Hey, wait a minute. What’s that Spyderco doing with a Benchmade logo on it?

This is actually the Benchmade Vex, a “budget” liner lock folder of yesteryear from the Big B with an admittedly very Spyderco-esque thumb opening hole in it. Although, insofar as I’m able to determine there was no collaboration between the two on this.

The marketing blurb for this knife did bang on a bit, but what it talked about were the “innovative firsts” of a finger-notched pocket clip, and a titanium nitride coating on the blade. And verily, those it has got. But they didn’t mention the hole.

You may have already had that other Benchmade folder with the thumb hole in it come to your mind, the Griptillian. I think they were going for sort of a similar angle with this, but with a much cheaper bill of materials. The Griptillian, still available, sells for about $160. But back when the Vex was available, it had an MSRP of only $42.

That’s quite a gulf, and for your money (or lack thereof) you lose the Axis lock, instead replacing it with a normal liner lock mechanism, and the Griptillian’s S30V blade. The Vex has a ho-hum 8Cr14MoV blade, which Benchmade went to great pains to point out at the time is “comparable to many other manufacturers’ top steel.” That’s… certainly a statement. One which I suspect quite a few will disagree. But the 8cr blade will at least take a very good edge (albeit maybe not hold it forever) and should be quite a bit more corrosion resistant than the likes of, say, D2.

It was of course one of Benchmade’s “red box” knives: the made in China ones. Red card, actually – mine was in a blister pack when I bought it and didn’t even come in a box.

The blade is a serviceable drop point, and does have one unusual detail in that the spine is very rounded, with a slick smooth feel over all of it, even the part with the jimping notches in it. The edge does have a slight but plainly visible belly.

The Vex otherwise has checkered G10 scales similar to many other knives over steel liners. It’s right in that full size EDC sort of class, weighing in at 132.6 grams (4.68 oz) and it’s 7-9/16" long open with a roughly 3-1/4" blade, roundabout 3-1/8" of which is usable. It’s just a hair under 4-3/8 long when closed, and precisely 1/2" thick not including the clip.

The clip has those two finger notches in it which are certainly there, and your fingers will settle into them whether you want to or not but if you ask me they’re spaced apart just a little too much. The clip is reversible, but tip down carry is the only option. It’s not deep carry, either – a good 5/8" or so of the knife will stick up above the hem of your pocket when it’s clipped.

As is tradition, here is the ever present, ever lurking comparison to the Kershaw/Emerson CQC-6K, my normal EDC. I haven’t used my Vex much, which brings about the interesting detail in how faded the G10 scales are on my CQC.

The Inevitable Conclusion

For some reason, people really hated the Vex when it came out. You couldn’t mention it anywhere online without a dozen people jumping down your throat saying “just get a Griptillian instead!!!” From what I could tell, nobody liked the thumb hole, nobody liked the liner lock, and nobody liked the pocket clip. I strongly suspect, however, that what actually happened was that nobody liked knowing they’d paid $150+ for their Griptillian when this close-run contender was suddenly available for less than a quarter of the price. But the Vex was a veritable flash in the pan and is now discontinued, whereas the Griptillian isn’t. Make of that what you will.

I don’t hate the Vex, despite its silly pocket clip. Although there isn’t much about it that makes me love it, either. I guess the main reason I don’t carry it more often is because it doesn’t really do much of anything special. It’s just A Knife and doesn’t pack in any gimmick, it hasn’t got a trick deployment mechanism, and while the build quality is perfectly solid it doesn’t really present any uniquely outstanding look or feel, either. It’s inoffensive, not innovative. It’s just a safe play with no risks; a sponge cake with no flavor. But sometimes that’s okay.