Benchmade 484 Nakamura AXIS Lock knife

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BrainOnSigs

Joined
Oct 14, 2003
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After a month or so of EDC I am very happy with my Benchmade 484 Nakamura AXIS Lock Knife. I was worried that the 3.08" blade might leave me lacking but for every task I have given it, it has shined. As a bonus it seems to scare the sheeple a little less at work versus my last EDC (a Spyderco Paramilitary II). It is built extremely well. The G10 scales and stainless steel liners are very thick. They give the knife a very solid feel without being overly bulky. The handle has four crosswise grooves across the width of the handle that give your hand plenty of traction points however you are holding the knife. The thumb-ramp jimping is perfect, and well-placed. I really like the extra tall, dual, thumb studs. They don't seem to snag on anything when carrying/using. The pivot feels like it rolls on Swiss bearings instead of bushings. The ease of opening/closing is fantastic. The pivot screws are black with a silver metal band sticking out from under them for a nice little accent. I even like the open, arrow style, polished clip (tip up of course). The M390 steel is very hard and seems to hold an edge for a long time without being too brittle. I am very happy I made this purchase.

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Great short write-up & pics. This knife seems to be gaining a lot of fans.
 
I just got one in yesterday. First impressions are that its very solid feeling and looks great. I love the look of the blade shape. I knew it would be small, but it came even smaller than I expected. It does not fit my medium sized hands unless I put my thumb far up the spine of the blade, in front of the thumb studs, which I think it's designed this way. This knife is perfect for a gentleman's folder. It actually might kick my sebenza out of my pocket when I dress nice.
 
My company has about 250 retail stores, we want to start selling them USA made knives. We are looking for a manufacturer to work with
 
Lennyo3034 said:
I just got one in yesterday. First impressions are that its very solid feeling and looks great. I love the look of the blade shape. I knew it would be small, but it came even smaller than I expected. It does not fit my medium sized hands unless I put my thumb far up the spine of the blade, in front of the thumb studs, which I think it's designed this way. This knife is perfect for a gentleman's folder. It actually might kick my sebenza out of my pocket when I dress nice.
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Do you have a comparison pic you could post?
 
I could take pictures tonight, what would you like to see?

Most of my other knives are larger so a comparison picture might not tell a whole lot. I usually carry the Sebenza for formal occasions, but sometimes feel it's a little large.
 
For what it's worth, the Nakamura is in the same size range as the Sequel 707, the Mini-Griptilian and the Small Sebenza. If you're familiar with those knives and you're comfortable with them, you'll be just fine with the Nakamura. If you need something a little larger but still lightweight, I'd suggest a 530 or 531.
 
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I wrote up a review here. It has a few pics with other knives. As for the width, it's a portly little devil. If Benchmade hadn't released the 940-1 around the same time, I'd still carry the 484 as I like M390 steel a bit more than S90V. The 484 takes up more pocket real estate than the "larger" 94x knives and is pretty heavy for its size.
 
Cypress said:
I wrote up a review here. It has a few pics with other knives. As for the width, it's a portly little devil. If Benchmade hadn't released the 940-1 around the same time, I'd still carry the 484 as I like M390 steel a bit more than S90V. The 484 takes up more pocket real estate than the "larger" 94x knives and is pretty heavy for its size.
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This is my impression as well. I don't mind the extra weight, but not a fan of the thickness or "Blade to size ratio". I still EDC my 710 and the 484 will only serve as social carry duty since it does look nice.

ETA: if you decide to part with that 710-2, let me know, that is my favorite knife made.
 
...just wanted to add my support for this knife (without making another thread). Did a lot of research, found a new one at a substantial discount, and received it 3 days ago. Others have reviewed this knife in great detail, so here's my "Cliffs Notes":
- Fit and finish: No defects, blade perfectly centered, no play (once you dial in the 'sweet spot' on the pivot), and general sharpness = 8.5/10.
- Design: Functional and elegant. Equally at home stabbing a cactus for looking at you cockeyed or slicing the end off a Cuban after you've polished your monocle at the caviar store.
- Ergonomics: 4 finger grooves with 4 cutouts on the handle, with your thumb resting on the jimped ramp or on the blade. Fits my small hands perfectly; might not work as well for those with large hands. Full steel liners+G10 = strong, but relatively heavy/thick for its size. They should have skeletonized the liners.
+M390 blade steel (bonus)

I'm very pleased with the 484. It's sturdy, capable, versatile, portable, well-designed, well-made, and sports nice material. I'm not certain it's worth $191.25, but lucky for me I paid less.
 
I've been carrying the 484 daily since I got it with exception of only a couple of days. It's opened letters, boxes, peeled and sliced fruits, etc. Nothing heavy-duty yet, but it's kicked out my BM m4 mini grip. In addition to the previous post, the notable design details for me are:

- blade shape: in front of the thumb studs is a nice flat area for thumb placement when using pressure. steep thumb ramp with jimping is a big plus.
- handle: its thickness fill my hand better than the mini grip. the "tail" is another place to lift the knife out of the pocket, tho I don't recommend this over grabbing the entire handle. has a better guard for the index finger than the mini grip, almost as secure as some of my flipper knives.

Don't know if you believe in "gentleman's tactical", but the 484 has that. I've used it dining at a restaurant and no one seems alarmed by it. I think the elegant placement of the shiny hardware makes it more "gentlemanly".

Some of my "wants" in this knife are:
- CPM-M4: that's just my personal steel choice
- thinner grind: not sure if it is possible given the blade shape + thickness, mine is pretty thick behind the edge. So it doesn't slice thru material as well as the mini grip or other FFG blades. maybe this blade shape calls for a hollow grind?
 
I wasn't a big fan of the 484 when I first saw it because it looked like a reblade of the 300 Ball flipper which is way too small for my hand. But, I saw it at Bass Pro Shops while on my vacation and tried it out and really liked it. It's small, but it's a "good small". The fit and finish are great and it has good looks. Not my usual preferred size (3.5"+) but it will be good as a smaller dress knife.
 
Cypress said:
I wrote up a review here. It has a few pics with other knives. As for the width, it's a portly little devil. If Benchmade hadn't released the 940-1 around the same time, I'd still carry the 484 as I like M390 steel a bit more than S90V. The 484 takes up more pocket real estate than the "larger" 94x knives and is pretty heavy for its size.
Click to expand...

Pretty much my sentiments. The 484 is just a tad too wide, too thick and too heavy. That's why in comparison, for me also, the the 940-1 is one of the best EDC ever.

Someone mentioned that the 484 is a gentleman's tactical and I tend to agree. It's a tough little folder with looks. The only small folder in the Benchmade lineup that's tougher is the 755.
 
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