The custom Neil Blackwood Skirmish is a folder with a 5.5 inch blade. That’s insane. The Benchmade production version is slightly less insane with a 4.25 inch blade.

The Benchmade Skirmish is the Beauty and the Beast in one knife. The recurve blade and colorful anodized spots are very beautiful, but the the sheer size is just scary.

The Skirmish has titanium handles and an S30V blade. This combination is very cutting edge. Combine the high-end materials with the very sexy and mean design and you have a sure winner.

The action on the Skirmish is not as smooth as can be, but it is good enough. The lock is very tight and almost hard to unlock with one hand. The knife feels very secure with a rock-solid lock-up and no blade play.

For medium to large hands the Skirmish feels very comfortable. Even for my small hands the knife feels good when open, but can be somewhat clunky and awkward to open.

The titanium handles look great, but they show dirt and moisture easily. Working as a machine operator I had to clean my Skirmish every night I used it at work as it showed any little bit of dirt or water on the porous titanium handle.

There are a few versions of the Skirmish available, including a black-blade and black-handle version with blue dots. This version looks the meanest, but lacks the beauty of then standard version. However, I suspect it does not show dirt and wear as easily as the standard 635 model does.

If you want a big, big folder with high-end materials (S30V, titanium), a solid lock, a sexy design, and an overall tank-like construction, the Skirmish should be on your list of options. Also consider a Manix, or if you can spend a bit more, a Sebenza or a Strider (SNG or SMF).