TheBenchmade 8551BK Mediator is a tactical automatic, featuring a blade made of excellent CPM-S90V steel, a reliable folding mechanism and precision-finished G-10 laminate facings.
Premium steel
Theknife has an 84mm-long blade made of elite CPM-S90V stainless steel, which is subjected to optimal hardening for edc knives to a hardness of 59-61 HRC.
CPM-S90V isa luxury stainless steel with a very high vanadium and carbon content, which make the blade extremely long-lasting in sharpness and highly resistant to abrasion and corrosion.
When choosing a hard-steel knife, get a diamond sharpener, as sharpening with a standard ceramic whetstone can be very labor-intensive and inefficient.
Utility head
Thewide blade with a tactical reverse-tanto profile is coated with a black Cerakote coating. The thermosetting ceramic paint increases the external hardness of the steel, protects the blade from corrosion, wear and scratches.
Thanks to the use of a sharp hilt, a flat grind and a cutting edge with a gently rounded line, the knife penetrates easily and has excellent cutting properties. The thickness of the blade at its widest point is 3 mm, which is a compromise between durability and functionality of the knife in everyday work.
Automatic unfolding
The most important element of an automatic knife, is the fast and reliable unfolding mechanism. Unlike models with an assisted head, in an automatic knife, unfolding the blade requires only the push of a button.
Once the lock is released, the rest of the work is done by an internal spring that lifts the head up. Folding the blade requires pressing the button again and manually retracting the blade.
Theactivation button is embedded in a milled cutout, but to increase the level of safety, the manufacturer used additional protection in the form of a slide lock.
Such functionality makes the "automatics" very popular among soldiers, uniformed service personnel and the rapidly growing group of edc enthusiasts.
Extreme caution and prudence are recommended when using an automatic knife.
Milled laminate handle
The handle of the knife is formed by profiled facings made of durable G-10 laminate. The plastic has undergone precision machining, which allowed to obtain a striking chevron-style texture. This causes the knife to lie very securely in the hand and is very comfortable to use.
In the back of the handle there is a hole for attaching a decorative paracord tail, which makes it easier and faster to slide the knife out of the pocket. Discreetly carrying the knife in your pocket is made possible by a high-set clip that can be flipped to the other side.
