CSK2 by Benchmade Knives

158 CSK 2 Review

This is my favorite knife in my collection, sturdy, trustworthy and in all honesty, a good looking blade. You will feel like a covert op with this thing in your hand and that’s because this is actually the knife that was issued to S.A.S operatives for a while. If they trust this blade you know it’s good. CSK stands for Combat Survival Knife and that’s what it’s designed for and that is what it will do. From splitting wood to arresting a fall, yes that’s right, arresting a fall. I was hiking in my favorite trail that runs beside the Suck Creek ridge in Soddy Daisy, I had my CSK out cutting at some wood (I know, not the safest thing to do while hiking) when I was passing through a really narrow part of the ridge, single file with my wife behind me and beside me was the almost completely vertical slope that ran down about 15 feet or so to the rock bed at the edge of the creek. It had been raining alot, so while I was walking the ground crumbled out from under  me, I began to speed down the slope, without a second thought my left hand went over my right which was griping my knife, I hugged it tight and drove the blade deep in to the earth arresting my fall. I pulled myself up, dug my hand in to the earth and with a thrust I stretched my arm and stabbed the earth above my head again, one more pull up and I was back on the trail, heart pounding, covered with dirt, wife still gasping and more alive than ever. It was that moment that I decided that this was my favorite knife, to say that it saved my life would be an exaggeration, but it definitely saved me a painful walk/climb back to the trail head.

Here are the specs on this knife straight from the Benchmade site:   

Blade Length: 6.00"
Blade Thickness: 0.180"
Handle Thickness: 0.880"
Blade Material: 1095 Carbon Steel Blade Hardness: 57-60HRC
Blade Style: Combat/Survival
Clip-Point Weight: 7.50oz.
Pocket Clip: No Pocket Clip; MOLLE® Sheath Malice Clip
Lock Mechanism: Fixed
Overall Length: 10.75"
Sheath Material: Multi-Function Black Leather Sheath, MOLLE® Compatible w/ Included Malice Clip; 6.50oz
Class: Black   

  

Let’s start with the handle, it's covered in a very grippy rubber and it has grooves etched into it. I have found that these are great at channeling water or sweat away from your hand and therefore give you a better grip. The hilt is also ergonomically shaped, so it is ridiculously comfortable whether you are gripping it point facing up or down.  At the end of the hilt is a grommet big enough for a lanyard or some parachord, personally I find this knife too big to carry around the neck but if you are into that I guess it’s cool. I must also add that the hilt is weighted so this fantastic knife is well balanced, a wonderful thing if you ever find yourself in need to throw this knife and if you haven’t done it yet, let me assure you that few things in life are as satisfying as successfully throwing a knife and hearing that thud when that mug sticks to a tree, plus you feel like a ninja.  

The blade is thick and hardened, Benchmade does not play around when they put a product in the “black” class, they know that professionals will trust their tools with their lives and so their steel is very reliable. I have seen some reviews on youtube of some crazy guys in the woods trying to split some wood with the CSK and it just snaps on them.  Now, I am not saying that it is impossible for that to happen but I have had no issue with mine, I have split wood with it for fire prepping in both cold and hot weather and my blade is still intact. The black anti-corrosive finish did get scratched when I dug my blade into the ground but I think we can all agree that the manufacturer was not thinking of that use when designing this blade.

The blade is laser cut to a drop point, which is ideal for piercing and self defense. At the bottom by the hilt there is a small serrated section for rope cutting. The actual blade reaches 6 inches which is double the legal carry length in most places so don’t go about town with this thing strapped to your leg or your hip, that is unless you want super sensitive people to point and flee in panic while you have to explain to police officers why you felt like Rambo when you woke up this morning.

The sheath it comes with is a very handsome leather MOLLEE sheath that is compatible with a Malice clip. This feature makes it supper versatile, you can strap it to your pack wherever you have the ability to do so. I strap mine upside down to my shoulder strap on my day pack, this allows, easy and quick access if ever needed. Now I don’t want to hate on the awesome leather, but other companies got smart and instead of leather they gave similar knives a Kydex sheath, if this blade came with that it would get a perfect 10, leather is cool and it looks great , but it can retain moisture for awhile which can damage your blade, for that reason I prefer Kydex.

Over all this is a fantastic knife, ideal if you are looking to add a knife to your evac bag or simply if you want to take one on your next backpacking trip.It is a pricey blade, so if you are looking for something more for day to day carry I recommend you look at my review on the Bear Grylls fix blade. I give this knife 9 out of 10. Let me know if this review was helpful or if it’s missing anything, also what’s your survival Knife? Let me know on the comments.