I’ve always loved it when knife manufacturers make either smaller or larger versions of their popular knife designs…
Sometimes it’s just fun to get a great knife in another size, but other times, the mini version (or larger version) will surprise you and end up being more useful than the original version…
Today we’re going to examine if that’s the case with a couple of awesome knives from Benchmade…
| Image | Products |
 | Benchmade Crooked River (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Benchmade Mini Crooked River (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
And in this Benchmade Crooked River Vs Mini Crooked River comparison, we’re going to break down the major similarities and differences between these two knives in the following categories…
- Blade Steel And Materials
- Blade Shape And Handle Design
- Locking Mechanism
- Pocket Clip And Carry Position
- Size And Dimensions
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll reveal to you which of these two knives I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which knife will work best for you…
Let’s start by going over the similarities…
Benchmade Crooked River Vs Mini Crooked River – How Are They Similar?
Blade Steel And Materials…
The full-size Benchmade Crooked River was built from the start with the intention of being a hunting knife, and because it needs to be dependable for the heavy use hunters will put it through, its built using very high-quality materials…
Even though the Mini Crooked River isn’t really designed for that same purpose, it still maintains the high-quality materials that are put into the full-size Crooked River…
For example, both the Crooked River and the Mini Crooked River are built using CPM S30V blade steel…
CPM S30V is considered a premium knife steel, and I’m a big fan of it because it resists corrosion very well and it’s able to hold an edge for a pretty long time as well…
In addition to that, it’s not as difficult to sharpen as some other blade steels out there and I think it was a great choice by Benchmade to go with S30V (on the most common versions of both of these knives)…
Now the handle on both the Crooked River in the Mini Crooked River is made from wood. It’s actually a composite wood material that’s been backfilled with resin…
That makes it a very durable handle material and it means that it’ll be able to stand up to harsh weather conditions such as rain or snow…
It’s not the lightest material as far as knife handles go, but it is strong and I think it’s a good choice because it continues the traditional theme that the Crooked River is designed around.
Blade Shape And Handle Design…
Like I mentioned before both the Crooked River and the Mini Crooked River have a very traditional look to them…
Both knives feature a clip point blade which has always been one of my favorites blade shapes. I love the way the clip point blade looks because it reminds me of an old Bowie knife and it performs very well at cutting and piercing as well…
In addition to that, both blades have a flat grind which makes them very clean cutters and it also keeps the blades fairly strong as well…
Also both the Crooked River and the Mini Crooked River have a plain edge which is what I always prefer on my knives because it just makes it easier to sharpen them…
Both blades also have a satin finish, and there’s no jimping on either version of the Crooked River as well. You’ll also find a thumb stud on both knives which allows you to deploy their blades smoothly and easily…
Now like I said earlier, the handle material is a composite wood. I think it kind of completes the traditional look of these knives, and it really pairs nicely (in terms of looks) with their clip point blades…
In addition to that it’s very comfortable in your hand, and you ‘re able to get a pretty decent purchase when you’re using the knives.
All in all, I love the classic look that both the Crooked River and the Mini Crooked River have and I think overall it’s a pretty classy knife design.
Locking Mechanism…
Both of these knives feature the AXIS Lock locking mechanism. This is a locking system that incorporates a spring tensioned bar, a track in the handle and liner, and the tang of the blade…
It’s a pretty strong locking mechanism, and it allows you to deploy the blade in a number of different ways…
In addition to that, it allows the knife to open up very smoothly, and like I said, it’s a pretty high-quality locking mechanism…
Benchmade actually acquired the patent for the AXIS Lock all the way back in 1988. So it’s a mechanism that they’ve been using for a very long time and it really has stood the test of time…
All in all, I’m a big fan of the AXIS Lock, and I’m glad that Benchmade chose to incorporate it in both of these knife designs.
Pocket Clip And Carry Position…
Both the Crooked River and the Mini Crooked River feature a clip that sets you up for tip up carry. I actually prefer tip down carry when I can get it…
…but I’m OK with tip up carry if I like the overall design of the knife (and I like both versions of the Crooked River). In addition to setting you up for tip up carry, the clip on both of these knives can be swapped to either side of the knife…
I like that Benchmade gives you a little bit of flexibility here because it means you can set your knife up for left-handed or right handed carry very easily…
Now both knives do stick up a little bit out of your pocket when you’re carrying them around, but that being said, they’re still pretty discrete and actually pretty comfortable as well…
I will say that the Mini Crooked River is a bit more comfortable than the full-size version just because it is a smaller knife…
But both knives do carry in your pocket pretty nicely and you can access them both pretty quickly as well.
Life Sharp Service…
The last major similarity between these two knives is that they both come with Benchmade’s Life Sharp service…
This is a service that allows you to send your knife back into Benchmade if it needs to be repaired, lubricated, or sharpened…
It’s a free service, and you can send your back knife in as many times as you need to…
I really like that Benchmade offers this service because it’s a great way for them to go above and beyond for their customers, and it shows that they stand behind the quality and lifespan of their products as well…
It’s also pretty valuable if you’re not great at sharpening knives because you can send your knife back in and have it returned with a razor sharp factory edge.
Benchmade Crooked River Vs Mini Crooked River – How Are They Different?
Size And Dimensions…
Benchmade Crooked River
The full size Crooked River is actually a pretty large knife. Remember, it’s intended as a hunting knife, so it needs to be pretty stout to be able to process large game…
That being said, the blade length on this knife measures in at 4 inches long, and the handle measures in at 5.3 inches long…
That brings the overall length on the Crooked River to 9.30 inches long when the blade is fully deployed. In addition to that, it weighs in at 5.41 ounces…
To be honest, that’s pretty chunky compared to some other knives on the market, but again, the appeal (and I would say the beauty) of this knife is the traditional look and materials used.
Benchmade Mini Crooked River
Unlike other “mini” versions of Benchmade knives (like the Mini Griptilian or the Mini Barrage) which are pretty small, the Mini Crooked River is actually a medium-sized knife…
The blade length on the Mini Crooked River measures in at 3.4 inches long, and the handle measures in at 4.49 inches long…
That brings the overall length on the Mini Crooked River to 7.89 inches long when the blade is fully deployed, and that makes it around 1.41 inches shorter than the full size Crooked River…
In addition to that, the Mini Crooked River weighs in at 3.29 ounces. That’s not super lightweight, but to me it’s a little more reasonable (for everyday carry) than the weight on the full size version of this knife…
All in all, I personally like the size and weight of the Mini Crooked River better than the full size Crooked River…
It’s just more compact (but not too small) and lightweight, and that makes it more comfortable to carry around in your pocket all day long.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because the prices on these knives change frequently due to fluctuations in the market…
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Crooked River is around 15 to 20 bucks more expensive than the Mini…
That’s not a huge difference, but if you’re on a budget and really trying to keep the price down, then the Mini Crooked River is usually going to be the less expensive option.
Benchmade Crooked River Vs Mini Crooked River – Final Thoughts…
So to summarize everything, the Crooked River and the Mini Crooked River have many similarities and a few important differences…
First of all, they use the same CPM S30V blade steel, which is a premium steel and I think is a great choice, and they both have handles made from a very durable wood composite…
In addition to that, they both feature the same clip point blade shape, which looks great and performs very well at piercing and cutting…
They also both utilize the AXIS Lock locking mechanism which is a great system because it locks out the blade securely and allows it to deploy easily and smoothly…
Next, they both have a clip that sets you up for tip up carry and that can be swapped to either side of the knife (setting you up for right handed or left handed carry)…
And last, they both come with Benchmade’s Life Sharp service, so you can send your knife in for repair, lubrication, or sharpening, and it’ll all be done for free…
Now there were a couple of major differences between these two knives that we went over…
First of all, they are obviously different sizes, and the Mini Crooked River ends up being around 1.41 inches shorter than the full size Crooked River when both of their blades are fully deployed…
In addition to that, the Mini Crooked River is a couple of ounces lighter than it’s big brother when it comes to weight and that makes it very comfortable to carry around all day…
And last, the Mini Crooked River is usually around 15 to 20 dollars less expensive than the full size version of the Crooked River…
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Mini Crooked River…
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I prefer the Mini Crooked River for a couple of reasons. First of all, my primary use for these knives is as an EDC blade, and the size and weight of the Mini Crooked River is perfect for everyday carry…
It doesn’t take up too much space in your pocket, and it doesn’t weigh you down like the full size Crooked River, so that makes it much more comfortable to carry around all day…
In addition to that, the Mini Crooked River is a little bit less expensive than the full size Crooked River, so it will save you a few bucks.
Now if you prefer a larger knife for EDC or any other purpose, then feel free to go with the full size Crooked River because it’s still an awesome knife…
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Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two great knives from Benchmade!