The Benchmade North Fork Pocketknife: The Full Nick Shabazz Review

[@Rashoop]

“High speed, low drag murder weapon”.... Nick, you just so eloquently nail it sometimes. Love it.

[@amo757]

The jimping on the end of the blade is for field dressing game, the tip of your finger at the end of the blade prevents you from puncturing the intestines.

[@Halfcocked86]

I was hoping someone had made this comment lol.

[@amo757]

Nick is a great knife reviewer, but I dont think he actually uses his knives very much. I'm guessing he is a city boy (not that there is anything wrong with that!).

[@knowyourhistory]

I think he doesn't use knives much. But he just has an appreciation for the materials and work that goes into making a knife.

[@theplasticdesert2408]

KnowYourHistory agreed, as long as it’s from a brand he likes. But it’s his channel and the masked reviewer can review how he sees fit.

[@mosherogoff1252]

I was about to jump in and add the comment myself. Glad someone else did so!

[@carlrobinson8177]

There were many knives in the case when I picked this one out. A dark oily looking knife just like the one you have in this video. Adorable absolutely Magnificent. No other knife mattered in the case anymore. All kinds of benchmade’s, ZT’s and some others. Now this Beautiful peace of Art work belongs to me, loving it. Nice video thanks for sharing.

[@MT-il4iy]

Hi Nick, thanks for the review of one of my favourite knives. I owe the north fork since 2-3 years and I use it for hunting. My experience with this knife so far: I generally like this knife a lot. It is very well built, smooth, well designed item. However for my hunting applications there are some limitations. I use it as secondary blade, together with a fixed blade that I keep in my backpack. In my opinion it is more a skinning knife because of the blade shape (belly). I use a hunting knife mainly for gutting the animal. This involves mainly staight cuts, some of them with the reverse grip (edge up). This blade shape is not ideal for this. The round belly is making the blade to be kind of short. I often feel this blade is too short for my needs. Edge retention of Benchmade S30V hunt series is dissapointing for me too. After just gutting (no skining or portioning work) of 3 animals (wildboars or middle sized deer) the knife is pretty dull. Best system I found for resharpening of this knife is Lansky turn box. These relatively thin sharpening rods are coping with the recurved blade very well. Next point is maintenace. Because of the short blade and doing some work inside the animal the knife gets quite dirty after single use. It is possible to clean it well without dissassembly, but it requires a lot of work with a brush. After cleaning you also loose the nice smoothness of the action. Some light and penetrating oil helps to bring it back to shape. Generally this knife requires more time consuming cleaning then other folders I tried in the field. The diamond wood looks very pretty, but is not very durable. You can scratch it or damage if you hit something sharp (broken bone for istance) G10 handles are much more durable alternative, but they do not have the nice wooden look. I still like the north fork very much appreciating the nice design and build quality. But for my personal hunting it is not perfect, so it travels with me only occassionally.

[@AGuamsk8er]

I own a dozen or so high end production knives in the $100-$200 range, and had been buying a new knife every few months or so. I bought the North Fork over a year ago on a whim and almost regretted buying it. Once it got in the rotation, I warmed up to it and after a year of using it exclusively, I think I'm going to be married to it for the long-term. 940 Osbourne, Para 3, ZT 0450CF, TRM Neutron/Atom, Microtech, and others will all be collecting dust for the foreseeable future.

[@ix8750]

It's 2024, I got one of these on clearance at a local retailer for 106$ plus tax and I'm pretty happy with it at that price. The one I selected has no blade play, good edge, and great centering. This is my first Benchmade so I decided to look up what my favorite people that review knives said about it.

[@MrNorthstar50]

Good review. I know its to each his own but I like the color of the benchmade wood the best, the wood grain on the 2 spyderco's you compared them to look like the grain of plywood to me.

[@tomhound273]

yes, I am holding the dark wood on the Benchmade is real and the knife is very nice. i just buy them and put them away - I also make my own so I am never looking for a knife.

[@johnagen3688]

Agreed!

[@reedbrooks3887]

I really love this knife. Mine has its problems with actions and slightly off centering, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I was able to purchase mine on vacation in Juneau, Alaska with my father at Alaska Knifeworks and it was such an experience. I live in Chicago where knife stores are hard to come by and the few that exist are never kind to a teenager asking to handle the knives. There I was able to handle custom folders and ulus and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier. My father graciously allowed me one knife and I just had to choose this one. It screams Alaska and the wood was just gorgeous. This may not be the best piece for everyone, but it is definitely my favorite knife in my admittedly small collection.

[@daveyboy8907]

Congrats

[@kbb_bbk]

I love this story. Congrats!

[@lgsaenz]

Great Review Nick! I own the North Fork and sharpening it its awful compare to all my other knifes. That said, I do love the North Fork and it's one of my most carried Knives. The wood makes the knife a little more friendlier and the for my uses the recurve works.

[@prestonscott5367]

Very true, good comment!

[@monkeyfaceII]

Handled a mini onslaught recently and I gotta say it was one of the nicest knifes I have handled.. great ergonomics for me very well finished really sharp out of the box and no blade play

[@kriskabin]

Ya, mine was scary sharp when it was new.

[@jack-cq3bn]

I own a North Fork and can tell you that it is a trusty knife that I use for everything from EDC to light camping. Great knife, but I do agree with Nick's criticism of some of the wood texture, at first glance, some people even thought it was not real wood under the right lighting. With that being said, still a great knife, and one that I trust for nearly any task.

[@mikesilva2547]

Thanks for pointing out the difficulty in sharpening. I was about to order one, decided not to. Still looking.

[@prestonscott5367]

Hey Nick, I’ve had this one since early January this year. The recurve sucks, but look into rounded slipstones to sharpen it by hand. With the knife closed, the liner showing at the lanyard loop is great, because it balances the amount of silver showing all around the knife, and it allows the lanyard not to be overlapping the handle scale as badly. Mine had blade play, along with other issues, and I sent it to Benchmade, and they didn’t fix it so now I have to live with that problem :( But besides all the negatives, this knife just feels great, and I won’t be getting rid of it anytime soon. Good review, God bless

[@Halfcocked86]

Seems that is way to familiar with benchmade to send a knife back unrepaired. I have seen this first-hand with a 940 about 2years with blade play and uneven grind.

[@prestonscott5367]

Yes sir, I’m actually considering a Kizer T1, or an Enzo Birk 75 with Desert Ironwood scales. Any thoughts on those?

[@prestonscott5367]

I will check it out, thanks for your help

[@kriskabin]

Viking stone to sharpen a recurve, Amazon. For general everyday normal use, this North Fotk is wonderful. I've neck-worn mine daily for 6yrs now. It's banged up against hard things over all this time, eventhough I am careful with it, & it only has one little indent line in the diamond wood. It's a tough, well-built folder. Smooth & solid. I don't see any negatives in this knife, other than the lanyard hole could be a tad bit larger. (550 paracord takes some melting & fiddling to work it through). Ya, I'd definitely buy it again if I lost mine. I love its rustic/modern appearance, the recurve blade & the axis lock! It's a 5⭐️ knife in my book. A great knife! Oh, btw, this is not a good folder for messy cutting jobs. Processing animals or even some food items can gum up the moving parts. I had to stop slicing oranges with mine because the next day I could hardly get the blade to rotate. It moves like new though, after a detailed cleaning. But ya, one should pair this folder with a straight knife.

[@matthewadler1329]

I do like it. Especially with this stabilized wood, it looks nice and the size is great. I don't love every Benchmade, but I could see myself loving this. This was a very bias heavy review, but Nick comes by it honestly, so just keep that in mind. Some of the things he didn't like about this one, I actually like a lot.

[@Airplanetyson]

Benchmade is my favorite brand

[@johnagen3688]

Mine too!

[@johndesper9425]

The darker wood looks better than the fluorescent orange wood on the Pakkawood Delicas.

[@williamthomas5780]

... "even if you're dealing with people that are a little bit frightened of the universe in general." Too funny

[@VincenzoNero94]

That recurve is more then enough to add cutting performance. And the thumb studs can be removed

[@butchcassidy3373]

Just took mine apart because action was terrible. The washers were corroded so I polished them and there was a feather wrapped around the pivot. I do have a little blade play but I run the pivot loose. It's a great knife for what's it's intended. The belly is large enough where you can control the cut while skinning. The skeletonized build makes it easy to clean. And it's not too difficult to field strip for a quick cleaning. The axis lock does pick up hair and other debris. The recurve is a little tricky to sharpen on a flat stone but can be done as I do it myself. A little over priced maybe but overall a nice skinning knife.

[@benperea8483]

Always the absolute best reviews 🙌 👌

[@thepsychdocron7114]

A wonderful review. Thank you so much.

[@LEIFanevret]

nice looking handle and the slightly recurved Blade, Blade is thick enough too

[@ryanmicklich3912]

I love your videos. I live 20 minutes from the Case knife factory, do that is always what I used for EDC. I was looking to upgrade to something more fast deploy and this knife caught my eye. You mentioned the blade might be hard to sharpen because of the curve. I use the worksharp blade sharpening system with the sanding belts. Do you think this will be a good method for this type of blade? Full disclosure, I am awful at sharpening with stones. That is the main reason I switched to the worksharp system.

[@carsonbrooks4930]

Hi, I’m also horrible with stones. My hand eye coordination with them is awful and I can’t keep the steady hand you need when sharpening. I bought the work sharp M2 and it’s been nothing but awesome for me, and it sharpened my north fork no problem. You just have to angle the handle down a bit to accommodate for the thumb stud.

[@hovan1977]

I'm a huge fan of this knife so I feel like I need to defend some of the "BAD": • The "noncommital recurve" although isn't an aggressive one is definitely intentional, opposed to accidental by lazy sharpening at the factory, and does serve a purpose. It definitely channels the material into the curve which in turn adds to the performance of the blade. • Sharpening is not as bad in practice as you'd imagine by looking at the blade at first glance. The thumb studs are easily removed with a Torx bit and if you slightly tilt the stone (in a clamped system) while in the recurve, it isn't a problem at all. However, it is not as easily sharpened on a bench stone. Both methods just take some getting used to. • Although I do not use a lanyard on this knife I like the way the lanyard hole was done...with the relief cut into the scales, the lanyard won't create that uncomfortable bump in the handle and I actually like the aesthetics of it. It also adds to the grip in a way for my L/XL hands...the tip of my pinky (HAHA) ends up sitting right in the cutout. I've used this knife a lot over the past couple of years and it's held up exceptionally well and done everything I've asked of it. I've enhanced the recurve on mine a bit just to add to the performance and I extended the sharpening choil with a Dremel and a drum sander bit but even before those slight enhancements it was a fantastic tool!

[@ebar3794]

Nice video. What would the limited production version go for?

[@SirGalath]

Hehe, not sure if the video is a year old or nick messed up the year...

[@NickShabazz]

It’s an antique!

[@andyrichardson6188]

Nice review. This knife is so close for me... Why the recurve? Seems a little unreasonable to call out wood handles as a negative. I think variability is a given for any natural materials (and some synthetic ones). The clip is a non-issue with Benchmade: they will gladly send you a new clip. That's a big part of why their knives cost a little more.

[@93DracoX]

Andy Richardson Recurve is for skinning, the curve is best for that. Same reason it has the jimping at the front. As a Hunt series knife it makes sense.

[@andyrichardson6188]

93DracoX Got it. Wasn't thinking hunting with a blade that small. Makes sense.

[@93DracoX]

Andy Richardson I hear you, but apparently it’s a thing for very weight conscious hunters that backpack. BladeHQ just released a video all about hunting knives with a folding section, I highly recommend it!

[@beaupoopoo256]

Andy Richardson actually my man, you should know that looooots of hunting blades are pretty small. In my personal opinion, I preferred a smaller knife when I wasn’t the best at skinning

[@andyrichardson6188]

Beau Thanks. My hunting experience is practically nil. Not opposed, just haven't done much. More of a fishing guy. (Terrible salmon/steelhead run this year in Oregon. It's concerning.)

[@500iq6foot8]

Great vid. Do you have a “top knives” video?

[@RabidNomad]

This is my daily carry for probably the last 2-3 years.

[@regan.8077]

How's it working out for you long term?

[@artagain8977]

@@regan.8077 same here. No complaints. No quality issues. I replaced the stock clip with a deep carry clip. Love it.

[@regan.8077]

@@artagain8977 I was debating on this or the mini crooked river. The north fork is 50$ cheaper for a very similar knife.

[@artagain8977]

@@regan.8077 I had the mini crooked river. I returned to REI and got this one. To me the mini was not mini enough for my EDC. Beautiful knife just a hair too big for what I wanted.

[@erpa6668]

Nick Love your channel. Lets agree to disagree I think the dark wood appearance of this knife looks a helluva lot better than pakkawood spyderco knives. Love spyderco Native 5 is in my rotation

[@WaknBakn]

The benchmade looks way better then those spidercos

[@arctickilla9427]

I’m goin to get this knife today, it retails for $185, the guy wants $75 obo 🤝🤝👍 Benchmade FTW!!!!

[@unknownriderinbound]

Saw this one on your Instagram last year, and real quick bought one before you could talk me out of it with your review. Good thing, too, since you only left me 11 months to act! 😉

[@ocomegashadowstacking5886]

Awesome reviews Nick!!!😉✌

[@15seconds3]

I get why manufacturers leave exposed hardware for cost cutting. What I don't understand is why they can't make a strictly right or left hand carry to eliminate the useless drill holes.

[@petergalione9704]

You said Woody.

[@sensi9895]

Nick. Love the reviews. The wood scales you showed on the delica 4. Where can i get them. I like the delica 4 but hate the scales. Those wood ones would hit the sweet spot.

[@barlow2976]

Would the Sharpmaker cope with this recurve blade? I'm fairly new to sharpening, but bought a sharpmaker to touch up with( my other blades I use 1000/6000 jap. waterstone). I have a tenacious and a RAT1, which I use daily on the farm, but I'm looking for a more traditional, smaller and not scary, knife to take out with me. All lock knives are forbidden in public in the UK , but I'd be able to get away with this model, compared to the big spydies.

[@rogelioleal8960]

barlow2976 sure. Just use only the edges of the stones rather than the flats .

[@Adam.297]

Having bought and carried the g10 one years ago, I still prefer my Stryker.

[@regularguy9219]

Can you sand this down to get a lighter color? Or is the wood/resin color all the way threw?

[@AlCasa52]

I have a northfork with the faux wood as well. Mine is a few years old. The finish/pattern looks different on this one. Did they revise it?

[@bertasoler9375]

There’s a lot of variation bc it’s real wood not faux wood! It’s just stabilized with epoxy so it’s stronger and more durable

[@beaupoopoo256]

I know this video was shot last year but I’ve bought several Benchmades from different retailers and they’ve all been well done. I sorta wanna start a thread on bladeforums or somewhere documenting future purchases and the quality of them, because while yeah I’m down for holding Benchmade accountable, I would also like the stigma to be appropriately placed, and if they’re truly not too bad in terms of QC anymore people oughtta know. Benchmade makes good knives, and if they make them to a good standard, people ought to not be scared buying them. Well see if my experience is the same as others when I buy my next one

[@drameday]

I’ve been buying Benchmade knives since the early 90s and they’ve all been perfect out of the box. With all the horror stories on the internet you’d think I would’ve got a lemon by now, but I guess I’m just a lucky man. Besides, part of the price of a BM is the LifeSharp warranty, so if you get a defective knife, they’ll make it right.

[@Tankman333]

i'm with ya 100% on the delica i do a lot of hunting and so do a lot of sharpening i find if i save my over used lansky stones the belly that's created from over use makes a recurve sharpening job not so bad so save those old stones and give em a try

[@dionst.michael1482]

Beautiful scales

[@gregnaylor3745]

Is there a legitimate knife shop in or near San Diego where you can buy knives in person?

[@DrFrankLondon]

As I have said before, I am always a bit sceptical to S30V, as in my experience it has a tendency to chip.. I haven't really tested S30V from BM, but Spyderco and their S30V, gives u micro chips all over the place even with quite light use.. There is something in the grain structure of Spydercos S30V which makes it brittle, and it is a pain to sharpen even compared to S35VN.

[@EagleJim62]

I agree with the S30V chipping on Spyderco knives. I can't say about BM S30V.

[@1312020m]

I hate s30v because of the god awful microchipping. Cut up one cardboard box and your edge is micro chipped to hell. Its an awful steel and should be done away with. I will never buy another knife in s30v from any company.

[@AV1776]

@@1312020m which steel do you prefer for an EDC folder?

[@1312020m]

@@AV1776 my favorite is CPM 4v, I'm also a big fan of CPM M4 and the m390/20cv/204p group of steels. CTS XHP and S35VN are also decent options that i don't mind.

[@butchcassidy3373]

My North fork is bad about chipping. I only carry it when I'm only gonna cut some steak or other food. My last knife with this steel. I prefer 154cm

[@Dont_Poke_The_Bear]

Is there a triage in the Shibazz collection or is that a future review?

[@mosherogoff1252]

Nick, I understand your comments re quality. But please. 'Quality Control' infers an inspector at the end of a production line. That step is antiquated; controls NOTHING. Modern manufacturing looks for QUALITY ASSURANCE and PROCESS CONTROL as proactive measures. It is what BM needs. Wish you would start advocating for these....

[@Evan_Schaefering]

I've never cared for wood as the sole material on the handle scales of a knife. In my opinion wood looks way better when combined with another material. If this knife had a metal bolster like the Crooked River it would look far better. As it is, it reminds me of the Chinese made "Swiss Army Knives" your family gets you as a gift on vacation.

[@L3001USPSA]

I don't like the look of the "wood" handles, but I think the Benchmade looks better than the Spydercos featured in this video.

[@eddiebriza130]

Nice review. Although to each their own, I didnt really go with all the criticism besides the blade sharpening because that actually applies to ever end user. But the other critiques were purely opinion based. I like everything you didnt about the knife. Lol.

[@augustus63]

9:50 trying to flip it

[@BlackwoodBlades]

Yes

[@kyleburton7394]

Not a brilliant man

[@bobb.9917]

Yeah...that lanyard cutout and the sharpening situation are a turnoff for me. Although, the "dark oily" look and the girth are much more appealing to me than the spindly, cheesy-looking wooden Delica. 🧀🧀🧀. 😬 I have 4 Benchmades and have had good luck with the fit and finish...but this one I will pass on. I do think it "wood" have benefited from a short, dark, deep-carry clip like they have on the green Bugout sprint run, though.

[@annetttt]

Hey nick this is a hunting knife dude, hunters want recurve for skinning and gutting

[@13irishsailors]

Anne L my friend owns this knife and that recurve makes sharpening this knife a bi***. This knife would be perfect without it and I won’t buy it because of that reason.

[@MrNorthstar50]

Yes I hate sharpening recurves to.

[@thsbulldawg82]

@Mack The Knife yes sir

[@basmca1]

@Morné Venter better cutting performce for long pushing or drawing cuts. I carry a 0920 and it does much better at cutting up boxes than other knives without a recurve.

[@EddieLindsay681]

@chuck middleton From Benchmade Website; ABOUT THE PRODUCT A compact AXIS® folding hunting knife with a recurved blade to assist with processing duties. Keep one in your pocket and a fixed blade in your pack.

[@carlstanland5333]

I’m low speed high drag. 😔

[@paulx7620]

Yo Nick thanks for the vid

[@sawmanchris]

i think in the last year since you did this review Benchmade has really picked up their game..with all the chinese companies coming out they really had no other choice...ive bought 4 benchmades in the last year and they were all pretty darn good with fit and finish..also reading the forums i think others feel the same way...dont get me wrong,i may of just got lucky,but i hope not

[@myles6025]

I would have to agree I just picked up one and both the one in box and on shelf were centered and had no play

[@muffledstatue2]

Looks like a Kershaw blur

[@domgreco7]

Always quality. 👍

[@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344]

I like this knife.

[@esoteric5277]

She's is a beaut. Reminds me of my Tangram Vector🤫

[@chuckgilley9608]

The wood on mine looks totally different. Much lighter and more woody.

[@revoliver]

Chuck Gilley That‘s what I thougt first too, compared to mine...😁

[@TheLanWoo]

Love that blade..... would be a great hunting knife for sure. 👍🏼

[@timjames4317]

Mine sharpens easily.

[@clintlewis485]

😃👍

[@AlCasa52]

This wood should be used on hunting shotguns

[@isaacott3230]

Nick, you need to kill a deer to understand this type of blade.

[@drysori]

That recurve is a non starter for me.

[@sublyme2157]

That clip though

[@kriskabin]

I took my clip off for neck carry, feels better in the hand without it.

[@oneisnone7350]

2017?!

[@albertjonas781]

With that type of clip, if you go black...

[@Keith_the_knife_freak]

🤣🤣😂 it went south. 😂😂🤣🤣

[@lanehoward4466]

Benchmade as become lazy on there builds poor fit and finish has become Benchmades normal sad to say. Best way to buy a Benchmade is in person so u see just what your spending your money on Buying Benchmade knives online your taking a big chance on getting a good fit and finished knife you will be happy with

[@garyw8362]

Love your reviews Nick, but it's important for everyone to know that Benchmade has been a constant donator to anti second amendment cause for years and knives and guns tend to go hand in hand with the buying public. I personally won't purchase a Benchmade no matter the knife. It's Like stabbing or shooting myself in the foot. Not a very wise thing to do. Garyw

[@whiteroseproject7207]

I think you should read into a little more.