Benchmade Wildcoast Maple Valley Evaluation and Options

Benchmade Wildcoast Maple Valley Richlite

MSRP: $350
URL: benchmade.com
OG Score: 7.8 out of 10

NOTES

There’s a noticeable shift taking place in the previous few camps I’ve been in, and the Benchmade Wildcoast Maple Valley Richlite lands proper in the midst of it. This isn’t your typical “do-it-all” camp blade; it’s purpose-built for meals prep. Being function constructed is just not new to the Benchmade lineup; nonetheless, the Wildcoast is produced in a method that really holds up exterior of a managed setting. It’s simply as able to breaking down a meal at a campsite as it’s working by prep at dwelling, which is a balancing act you don’t see firms fairly pull off.

The Wildcoast runs a CPM-154 stainless blade with a clip-point profile, giving it a great steadiness of energy and precision. It’s bought sufficient spine close to the heel to deal with heavier cuts, however tapers out towards the tip for extra managed slicing and element work. That mixture makes it really feel extra like a kitchen software than a subject knife, however with out being overly fragile as you’d usually count on. It’s skinny the place it must be, however not so skinny that you simply’re anxious about utilizing it exterior.

The deal with is the place it actually separates itself. The Maple Valley Richlite is a compressed paper composite that behaves extra like wooden than plastic, however with out the downsides. It doesn’t swell, doesn’t get slick when moist, and over time it develops a pure patina relying on use and publicity. It’s delicate, however it offers the knife a little bit of character the longer you carry it.

What stands out most is how nicely thought out the entire design feels. At simply over 6.8 inches of blade and round 6 ounces, it’s mild sufficient to maintain in your package with out occupied with it, however substantial sufficient to truly do work. It’s not meant for prying, batoning, or any of the abuse we are inclined to count on from subject knives. That’s not a flaw — it’s the purpose.

The Wildcoast represents a shift towards specialization within the subject. Not every part must be a compromise if you’re automotive tenting. Typically it makes extra sense to hold a software that does one job extraordinarily nicely. For camp cooking, meals prep, or breaking down a meal on the finish of the day, that is a kind of items that earns its place the primary time you utilize it.

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