Shoki 480-1

Wolverine666

Wolverine666

Joined
Dec 7, 2009
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I've been on the hunt for a new EDC that is smaller in size (4" closed at the biggest). I have been checking out some CF handled Spydercos that look great. And then I stumbled upon the BM Shoki 480-1 with it's CF and M390. It looks sick !!! I'm tired of carrying bigger , heavy knives (I have a lot of ZT's I carry). So a smaller , tasteful knife would scratch me right where I itch.

Does anyone own or have experience withe the Shoki 480-1 ? Just looking for some first hand info. The only thing that concerns me somewhat is that the blade is only .09" thick. That's pretty thin. But is it "too" thin ? And the knife as a whole weighs less than 2 oz. I'd like a light knife but I still want to know it's there in my pocket.

Please comment ...
 
Seems to me we've met on this topic before. Sounds like you're in the market for what would be considered a "gentleman's knife". If that's the case, the Shoki would fit your description admirably. And yes, .09" is plenty of blade thickness for performing the kinds of tasks most users assign to their gentlemen's knives. But then, you know where I stand when it comes to gentlemen's knives. You can buy the best or you can buy the rest.
 
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I'm fairly certain I will be purchasing more than one "gentleman's" knife since I like 3 right now and I'm tired of deciding. So which do u consider the best ?
 
Here is my 480-1 Shoki, bought 7/11, along with the newer and smaller 482 Megumo (.110" S30V - bought 8/12) and a special 950 Rift for size comparison.

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I removed the clip from the sheath and pocket carry the sheathed Shoki frequently, especially in 'sensitive' environments. While the knife was out on my desk, the sheath seemingly evaporated. I contacted Benchmade re a replacement - and they sent me one - gratis - nice folks! Of course, after it arrived - and had it's clip removed - I found the old sheath - in my cat Delilah's favorite hiding spot - between the the desk - along with a pen - both bearing little teeth prints. I carry the 482 Megumi in that sheath - it really should have come with one. The 482 does have a locked closed detent, making it more difficult to deploy than the Shoki, which has no such detent. Without the sheath, it could open in your pocket - the 482 Megumo won't. Still, I like to 'protect' them while in my pocket - and the sheath helps. Both came sharp and are great slicers - and can be quite dangerous to the likes of an apple, sandwich, letter, or taped package. The Shoki's .090" m390 blade stayed sharp a long time - and was re-edged - with care - with my Sharpmaker. The thicker Megumo .110" S30V is still sharp - and likely will also require care in resharpening. 'Tacticool' they aint! Great fit/finish - the CF & blue Ti liners of the Shoki set it off, while the CF/cocobolo handles & SS liners of the 482 Megumo are nice, too. Both use liner locks with a trapped push-button making them 'Nak-Loc' equipped. Both are sturdy enough for their size - and the much used 480-1 Shoki is, like the Megumo, just as tight as when it was new - yet easily deployed/stored with one hand. I hope this helps!

Stainz
 
Stainz , thanks a heap for the info. I was actually looking at the Megumi too. But that one may be a bit too small for me. but I like that it has a thicker blade.

So you say the Shoki may very well open whilst in one's pocket ?
 
As far as I can tell with my Shoki 480-1, there is no detent to prevent the blade from opening, only the friction from how tight you make the pivot. However I have carried it in my pocket with and without the sheath and never had it open by accident. I find it to be a very nice gentleman's knife for light cutting tasks. I'm actually getting it back from a friend in a few days who touched up some knives for me.
 
So "detent" is the small amount of tension that prevents a folding knife from opening on it's own ?
 
Wolverine666 said:
So "detent" is the small amount of tension that prevents a folding knife from opening on it's own ?
Click to expand...

Yes!

As I said originally, "The 482 does have a locked closed detent, making it more difficult to deploy than the Shoki, which has no such detent.". Over-tightening the pivot screw to prevent accidental blade deployment is a poor substitute for a proper tension and detent lock or a carry sheath.

Stainz
 
I don't have the Shoki, but I do have the Megumi and I love it. It does have a relatively thick blade and is thick at the edge for such a small knife, but I have still been happy with the cutting performance. It arrived with a nice sharp edge as well.

The cocobolo/CF combo looks fantastic to me. It really caught my eye when I first saw it, and the tiny cocobolo inlay on the thumbstud is a nice touch. I was in the market for a small gentleman's knife, and the Megumi was a perfect fit. It made me think of a 'standard' BM crossed with William Henry.

The Nak-lok mechanism does not seem as heavy-duty as other locks, but that no problem at all on a gentleman's knife, and it is very sufficient at keeping the blade closed as well as open, and is easy to unlock one-handed, etc. I like the button-lock-like interface that it allows.

The MIM backspacer looks great and I like lanyard hole. I like a small fob on a knife that I carry loose-in-pocket.

I consider the Megumi near-perfect for a gentleman's knife. My only change would be a thinner blade/edge, but that is more personal preference.
 
Any problem with the Nak-lock unlocking accidentally? I don't have one, but wondered about this with button locks.
 
The Shoki is a very nice knife, one of my favorite Benchmades. The carbon fiber version is great, although I prefer the winewood (although I'd take M390 over S30V anyday). I wouldn't say the Shoki lacks a detent, just that the Megumi has a stronger one (uncomfortably so if you ask me).

The blade is not "too thin," it's a very elegant slicer. Very comfortable in my largish hands. Very light and lively in the hand, but you could feel it in the pocket.
 
The Shoki is a very nice knife, one of my favorite Benchmades. The carbon fiber version is great, although I prefer the winewood (although I'd take M390 over S30V anyday). I wouldn't say the Shoki lacks a detent, just that the Megumi has a stronger one (uncomfortably so if you ask me).

The blade is not "too thin," it's a very elegant slicer. Very comfortable in my largish hands. Very light and lively in the hand, but you could feel it in the pocket.
 
arty said:
Any problem with the Nak-lock unlocking accidentally? I don't have one, but wondered about this with button locks.
Click to expand...

Based on my observations, the Nak-lok functions like a button lock in terms of how the user unlocks it, but it is really quite different. There is a locking liner that moves on top of the blade tang to prevent unlocking (like a compression lock crossed with lockback). Pushing the button moves the liner out of the way to close the knife.

Unlike a compression lock, the Nak-lok does not wedge the liner between both the tang and the stop pin.

I do not have any concerns about the Nak-lock unlocking accidentally. You can visually verify that the lock is working, and it seems secure. I have confidence in its reliability, but I do not think it is considered a heavy-duty lock.

This is a good thread about Nak-lok:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/628409-is-this-a-good-lock
 
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