THE BENCHMADE EDGE
MINDSET:
For over thirty years, Benchmade has been designing and manufacturing world-class products for world-class customers.
When Benchmade was founded, the mission was to create something better; something exceptional. Today, we continue to innovate with the goal of taking performance and reliability to the next level. To exceed what is expected.
Whether you are using a Griptilian® for every day duties or taking the fight to the enemy with the Infidel®, our knives are built to perform. When you choose to purchase a Benchmade, you do so because you want the best. You demand it. And programs like our LifeSharp Lifetime Service and Warranty are the foundation of our commitment to excellence.
We live it and breathe it, and we know what you mean when you say:
It’s not a knife. It’s my Benchmade.
MATERIALS:
Benchmade builds knives for the most demanding customers, from special operations forces to elite backcountry hunters, and building for the best requires the best raw materials. We select premium blade steels and pair them with aerospace-grade handle materials to create premium-grade knives and tools that provide great value for our customers.
An extremely durable makeup of layers of fiberglass soaked in resin, then highly compressed and baked. Impervious to moisture or liquid and physically stable under climate change. Most commonly black, but is also available in various colors.
A contemporary premium composite of thin strands of carbon tightly woven into various weave patterns, then impregnated with resin which is most commonly clear but can be color-tinted. It offers great looks and is exceptionally strong for its minimal weight.
A birch powder composite material backfilled with resin, Dymondwood® is much more resistant to environmental hardships than natural wood.
A nonferrous metal originally developed as a premium aircraft-grade aluminum, it offers a solid handle form and function at a nominal weight. Most typically color anodized.
An amorphous nylon copolymer with exceptional dimensional stability. 50% or greater glass fill.
A thermoplastic elastomer that is molded to specification. It offers excellent flexibility with high tear strength and fatigue resistance. Resistance to many harsh chemicals. These features contribute to improved performance in a range of tough jobs.
Considered an exotic metal alloy with an excellent strength-to-weight ratio that offers exceptional performance in a knife. Titanium is corrosion resistant to natural elements as well as many industrial chemicals.
American made stainless steel with well-rounded characteristics including good edge retention, overall toughness, and corrosion resistance. A solid choice for most applications.
Air-hardened tool steel developed to cut other steel. This American made steel offers fantastic toughness and edge retention for hard use applications. It is, however, a semi-stainless, so care is required.
Excellent edge retention and great corrosion resistance are uncommon in the same steel. CPM-20CV offers both. A great choice for someone looking for low maintenance cutting performance.
American made premium powdered steel designed specifically for knives. Offering excellent corrosion resistance and superior edge qualities this steel is perfect for everyday use or specialized outdoor activities.
Austrian powdered steel with a uniform micro-structure that provides superior levels of edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance, making this steel one of the most well rounded premium steels in the world.
Premium American made powdered steel with a uniform micro-structure that provides substantial improvements over other American made steel in wear and corrosion resistance; an excellent high-end steel.
Austrian steel developed for extremely harsh environments like salt water, it offers the best corrosion resistance available, plus ease of sharpening and a keen blade edge.
American powdered steel is the toughest available. Able to handle virtually any task, it excels in edge retention and wear resistance but requires cleaning to keep it corrosion free as it is not stainless
A staple American made steel in the cutlery industry. Widely used for its good balance of hardness and corrosion resistance. An excellent value priced steel for its performance.
Hand crafted specialty steel that uses layers of different metal and forging techniques to create its unique look. Used in special applications this steel, while durable for everyday use, is specifically designed for its unique visual appearance.
The best performing stainless Damascus steel in the world using the latest gas-atomized PM technology with very high cleanliness. It has incomparable toughness and strength combined with excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance. This allows for a very user friendly Damascus steel that is made to be abused.
3V, a Crucible tool steel, was engineered as a solution for the high stresses and extreme force applied by industrial stamping presses.
MECHANISMS:
The mechanics of opening and closing a knife are essential to its function. Is it easy to actuate? Can it be opened with one hand? Is it ambidextrous? Will it absolutely not fail when you need it the most? These are critical considerations when it comes to the mechanism.
A patented Benchmade exclusive, AXIS® has been turning heads and winning fans ever since its introduction. A 100 percent ambidextrous design, AXIS® gets its function from a small, hardened steel bar that rides forward and back in a slot machined into both steel liners. The bar extends to both sides of the knife, spans the liners and is positioned over the rear of the blade. It engages a ramped tang portion of the knife blade when it is opened. Two omega-style springs, one on each liner, give the locking bar its inertia to engage the knife tang. As a result, the tang is wedged solidly between a sizable stop pin and the AXIS® bar itself. Available in manual, AXIS® Assist or Auto AXIS® configurations.
Easily opened, quickly and with one hand; this evolution of the AXIS® includes a spring that helps to fire the blade into the open position once the user pushes it beyond a certain point manually. The AXIS® lock also has the added benefit of “suck-back,” which encourages the blade to stay in the closed position. AXIS® Assist knives also feature integrated safety lock systems.
The monolock mechanism is basically a locking-liner on steroids. The knife liner is one in the same as the knife handle and thus it is designed and made to function as the locking mechanism. Subsequently, a thicker material is used to provide enough surface area to be a functional handle and in turn creates a larger surface area to lock the blade with. If executed properly, the monolock design rates very highly in strength and function.
Built from the framework of the locking-liner with some innovative updates. The lock engages using tensile strength, compared to the compression hold of more traditional locking-liners. With the Nak-Lok®, the possibility of personal injury is greatly reduced with the opening finger never crossing the blade's path.
Another patented Benchmade exclusive, the Nitrous boosts the blade with ease. As the blade is closed, the two torsion arms that run the length of the handle liners are secured in place and make contact with the blade tang. As tensioned against the blade tang, the user rotates the blade open to a 30-degree angle, the torsion arms take over and continue the blade opening process on its own. The huge advantage to the Nitrous design over other similar concepts is that the blade must be rotated open to beyond a 30-degree angle which offers added user control.
As much an art form as it is the ultimate example of form following function. The Bali-Song, or butterfly knife, is of Filipino ancestry dating back to nearly AD 800. Its basic form consists of a pin-hinged, two-piece handle which when closed encases the blade for carry. Opening and closing can be accomplished with a single hand, making the tool that much more utility capable.
Auto AXIS® — Strong, reliable, fast, and AXIS® lock through and through, this locking mechanism fires the blade open 100% mechanically when the AXIS® bar is pulled downwards. Auto AXIS® also features integrated safety mechanisms and the added safety of “suck-back.”
Dual-action knives come in multiple forms, but only one group features the strength and ambidextrous versatility of the AXIS® lock. The AXIS® dual-action automatic mechanism allows the user to open the knife like a regular AXIS®, but there's a secret. Pull the AXIS® bar further down in its stroke and a spring takes over and fires the blade automatically.
Push the button and the blade fires into the open position. Our push-button mechanisms are not only fast and convenient, they are extremely strong. Most also feature integrated safety mechanisms.
While push-button automatics have traditionally been single sided, Benchmade also has ambidextrous push- button autos that feature push-buttons on both sides. This mechanism is also available in assisted-opening.
Our OTF mechanisms are mechanical masterpieces. Slide the lock button towards the top and the blade fires straight out. Pull the button back to the bottom and the blade returns to the handle.
MANUFACTURING:
The Benchmade factory employs modern laser cutters and CNC machining centers that offer control and tolerances commonly found in the aerospace industry – often to tolerances half the width of a human hair. Our commitment to modern machining techniques and rigid quality control has allowed Benchmade to bridge the gap between custom and manufactured.
Lifesharp®:
Benchmade knives are all supported through a team of skilled technicians. Their only function is to ensure your Benchmade is in optimal working condition for your entire life. This service is called LifeSharp®. A name that speaks for itself. When you send your knife to the Benchmade LifeSharp team, the knife is completely disassembled and all worn parts are tuned or replaced. The knife is then lubricated and reassembled, a sharpener applies a factory edge to the blade and the knife is shipped back to you. All at no cost to you.
