Benchmade 484, Love it!

draperfish · Jan 17, 2015

I'll have to admit I'm a long time Benchmade guy, but in the last few years I've gotten away from them and even sold most of the ones I had. Recently the 484 caught me eye and on a whim I ordered one, so glad I did! The size is perfect and I love the ergonomics, the finger grooves fit my hand and the scalloped G10 just feels right. The fit and finish is very nice and the lock up is tight, although there is a slightly noticeable up and down movement in the open position, I handled one at a local shop and it had the same thing which is odd because none of my other axis locks (and there's been quite a few) had this. I haven't figured it out yet but I think it might have something to do with the hook on the top of the blade that goes over the blade stop. This is my first M390 blade and I have to say I'm really impressed, it's easy to sharpen on waterstones and takes a nice edge and seems to hold it for a while. Needless to say with my OCD knife obsession I when ahead and ordered another one as a back up (I don't know why I do that cause I've never worn out or broken a knife).

Here's a pic for size comparison to a 531 and 555HG.

The Dude1 · Jan 18, 2015

Could you post a pic from above to show the comparison on the thickness of the handles? I loverlooking the looks, but at the time I was looking I needed a larger blade. Now I've got 3 nice larger knives, I need a few 3" or so blades to carry as backups.. I'm considering this and the 485 thus far. A Grip would require custom scales which I'm not against though

Cypress · Jan 18, 2015

The Dude1 said:
Could you post a pic from above to show the comparison on the thickness of the handles? I loverlooking the looks, but at the time I was looking I needed a larger blade. Now I've got 3 nice larger knives, I need a few 3" or so blades to carry as backups.. I'm considering this and the 485 thus far. A Grip would require custom scales which I'm not against though

See THIS post.

TheGearGuy · Jan 18, 2015

Great knife. I've been wanting a 484 for a while but others knives have taken priority lately. With the new 484-1 that Benchmade is about to introduce it's time for me to add one to the collection.

The Dude1 · Jan 18, 2015

Cypress said:
See THIS post.

Much appreciated! It is pretty thick, I'll need to try it in hand. If I like it, I think I'll go for the 484-1 as that looks gorgeous to me. Both the 484-1 and 485 are pretty high on my list at this point. The most exotic blade steel in my collection currently is M4, so I'd love some M390 or S90v

draperfish · Jan 18, 2015

I read that other post, I know a lot of people don't like the thickness but I like it, I think the scallops give it a nice feel and the weight makes it feel a lot more substantial than a mini grip. To me it feels like a hard use little knife. I would recommend holding one if you get the chance. It really didn't appeal to me until I actually held it.

99cuts · Jan 19, 2015

draperfish said:
I read that other post, I know a lot of people don't like the thickness but I like it, I think the scallops give it a nice feel and the weight makes it feel a lot more substantial than a mini grip. To me it feels like a hard use little knife. I would recommend holding one if you get the chance. It really didn't appeal to me until I actually held it.

That's what happened to me. Once I held it I couldn't let it go. Mine has the slightest up&down blade play if I wiggle the blade hard, nothing to worry about but that doesn't happen with my mini grips. I already have the 484-1 on my list to buy this year.

draperfish · Jan 19, 2015

99cuts said:
That's what happened to me. Once I held it I couldn't let it go. Mine has the slightest up&down blade play if I wiggle the blade hard, nothing to worry about but that doesn't happen with my mini grips. I already have the 484-1 on my list to buy this year.

That 484-1 looks pretty sweet.

Kyle K · Jan 19, 2015

My 484 has a small amount of vertical play also. I tried to adjust it out several times, but just when I thought I had it, it would come back. I'm not a knife designer or engineer, but I noticed some things about the geometry of the axis lock on this particular model. First, the blade ramp that the axis lock bar slides up has a very shallow angle and engagement of the lock bar is much farther up the ramp than other axis lock models I have. Could this be the cause? I also wonder if the omega springs have enough force so near to the end of their travel for reliable lock-up. If I use manual force to push the axis lock forward it locks up just fine. I have more than a dozen other axis lock knives and this is the first one that has any vertical play.

99cuts · Jan 21, 2015

Kyle K said:
My 484 has a small amount of vertical play also. I tried to adjust it out several times, but just when I thought I had it, it would come back. I'm not a knife designer or engineer, but I noticed some things about the geometry of the axis lock on this particular model. First, the blade ramp that the axis lock bar slides up has a very shallow angle and engagement of the lock bar is much farther up the ramp than other axis lock models I have. Could this be the cause? I also wonder if the omega springs have enough force so near to the end of their travel for reliable lock-up. If I use manual force to push the axis lock forward it locks up just fine. I have more than a dozen other axis lock knives and this is the first one that has any vertical play.

^^ This is very likely. I just looked at how much the ramp appears thru the axis lock cutout. It's a noticeable difference between the 484 and the two mini grips I have. Can anyone else who has both models confirm this?

Kyle K · Jan 21, 2015

I looked at one at a local shop yesterday and it had no play at all, so this is not a problem that affects all 484's. I really do like this knife. Can't understand why they didn't skeletonize the liners, though.

draperfish · Jan 21, 2015

Hard to see with my crappy cell phone pics, but the axis bar definitely sits up further on the blade ramp on the 484 than the mini grip. I also noticed on the 484 the axis bar is all the way forward in the liner slots, on the mini grip there's still a little room left, so maybe axis bar on the 484 doesn't go far enough forward to fully engage the blade ramp like the mini does.
Mini grip

484

Cosmic Superchunk · Feb 18, 2015

Just picked one up today. Great looking little folder. It's not without it's flaws, though. Mine isn't centred when closed, which unfortunately seems to be common with Benchmades these days, but at least it doesn't rub the liner like my 710 did. The pivot pin also easily works it's way loose with repeated openings, so it needs a bit of Loctite. Love the way the handle feels, and the blade is scary sharp. I'm going to enjoy EDC'ing this little knife.

99cuts · Feb 18, 2015

Vertical blade play is my only nit abt the 484. Mine is perfectly centered, action is very smooth out of box. I polished the washers recently and made it even better.

So, can anyone check the blade lockup on their 484-1? Much appreciated.

Cosmic Superchunk · Feb 19, 2015

99cuts said:
Vertical blade play is my only nit abt the 484. Mine is perfectly centered, action is very smooth out of box. I polished the washers recently and made it even better.

So, can anyone check the blade lockup on their 484-1? Much appreciated.

On my 484 there was a bit of up/down and side to side play because the pivot would work it's way loose after opening and closing a few times. I was able to fix it with a bit of blue Loctite, and now the action is smooth and the lockup is solid. The blade still isn't centred when closed, which I'll try to remedy later on. I was able to centre the blade on my Contego, but not my 710.
Hopefully I'll be able to centre my 484.

As for your 484-1, have you tried tightening the stop pin a bit? How loose is your pivot? Sometimes a bit of a tweak on the screws will fix any minor play.

99cuts · Feb 25, 2015

Cosmic Superchunk said:
On my 484 there was a bit of up/down and side to side play because the pivot would work it's way loose after opening and closing a few times. I was able to fix it with a bit of blue Loctite, and now the action is smooth and the lockup is solid. The blade still isn't centred when closed, which I'll try to remedy later on. I was able to centre the blade on my Contego, but not my 710.
Hopefully I'll be able to centre my 484.

As for your 484-1, have you tried tightening the stop pin a bit? How loose is your pivot? Sometimes a bit of a tweak on the screws will fix any minor play.

I don't have a 484-1. Sorry for the confusion. It's on my to-buy list, but before I do, I was hoping BKC has fixed the up&down blade play.

Today I carried my 556-1303, the axis lock is rock solid without play in any direction. As mentioned in other threads, the axis lock bar does not slide as close to the blade as that on the 484.

I hope someone from BKC can comment on the difference between two axis lock mechanisms: 484 and 556.