Better pix of Benchmade 2K9 knives

Knifecenter has begun stocking many of the 2009 Benchmade line, or at least accepting pre-orders for when they arrive. After taking a long look, I'm actually kind of glad there's not a whole lot that immediately appeals to me, as I need to save money, and 2009 promises to be a year full of awesome new knives from my favorite production companies.


I am down with the new pen series, like the 1150, and the "gentleman's pen" below.




And I really like this new knife from the late, great Bob Lum, it's a fitting tribute to one of the makers who changed the industry.


I really like the looks of the Marc Lee Glory knife, designed by Eddie Killian, who I'm not familiar with. It's unlikely this will be on my 2009 'to buy' list, as it's expensive, and I have plenty of nice fixed blades.


Benchmade's Elishewitz designed Nimravus, and Nimravus cub was the first Benchmade fixed knife I owned, way back in 1998 or so, when it debuted, and it's still a favorite. Elishewitz is no longer working with Benchmade, but many of his designs live on in benchmade's line, like the Stryker series, and their new incarnation of the Nim Cub, which promises to be a great all-purpose outdoor knife.


And here are a couple of revised Benchmade automatics. I'm not a huge fan of most automatic knives, as I believe there are plenty of tougher knives on the market that open just as quickly, but these are pretty cool.


So, seems Benchmade still has the ability to create some really good stuff. I look forward to being able to play around with these knives in person, particularly the Barrage, with its Axis lock and assist mechanism.


-A