Benchmade Contego 810: A Beast of A Tactical Folder

About a year ago I chose to add a defensive folding knife to my EDC.  After a long decision process, I finally settled on the BM810 Contego from Benchmade’s Black Class (military and law enforcement line).  After almost 12 months of carrying this blade, it’s time that I give the Contego an objective review.

The Blade
     The Contego has a huge blade!  At 3.98”, it’s not your typical EDC utility knife, but it wasn’t designed to be.   The long blade gives you the reach that you would want should the blade ever need to be deployed in a defensive role.  The edge is long and is great for cutting and slicing.  The blade is made from CPM-M4 high-speed tool steel and takes an awesome edge.  The Contego’s CPM-M4 blade holds its sharpness longer than any other blade steel I have ever used (D2, 154CM, S30V, AUS-8).  In the year (almost) that I have owned the Contego, it has only needed sharpening twice – most of the time, a few strokes on the strop does the job.  The only warning that needs to be heeded about the CPM-M4 is that it is not stainless steel and the edge needs a light coat of oil every so often to keep rust away. 

The “reverse tanto” is an awesome blade design.   I have always loved the tip strength, and thrusting performance you get from a tanto blade; but they are hard to sharpen, and you lose a lot of the cutting surface.  Benchmade’s reverse tanto fixes that problem.  The angled tanto tip is on the non-cutting side of the blade, while the edge itself has a more traditional look and feel.

Weight and Concealability
     If you’re the type of person that is concerned with saving fractions of an ounce for your EDC kit, this knife is not for you.  Weighing in at 5.92 ounces, the Contego is not light, but all the features considered, the weight really isn’t that bad.  In fact, I can carry the BM810 all day without even noticing it’s there.  

The Contego has a relatively thin profile for a knife of its size, which also adds to overall comfort in the pocket.  One of my favorite features on the BM810 is the deep-carry pocket clip, which provides ultimate concealment by allowing the knife to be carried in the pocket with virtually none of the frame riding above the pocket line.  The clip makes it so the knife is carried tip-up, a feature that is a must for me because of the speed and ease of deployment.

The Contego in the Armatus B.U.D.S. (BackUp Defense System) neck sheath.

Lock and Grip
The 810 Contego sports Benchmade’s awesome axis lock.  The axis lock is probably my favorite knife lock on the market.  The axis allows the knife to be deployed quickly with a flick of the wrist while locking the blade up like a vault.

The grip traction on the Benchmade Contego is unrivaled amongst knives that I have handled over the years.  The scales are made of textured G10, and provide a positive grip on the knife in all environments.  Underneath the G10 scales is a full-length, skeletonized steel frame, which promotes increased strength and durability while also cutting any unnecessary weight. 

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Notice the Contego's massive blade

Extra Features
The Benchmade Contego also comes with a carbide glass breaker.  I doubt I will ever have to use the glass breaker, but if I do, I am glad it’s there.  Unlike many of the other Benchmade Black Class knives that came before, the Contego’s coating is the ultra durable Cerakote.  Cerakote is a very popular firearm coating that it known for its durability and toughness.  So far the Cerakote is holding up better than I could have imagined.  My Contego gets used in some manner just about every day, and there is not one part of the knife where the coating is coming off.  Like I mentioned earlier, CPM-M4 is not stainless and can rust if the steel is not cared for, but the Cerakote has done a beautiful job protecting the blade.

Conclusion
You get a lot of blade for the money with the Benchmade Contego 810.  It is one of the most solid folding knives I have ever handled and is definitely built for hard-use applications.  The Benchmade Contego will be a staple in my everyday carry for a long time.