The Adamas has never been a subtle knife. Shane Sibert designed it back in 2010 as a folder that was purpose-built for soldiers and survivalists. And for its entire 15-year run, Benchmade’s burliest folder has carried one quiet compromise (and fans have been very vocal about it). That ends now, with the Adamas lineup moving to CPM MagnaCut.
The End of the Tool Steel Tradeoff
The Adamas has always run non-stainless tool steels, first D2 and more recently CPM CruWear, because toughness was priority one and stainless steels historically couldn’t keep up. The catch? Tool steels rust, which is a obviously not a good trait for a knife marketed to people sweating through deserts and jungles.
As we all now know, MagnaCut made that whole compromise obsolete. When metallurgist Larrin Thomas released the recipe in 2021, he essentially broke the old rule that you had to pick two of toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. The knife community has been obsessed ever since, and Benchmade is running it here at 60 to 62 HRC.
Same Tank, Better Armor
The rest of the package stays exactly as overbuilt as before. You get a 3.78″ drop point blade with a fuller and jimping along the spine, available in plain or partially serrated flavors, deployed via ambidextrous thumb studs and locked up with Benchmade’s famously abuse-proof AXIS mechanism.
Handle-wise, it’s skeletonized G10 scales over full-length stainless liners, with a deep carry reversible clip. Choose between OD Green with a Flat Earth Cerakote blade or Black with Tungsten Gray. And yes, the Cerakote stays even though the steel no longer needs the rust protection. Because it still looks rad.
The Whole Family Gets the Memo
Benchmade actually tested these waters back in 2023, when the Mini Adamas became the first of the bunch to score MagnaCut. And apparently the experiment went well.
Because this isn’t just a full-size folder update. The fixed blade Adamas and the push-button Auto Adamas are making the jump too, meaning the entire hard-use family now runs the same steel.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Benchmade
Model: Adamas
SKUs: 275FE-04, 275SFE-04, 275GY-03, 275SGY-03
Overall Length: 8.89″
Blade Length: 3.78″
Blade Thickness: 0.140″
Blade Steel: CPM MagnaCut (60-62 HRC)
Blade Finish: Flat Earth or Tungsten Gray Cerakote
Handle Material: G10 (OD Green or Black)
Locking Mechanism: AXIS Lock
Weight: 6.45 oz
Manufacturing Origin: USA
Pricing & Availability
The MagnaCut Adamas folder is available now for $325 in both colorways, with plain or partially serrated edge options. The upgraded fixed blade runs $275 and the Auto Adamas comes in at $425. Head over to Benchmade’s website to grab one.
Recap
Benchmade Adamas MagnaCut
Benchmade swaps its hardest-working folder over to CPM MagnaCut super steel, finally giving the Adamas corrosion resistance to match its legendary toughness. The fixed blade and auto get it too.
