Passaround Benchmade BM 745 Mini-Dejavoo

[Ginunting]

First of all I want to say thank you to Benchmade for supporting this passaround and giving us the chance to test this knive in practical use.

First impression:
I must confess that the design of the Dejavoo was not my favorit when I had seen the first pictures of the knife. It is amazing how fast an impression could change! A really beautiful knife as soon as it lies on your table! A knife you can work with, no aggressive appearance, perfect sharpness out of box and also the processing of all parts is perfect. For me the size is ideal which results in a very good hand feeling. Compared to other BM-kifes (Presidio, Griptilian, Stryker) here I prefer the mini-version of the knife.
Negative point: Could be hard to use for left handed people!
Points: 8 of 10

Blade:
The blade is made of S30V. I love this steel even if it' s harder to sharpen compared to e.g. 154CM.
The blade shape, the thikness and the cut is pefect for the every day and the middle harde use. For harder outedoor use I would prefer othe knifes - but I think the Dejavoo was not designed for hard outdoor use so the knife does what it was designed for very well!
But there are also two negative points. The first one is the hole. I prefer a thumb-stud. Also a profile on the top of the blade for an better thumb grip (like the Mini-Rukus e.g.) would be nice.
Points: 7 of 10

Lock:
Liner-Lock works perfect but Benchmade stands for the Axis-Lock and I'm really a big fan of the Axis-Lock. In my oppinion the Axis-Lock system is one of the best locking systems ever - so why don't you use it here??
Points: 8 of 10

Handle:
A really good handle design. The knife fits perfect in my hand - in normal and reverse grip. Both are very stable.
The clip does not disturb the grip. The design of the clip is good. A polished metal clip. Not such a coated balck clip that BM uses unfortunately since some years where the coating chips off after some weeks. A minus is that the clip is limited to tip-down. The G10 is processed perfectly. May be the back spacer should be a little bit longer.
Points: 8 of 10


Summary:
With 31 of 40 points the 745 Mini- Dejavoo is definitely on the way to become one of my favorite EDC knifes.
Maybe the next generation of the Dejavoo has got an Axis-lock and the clip possition could be changed.
Also the handle shape is really made for a special edition with carbon fiber handles

Greetings from Munich
Tobby

 

[klingler]

Here are my very first impressions

Light, very light and small, but big enough yet for my middle to big hands. And, ups, not so easy to open, because on the first times my thumb is sliding over the thumb hole. But it works with a little training. I love knives with a „One-Position-Clip“ - there are no unnecessary holes! The clip holds the knife deep in the pocket. Some people said, that the spacer looks an feels like cheap plastic. Yes, I also would favour a spacer of G10.

Meine allerersten Eindrücke

Leicht, richtig leicht und klein. Für meine doch eher großen Hände (gerade) noch gängig. Das Öffnen mit dem Daumenloch braucht etwas Übung, da man gerne mal darüber hinwegrutscht – es liegt halt z.T. schon im Griff. Der nicht umsetzbare Clip gefällt mir gut, da es keine überflüssigen Löcher im Griff gibt. Der Clip ist so montiert, dass das Messer recht tief in der Tasche sitzt. Einige haben schon angemerkt, dass der Spacer nach billigem Plastic ausschaut und auch mir wäre ein G10 Spacer lieber. (Gegen Titan hätte ich auch nichts einzuwenden.)

Mal schaunen, waie sich das Messer über Weihnachten bewährt.

 

[klingler]

Conclusion: If You want to own only one folding knife – the BM 745 is a great tool.

You can do quite everything with it. Cutting meat or vegetable in the kitchen is fun. O.k., chop a slice of bread is difficult with a blade of 8,2 cm (3,2“). Splitting wood is possible unless You are a professional lumberjack. But You can easy carve wood. The BM745 cut’s paper, paperboard, cord and so on.

The shape of the handle fits barely my Hands. I would prefer the bigger BM 740. But his is a question of the personal dimensions and preferences.

The manufacturing quality is Benchmade-like very good. Titanium locking liner, bronce washers, G10 and CPM-S30V is a good choice. The blade is centred, no chinks between frame an the scales, no clearance on the axis/knife. I like the thumb hole. Fewer separate parts are better.

The blade steel (CPM-S30V) stayes sharp for a long time, but not for ever. So You have to sharpen the edge. A few minutes with the Spyderco Sharpmaker and You can shave the
hairs from the forearm, for example… So the steel is hard enough to resist for a long time and soft enough for easy sharping.

The BM 745 is very lightweight. So it is enjoyable to carry. At first it seems to be to lightweight, but it is o.k.

What could be better? The G10-scales could be a little bit more rough. The locking liner could be al little bit thicker. Maybe it is only optical improovment but I would prefer a 2 mm Liner.

Fazit: Wenn man nur ein einziges Taschenmesser haben mag, dann ist das BM 745 ein heißer Favorit.

Man kann mit dem Messer fast alles machen. Gemüse und Fleisch in der Küche schneiden geht genauso wie Holz spalten und Schnitzen oder Papier, Kartons und Schnüre zu zerlegen. Gut, wenn man berufsmäßiger Holzfäller ist, wird man noch ein anderes Werkzeug einstecken und auch ein Brot lässt sich nur mühsam mit einer 8,2 cm-Klinge in Scheiben schneiden.

Der Griff passt gerade noch in meine Hand. Deshalb würde ich persönlich das größere BM 740 vorziehen, aber dass hängt halt von der Hand ab.

Die Qualität ist wie von Benchmade gewohnt sehr gut. Titanliner, Bronce-Washer, G10 und CPM-S30V gefallen mir gut. Es gibt keine Spalte, kein Klingenspiel und die Klinge sitzt immer zentrisch. Ich mag das Daumenloch – weniger Einzelteile sind mir lieber!

Der CPM-S30V bleibt recht lange scharf. Wenn die Klinge dann geschärft werden muss, bringt man mit dem Sharpmaker innerhalb weniger Minuten wieder die Rasierschärfe her. Die Härte der Klinge ist also ein guter Kompromiss aus Schnitthaltigkeit und Schärfbarkeit.

Das BM 745 ist sehr leicht, also angenehm zu tragen. Am Anfang war es mir fast zu leicht.

Was könnte man besser machen? Das G10 könnte mM etwas rauer sein und der Liner etwas stärker. Ein 2 mm-Liner wäre mir lieber, obwohl ich auch bei dem jetzigen keine Bedenken hätte, das er versagt.

There are some pics, so that you can see what about we are speaking here.

Hier ein paar Bilder, damit ihr wisst, worüber wir hier sprechen.

 

[schwartzbunt]

Hi Folks,

after one week of testing the 745, here are my impressions.

The 745 is a good size and weight for an EDC (if you like cuties).
The poketclip allows only one, but deep carry position, which it is not very discret because the silvercoloured clip. I would prefer a darker one, black or dark grey.
The G-10-scales are well done, for "hard work" a bit slippy, but trousers-friendly
The handle fit my hand well, but could be a little bit thinner for carry.
The S30V is one of my fav's. The flatgrounded blade is fun to cut with.
The liner lock does a good job, but as a benchmade I wloud prefer an axis-lock. Open it is easy with the cutout in the scales.
Opening was smooth and, I think a bit to, easy, but I hadn't a torx for thighten the pivot.
But now what I dislike is, my thumb hits the corner of the scale (see picture). A thumb-stud will do a better job here...


So, the BM745 mini-Dejavoo is a nice gentleman-knife, with materials I like.
If someone asks me for an good knife, I can realy recommend the 745.
But I'm not a real gentleman, I prefer knives for hard-use, bigger and more rough

Thanx to Toby and Benchmade for the passaround


(Wenn mein Englisch zu unverständlich ist, gebt bitte Bescheid. lesen geht doch einfacher von der Hand)

 

[teachdair]

here my impressions:

nice knife, but too small and unsuitable for lefthanded people.

a reaaly well made knife with a good handle, but too short, thats why i havent really carried it.
the opening action of the blade is very smooth, there are no sharp edges when there are none supposed to be. its a little hard to open for lefthanded people, which deterred me futher.
the blade has a harmonic and useable form and a full flat grind, which makes it an excellent cutter, initial the knife wasnt that sharp, but a little stropping took care of it.

 

[gast120109]

Seit Samstag endlich bei mir und heute erster Einsatz: Studentenfutter i.e. Tiefkühlpizza.
Schneidet gut, trägt sich gut, öffnet gut, sieht gut aus.







to be continued...

 

[gast120109]

When I saw the Dejavoo first time, maybe ten months ago, I was not impressed of the design. In my favoured knife shop I could grab the 740 and there was no love at all. But nevertheless I remembered this new Benchmade several times and when this test of the 745 started I thought ´why not, perhaps it´s a great knife to use´.


And it IS a great knife to use!
The 745 Mini-Dejavoo is build of high-grade materials, the thin and flatground blade makes it a good cutter and the longer I looked the knife the more I liked it. Not least because of its reasonable price it´s a good offer.

I wore the knife all the day and used it for cooking, cutting fruits and opening some packages. When I got the knife from teachdair, it was very sharp and after one week the S30V-steel lost nothing of its great sharpness, I didn´t have to resharpen it.






The wearing comfort is good and the knife fits deep in the pocket, I like that. The size of the handle is almost ideal for my hand, but the grip could be better.






The handsome design has just one drawback: The lower hand guard interrupts the movement of the thumb when opening the knife.





Improvement suggestions: Maybe you could add some riffles on the top of the handle and blade to optimize the grip. And please, replace this ugly spacer!





Thanks to Benchmade and Ginunting for this test.

 

[le.freak]

At first I will have to mention that I´m sorry having interrupted the flow of this passaround.

As I did not have the full time to test and evaluate I will only give my impressions from the two days of testing I had.

Overall I can testify that this is a very well built knife with a very unique design and good handling propeperties. Also I like this blade size and design very much.
Since this is the smaller of the two models I am really interested to handle the larger one.

Though I think that the smaller knife is much more comfortable to carry and already sufficient in size.

The Handle:
I really appreciate the handle material, it feels good in hand, also the outlines feel great.
One thing I do not like is the clip, it disturbs the feel of this package. After taking it off the knife felt a lot better.
If I had one of these Benchmade-models I would definitely get the handle modified so I could carry the knife tip-up.

The Blade:
Extremely practical blade shape, thin blade compared to other knives, opens easily and cuts great.
Also the elevation of the blade over the handle makes sense as a thumbrest and for better control in finer cuts.
I always liked the Lum-designed blades anyway.


The Lock:
It´s strong and it works - what to say more about it?


Overall impressions:
This knife is definitely worth every cent you spend on it.
The curvy Lum design makes it a practical, good looking tool which is comfortable to hold and use.
The clip should be mountable in both ways - tip-up and down. Also I would appreciate a smaller backspacer for easier cleaning of the knife.



Thank you for the possibility to test this knife. It will be on the way to Virus3 as soon as I get his postal address.

 

[Kay]

Moin,
als erstes das meien Bericht so spät kommt, liegt daran das ich meinen alten rechner zerschossen hatte.

Das 745 war in der kurzen Zeit anfangs ein treuer begleiter, später nur noch Spielzeug.

Dieses liegt daran, dass der Schneidteufel zwar besser als sein Ggroßer Bruder in der Hand liegt, mir aber für die Dicke im Verhältnis zur Messer Größe zu mächtig war.

Ich war begeistert von dem Butterweichen Klingengang, den angenehmen G10, dem finish der Klinge, der Schnitthaltigkeit des s30v und dem Geräusch des Linerlocks. Ganz klar das Clip Desing war auch ein Highlight

Weniger angetan war ich von der Tatsache das die Stahl Platinen nicht gleichmässig Poliert waren, die eine war matt und die andere hat gespiegelt. Zu dem sass die Klinge auch nicht 100% mittig im geschlossendem zustand. Das Öffnungsloch war auch nicht so Perfeckt angepasst.

Im Groben und Ganzen ein Einstiegsmesser, welches für mich nur bedingt empfehlenswert ist, auf grund der für mich empfunden "Mängel"
. Da viele junge Menschen wie ich nicht immer ~140€ auf der Kante haben, würde ich mir den Kauf überdenken

Trotzdem Besten Dank an Benchmade, anden Organisator

MfG

Kay

ps. übersetzt von Morales und wer Rechtschreibfehler findet, darf sie behalten

Moin,
Moin,



During the short time I had it, the 745 was a true companion at first, but soon became just a toy.



The reason is that it feels comfortable in the hand in comparison to the larger version, but the handle itself is too thick for a knife of that size.



I really liked the smooth action, the comfortable G10 handles, the finish of the blade, the cutting performance of the S30V and the sound of the liner-lock. The clip-design is definitely a highlight.



On the negative side were the polished steel liners, one was mirrorpolished, the other rather dull. The blade wasn’t really centered when closed and the thumb hole didn’t really fit for me.



To sum it up, the Mini-Dejavoo is a knife for beginners, but I wouldn’t really recommend it because of the little flaws I mentioned.

As young people like me normally don’t have around 140 € to spend, I would think twice about a purchase.



Many thanks to Benchmade and Ginunting for this passaround!

 

[virus3]

Hallo,
hier meine Eindrücke vom Mini Dejavoo:
Die Bilder hatten mich eigentlich gar nicht so angesprochen. Aber ich wollte endlich mal ein Benchmade testen.

Ja, das war mein erstes. Und ich wurde sehr positiv überrascht.

Die Größe war ideal für meine Hand. Die Finger haben ihren Platz, auch mit verschiedenen Griffpositionen, ganz automatisch gefunden. Das Griffmaterial fühlte sich erstaunlich warm an und war auch für meine Zwecke nicht zu glatt.
Einzig der Clip hat etwas gedrückt. Wenn es meins wäre hätte ich ihn, zumindest probeweise, entfernt. Seine Aufgabe hat er allerdings einwandfrei erfüllt. Das Messer saß recht tief in in der Tasche und war dank des glatten Griffmaterials und der fehlenden Ecken und Kanten freundlich zur Hosentasche, dem sonstigen Inhalt und der hineingreifenden Hand.

Das Messer ließ sich butterweich öffnen, war sehr scharf und hat die Schärfe auch in der kompletten Testzeit nicht verloren. Es hat alle anfallenden Schneidaufgaben problemlos und mit gutem Ergebnis gelöst. Zu den Aufgaben gehörten harte Äpfel, Tomaten, Papier, Karton, Holz, Kunststoff, Kartoffeln, sowie viele Unterarmhaare.

Also eigentlich eine absolute Empfehlung, wenn diese grumbl Deutsche Gesetzgebung nicht wäre.

Unten noch ein paar Bilder.

Danke für die Möglichkeit zum Testen.
Gruß Th.

Hello,
here are my impressions of the mini Dejavoo:
When I saw pictures of the knife, first of all, I was not so interested. But finally I wanted to test a Benchmade.
Yes, that was my first one. And I was surprised very positively.

The size was ideal for my hand. The fingers found their place, also with different grasp positions, completely automatic. The grasp material felt amazingly warm and was not too smooth, for my purposes.
Only the clip pressed a little bit. If I had owned the knife by myself, I would remove it, at least for a test. But it fulfilled its task perfectly. The knife sat quite deeply in the bag and was friendly, owing to the smooth grasp material and the missing corners and edges, to the trouser pocket, other contents and the in-seizing hand.

The knife was really softly to open, was very sharp and did not lose the sharpness in the complete testing time.
It solved all tasks of cutting without problems and with good results. These tasks were cutting of hard apples, tomatoes, paper, cardboard, wood, plastic, potatoes, as well as many hair from my lower arm.

This knife should actually be an absolute recommendation, if there were not this grumbl German laws.

Here are a few pictures.



Thanks for the possibility of testing.
Regards Th.

 

[merrymarauder]

As was the case with some other guys here, my first impression upon seeing the knife was: "Ugly!".
However, this changed as soon as I took it into my hands.
I really liked playing with it and enjoyed the testing phase.

The design of the handle is perfect for any kind of grip - at least in my hands.
The scales are optimally rounded to provide for a comfortable firm grip.

The thumbrest is nice. But I would have preferred some ribbing on the handle, like on the Ares, to enhance the grip.
It feels a bit too slick.

Although the liner gave the impression of being to weak with regards to size and tension, it locked safely.

I really liked the clip - although it is not reversible which is important for a lefty like me.
The knife virtually vanishes into your pocket.

The blade is just fine. Nothing negative to say here. In my opinion, its size and geometry are very suitable for an EDC.

Overall, the knife looks and feels very well manufactured - no defects at all.

Obviously, the knife is not designed for lefties.
The fixed clip position, which also hinders the thumb to reach the Spyderhole and the missing second groove on the scales for single-handed opening disqualify this knife as the one EDC for lefties.

Overall, I would not have a bad conscience recommending it to right-handed people.
The slightly bad feeling about the liner stays, however.
For left-handed people this knife is a no-go.

Thanks to Ginunting for organizing the passaround and giving me the opportunity to participate in it.

 

[gast05052009]

so, here comes my little review.


After the time of testing and using I have to say, it´s a really usable knife.
I can´t find some negative aspects of this knife.
The handle, lies perfekt im my hand
and the scales of G10 are well made. There are no sharp edges (except the one)
that can hurt onself.
Because of the Bronce-Washers, the blade can be folded up very smooth and softly.
Contrary to other users, the opening hole pleases me very well and I find it also more
practicable than a Thumb stud.
The blade has been really sharp and did not have to be resharpened.
All in all a fine knife for every day use.

Thanks to Benchmade and Ginunting for this passaround.

 

[Knife-Master]

Here are my impressions,

the Mini Dejavoo is a very smart and noble looking mid-size folder with excellent cutting abilities.
The new design and surface structure of the G-10 scales make it look like carbone fiber.
And I think it's a damn good agreement between stability, grip comfort ,fast handling abilities and noble looking.

The blade has a stonewash added satin finish, this combine makes it ideal for using and also looks great.
It's fairly thin flat grind should sail through whatever you are cutting.


In few words : very nice work by Benchmade




Positive:

• perfect grip
• noble design
• innovative scales
• good cutting abilities
• easy to sharpen
• good edge holding

Negative:

• backspacer
• fine edge not for hard use

Many thanks to Benchmade & Ginunting for this passaround.

 

[Morales]

Als das Mini-Dejavoo bei mir ankam, war ich ziemlich beeindruckt von diesem kleinen Racker. Es öffnet und schließt so leicht, dass ich dachte die Achsschraube müsste angezogen werden. Ich hab viel über den weichen Klingengang von diesem Messer gelesen, aber es ist doch was ganz anderes, wenn man es selbst erleben kann. Für mich ist das Messer überhaupt nicht hässlich, da gibt es bessere Beispiele auf dem Markt.

Die Verarbeitung und das Finish von diesem Messer sind fast makellos, die Klinge ist so gut gemacht, dass ich allein daran satt sehen konnte. Die Liner sind, wie Kay schon schrieb, unterschiedlich gut gefinisht worden. Der eine spiegelt fast, der andere hat eher eine raue Oberfläche, ich hoffe das kann man auf den Fotos unten sehen. Die G10 Griffschalen sehen super aus, sind aber für mich zu glatt.

Der Griff selbst unterscheidet sich deutlich von denen der anderen Foldern, die ich besitze. Der Querschnitt ist eher rund anstatt flach und hoch, was ihn schmal erscheinen lässt. Mehrere Male hatte ich das Gefühl das Dejavoo „rollt“ mir aus diesem Grund quasi aus der Hand. Der Clip ist recht stramm, und leider kann man ihn nicht von Tip-down umsetzen. Da ich aber ein Fan von Tip-up bin, wird das leider 745 wohl nie auf meine Hitliste kommen.

​

Ein Blick noch auf die Klinge und den Stahl: Der S30V hat eine gute Schnitthaltigkeit und ließ sich auch ohne weiteres nachschärfen. Der Anschliff war allerdings asymmetrisch, so dass man auf dem Sharpmaker das Messer etwas schief halten musste. Insgesamt aber kein großes Problem.
Leider hat die Klinge die Spitze verloren, aber das war ein kleiner Makel und wahrscheinlich ein Ergebnis der Passarounds. Auf der Klinge war ein Fleck direkt neben dem Benchmade Logo, den ich mich aber nicht getraut habe zu entfernen…bloß nicht zerkratzen…

Der Klingengang selbst war mir fast zu leichtgängig, aber ich musste mich erst daran gewöhnen. Nach ein paar Tagen fühlte sich das Dejavoo gerade richtig an, während mir meine anderen Lieblingsfolder plötzlich unheimlich schwergängig erschienen. Ich hab mich noch nicht entschieden ob das Dejavoo zu perfekt ist oder die anderen Messer einfach Nacharbeit benötigen.

Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn: Das Mini-Dejavoo ist ein tolles Messer mit kleinen Makeln, die sich aber hauptsächlich aus persönlichen Gründen ergeben. Der Griff ist insgesamt zu schmal und das G10 zu glatt, insbesondere bei schwitzenden Händen.

Ein großes Dankeschön an Benchmade und Ginunting für diesen Passaround!

Und noch ein Insektenbild…Spinne und Schmetterling in ihrer natürlichen Umgebung!

And for all knifenuts round the planet :​

When the Mini-Dejavoo arrived, I was really impressed by this little fella. It opens so smoothly that I thought the pivot had to be tightened. I read so much about the action of this knife, but it’s somewhat different when you can experience it by yourself. For me the knife isn’t ugly at all, there are much better examples on the market.

The F&F on that knife is almost flawless, the blade is so beautiful to watch I just couldn’t take my eyes of it. The liners are quite different as the one is without any visible flaws whereas the other has a rather rough finish. I think it is noticeable on the pics below. The G10 scales just look great but are too slick for me

The handle is somewhat different from the ones of other folders I have. Its cross-section is rounder and not flat, making the handle itself thin. Several times I had the feeling the 745 was ‘rolling’ out of my hand for that reason. The clip is quite tight, and unfortunately you cannot change it from tip-down. I like it tip-up, so the 745 can’t be on my top list.

Let’s see how the steel performs: For me the S30V held an edge pretty good, and resharpening the knife was not a problem at all. The only problem I came across was that the edge bevel was not symmetrical ground and the angle on the right side was over 20 degrees. Nonetheless using the Sharpmaker wasn’t a problem at all.
Unfortunately the blade had lost its point before, but that was a little flaw, probably a consequence from the passaround itself. There was also a stain close to the Benchmade logo, but I didn’t dare to remove it…don’t scratch it…


The action of 745 was almost too smooth for me, but I just had to get used to it. After a few days, the Mini-Dejavoo just felt right, but suddenly my other favourite folders were difficult to open all at a sudden. After the knife left me, this changed back to ‘normal’. I haven’t decided yet whether the Dejavoo is too perfect or the action of other folders needs some work.

Too cut a long story short, for me the 745 Mini-Dejavoo is a great knife with some minor flaws, which mostly depend on my personal preferences. The handle itself is too small for my hands and the G10 is too slick especially for sweaty fingers.

Many thanks to Benchmade und ginunting for this passaround!

 

[Oliver]

Ok,here's my (late) review.

My first impression on the pictures was: This could be a replacement for my lost Mini-AFCK (I've got no idea where it has gone ).

My first impression in real life: Hm, it's a little bit ugly and nothing for lefties. I really do not like the blade-handle-line, the handle was (optical) a little bit to thick and the smooth.

I used it in the kitchen, in the garden for cutting some branches, cutting cardboards and slicing apples in the office.

Pro

• Opening the blade was very smooth.
• Free-hand cutting (slicing an apple).
• Realy nice pocket clip for a deep position (if you like tip-down and you are not a lefty).
• Sharpness.
• Easy Re-sharpening.
• Very solid with a thin blade.
• Opening hole.
• Shape of the blade. I really like the design and it is perfect for any cutting tasks.

Contra

• Blade play (too much in my eyes). OK, I didn't try to tighten the pivot screw, but it was really a lot.
• Cutting on a board.
• A very smooth grip (I like more textured/rough ones).
• No thump rest or any texturing on the spine of the blade.
• Definitely no knife for lefties. No chance to change the clip-position and on the left side the opening hole is coverd by the handle.

Comment
I'm not sure what I think of this knife. Besides the blade-play it is a high quality knife with an almost perfect shape of the blade. But the blade-handle-line is not very comfortable, massive blade play and some peanuts like the missing thumb-rest or the unfitness for lefties are poor.

Here are some picture for comparison with my current favourite, the Para-mili.