Latest acquisition: Benchmade 480 Shoki

H

_habit_

Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
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Just got my 480 earlier this morning, and I have spent all day literally just flipping it open and closed! The lock is really great, and the opening of the knife itself is impressive. I can literally flick my wrist and open it, but the knife still wont accidentally open. It's also very smooth, and pretty well centered. This isn't so much of a review, so I wont get to much into it, but I do love this knife, the new lock, and basically everything about it :D :D

**Bear in mind that I suck with a camera. I prove that the camera does not make the photographer**

First off, a comparison pic:
(Spyderco Spin, Kershaw Leek, Spyderco Persian, the BM 480, and its sheath)
Bladesout.jpg


Next we see the upskirt shot :P

Backshot.jpg


Blue anodized titanium, a custom-esque back spacer, and also visible, the locking mechanism.

My average sized hands:

Ready.jpg


And last but not least, the epic shot:

Blade.jpg


That magnificent blade came well sharpened from the factory, and shouldn't need a touch up for a long time, being S30V. It takes care of cardboard as well as anything, if you're wondering. Gentleman's knife is kind of a weak implying title, but the lock holds up really well under pressure (I'm not going to be doing and spine whacks though, because according to STR they can create hairline cracks here and there).

That's all folks... except, you can see how the knife+sheath rides in the pocket (if actually in pocket, the end of the clip is not pointed up, so it wont be poking anything on your lap)

Riding.jpg


Yes, I'm flashing :P I told you I suck with cameras.

Any questions, let me know!


P.S.: I ordered from Knifeworks for the first time, and they had the knife out really fast, in fact I think it was shipped the same day they got it in! They also sent me a free pair of promising looking scissors. Really unexpected to be honest :P
 
I have the BM catalog, but the for some reason the image of the lock internals doesn't make much sense to me. Can you explain it better for me? Nice little knife, BTW.


-Kyle
 
Taken from the Benchmade forum:


96441482.pvY41Fno.jpg


You can see in that picture, how the lock is engaged, just like any other liner lock. Except, that it is hooked, as is the tang of the blade and they catch each other, and it does not allow the blade to go forward (close), and also helps prevent play when opened.

If that doesn't explain I can take some pictures of my own, and show you the hooked tang and all that :)
 
imagine that the lockbar from a lockback would snap over sideways into the lock cavity, as opposed to dropping in from the top. the backside of the cavity is angled like the lock surface on the tang of a liner/frame lock, and also like the compression lock. If you are familiar with the compression lock, think of this as working similarly - the lockbar of the compression gets compressed between the blade tang and the pin. On the nak-lock, the force is tensile, the blade is stopped by a stop pin, while the engagement of the bar and tang pulls back against it.
 
Well, hardheart explained it in a much more descriptive and efficient way than I did, :o and he's exactly right.


What do you think of the knife hardheart? ;P
 
:P It's a really nice knife if you like the specs. Obviously if you don't like the specs of any knife though, stay away!

Oh, and I think you helped me along in finding my diamond stones... today I finally figured it out, ya know? It just totally clicked and I sharpened a knife to shaving sharp from really ... unsharp :P and I took another knife from sharp to uber sharp. Also, I sharpened a kitchen knife, and will likely have to sharpen several more >_<
 
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For a smaller knife, it's got a lot of fine features: the main good bits are the S30V blade and the simple but elegant locking system. Open the blade with the stud. Close the blade by pressing the button on the left side. On the ones I've handled the fit and finish is excellent.

On one hand, I'd want a clip on it, rather than on the leather sheath, but it's not meant for heavy-duty pocket carry, mini Grips are good for that!

On the scales, if there was a way to replace them, I'd think black or gray carbon fiber or micarta would be the ticket!

All in all a very nice little knife!
 
The knife does have a screw that appears to keep the scales on the knife, however I couldn't tell you for sure until I checked... I'll give the screw a twist later and let you know what happens!
 
jkarp_53 said:
On the scales, if there was a way to replace them, I'd think black or gray carbon fiber or micarta would be the ticket!
Click to expand...

says the guy with the carbon fiber AFCK in his avatar :p

I do agree, however, the wood looks nice but I can see CF being much more attractive.
 
Sounds pretty nifty, thanks for the explanations guys. I tend to agree-CF would look nicer, but all in all, it is a very attractive design.
 
Alright, just checked and the scales do not come off in a manner as simple as removing a screw :( Likely epoxye'd on, and I have no idea how easy it is to un-epoxy something :O

yinyang said:
Sounds pretty nifty, thanks for the explanations guys. I tend to agree-CF would look nicer, but all in all, it is a very attractive design.
Click to expand...

I think that CF would look great too, though I'm actually more partial to the wood. I think though, that CF would be lost in the G10, whereas the wood stands out and makes it look classy. I wouldn't argue against CF instead of the G10, although the G10 actually looks somewhat shiny, and is incredible smooth. The anodized blue titanium liners look awesome, though, and if anyone tries to argue that, I'll cut ya! :P
 
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