And from what I've been seeing, a lot of times you're just paying for a brand name. These 200-500$ knives fall apart when they're treated rough. I think some of these companies figure if they got suckers to spend 500$ on 50$ worth of materials, the buyer will want to keep em in good shape and take it easy on em and will rarely realize they could have gotten a better or equal knife for a fraction of the price. That or it's gonna disappoint when you least want it to and will have to send it off for repair. If you're a collector and money isn't a factor, more power to you. But for those who want something dependable that can take a beating, do some research. There's always something similar by less expensive companies. Thanks to channels like this I haven't had buyers remorse since I got back into blades. Thank you for doing these reviews!

[@AndrewC-12]

Have you tested the hrc on this? Wondering if it actually is 63-65 as advertised

[@RichardHinds-qs2mi]

Great video brother. Was trying to decide between a full and a mini. I think the full is too big for my edc needs so I’ll just wait on the mini for a while. thank you brother….

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Thank you, my brother! Food for thought: CLA, Auto Presidio and Claymore should be in your field of view, as they offer just as much utility but with varying ergos, weights, steel etc.

[@wesleyhobbs9]

Is this issue present with ones I would buy today from Benchmade? Mini Adamas autos? I’m confused with what the issue actually is?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@wesleyhobbs9 the play is present on on the current mini Auto Adamas. I discovered that the flange on the crossbar touches the wall of the cavity machined on the underside of the G10 scale. Whether or not it is present on the carbon fiber scale, I can’t say bc I don’t own one. I do own 2 in green G10.

[@adadadad8251]

no solution video yet? i have couple of axis locks with tiny vertical blade play after deploying. can be fixed simply by re-locking opened knife, lubricating also helps, but it is probably not your way...

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@adadadad8251 You are the first person to remind me about this! I’m not sure how much interest there is, but this is what I found: flanges on the cross bar hit the wall of the sculpted out area on the underside of the scales. Because of that, the barrel of the x-bar doesn’t travel far enough forward. I was able to remove some of the G10 material and now it comes all the way forward most of the time. Sometimes it gets hung up just a hair short of full forward position and then the play returns.

[@jonweinel9954]

Awesome video will have a hard time looking at buying a benchmade again. What knives would you recommend with max price around $500 that you have liked so far?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

There is no functional performance to be gained going from about $180 to $500. My favorites are Kershaw Launch 1 or 19 and if tax return is burning hole in your pocket, go with Microtech Stitch Auto, which is still below $500.

[@mangobadger]

@@CuttingBoardRxgreat answer!

[@TylerHunt556]

How do you feel about the claymore vs the adamas auto?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

For EDC or tactical use?

[@Yeti21173]

I agree with Tyler here I would like a video comparing both for EDC and Tactical

[@bryanconway2989]

Let’s see you hit them all like you hit your Microtech’s with the board. I have always wanted an Adamas but never bought one because I always felt the lock would fail. They feel great in hand.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

As in you think Benchmade would fail?! LMAO Just to be clear, out of roughly 95 BM folders I currently display in The Towers of Knives the only one that failed this test was 940-1 and only because goons at the factory installed one of the omega springs incorrectly.

[@YoungKB]

So my mini Adamas has the vertical wiggle but the axis lock is fully engaged (i.e. you can't push it up any further). So not sure how to fix that if it's even possible.

[@davidtate166]

I have a large adamas inD2 I wonder if it's got this problem.🤔

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@davidtate166 I have 4 large Adamas including an auto and one of them has a vertical play.

[@samuelsantiago5234]

I recently bought the mini adamas carbon fiber auto. I love it! However, my only concern is when the blade is folded and safety is on, I have tested it to see if it would deploy by engaging the axis switch. The blade does not fully deploy, but the mechanism gives just enough to almost expose the tip of the blade from the handle. Is this common within the mini and full size adamas auto?

[@JacobGoolsby-UFC]

Just bought one today and mine is the same. No blade play but same problem your having

[@chriselliott484]

I collected the mini griptillians and the springs wouldnt last long also with my 940,bugout basically any thing that had their springs would break on me

[@floridaman727]

I picked one up and am very disappointed with the lockup. The axis lock doesn’t engage fully and the is up and down play. If you push the lock forward it’s good or if you drop it fast it doesn’t too. So annoying

[@BrandonGavin_EDC]

Looks like they have some lock rock on them. Could be because of the axis lock, they are Inherently mushy with a little play but if the other models don’t have that then it is an issue for sure. I do see at the end of the video the full size doesn’t do it so good observation under the microscope.

[@sima-otw]

I love the Adamas I purchased 6 or 7 of them. Hope Benchmade makes a gold class Adamas, I was going to purchase the Necron but it is seems way over price for the steel they used for the blade. Knife companies should pay you or send you free knives because you are doing quality control for them.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I just got 2 Necrons - a jade First Production and a trainer. My local guy hooked me up for a deep discount. I figured I’m not planning to actually use the S30V for anything other than display and occasional flipping, and the price I paid for the trainer is a whole lot lower than my last ER bill was 😂😢 I would be more than happy to contribute to the pre-production tests as long as there’s a benefit to the community and not some pitiful affiliation deal. I would love to offer a 10-15% off codes to my viewers as long as I don’t personally benefit from the sale. Also, I would not mind to be the first to publicly review such products right after the official announcements, off course.

[@sima-otw]

@@CuttingBoardRx You are Awesome

[@harrydaniels9436]

excellant video,,,,,thanks very much

[@jlogue751]

Have you ever had a Omega spring fail on an auto?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I haven’t seen a single omega spring failure on any of my BMs. Nor do I know anyone who had a first hand experience like that. I’ve seen badly installed omega spring from the factory on my 940 which caused unlocking via the spine strike, but I fixed it easily

[@jlogue751]

​@@CuttingBoardRxIve had 4 failures..1 940-2...and two bugouts,one twice..the aftermarket springs hold up long term though. I have one I have not repaired yet. Depends on your rotation and fidget habits I suppose.

[@thorin693]

I bought the Doug Ritter griptilian when it came out years ago used it till the scales where worn out put some new scales on but never had problems with omega springs.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@thorin693 Griptilian is the absolute balanced EDC knife ever devised!

[@Brian-rj5rl]

The Hogue Ritter is an improvement on the original design and supports Doug in fighting for our Rights

[@lucixmon]

Been wanting to get a claymore but I think I’ll pass on these auto versions. I think I’ll get the fixed blade

[@BrandonGavin_EDC]

Love the Adamas platform and I’m sure the auto is great but Benchmade keeps upping their pieces and it’s so past the value now it’s hard to buy them anymore.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

If folks would slow down the buying frenzy, the price would have come down. Besides, I paid $210 and $230 for these two.

[@BrandonGavin_EDC]

@@CuttingBoardRx that’s awesome, I’d probably pick one up for that for sure.

[@sirfer69]

Would benchmade lifesharp fix an early mini adamas with the axis lock that moves?

[@coloradohikertrash9958]

sounds like you maybe have a bad/broken spring. If you fill out a warenty request on their website they should be able to help you. If its a Fakemade though you wont get it back

[@geomardomingo1672]

How would you compare Adamas to the 810 Contego as a burly “tough heavy duty” knife?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Don’t own one, but that’s a manual knife anyway. I would recommend 5700 Presidio Auto or 496 Vector Assist.

[@robertstratton1805]

I have yet to have a bench made with an edge that I didn’t have to fix out of the box

[@CuttingBoardRx]

No kidding!

[@SIRAXIONLOK1]

5:30 back to you banchmai

[@kacperjurczyk5500]

Great work, well done ;)

[@Chrissmith-ly1vi]

One mini and two full size adamas all manual and no play at all I believe the play is in the autos probably because of the deployment method

[@LanningKann]

I’d say wait for the new PSK to come out in a few weeks.

[@LaRevolution0]

So wait, does the mini auto adamas fail from slight batoning just like the older mini adamas in 2021?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

It would not thanks to the safety lock.

[@LaRevolution0]

@@CuttingBoardRx And if it wasn’t for the safety lock, would it have still had the same fix as the 2022 model? I guess there would be no way to tell since it comes with the safety

[@b.s.w8295]

Love mine it came perfect out of the box and I’m gonna spend too much money on the adamas family

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Glad you like it! But I own about 170 Benchmades, about $10K worth and not a single one is perfect. If you prefer to stay in a happy place, don’t look too closely at the edges, action, or assembly quality. Otherwise they are great knives. Addictive 👍 And whatever you do, stay away from Spyderco, they are waaay too perfect…

[@michaelraemisch1605]

Mine toggles I’d like it to be solid

[@21_Cabbage_]

Why not just send them back? That blade play is unacceptable.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Certainly, if one has already bought it, they should send it back. I’m keeping both of them because I already modified the first one for the next video and I’m keeping the second one for reference and collection.

[@21_Cabbage_]

@@CuttingBoardRx I would ask why you keep buying from a company with so many issues, but the heart wants what the heart wants eh?

[@mjwolf9529]

🦖💕

[@Kris_Stiletto]

Up and down blade play??? Wow... That's not cool. :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Not on a Black Class Tactical

[@alexsolex2634]

One of the most useful interesting video. Like & subscribe ✌

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Welcome to the channel! More like this one are in the works!

[@ihn]

And I thought 3 Adams are a lot to have. 😂

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I know, right? And now that the Water Adira is out I have a new obsession! Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmbaoGWbotqBocUsi=_MJaWnykRukjd6Ih

[@mel87123]

Stud or dud? Are you talking about you or the knife? You are definitely not a dud😉

[@jaredgranger4180]

Really stretching to say something is wrong with these knives. Lol. You knew before you bought it that there weren't holes the whole way through the knife.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

This is a knife review channel, doesn’t sound like you get what what that means. And I bought the 2 knives because I collect First Production marked Benchmades.

[@mileswatto6221]

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