Pat’s Product Reviews: Benchmade Marc Lee “Glory” Knife
Make no mistake, I like big knives. I don’t care if they are folders or fixed blade knives, I like mine big. I’ve found over the years, that a big knife can do more than a little knife can, in most situations. Don’t get me wrong, small knives have their place, too. However, I’ve just found that a big knife can do just about all I ask of it on a daily basis. The new Benchmade Knives, Marc Lee “Glory” Knife, was made to commemorate US Navy SEAL, Marc Lee, who was the first SEAL to lose his life in Iraq. This touched home to me, as I live in Oregon, and that’s where Marc Lee was from. I’m saddened anytime I hear of one of our brave military personnel losing their life, but even more so, when it’s an Oregonian! Marc’s valorous conduct, exemplary leadership and extraordinary self-sacrifice for his fellow service members, have earned him the highest respect and gratitude of his fellow SEALs and the US Navy, and our nation. A portion of the proceeds from every knife sold will be donated to the Marc Lee Foundation.
The Marc Lee “Glory” Knife is a big fixed blade knife, with a 7.30″ long blade, that is 0.190″ thick. The knife weighs 10.10 ounces. For such a big knife, it’s very fast in the hand. The blade material is 154CM, one of my all-time favorite stainless steels – at one time, used exclusively by custom knife makers. With a 58-61 Rockwell hardness (Rc), the blade will hold an edge a good long time, too. As for the blade itself, it has a recurve to it – meaning, it actually has a longer cutting surface than you think it has.
The handle scales on the “Glory” Knife are made out of super-tough G10, and are coyote tan colored, to go along with the ballistic Nylon coyote tan colored sheath – that is lined, so the knife won’t poke through. The sheath is MOLLE compatible, too, and will fit on a tactical assault vest, as well as on a pistol belt. Overall length of the “Glory” Knife is 12.50″ – it’s a good sized knife, to be sure. The G10 handle scales are textured and will provide an outstanding grip under any circumstances you might run into, in the field. The blade is also black coated, for non-reflectivity.
I found my “Glory” sample to be more of a slasher, as opposed to a stabber. Oh, that’s not to say, the knife can’t be used for stabbing. However, it is better suited for slashing, digging and other everyday field chores you might run into. I don’t have a problem with this, as most knives carried afield, be it in combat or a survival situation, are used more for chores, than they are in combat. The knife will hold its own in a combat situation, though.
The butt end of the knife also has a lanyard hold, but no lanyard was include. There is some tan 550 para cord on the bottom of the sheath, and you could remove it and place it on the knife if you’d like. I think Benchmade should have included a length of 550 para cord on the butt of the knife, in the lanyard hole – just my two-cents worth. If you need an emergency digging tool, the “Glory” Knife can fill that need. It’s also a great chopper, if you have to clear brush or chop wood for a sniper’s blind, too. The knife balances extremely well in the hand, and that’s important in any knife I select. If a knife doesn’t feel just right in my hand, I’m probably not gonna carry it afield.
You can also choke-up on the knife if you need more precision – you simply move your fore finger onto a groove on the lower portion of the blade, which was designed for a hold like this. There is also a raised thumb placement on the top of the blade, for use in the fencing grip, too. I wish I could say I packed this knife around on my hip for several weeks, but I didn’t. I don’t need to carry a fixed blade knife on a daily basis in order to evaluate it. I did do some field testing, though. We have a lot of blackberry bushes in Oregon – a plant that was not native to this state. While I, and my family, love blackberries, it’s a constant chore keeping the blackberry vines in check. In case you didn’t know it, blackberry vines are tough, real tough. The Marc Lee “Glory” Knife made quick work of chopping off the blackberry vines to keep them in check – that says a lot to me. I did some light chopping on some tree branches, too – again, as I mentioned above, this knife is a better chopper than a stabber.
As with all good things, the Marc Lee “Glory” Knife is high-quality, and quality never comes cheap. The full retail price on this knife is $350 – and they are actually very hard to find. Lots of knife collectors are buying ’em and putting ’em in their collection – never to be used. There is also a limited collectible version of this knife, and that’s $1,000 – if you’re into collecting knives, and I’m sure it will only rise in value over the years.
I showed my sample “Glory” Knife around to a lot of folks, and they all liked the way it felt – no one had any negative comments about the knife, and that’s unusual in my neck of the woods. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio