Who else makes Axis type locking knives

22-rimfire said:
I may be wrong, but I believe the patent on Benchmade's axis lock has expired.
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No sir you are correct. The Axis lock is fair game to copy now and that's fine with me. That means more knifes at a lower price point and that's great. I remember when the patent on Gore Tex ran out, The next season the market was flooded with affordable ski wear but the quality was all over the map. Buyer beware I guess.
 
I remember that time as well with Gore Tex. It used to be really expensive, but the cost came down a lot after the patent ended. My first gore tex was a parka from Cabelas and it was gore tex. Used it a lot until it got a bit small for me. Gave it to my wife, but she doesn't seem real interested in it.
 
flarp said:
I believe the Axis lock is exclusive to Benchmade. The lock bar runs perpendicular to the handle and makes contact with the blade tang.

The bolt action lock (also called piston lock) has several variants by a number of different manufacturers. They look similar to the Axis Lock in the sense that the lock release is on the side of the handle, but instead of the lock bar wedging against the tang to hold it in place, the locking mechanism retracts a length of metal that runs in line with the length of the blade (latches similar to what a back lock would do). Some that use these are Spyderco (Manix, Sage 3), SOG (Arc Lock), Gerber (on many of their FAST assisted models), Victorinox (on some 110mm models).

The Chinese companies (Sanrenmu, Enlan, etc.) make several models that copy Benchmade's Axis Lock. I've handled a few, and although the design is the same, the locks on the Enlans and SRMs (with the exception of the 763) are so stiff that I can only retract the Axis lock by pulling from both sides.
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Benchmade used to have a patent on the axis lock, but the patent recently expired and a couple other companies are making or will be making axis lock knives. For instance, the Schwarz Perpetua that is/was available on massdrop is one example of a designer and maker who put out an axis lock (it's not called an axis lock, but it's the exact same lock) when the patent expiration presented the opportunity for anyone to use the mechanism.
 
I might be mistaken, but something interesting to note is that the locking mechanism patent has expired, but benchmade still holds the right to the term "Axis lock".
 
Lance Leon said:
Benchmade used to have a patent on the axis lock, but the patent recently expired and a couple other companies are making or will be making axis lock knives. For instance, the Schwarz Perpetua that is/was available on massdrop is one example of a designer and maker who put out an axis lock (it's not called an axis lock, but it's the exact same lock) when the patent expiration presented the opportunity for anyone to use the mechanism.
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Lance, you're replying to a post from 2012. This thread was necroed. :)

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