Benchmade Knives are renowned, among other things, for the fact that they mostly feature a special type of knife lock, developed by the company and called an AXIS Lock, at least in the case of their out-the-side folders.

It is one of the strongest knife locks ever developed, and has been endlessly duplicated by other companies and called a crossbar lock, including but not limited to Kizer, Kershaw, Schrade, and others. 

Here are the two main reasons why it’s been so widely copied, and why it is the best knife lock ever developed.

Strength

Leave alone the fact that the AXIS Lock engages automatically, is equally friendly to both right and left-handed users, is self-adjusting, and is fidget-friendly and intuitive. It is one of the strongest knife locks ever developed. 

Just in the event you’ve never handled a knife that has one, the way it works is as follows: there is a solid bar that rides in between the frame and knife scales, held under tension by a U-shaped spring.

When the knife is opened, the spring is compressed, allowing the blade to swing open. When it opens, the spring wedges the cylindrical bar into a slot milled into the base of the knife’s blade stock.

For the lock to fail, either the bar would have to break, the blade would have to break or deform, or the entire knife would have to fail or come apart, through the frame or scales. 

It is one of the strongest folding knife locks ever developed. Some other types, like Spyderco’s Compression Lock, might technically be stronger, but the bar is close, and there’s little to no meaningful difference at this level of strength. 

Unlike liner locks, for instance, which can deform and fail under pressure, bar locks like the AXIS Lock are effectively failure-proof without destroying the entire knife. 

Safety 

The other big element of the value of a bar lock like an AXIS Lock is the inherent safety of the design. 

With the bar locked into place under the slot that’s milled into the blade stock, it is nearly impossible to disengage the AXIS Lock except by a deliberate act on behalf of the user. 

Contrast this with other lock types, such as liner locks, which can disengage unintentionally if the knife is twisted. Twisting or applying too much pressure on the back of the knife can cause a liner lock, and in some cases a framelock, to unintentionally disengage, allowing the blade to fold on a user’s fingers. 

There is another element of safety here, and it has to do with how the lock is operated under normal circumstances. Many lock types, such as liner and frame locks, require a user to place their fingers in the path of the blade’s edge on closing. 

AXIS Locks, and other crossbar-style knife locks, enable the user to disengage the lock easily with either the right or left hand, without putting the fingers or any other part of the hand in the way of the blade’s path. 

So, on two separate fronts, AXIS Locks (and other bar locks) are safer than many other types of folding knife locks. 

Shop Benchmade Knives at BUDK 

The AXIS Lock is just one of the things that make Benchmade Knives great. They’re also by and large made with excellent steels and scale materials, and boast high-quality fits and finishes that earn them their price points as well as their prestigious position in the market. 

If you’re thinking about getting one, check out BUDK first. They carry a wide range of Benchmade Knives, especially popular models, among other fixed and folding knives. 

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