Back in 1988, Benchmade Knives introduced their patented Axis lock. This was a lock mechanism designed and made by custom knife makers Bill McHenry and Jason Williams. McHenry and Williams sold the rights of the mechanism to Benchmade who renamed it the Axis lock and used it on the ground-breaking Benchmade 710. In the years since, Benchmade has used it on over 100 different models and variations. With the patent expiring in 2023, most major knife manufacturers began offering it as soon as they possibly could.
The Axis lock is simple and intuitive. A small spring-loaded bar moves up and down in a pair of slots cut into the handle and liners set toward the rear of the blade on either side. Each liner holds a spring to allow the bar movement. When you pull down on the bar, you can flick the knife open if you wish or use the thumb stud or thumb hole. When the blade is fully open, the locking bar engages between the blade and the stop pin for a rock-solid lockup.
Opening is ambidextrous due to its nature, and the blade won’t close unless you manually retract the lock bar. As an additional bonus, any
