Review: HK-Ally-Knife by Benchmade

The HK Ally is one of the newest knifes of the Heckler&Koch series made by Benchmade made. The Design of the Ally HK/Benchmade has primarily the policeman in mind. It should be a small, light, low-priced knife that one can carry also covered. Not too complex produces, but nevertheless functionally for the everyday tasks of the law enforcement officer. Or even as Backup. And if it get lost, you don’t have to think of Suicide, as if it would have been a Strider or  Cris Reeves.

Unfolded the Ally is 6,8” (17,5cm) long, folded 4,1” (10,3cm), and the partial serrated edge measures 2,4” (6cm). The locking mechanism is a liner lock and the blade is opened over a thumbhole, 14mm diameter. My 91' Endura has a 10mm thumbhole.

The blade is manufactured from AUS8 steel and the grip is of some sheet metal. The knife made a good and normal impression. Not too high-quality or too cheaply. There are no sharp edges on the grip. But the painted metal is somewhat slippery.

At the end of the HK Ally you will find a small glass crusher, a sling-loop suitable even for small carbine-hooks and a large belt-clip. The belt-clip, also shaped out of sheet metal, is fastened with Torx screws. It is not too tight and offers very much place, so that it can be fastened even to thicker clothes or to bodyarmor.

If you grap the Ally once, it lies firmly in your hand. Regardless of the slippery surface.  But just cause of the finger grove and grip-serrations located on the blade, liner lock and the lower and upper surface of the handle.

Unfortunately the liner did not withstand the table-edge-test. I did also not expect that, looking at the light mechanism. And that is already the weak point. The liner look. It is not only somewhat weakly, but by its design it disturbs the opening of the blade also.

On the inside of the liner is a small metal pin (in the marked square). The pin will “look” into a hole on the blade if the knife is closed. Actually this pin keeps the blade well closed and the action fells smooth and not too difficult to handle.

It becomes problematic only when you speed it up. When I take the knife into the hand to open it, it happens to me constantly that I press the liner, with the middle finger and ring finger. Doing so, I press the metal-pin of the liner into the hole on the blade. This causes the knife to open very heavily or not at all.

The funny thing is that this will not happen when wearing my work-gloves. I assume that to the fact that when I seize the Ally with the extra material on my fingers, so I just can hold the knife in a kind of rough way. This may cause that the liner does not come into my way.

Last but not least. Out of the box the HK Ally comes sharp as hell! There no need to hide behind my Cold Steel Recon-1 when speaking of out-of-the-box-sharpness. Shaving? No problem! How long it holds? We will see! All in all, the Ally is quite a nice knife. For sure not a hard-core-worker, but fine as a small EDC for the simple things you come a cross. And a HK-Knife for $40, - can’t hurt that much. If Benchmade would work on the liner-look and make it a little stronger and would get rid of the opening problem (ball/hole), without raising the price, then the HK-Ally could be one of the best light EDC for the LEO.

I hope you like my Review on the HK Ally.