Benchmade AFCK Axis a possibility?

Flood

Flood

Joined
Jul 31, 2000
Messages
274
Does ANYBODY know if BM is considering doing an AFCK with an Axis lock? I swear it is the only Benchmade I find aesthetically pleasing, and I would get it in a heartbeat if it possessed an Acis lock. I bet the liner-lock is good, but I figure I own enough liner-lock knives and I'd like to possess a BM which both has an Axis lock and is aesthetically pleasing. Oh yeah, and it HAS to be an AFCK!
Anybody has any info as to the possibility of this project happening, or whether it's a definite plan for the future?

Thanks,

-Flood

 
This has been brought up several times, both on this forum and Benchmades forum (www.benchmade.com). An axis lock AFCK would be awesome and sure to be a big seller. I am afraid the general consensus is that it will not be produced. It was hypothesized on the Benchmade forum that it cant be done due to Spyderco's licensing agreement on the hole. Spyderco gave Benchmade permission to use the hole on the AFCK. Spyderco has since stopped giving companies permission to use the hole on new knives. Some people think that putting an axis lock on the AFCK makes it a new knife design. I personally think it is more like an upgrade than a new design. I am not sure if that is the reason or not. I would say that if they were going to make one they would have by now.

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Dennis Bible
 
*SIGH* Life is so unfair sometimes. It's too bad we're going to be deprived of such a potentially awesome knife just because of a legal technicality. I imagine BM has already contacted Spyderco about this and got the negative.

Personally, and with a limited knowledge of the knife market, I don't see the problem in licensing the hole in the AFCK. Spyderco rarely makes true 100% tactical knives, so direct competition or loss of sales is IMHO out of the question. I really don't see the Starmate and Military design as anything resembling the AFCK. However, Spyderco IS coming up with a new line of "Martial Arts" knives (MBC line?), some of them sporting their new compression lock.

I think it's "unfair", at least to knife-nuts, to be deprived of this knife. I always wanted to get a Benchmade with an axis lock, but I dislike all of their axis-lock designs. I believe the AFCK deserves to be upgraded to an axis lock, don't you? Besides, I'm sure Spyderco could get a pretty penny out of this deal
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-Flood
 
This sure has been going on a long time...I remember asking this about 1.5 years ago! I am still interested, but it seems as far away as it ever did.

Is the licensing of the hole the only thing stopping this? I thought that I saw Sal mention that the patent on the hole was to expire this year! Am I right? There may be other, far more sinister forces keeping this from happening!
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Jeff Jenness
 
Seems I was right and I was wrong. I did a little searching and found this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/000181.html

It seems that the hole-in-the-blade patent expired in September 1999 (time sure flies) and a trademark was created for the round hole in the blade. So this may make it even more difficult for Benchmade since Spyderco must protect it as a trademark.

Jeff Jenness
 
I recently acquired an AFCK and am very impressed with the package as is. I don't think you really need the axis lock and I don't think you should put an axis lock on every knife cause then it's not special
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You say you don't like the current axis lock models, but have you really checked out the BM730? I can't think of anything nicer, but I guess that's why we're all different
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Speaking with Les De Asis at this year IWA gun show in Nuremberg (Germany) I have asked him the question are they going to make AFCK (one of my the most favorite designs) with Axis Lock? He said, no, they aren't going to do it. I didn't ask why because it is not important this moment, important is only they are not going.
May be this is the question of legal limitations or maybe of technical ones. This last is even greatly probable.
<a href="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=222944&a=4652677&p=29413630&Sequence=0&res=high" target="_blank"><IMG align=right SRC="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=222944&a=4652677&p=29413632&Sequence=0&res=high" border="2"></a>Please look on your Model 800 AFCK carefully, especially putting it side by side with Model 710 Axis Lock. Nicely designed clip holds AFCK deeply in your pocket in tip-down position, but it stays directly at the same place where Axis Lock button should stay.
I'm sure to accommodate the Axis Lock the AFCK should be reengineered far more thoroughly than it seems only looking onto these knives.

On the other hand, each knife is nice in it's own incarnation, it would be very sad if some manufacturer would make An Ideal Knife because we all would want the same knife and no one knife more
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Come on friends, I also would like to be rich but healthy much more than poor but sick
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