I'm checking out this Benchmade 380 Aller on loan for a few more days and wanted to do a quick first impressions post. When I saw these on Blade HQ, I liked the size though the price tag of $136 seemed high. It's nice to see Benchmade finally doing some smaller knives, but I don't think it'll be the knife for me.
I'd probably classify it as a tiny knife with its 1.6" blade. That's still a decent enough size for lighter tasks as a backup knife. It's a friction folder which I don't believe Benchmade does too often. I'm personally not too big of a fan of friction folders. For an EDC knife, I'd much rather have a locking knife or a slipjoint. I see friction folders as more of a collection/show piece. It has been easy to open and close one-handed. The blue accents throughout the knife look awesome!
This is also one of those multipurpose knives, coming with a prytip/screwdriver on the end and a bottle opener on the tab used to open the knife. One other reason I don't like the friction folders is because of how far out the tab used to open the knife sticks out. With the tab also functioning as a bottle opener, it's much pointier than other friction folders I've tried. That means it's been stabbing me when I carry it in the waistband. I'd imagine that issue would still persist if you carry it in the pocket (maybe not as noticeable though). You can remove the clip and carry it loose in the pocket if you wanted. The clip is very wide since it was designed as a money clip. I hate the clip, and if this was my knife, I'd instantly remove it. With it being a blockier knife, the ergos aren't the most comfortable. I can fit a 3.5 to 4 finger grip on it. As of now, I can't see myself recommending it and don't see that changing over the rest of the week. Stay tuned for a more in-depth video and blog post coming soon! Thanks for looking!
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