my beloved AFCK, gone.....

[Bobarino]

last night while fishing in a local river for some of those tasty NW Coho, i dropped my beloved AFCK that i've had on me like an American Express card for the last several years, into the drink. my hands were slimy from the roe i was using as bait and i dumb-thumbed it. it was only about 3 foot deep water but its visibility is only about 8 inches. the current is pretty strong where i was and who knows how far it may have gotten swept down river. i felt around on the bottom for a half hour until my arms and hands were numb from the icy, glacial run-off waters and i couldn't feel anything anymore. it got dark about then so i sulked my way home, doing my manly best not to shed a tear over my knife. of course, Benchmade discontinued the AFCK in late '05 and now only has a couple special editions of it that are crazy in price. i'm saddened beyond what would be considered normal and rational. its just as bad as if i had dropped my trusty USP Compact in the water.

i'm going to rig up a magnet on a stream and comb the waters where i was and where i think it may have gone but its highly unlikely that i'll find it. someone will drag it in on their hook one day and go home smiling with my beloved AFCK.

i don't really ahve much a point to my tale of woe other than to share it with some people that know what its like to lose a good knife and can understand my sadness and frustration with myself for being clumsy and careless. a lanyard in definitely in my future when fishing.

if i can't find it, (most likely) i've decided to replace it with another Benchmade and the same steel type (154CM) with the 550HG Griptilian.

thanks for letting me vent.

Bobby

 

[hso]

Bobby,

Sad news indeed.

 

[feedthehogs]

I bought the AFCK when it first came out. I liked it so much I bought 3 more including the smaller version.

Over the years I have lost 2 in places where it could not be retrieved. I am working with the 3rd one (been 3 years since I lost the last one).
The current has been back to Benchmade 2 times for repairs from daily use.

The last is a safe queen.

I feel your pain, great knife.

 

[Stainz]

Nixon was President, so it has been a while... I was with a pair of other drunken USN sailors from a subtender (USS Fulton AS-11 - in N. London) one night in a lapstrake hull runabout on the CT River, downstream from the CT Yankee nuc plant. After the umteenth eel was pulled in, the mild mannered one borrowed my Dad's WWII KaBar and, in a fit, proceeded to stab the thing mercilessly - as it wiggled in the bottom of the boat. He then started to cast it and his gear into the river - but was going over himself when I remembered - he had my knife. I saved him - and, barely, my knife. Out of beer, we sat there and laughed - until I noticed how cold and wet my feet were - he had holed the old boat's hull in several places - and we were sinking. We made it back to the boat landing... and I still have the old KaBar, although the dried eel goo was a challenge to clean.

Losing a favorite knife is traumatic - but, it's just 'stuff' - and, you can likely find something you'll like at least as well - and make more - and better - memories with.

Stainz

PS Only one of the three of us could swim... not me!

 

[redbone]

The magnet is a good idea. Home Depot (and others, I'm sure) sell a magnet about 10" wide, mounted on a broomstick-type handle, that's used for picking up dropped nails at construction sites. About $15.00. Probably the easiest thing to use.

Good luck,

RBH

 

[Bobarino]

thanks guys. i combed the area with a 95lb magnet on a rope last night and didn't find it. it likely tumbled along the bottom in the current to places unknown and some other angler will snag it and bring it in and be very happy with my knife. i'm sure i'll try the area again with the magnet soon. in the mean time, i'm going to pick up the 550 HG Griptilian tonight. thanks for the moral support ya'll. i really didn't think i would be this upset over it. weird how we get attached to things like that huh?

Bobby

 

[Bobarino]

d'oh! double tap. sorry.

 

[redneck]

Sorry to hear about the knife. I've got a BM 750, and and a 806 AFCK, both great knives and both discontinued. Don't carry them much anymore for fear of losing them.
As far as a replacement, a 941 Osborne might be closer. It has a long clip blade, with a fine point like the AFCK. Might also consider a 710.

 

[Don Gwinn]

On the upside, the Griptilian is merely awesome.

 

[Bobarino]

thanks for the suggestions Redneck. i do like the clip point blades but its not necessary. my criteria for a new knife were 154CM or S30V steel, tip up carry, thumbhole, and no lockbacks. i'm thinking i may reshape the tip of the blade on the 550 by taking some off the backbone near the point to get closer to a clip point type blade.

thanks for the endorsement for the Griptilian Don. i went to a local knife shop last night and checked them out but all they had was the 1/2 serrated blade and i want a full smooth blade. i'll keep a lookin'.

thanks again all.

Bobby

 

[feedthehogs]

See if you can barrow or rent a metal detector for water use.

 

[Stainz]

If you could live with a lockback... the best bargain in a plain S30V thumbhole blade is the Spyderco Native S30V. Wally World has them for $39.48 - what a bargain - and USA-made. Mine goes with me almost daily... nearly displacing my favorite Buck 110, some days! It's an easy carry - and a substantial knife - not as stout, handle-wise as my BM 550 Gryp, but better steel - and fine enough for 99% of my use. Plus, $40 is not insignificant, but it is a lot less significant than some of the other suggestions, should you accidently float-test it!

Stainz

 

[GEM]

Right now there is an alien on a spaceship with your AFCK and my Surefire E2L which chose to disappear on a field trip.

I feel for you.

 

[Pax Jordana]

Bobarino, I feel your pain. Though I haven't ever spent more than $60 on a knife I actually carry (one of those, how big DO they make 'em? sorta things..) I have lost enough $20 knives to make up for it.

I too hated lanyards, until I took up fishing. Then I realized that, within that scope, they're the best thing ever. If I may offer you some humble advice: Get a spool of 550 cord, keep it handy. At least you can cut yourself a nice lanyard whenever you need one.

I have a few accessories I would be superpissed to lose that come with me fishing - and they're all tied on securely. The lanyards come off when I'm done (I only get to fish a few days each year anyway) and if I can find 'em next year I tie 'em back on. If not, it's only another three feet of cord.

 

[Harold Mayo]

I recently "lost" my AFCK, too...to the thieves employed by Continental as baggage handlers. Had it on my person all the time except for sleep every day for a decade (or a little less). I loved that knife. Put it in checked baggage in, unfortunately, an outside zipper pocket and away it went. Filed a complaint with Continental but no...they allow their baggage handlers to steal certain items without any responsibility on their part and not even a true apology. Nice place to work, apparently...steal what you want and your company denies responsibility.

I've replaced it with a Spyderco Military but it just isn't the same...

 

[rcmodel]

I also think the AFCK is the best knife design Bench-Made ever made.

I carry an AFCK, or a somewhat similar McHenry & Williams 710 Axis-Lock, 24/7.
I also keep a spare AFCK on hand, just in case I lose the one I carry.

With that said, there are always a few new AFCK's on eBay, if you can stand to do business with them after their mis-guided gun parts ban a couple of months ago.


rcmodel

 

[Spot77]

A buddy and I were working on my boat in the marina that we both used. He went to hand me his tool box from the pier and the latch broke. Yup - all the tools went into the water.

Since he was helping ME to fix MY boat I volunteered to dive in and retreieve what I could. It was about 6' deep, so I thought it would be a long process. I had no idea how long.

In addition to finding almost every tool (a few small sockets were MIA), I found:

2 wristwatches
6 sets of keys, mostly house and car keys, maybe 2 sets of boat keys
1 anchor (a big mother too - like for a 40' boat)
1 anchor rode with the chain attatched. Oddly enough it wasn't attached to the anchor I found.
1 kitchen knife
1 Igloo playmate cooler, filled with sand, mud and Michelob Dry (They stopped making that beer how many years ago????)

And a few other odds and ends that I can't recall now.


But the neatest thing was the "credit card knife" (barely thicker than a credit card, but when pulled in half it revealed a razor sharp blade, and fit's in a wallet) that a friend of the fella' who was helping me had dropped two years earlier.

Dropped two years earlier in a tidal river, and it was still sitting around the pier. Pretty cool.

We turned the rest of the stuff in to the marina office; I don't know if any of it ever got claimed or not.

 

[byf43]

thanks guys. i combed the area with a 95lb magnet on a rope last night and didn't find it. it likely tumbled along the bottom in the current to places unknown and some other angler will snag it and bring it in and be very happy with my knife. i'm sure i'll try the area again with the magnet soon. in the mean time, i'm going to pick up the 550 HG Griptilian tonight. thanks for the moral support ya'll. i really didn't think i would be this upset over it. weird how we get attached to things like that huh?

Bobby

Bobby,

Don't lose hope, yet.

Try a very tight weave (fishing) net.

I just tried using a magnet on my Mini-AFCK and it didn't stick.

I do believe that it's stainless steel, and I don't think stainless is magnetic!?!?!?!

 

[redneck]

The steel for the blade would still be magnetic. Austenitic stainless steel is non magnetic (due to the nickel content) but is only used for handles/fittings as it won't harden enough to make a good blade. Blades are made with martensitic stainless alloys which are magnetic, although maybe not as good as alot of other things. A 95 lb magnetic would probalbly grab one though.


Did you get a replacement yet bobarino?