Benchmade recently celebrated their 20th anniversary of making high-end, high-quality knives. Read on to learn more about this unique knife maker.
Benchmade was started by Les de Asis in 1988. They were known as the Pacific Cutlery Corporation and were located in California. Shortly after, they moved to Clackamas, Oregon and have been there ever since.
Benchmade’s initial focus was on butterfly knives, or Bali-Songs, though with growth and success came diversification into a broader product line. In 1996, Benchmade took possession of a 35,000 square foot manufacturing facility, which allowed them to manufacture knives to meet their own exacting standards. The result can be seen in their commitment to making premium tools with premium materials.
Benchmade is known for a few unique qualities – their use of high-end materials, their focus on selling restricted knives to qualified personnel, and their work with well-respected outside designers.
Unlike many manufacturers, Benchmade chooses to emphasize high-end, more expensive steel in their knives. They often will use a premium steel such as S30V, D2 or M2 tool steel. You won’t find tool steel being used by many other production companies today, that’s for sure.
Benchmade is also known for producing a large number of products exclusively for military and law enforcement officials. These include weapons such as switchblade knives and balisongs, which are illegal for most civilians to buy and own in most states.
This is not to say that Benchmade doesn’t make knives for us regular folks, though. In fact, Benchmade is also known for producing very popular collaborations with top designers. Their Griptilian line is the work of Mel Pardue, the Osborne Folding line from the imagination of Warren Osborne and the 970 a licensed design from Ernest Emerson.
In May 2010, Blade Magazine listed Benchmade's 585 Mini-Barrage among the most popular knife choices for women. This Warren Osborne design is for women or men who want the functionality of the full-sized Barrage in a small package.
You don't lose much when you choose the Mini-Barrage. This knife's blade features ...
For those privileged to carry a tactical automatic knife, the Benchmade Infidel 3310 offers the same intimidating features as the earlier Infidel 3300, but with a single edged blade that's easier to use in ordinary work.
Owners will still be most impressed by the tactical advantages of this Out-The-Front automatic knife. ...
The Benchmade Barrage adds powerful spring-assisted opening to the already solid construction of Benchmade's Axis-lock knives. The Valox grip also has some excellent features, but doesn't beat Zytel in wet weather.
Benchmade recommends the Barrage for boaters, rescue workers, and anyone else who needs a dependable multi-purpose blade which opens one-handed in ...
Heckler and Koch, manufacturers of top quality sidearms for military and police forces, put their brand on this collaboration from knife maker and designer Mike Snody and the Benchmade Knife Company of Clackamas, Oregon. Beginning with Bali-song knives in 1990, Benchmade expanded into the tactical knife realm with a high tech ...
The Pardu Presidio by Benchmade is very hard to come by. It's a collector's edition limited to only one hundred pieces. So if you're a Benchmade fan, you'll definitely want to take a good, long look at this automatic knife.
The blade measures 3.42 inches, and is made from 154CM stainless steel, ...
It can get pretty confusing and daunting to try and decide which of Benchmade's Mini Griptilian models would be best for you. There are so many options to choose from. You'll see plain edge, combo edge, tanto, drop point, green, black, stainless, etc., enough to give you a headache if you're not ...
With all the quality knives that Benchmade is known for making, this one fits in just fine. Perhaps it's a bit boring, but the blade sure is not dull.
Benchmade, of course, has been pumping out high-quality manufactured knives for quite some time. They're one of the biggest names in the business and are ...
The Nimravus is another lightweight tanto-style knife manufactured by Benchmade. It's very popular and is also more expensive than some of their other knives. Let's take a look at why and whether it's worth it.
There are many variations on the Nimravus features. We'll link to a set of Nimravus knives below, so you ...
As far as heavy-duty knives go, Benchmade is one of the premier names in the market, and their Griptilian model is one of the most sought-after.
Let's get the basic specs out of the way first: The overall knife is a comfortable 8.03 inches long, with a 3.45 satin-finish blade. It measures 4.62 inches ...
It might not be the most technologically advanced knife on the market, but Benchmade's Lightweight Axis is a good model to keep in mind if you like your knives slim and light as a feather.
The blade features two plain edges that meet to a spear point, ideal for whenever you need quick ...
This Benchmade knife is designed by none other than Australia's Warren Osborne, who works alongside Mel Pardue in Benchmade's creativity department. He's world-renowned for making custom "gentleman's" knives that are among the best you'll ever find.
The Osborne knife has a reverse tanto blade, which might be a different feel vs. traditional knives, but its ...
How is it that the best knife makers can make knives that have such simple lines, look somewhat nondescript, have a short feature list and yet perform so exceptionally well?
My guess is that they've decided that quality materials and efficient design produces great knives, and that adding a bunch of fancy features ...
Benchmade is well known for making high-quality knives that get the job done without being overly fancy.
This knife is a good example. It's fairly plain to look at, but look beyond the superficial and see a pretty cool knife.
The blade is made of S30V, a fairly uncommon steel yet a good one. ...
This sleek folding version of Benchmade's popular Presidio knife is smaller than the fixed-blade model but gets the job done.
It features a 3 inch blade made of 154CM steel. 154CM is a bit of a wildcard these days. It used to be considered a premium steel. Others have now caught up ...
Any knife that is made by Benchmade will be of high quality. They've been a leader in the knife industry for years now.
For this particular model, Mel Pardue and Warren Osborne, two well-known custom knife makers, have come together to design and produce a great piece.
The adjustable lock mechanism allows you to adjust ...
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