Update! Benchmade 665

Great review, insight and pictures... Not that there was anything wrong with it before, but it sounds like BM really stepped up their game with this design.
It sounds like this one just might be worth picking up...
 
I put some of the blue-lube that came with the knife from knifecenter on yesterday and it is now smooth as butter. Very impressed with this knife.
 
I hadn't seen this knife before, i'm a little confused on how it operates. I see it still uses omega springs, or were they just there for the assisted opening?

How does the axis bar lock manually?
 
shinyedges said:
I hadn't seen this knife before, i'm a little confused on how it operates. I see it still uses omega springs, or were they just there for the assisted opening?

How does the axis bar lock manually?
Click to expand...

It is still an axis lock. When you push the button(s) it raises a lever that in turn kicks the axis bar back, just as if you where pulling the axis bar back on a normal axis lock knife. When you engage the lock, the button(s) cannot be pushed in. It is quite a feat of engineering. I don't even know what is going on with the pivot. That part is above my paygrade. Perhaps Keyman could explain it better.

The detent on this thing is just like other axis lock knives but it seems a little stronger to me. And once again when the lock is engaged the buttons can't be pushed in to allow the lever to let the axis bar be pulled back. The big hit on the original axis lock for me is the weak detent. Not with this one. It can be locked open or closed.

Hopefully more people will pick this up and de-assist it.
 
Interesting, looks fairly complicated from the pics. So you open it with the thumbstud and then push the button to lock it open, and then to close it, you push the other side of the button to disengage the lock?

I'm used to the normal axis lock where you can grab the axis bar and open or close, I guess that's why I cant really figure out how this new one works.

Anyway thanks for your patience.
craytab said:
It is still an axis lock. When you push the button(s) it raises a lever that in turn kicks the axis bar back, just as if you where pulling the axis bar back on a normal axis lock knife. When you engage the lock, the button(s) cannot be pushed in. It is quite a feat of engineering. I don't even know what is going on with the pivot. That part is above my paygrade. Perhaps Keyman could explain it better.

The detent on this thing is just like other axis lock knives but it seems a little stronger to me. And once again when the lock is engaged the buttons can't be pushed in to allow the lever to let the axis bar be pulled back. The big hit on the original axis lock for me is the weak detent. Not with this one. It can be locked open or closed.

Hopefully more people will pick this up and de-assist it.
Click to expand...
 
shinyedges said:
Interesting, looks fairly complicated from the pics. So you open it with the thumbstud and then push the button to lock it open, and then to close it, you push the other side of the button to disengage the lock?

I'm used to the normal axis lock where you can grab the axis bar and open or close, I guess that's why I cant really figure out how this new one works.

Anyway thanks for your patience.
Click to expand...
No that's not how it works.
The knife opens just like any other axis lock knife, just us the thumb studs.
When you want to close it; instead of pulling back on the axis lock to disengage the lock......you just push the button(s).

In short....the action of pushing of the button(s); replaces the action of pulling back of the axis bar.

Simple as that.

In addition, the 665 has a safety that can be engaged to lock the blade in the opened position or engaged to lock the blade in the closed position.

Super simple...easier than an axis.

craytab is right...it's super fun to play with.
 
shinyedges said:
I'm used to the normal axis lock where you can grab the axis bar and open or close, I guess that's why I cant really figure out how this new one works.
Click to expand...
To put it in your words:
You can just push the button(s) and open or close.
 
shinyedges said:
Interesting, looks fairly complicated from the pics. So you open it with the thumbstud and then push the button to lock it open, and then to close it, you push the other side of the button to disengage the lock?

I'm used to the normal axis lock where you can grab the axis bar and open or close, I guess that's why I cant really figure out how this new one works.

Anyway thanks for your patience.
Click to expand...

Not quite. Pushing the button (either one or both, I like both) is exactly like pulling the axis bar back on a normal axis knife. This is in fact what is happening on the inside. The locking part is completely optional. It can be locked open or closed. The lock blocks the buttons from being pushed in and I just noticed it slips behind the axis bar which does not allow it to be pulled back. It would be like shoving something behind the axis bar of the regular axis lock, either when open or closed.

It really is just an axis lock that is mechanically operated. That is the best way to conceptualize it.
 
Ah I understand, very cool. Sounds like I would like it a lot!
Keyman said:
No that's not how it works.
The knife opens just like any other axis lock knife, just us the thumb studs.
When you want to close it; instead of pulling back on the axis lock to disengage the lock......you just push the button(s).

In short....the action of pushing of the button(s); replaces the action of pulling back of the axis bar.

Simple as that.

In addition, the 665 has a safety that can be engaged to lock the blade in the opened position or engaged to lock the blade in the closed position.

Super simple...easier than an axis.



craytab is right...it's super fun to play with.
Click to expand...

craytab said:
Not quite. Pushing the button (either one or both, I like both) is exactly like pulling the axis bar back on a normal axis knife. This is in fact what is happening on the inside. The locking part is completely optional. It can be locked open or closed. The lock blocks the buttons from being pushed in and I just noticed it slips behind the axis bar which does not allow it to be pulled back. It would be like shoving something behind the axis bar of the regular axis lock, either when open or closed.

It really is just an axis lock that is mechanically operated. That is the best way to conceptualize it.
Click to expand...

I get it now, I think I would like to give it a try. Especially if the pivot is simpler to adjust in that you just tighten it all the way and centering and play is perfect, I've never owned a sebenza but I think I've read that sebenzas are very much like that. kudos to benchmade!
 
shinyedges said:
Ah I understand, very cool. Sounds like I would like it a lot!




I get it now, I think I would like to give it a try. Especially if the pivot is simpler to adjust in that you just tighten it all the way and centering and play is perfect, I've never owned a sebenza but I think I've read that sebenzas are very much like that. kudos to benchmade!
Click to expand...

I've got a sebenza but have never messed with the pivot but yes I think that is how it works. The pivot is super impressive on the 665. I always dread finding that sweet spot on the pivot with other benchmades. My centering is a tad off now but that happens to my other Benchmades when I take them apart at first and I haven't tried any of the tricks to get it perfect. I don't think I will either. This thing is operating at optimum performance right now!
 
Thanks for disassembled pics and explanation how this lock works.

In mechanical watches they call additional functions "complications".

It seems to me with this lock being basicly same old Axis lock,
it just has additional maybe unnecessary "complications" that can fail/jam/break,
button that moves Axis lock bar open/close instead of using finger!

I never had regular Axis lock fail to stay close or open for me yet.
Than again I don't do crazy things with folders that they were not designed to do! Ex: batoning, hitting spine on hard object etc.
 
Wolf7 said:
Thanks for disassembled pics and explanation how this lock works.

In mechanical watches they call additional functions "complications".

It seems to me with this lock being basicly same old Axis lock,
it just has additional maybe unnecessary "complications" that can fail/jam/break,
button that moves Axis lock bar open/close instead of using finger!

I never had regular Axis lock fail to stay close or open for me yet.
Than again I don't do crazy things with folders that they were not designed to do! Ex: batoning, hitting spine on hard object etc.
Click to expand...

I agree that there is more to fail with this lock. That said, the chances of that are just about as much as the omega springs going. Never had that happen. I also don't do crazy things with my EDC knives. Being a knife nut I also carry more than one knife and usually I will have a fixed blade on me. I always have a Multitool. I have had an axis lock knife open unintentionally on me. Of all the locks I own the axis lock is by far the easiest to defeat the detent. For me this is a hobby I am in for fun. I don't need all the knives I have. I could get by with a couple instead of the unknown number I have now.

This knife is a pure joy to use. I bought it for the complicated lock not in-spite of it. I bought it because It was billed as a fun knife to use. And it has delivered, big time!

My carry for today:

0svxP8nh.jpg
 
I've really been on the fence about this one. Thanks for all the pics and the writeup; knowing it can be deassisted helps for sure. Is the black coating the same as what the Grips use or is it cerakote like the 810?
 
craytab said:
This knife is a pure joy to use.
Click to expand...
What he said 100% :thumbup:.
Adding a card reader or proxy reader to a door is way more complicated than a good old fashioned key.
But a card is way easier.
Same with this push button.
As I like to say, "it's as easy as pushin' a button!"
And besides.....
craytab said:
This knife is a pure joy to use.
Click to expand...
 
shandrydan1 said:
I've really been on the fence about this one. Thanks for all the pics and the writeup; knowing it can be deassisted helps for sure. Is the black coating the same as what the Grips use or is it cerakote like the 810?
Click to expand...

I believe it is like on the grips. Neither one is particularly resilient.
 
Okay...here's the deal. The 665 is more complicated - I actually like the Axis Assist better - has 154CM instead of something CPM, but it is in my top five folding knives anyway. The reasons are several, first I really love the blade shape, nice grind, great profile. I love the handle shape, fits the human hand. I like that it is not completely tactical, relatively smooth surfaces, two tone G-10.

The extra price I'm sure comes from the extra complexity. More and more complex parts in the pivot and lock than the Axis Assist. There is extra milling on the blade tang, extra parts for the buttons and the linkage. But everything is very simple and strong. It won't break. My only concern is the precise clearance between the buttons and the holes in the scales. If the buttons wear down, or the holes wear open, the buttons will simply fall out. Ha. Not sure how long that would take. I'm sure Benchmade did wear tests on that and found the results affirmative.

As far as the APB goes...I really like the Axis Assist better. The Axis Assist is simpler in construction, though more complex to assemble. A big factor in my mind is that the Axis Assist applies a closing bias to the blade. At a certain point in the blade pivot travel, the assist spring releases and the Axis omega springs pull the blade into the handle. This is a requirement in California for a spring knife to be excluded from the auto knife prohibition. I am accustomed to manipulating the Axis lock, so it is effortless to me. So to me, the APB is a little more fiddly. Keyman disagrees with that assessment, so maybe it is a little more straight forward without the assist spring in there.

A big advantage of the 665 over most knives including the ubiquitous frame locks these days, is the lock lock. Keyman mentioned this. The 665 is a folder that not only locks open, but you can lock the lock. That is about as reliable as a folder gets. The larger lock slider on the 665 I like better than the small one on the Axis Assist models.

There is a lot of complex 3D milling on the handle scales also. Multi-depth cutouts on the inside, contours and a pivot to butt taper in thickness on the outside. Pretty extraordinary really.

I am rather ambivalent about the difference between 154CM and M390. One the one hand, I would gladly pay an extra $20 to have M390, but on the other hand, I don't actually experience the difference much in terms of performance. The 665 is actually $20 less than the comparable model, say a 581 Barrage, also assisted with M390 steel. It absolutely wouldn't make any sense for me to complain about the price of a $180 knife...I think all the other Axis locks with S30V or better are between $170 and $200. So the APB is pretty much in line. You will be able to get a S30V 580 Barrage now for $160 I guess. But if you have four, five, ten knives all over $100, then +/- $20 for a particular model doesn't matter very much.

Anyway, with all the intangible or barely tangible pros and cons, the 665 APB is one of the best.
 
Good assessment. For me it really is about the lock and the pivot. It is easier than an axis lock for me and the pivot adjustment is a no brainer. No fiddling to find a sweet spot. As for the wear? I'm not worried. G10 and metal are plenty tough for my uses.
 
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