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JonasHeineman
5987
Feb 15, 2018
Hey everyone,
We are very excited about this knife for a lot of reasons…
Our goal in making this knife was to produce a US-made, affordable workhorse knife that featured the same revered locking mechanism that Bill McHenry and Jason Williams created. This type of lock, which was patented and used only in Benchmade() and HK() knives for 20 years, has been time-tested by knife enthusiasts and others who have subjected them to all kinds of abuse on jobsites and on outdoor adventures for the 22 years it has been on the market.
The HK Axis (™) was consistently one of the most popular knives on Massdrop. Members consistently purchased hundreds of the full-size and mini versions (combined) every month, until it was discontinued late in 2016. Since then, I’ve been on a quest put a knife like this back in the hands of our members. At first, I tried to bring it back. When I learned that wasn’t possible, I set out to make something new and better and still affordable. I didn’t know how that would be possible at first, but then I met some willing partners who were just as excited about this idea.
First, we needed a US manufacturer who was willing to take on the project and able to execute the precision engineering and machining required to make a knife like this work - and not just work, but work well and reliably with every open and slice. Shane and Josiah at Millit Knives were fantastic partners on this project. They and their team of expert machinists spent many late nights at the shop milling stop pins, bending pocket clips, fitting springs, grinding blades, etc. Also they have the coolest shop dog I’ve met - but if you visit, be ready to throw the ball...a lot.
When we first approached Millit about the concept, we didn’t yet have a designer in mind. But, lucky for us, they were already collaborating with TJ on their Torrent model and had a good working relationship. It’s possible to make knives with designers and manufacturers who live in different countries and may not even speak the same language, but it sure is nice when they live miles away from each other and already share the same love for their work and speak the same design language. When Shane recommended TJ for the design, it was a no-brainer. That’s when things really got started.
TJ Schwarz is truly a pleasure to work with. He’s won awards for design innovation from a very young age, and been selected to design other knives by companies like Millit and CRKT. It was a privilege to have him as a partner, from the first sketch to the 3D-printed modeling, all the way through prototyping and filming his interview. Despite being incredibly talented, he’s also quite humble. During design revisions, he stuck to his design principles but listened with an open mind - we talked a lot about handle curvature and ergonomics, and how that affected the placement of the thumb stud. Ultimately, we had the prototype 3D-printed so we could evaluate it, which led to the slight lengthening of the inner curve to give pinky fingers, especially for those with larger hands, fit comfortably and grip firmly. I learned a lot, and we had fun spending time with him in Idaho to film the video you see on the page.
By joining this drop, you will also get to meet TJ and have a chance to ask him questions during a live Q&A that we’ll host in Apri. Also, TJ is going to hand-sign up to 1000 prints of his sketch of the Perpetua that we’ll mail to everyone while the production is underway.
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Please note that final production versions will differ in some small but important ways from our prototype shown. The first and most significant is that the stop pin will be much shorter, so that it doesn’t protrude from the scales. It will also go through a tumbling process to soften the edges of each ‘tier’ so that it’s more comfortable in hand and in the pocket, but still easy to open. (photo below).
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Community members also contributed to this knife’s refinement. We reached out to get feedback and, based on the comments, we made the following adjustments to the prototypes:
1) Increase the clearance between thumb stud and scale for easier opening 2) Soften the cuts on the jimping for a more comfortable thumb rest area 3) Increase blade length to maximum allowed within the handle
These were great suggestions. We appreciate this feedback, as well as TJ’s willingness to make the changes and Millit’s ability to execute them. THIS. This right here is what we are all about. Taking good stuff, making it better, asking the community how to make it great, finding awesome manufacturers to work with us and make them affordable. Sincere thanks and appreciation are due to everyone involved, and to you for making this possible!
Carry On -- Jonas
JonasHeinemanThank you very much for the kind words. It's been a real pleasure and I am very excited about this launch.
VipeX
191
Feb 16, 2018
JonasHeinemanI just had this knife seized by the Canadian customs ( https://www.bladehq.com/item--Southern-Grind-Spider-Monkey-Liner--32184 ) It is a manual folding knife opening by thumbstud. You should reconsider shipping knives to Canada from now on UNLESS you can guarantee they will make it through customs.
They seized it today February 16th, 2018
Only businesses with commercial firearms licences can still import them.
JonasHeineman
5987
Feb 16, 2018
VipeXSorry to hear that, thanks for letting us know. I haven't handled that particular model from Southern Grind, and while it has the same style of deployment, it doesn't have the style of lock or detent so I don't want to draw any direct parallels to how it relates to this knife.
I have my own personal feeling about what that statute says and how it was written, but I will keep those to myself for now. We have not heard of any significant increase of shipments to members being seized since the passage of the new measure. If anyone has issues with customs on this knife, please let us know and we'll take care of you.
herringonrye
19
Feb 16, 2018
VipeXThe statue on the books hasn't changed in a long time. I know back to at least pre-9/11 that customs would occasionally decide to apply the law in a way that essentially bans all folding knives, but as always, this interpretation is applied in a sporadic and arbitrary manner.
Bknguyen
693
Feb 16, 2018
JonasHeinemanOh really? I've been completely avoiding ordering any blades from MD since the new measures. What are you guys offering in terms of support for shipments stopped by customs?
A community member
Feb 16, 2018
CarbonHandprint Can we get some response on the heat treat? It seems like the steel is being under-hardened for what is possible. A satisfactory explanation would compel me (and possibly others) to get on board with this drop.
Funkyfrog
4
Feb 16, 2018
I suspect it's to reach a target toughness profile for what they consider a working knife but I can only speculate.
JonasHeineman
5987
Feb 16, 2018
herringonryeYou're 100% correct about arbitrary application, but I think you missed the recent memo - they made a new one that many people feel was aimed at flipper tabs, but is quite ambiguous in its language and the industry is not universally aligned on what it does and doesn't apply to. Doesn't help anyone that they printed outdated contact info on their press release; my calls have gone unreturned. Nice one, eh?
A community member
Feb 16, 2018
JonasHeineman Can we get some response on the heat treat? It seems like the steel is being under-hardened for what is possible. A satisfactory explanation would compel me (and possibly others) to get on board with this drop.
JonasHeineman
5987
Feb 16, 2018
Yep, I'm in Hawaii for the custom knife show and Shane from Millit is out of the office, but we're looking into this and will get a response for you soon. The short version is, we're being conservative here and giving our best estimate for HRc after grinding (which is not usually measured). We think it will probably be closer to 59-60, but we'd rather under-promise on this, and I'm checking into how we can arrange testing to share with the group.
ROLEX
31
Feb 16, 2018
If hardeness is more like 60 & theres an extra spring (or it's an option) we're in... don't want another knife with a busted spring thats just not economical to fix.
JCruk
108
Feb 17, 2018
JonasHeineman@MillitKnives any updates on the availability of extra omega springs?
JCrukWe will ensure that we have an extra supply of Omega springs in the case that anything fails
JCruk
108
Feb 17, 2018
MillitKnives@JonasHeineman Any chance we can add an extra spring as an option in the drop?
DDro
390
Feb 19, 2018
JCrukI had the same concern looking at the exploded view... that Omega spring looks like the weak link... what happens if it fails...
MaxwellDemonic
838
Feb 20, 2018
DDroFailure of the Axis-lock spring is pretty common. Disassembly can be hazardous since the spring is pretty weak and can easily deform. I personally have never had an issue but it's widely reported among Benchmade owners.
JonasHeineman
5987
Feb 20, 2018
BknguyenIf you don't receive it, we'll issue a refund.
Bknguyen
693
Feb 20, 2018
JonasHeinemanWow that is awesome! Can't thumbs this up enough
A community member
Feb 22, 2018
MaxwellDemonicI'm not aware of the lock springs on this type of lock having a high failure rate. Can you point to some source material?
MaxwellDemonic
838
Feb 22, 2018
It's anecdotal for the most part: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?347445-Benchmade-Griptilian-springs-breaking-4-and-counting https://www.reddit.com/r/knives/comments/1eyvlk/broken_omega_spring_on_my_940/ https://www.edcforums.com/threads/axis-lock-longevity.53247/
That's just a few. I'm speaking more on the reputation the Omega spring has rather than sustained metrics on their failure rate. I have worked with them on my 940-1, and I can tell you they do seem to be quite fragile. The spring wire is quite thin.
namhod
1991
Feb 23, 2018
It's a thin spring that does a lot of flexing. Some people have issues fairly quickly, some have been used for years with no issues. Mileage is going to vary user to user. For example somebody who knife fidgets, just sitting opening and closing it, it may wear out faster. It may not.
A community member
Feb 23, 2018
MaxwellDemonicSure, I understand that fatigue is going to be effected by the amount of operation the springs are subjected to. That said most of that anecdotal evidence seems to support the opposite of what you are saying (i.e. Omega springs are generally durable). The only person I have known to have breakage issues with an AXIS lock was using his Griptilian to cut a large amount of citrus fruit. The acid from the fruit corroded the springs which caused the breakage. I imagine some oil applied before hand and a good washing afterward would have prevented this. I understand that this is still anecdotal and not actual data. TL;DR - With basic maintenance the springs should be durable over long-term use. YMMV
namhod
1991
Feb 23, 2018
Agreed. I have never personally known anyone to have issues, and I have die hard Benchmade fan boy friends. The only issues I have seen are on the internet, and we all know everything on the internet is 100% true.
MaxwellDemonic
838
Feb 23, 2018
I'd love to see what Benchmade has to say about it. As I said, it was mostly a perception on my part from reviews I've seen and people complaining on the internet. I've yet to have an issue with it myself and I've disassembled my 940-1 several times.
13atman
1
Feb 23, 2018
MaxwellDemonicProbably nothing since the patent is expired and the description does not say AXIS/axis/Axis lock anywhere.
The Hogue Exemplar is the first production USA-made non-Benchmade produced AXIS lock which they call a "Pivot Lock" to avoid trademark disputes.
MaxwellDemonic
838
Feb 23, 2018
13atmanIn the context of the discussion were talking about the spring failure rate. I'm sure Benchmade keeps records of warranty replacement and order metrics on how often they ship/replace the springs in their knives. You can determine a mean failure rate based on the units shipped and the aforementioned metrics.
namhod
1991
Feb 23, 2018
MaxwellDemonicThat would be great, it's doubtful they would give that information out.
Thatfatguy
12
Feb 28, 2018
JonasHeinemanWhen will knife makers and manufacturers alike learn that we want DEEP F’in CARRY pocket clips.
ubieday
11
Mar 1, 2018
JonasHeinemanJust want to add to the conversation by thanking you for adjustment #3: increasing blade length to the maximum allowed within the handle. The prototype photo looks like the blade is disappointingly short. The drawing looks a little better. There are some great knives with a relatively low blade to handle ratio, such as the PM2 or the Hinderer XM-18. But generally, more blade = more better. Personally, I think the aforementioned knives are a real let-down because of this very issue. With the blade being just a little longer, it would look more like the CRK insingo blade (the drawing looks that way more than the photos of the prototypes) -- and that would be a very good thing.
ubiedayCool, that's great to hear. Good reference points you mentioned as well, thanks for the comment!
ubieday
11
Mar 1, 2018
JonasHeinemanSure. I think that's one of the great points of the new FF Gent. Even with a choil, it has an impressive blade length. Personally, I usually do not like choils. I don't think they are that useful for the vast majority of EDC tasks. When people mention "detail work," I am not sure what they actually mean -- real detail work is done by x-acto knives, if you ask me. ;-) But I digress -- bottom line is this: two of my all time favorites are the CRK small sebenza with insingo blade, and the mini griptillian with the sheepsfoot and thumbhole. This knife looks like a hybrid of the two, which is very exciting. I just want to make sure that this Millet knife has as much blade to handle ratio as possible. Looks a little short in the pics.
jmunder
143
Mar 2, 2018
namhodApologies! This was a voice recognition mishapp followed by fat fingers! I hope noone read this post before I edited it! #embarrassed
jmunder
143
Mar 2, 2018
MaxwellDemonicWell, I’m a random guy on the Internet that had an Omega spring break 😜. It was a new purchase light use BM 940-2, about a month old. No problems since BM replaced it, though it’s been carried a bit less after the honeymoon. Although it’s my only knife with this type of lock, it hasn’t soured me to the concept (though other things may have turned me off towards BM).
The Perpetua is sorely tempting me...all that’s holding me back from the drop is a very long list of knives I want.
namhod
1991
Mar 3, 2018
ubiedayIf you just put "sharpening" in front of that choil word, it all makes sense! I can't stand when a blade is designed in a way that I can't sharpen the entire cutting edge. Other than my ZT 0450, which I love, that really kills a knife for me.
Omniseed
1972
Mar 5, 2018
jmunderThose Omega breaks are weird, I've never had one break out of 10-15 Benchmades, some old users I picked up secondhand even.
It seems like a manufacturing issue, where some of them fail very early on and the rest have a long enough functional life that most people won't break them.
Roosclan
10
Mar 11, 2018
MaxwellDemonicFailure of the Axis-lock spring is NOT "pretty common." It is actually quite rare considering the number of Axis lock knives in existence. I have owned multiple Benchmades (close to 40 or so?) since the Axis lock first came out in 1999 and have never had a single spring break. Many of the folks who have springs break are admitted "flickers" who will flick their knives like some folks fidget with other items (or spin pencils in their fingers, or drum their fingers on a table, or play with fidget spinners incessantly...). Any spring will wear out over time, that that just speeds up the process.
That being said, there are some instances where the Omega spring has been seen with a shiny wear mark on the large radius, where it was rubbing against the inside of the scale, causing a weak point. The spring pocket wasn't cut deep enough which led to this. If Millit makes the spring pocket deep enough, then this will eliminate the other cause for the Omega spring failure.
TheQuietOne75
102
Mar 12, 2018
VipeXThat's brutal. My last purchase was a CKF/Hoback Kwaiback collab, that just squeaked by, due to the fact that the customs guard that I spoke to was a knife fan as well. I've spoken to my MP, and am waiting a response from the Minister responsible for issues such as this. I'm hoping that with enough feedback from the population, they will correct this obvious waste of time and money they've created with this new interpretation of the law.
Hatuletoh
850
May 5, 2018
JonasHeinemanI've done a pretty good job forgetting all about this knife for the past few months--a sort of self-induced amnesia is the closest I can come to what I think people mean when they talk about having "patience". Doesnt sound like a real thing to me, but regardless...
I noticed you said:
"TJ is going to hand-sign up to 1000 prints of his sketch of the Perpetua that we’ll mail to everyone while the production is underway."
Production is underway if Im not mistaken; any idea when those hand-signed prints will ship? One of those would certainly help with my, um...what's the word for it again? The thing where you wait for something instead of making a scene until you get what you want?
kennyl1980
11
May 14, 2018
HatuletohI'd be interested to find out as well. I've had to do the same thing and forget I ordered it lol. It took a few weeks but finally forgot about it, until today haha.
JonasHeineman
5987
May 14, 2018
HatuletohPatience, and thanks for yours! I think they are printed and on the way to get signed - I am hoping we ship them in May, but it might be June.
JonasHeinemanAny possibility of an update on Delivery of the knife?
RoosclanI have had omega springs break on a mini grip x2 and a 300 flipper 2x. I now have a 300 sitting with a broken spring. I DO open anx close my knives unnecessarily, but have never had a frame lock or liner lock break. I have had multiple Kershaw torsion bars fail also.
So, in my opinion...the issue is highly represented in the benchmade portion of my collection.
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