What was your AFCK replacement

I

icewaterstone

Joined
Apr 15, 2012
Messages
9
Good morning!

I've been out of the knife collecting game for a few years and I'm slowly getting drawn back in, primarily just searching for a new edc (I have customs to my tastes pretty well covered ). There aren't really any shops nearby to handle decent folders so I've been picking up a selection, in the last few weeks I've purchased a BM 940-1501, ZT 0609, spyderco PM2 all of which are great but perhaps not perfect for my uses.

Getting to the point of this post, for the last two decades I've carried one of several AFCK/mini AFCK models. I'm interested to hear from others who really like/liked this model and what you've moved onto as an edc replacement.

Attributes I liked about the AFCK: slim pocket size front to back, spyder hole without requiring a hump, excellent feel with a choked up pinch grip, not too aggressive looking for office use.
 
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icewaterstone said:
Good morning!

I've been out of the knife collecting game for a few years and I'm slowly getting drawn back in, primarily just searching for a new edc (I have customs to my tastes pretty well covered ). There aren't really any shops nearby to handle decent folders so I've been picking up a selection, in the last few weeks I've purchased a BM 940-1501, ZT 0609, spyderco PM2 all of which are great but perhaps not perfect for my uses.

Getting to the point of this post, for the last two decades I've carried one of several AFCK/mini AFCK models. I'm interested to hear from others who really like/liked this model and what you've moved onto as an edc replacement.

Attributes I liked about the AFCK: slim pocket size front to back, spyder hole without requiring a hump, excellent feel with a choked up pinch grip, not too aggressive looking for office use.
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I carried a Mini models of both the AFCK and the TSEK for years as well. Absolutely loved them, but preferred the TSEK due to the thumb stud. Benchmades hole was a bit harder to work with than Spydercos. Anyway I finally retired them and they were replaced with a Spyderco Tenacious. It was a bit more streamlined than the Para 2's and cost wise, it wouldn't both me to loose a $50 dollar knife over a $150 para2.

I have always missed the thinness, and lightness of the TSEK and AFCKs so when the Bugout came out, I was immediately drawn to it. For a brief time, a Para 3 lightweight spent some time in my pocket, but my bugout is back.

While it doesn't have the G-10 of the AFCK, it is comparable in size, as far as the Mini AFCK, and carries just as easily. I would highly recommend taking a look at the Bugout. They aren't the least expensive option out there, but it is tough to beat.


https://i.imgur.com/oqkPz7t.jpg[/img


TXPO
 
Texaspoff: I've handled a bugout before and wasn't crazy about it, utilitarian certainly but ergos felt a bit lacking. I see there's a thread on BF appealing for a shortened 940, I think this would be a great knife if it came about- I like the 940 but it's a little long for most tasks.

tiguy7: Grail knives! If they'd only bring those into full production I'd buy a dozen. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention when they released the limited runs and missed out on all of them.

If anyone has an AFCK and a Spyderco Southard I'd love to see a comparison photo.
 
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icewaterstone said:
If anyone has an AFCK and a Spyderco Southard I'd love to see a comparison photo.
Click to expand...

Please excuse the poor image quality... It's a crop from an old collection shot that I hastily brightened up because it was way too dark

76I9vL1h.jpg


Personally I wouldn't suggest the Southard as an AFCK replacement - it's surprisingly thick and heavy in both blade and handle, the opening hole isn't particularly easy to use, and it's an early Spyderco flipper design and not their best flipper action.

From Benchmade look at maybe the 810 Contego or 15080 Crooked River? For me I stockpiled a few 710s when that discontinuation was announced, which is good because I haven't really seen any slim-ish 4" folders from BM that I want recently. Maybe I'll pick up a Crooked River eventually but I just don't see me liking it more than the 710 for a 4" clip point axis design.

If you're looking outside of BM the Spyderco Military and Police remain the obvious suspects.

For the mini AFCK, I would've said the Bugout as well for a slim, 3.25" carry. If you're not crazy about that I think most of BMs current offerings around that size have thicker, more rounded handles - mini versions of griptilian/barrage/freek/boost/crooked river style.

Ever since Spyderco released the Delica in the fantastic carbon HAP40 and stainless M390 versions none of my small Benchmades really get carried anymore... Occasionally the 586, I guess. Delica is just too good of a lightweight 3" design and those steels pushed it over the top for me.
 
Thank you, saves me giving the Southard a shot. I pulled up the specs and they do seem a bit thicker than I would have guessed. That's quite the nice collection, unfortunately grad school hit me right when those final runs were going on and it was a couple years later before I realized they were gone and done for.

I'm really open to all decent brands for a replacement, I've used salt versions of the Delica and Dragonfly for a while now as beach/summer/kayaking knives. I just prefer something without the "hump". Picked up a M390 Para 2 to see if the hump would matter less on a larger knife but it really doesn't suit me at all. Drifting around the forums here I see some pretty nice aftermarket grips for the Bugout, I might try that route. The Spyderco Sage lightweight on the horizon also seems worth looking into.

I was actually pretty pleased with the ZT 0609 initially, it almost looks and feels like a updated mini-AFCK, although a bit slippery to grip. I bought some of RJ Martin's fixed blades in the 90's when they were being advertised in the back of knife mags so that did influence the decision... It has great ergos but the main problem I have with it is I tend to unintentionally press down on the lockbar making it hard to flip without repositioning my grip. I'm not sure if this just user error or a problem with this particular model's design as it's the first flipper I've owned.
 
Totally agree about grad school. I know I missed a few I would've liked to own myself for that reason. On the other hand, the salary bump after graduation does make it easier to buy more knives...hmm. :D

And that's not an uncommon issue for framelock flippers. I had a lot of trouble with it on a ZT 0808. Use it enough and you eventually have the muscle memory to open it the right way. Personally I prefer designs for which how I'm holding the knife doesn't affect opening, though. Reminds me of the ihpone 4 signal reception issue. "You're holding the phone around the edge? Oooh, no, that's where the antenna is. Don't do that."
 
Just my personal opinion... Although I have a number of 3.6"-4" knives (Spydie Mil Ti/CF, BM CR, ZT 0909, 710, etc.) the knife I end up carrying is usually either the Buck 110 (LT DP CPM-154) or the BM 570 (assisted; Keyman Micarta scales). If you prefer thinner scales, the 110 Slim has a pocket clip, thumbstud, and micarta versions are available (I don't have the Slim as I prefer thicker handles). I also feel that my 110 is more office friendly.
 
Thanks fellas, I've bought a couple more knives since I started the thread in part based on this thread... a Bugout, a ZT 0393, Native 5, and a Police 4. Figure I'll keep going till I find the one I like the most, buy a couple duplicates and flip the rest.

I didn't intend to just make this a "help me buy a knife" thread, although looking back I kind of turned it into that.

So that this thread outlives my own needs, I really do think it would just be cool to just continue with the idea of what others who were fans of the AFCK moved onto after it's discontinuation. That and maybe we can form a lobby group to bring it back ;)

In that spirit, when my AFCK's began diminishing in usability and number (two of mine were lost outright, one broke doing stupid stuff), I tried an Emerson CQC-8 with wave, a waved Delica, a couple of Salt series spydercos and a full size BM Griptilian. None of them were "the one" although I like the wave concept and I still have the Salt spydies for niche use.
 
5FE203A4-A7B2-4F87-A5EE-E0D5B965CDC5.jpeg The one in the middle, a Fantoni/Harsey folder, in CPM S-125-V is a heavy duty knife with exceptional edge retention. It’s a liner lock with Titanium liners.
 
I carried a Axis AFCK for years, still have it. Now I end up carrying either my Benchmade 940 or Spyderco Shaman. More recently the Spyderco Kapara has been added to my rotation.

Somehow the AFCK seems to be right in between the Shaman and 940 in terms of how it carries in pocket. The Shaman is surprisingly good in pocket due to the contoured G10
 
I'm gonna be an odd one here..but before that..I love my AFCK. I deployed with it, carried it in my wedding, my brother and brother in law both carried it in their weddings too..I tried to cut my firstborns cord with it, but was told no by the nurse...

That said, I went to a mini griptilian next. That was probably 15 years ago. Now if I want something that size I say my Gayle Bradley 2.
 
icewaterstone said:
So that this thread outlives my own needs, I really do think it would just be cool to just continue with the idea of what others who were fans of the AFCK moved onto after it's discontinuation.

In that spirit, when my AFCK's began diminishing in usability and number (two of mine were lost outright, one broke doing stupid stuff)
Click to expand...

Hey. Kind of an old thread, and I used to be a Bladeforums member (not sure what happened to my original account), but I found this post via a Google search for the Native Chief and felt that I had to log in and reply.

I have an AFCK with the satin finish D2 blade and the Spyderhole, liner lock with black G10 scales and the silver button inset with the Benchmade butterfly.

Since the AFCK has been discontinued, I had put mine away into storage and have been bouncing between blades that were potential replacements. I tried out a Benchmade McHenry-Williams but it wasn't the same, then a PM2 (which I still daily carry), then a ZT0707.

Which brings me to my point - the Spyderco Native Chief is the AFCK successor. It has basically the same blade length, a Spyderhole without the hump, a very pointy and slicey blade profile with double distal taper, perfectly shaped G10 handles.

I loved it so much I bought 2 standard G10 S30V knives, and the limited CF S90V sprint. I also got LynchNW clips for 2 of them, with Casey's feather logo (which seemed very appropriate).

I never thought I'd like the back lock until after trying it out on my Chief. My impression of back locks has been skewed by the cheap ones I've used, or by thinking that they're all slow to open, slow to close and sometimes require both hands to operate. This does not apply to the Chief.

The Chief can be deployed (using the thumb roll motion in the Spyderhole) almost as quick as flicking my PM2, and I have learned a couple ways to quickly close it with one hand without needing to press the spine against a surface. It deploys with authority, snaps into place, and feels solid as hell thanks to the back lock.

Anyway, I'm glad to see another AFCK owner out there and I know exactly what you were thinking about when you were looking for something to replace it! Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll try to post a pic of my AFCK when I'm back home.
 
I still have the small and large AFCK in M2...and a Stryker in M2 as well.

The AFCKs are my favorite Benchmades.
 
I lost an AFCK years ago in Ontario,CA at the Ontario Mills Dave and Buster's years ago not long after it first opened. Man I was bummed for a long time.
 
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