Benchmade 15002-1 Saddle Mountain Skinner

The Benchmade 15002-1 is the upgraded Saddle Mountain Skinner. Same blade shape as the wood-handle 15002, same 4.2 inch clip point, same full tang. What changed: harder steel and a synthetic handle with some color to it. This is the one you want if you liked the Saddle Mountain Skinner but wished it ran a better steel.

The steel is CPM S90V at 59-61 HRC. S90V is Crucible's high-vanadium stainless, and the reason people pay up for it is simple: it holds an edge forever. Plenty of hunters take one out in the fall and put it away at the end of the season without ever touching a stone. The catch is that when you finally do sharpen it, it takes a while. Most people who pick this one over the S30V version have already decided that is a trade they want to make.

The handle is Richlite layered with orange G-10 liners. The Richlite gives you a natural feel that will not crack or swell when it gets wet. The orange G-10 is there so you can find the Saddle Mountain Skinner knife again after you set it down in the leaves. Thickness is .66 inches, overall length 8.7 inches, weight 4.3 oz. It comes in a Boltaron sheath you can wear on either hip, with lanyard holes if you want to rig it to a pack.

We are an authorized Benchmade dealer. Made in Oregon, covered by LifeSharp for life. If you are reading a Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner review and trying to decide between this and the S30V wood version or the Hidden Canyon Hunter, give us a call. We answer the phone. Free shipping, same business day from Little Rock.