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| 40031-100 Mountainside drop point, my first taste of Lone Wolf, under the Benchmade corporate umbrella. Handles seem to be the same grade of walnut wood that De Asis & Co. are using on the new for 2011 Michael Waddell Bone Collector wood handle models. |
If you're not as knife & knife industry obsessed as freaks like myself, you may have missed that
Benchmade Knives, of Oregon City, OR has acquired their Oregon neighbor,
Lone Wolf Knives. They have some beautiful stuff lined up for 2011 and beyond, including their revamped versions of Lone Wolf's "Paul" axial folding knives designed by the great
Paul Poehlmann, which were originally manufactured by Gerber, back when Gerber Blades truly were legendary, long before Fiskars began to drive the company down the Chinese-made junk path in the early 1990s. Benchmade's new Paul knives look amazing, & I can't wait to get my hands on at least 2 of the models offered for 2011. Right as i was flying over the Pacific ocean to stand with my best amigo as he married his lovely wife, the Lone Wolf Mountainside Drop Point fixed blade was arriving at my door. I'm impressed so far, for a knife which barely set me back a bit more than $50 usd including shipping from Roger Claunch's excellent
knifeworks.com, in Louisiana.
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| Benchmade's take on Lone Wol'fs Paul Axial designs, just 2 variations, of one of several models, pic courtesy knifecenter.com |
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| the Mountainside, with my paracordguy.com lanyard, apparently Benchmade has FINALLY listed the steel as N860, known for its affordability & corrosion resistance |
Mountainside Drop Point QuickSpecs:
- Blade Length: 4.23"
- Overall Length: 7.97"
- Blade Steel: N860 Stainless Steel
- Weight (with sheath): 5.5 oz.
- Sheath: Leather
- Made in USA
This basic, classy little fixed knife just got unboxed late last night, but look for updates, and a short video on the way...& take a look at Benchmade's new Lone Wolf offerings. they are NOT, as some on forums initially suggested, foreign made. To the best of my knowledge all of Lone Wolf's offerings, with Les De Asis' Benchmade at the helm, will be made in the USA, and so far, from my short time with the Mountainside, it certainly appears that Benchmade is taking the classic brand down a solid path. More to come....
Update: I should also note that the Paul knives discussed & pictured above are being marketed as part of Benchmade's "Blue Box", every day knife line, they will sport the Benchmade butterfly logo, and not the Lone Wolf triangle logo
