This knife is discontinued, shop all Benchmade knives here.
Built tough for heavy use. This Warren Osborne design follows in the footsteps of the folding design. Benchmade tough for the way you live.
Reverse tanto, black finished combo blade that plays rough. CPM-S30V premium stainless steel. Nearly 5" of cutting power all designed so you can apply cutting power and precision right where you need it.
Smooth contoured black G10 handle scales sandwich the full tang blade. Comfortable to hold, comfortable to use. Curves in all the right places. The Contego is certain to feel good even after extended periods of heavy use. The rugged G10 scales will outlast even the most durable of foes--inclement weather and bad operating conditions.
This is the kind of blade you want when it all hangs in the balance. The Contego 183 -- for when all the chips are on the table and your pair might not be enough.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Blade Length: 4.97"
Blade Thickness: .164"
Handle Thickness: .620"
Blade Material: S30V Premium Stainless Steel
Blade Hardness: 58-60 HRC
Blade Style: Reverse Tanto
Weight: 7.14 ounces
Lock Mechanism: Fixed
Overall Length: 10.18"
Sheath Material: Multi Position Molded Kydex with adjustable Detent
Class: Black
Benchmade 183SBK Contego Fixed Blade
The 183SBK follows in the footsteps of the similarly named Contego folder. A Warren Osborne design most prominently features a reverse tanto blade. On this model, the blade has a combo edge and a black tactical finish. Immediately identifiable as a classic combat blade, the 183SBK is likely to become your new favorite fixed blade. This knife was made to be tough.
BLADE
The blade on the Contego is 4.97". Made from CPM-S30V, the blade is certain to provide all the strength and power you demand out of a combat tool. The blade has a classic drop point style with some unique angles and edges along the top spine that bring some serious visual appeal into the picture. The thick blade allows for heavy chopping and slicing cuts. CPM S30V steel is considered a premium grade knife steel. Used almost exclusively in high end production as well as custom knives, S30V is most beloved because of its high performance in use as well as its machinability and sharpenability. S30V uses vanadium combined with carbon to form vanadium carbides while leaving the chromium in the mix to give the steel corrosion resistance. For comparison, this blade has a RC of 58-60 and has a transverse toughness about 4x better than 154CM. It also holds an edge about 20-30% better than a similarly shaped blade with 154CM.
Two wide and shallow curves along the spine of the blade allow for greater control on precision cuts. The curve closer to the handle is perfect for your thumb when making precision slicing cuts. The further curve is great if you want to "choke" up on the blade and hold it in a pinch grip between your thumb and middle finger while placing your forefinger across the curve. This gives you the capability to use the Contego as if it were a smaller blade for super precision cuts.
When it comes to sharpening, S30V will sharpen about like D-2 tool steel. If you choose to do it yourself, it is going to take more time and better materials than a 154CM blade but it is very doable. Alternatively, you could just go with the Benchmade LifeSharp program. Ship your blade to Benchmade and they will send it back in factory condition with just a small charge for shipping.
HANDLE
The handle is smoothly contoured black G10 scales on the full tang blade. There is a deep and long finger groove near the blade that accommodates both your forefinger and your middle finger. Then a shallower finger groove for your next two fingers. The blade actually extends slightly, maybe 1/16 of an inch, on all sides of the handle. This allows jimping near the butt of the handle to protrude giving your thumb a perfect control point when holding the blade in a reverse grip. A small thumb ramp on the spine near the blade keeps your thumb in position when holding the knife in a traditional grip. The curves are perfect on this handle giving your hand a comfortable grip even for extended use. The Benchmade Contego fixed blade comes with a multiple position molded sheath with a detent.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
This is a fantastic fixed blade combat knife. Sure to be your go to tool when in combat or survival situations, the Benchmade Contego delivers serious power in a big, tough package. Get serious about your knife, get the Benchmade Contego 183SBK.