Benchmade - Nakamura Axis 484-1, Carbon Fiber Handle, Drop Point Blade, Plain Edge Coated Finish Knife, Made in the USA

Thus far it has been a fantastic knife. I went in search of something with superior edge retention after owning a lot of small pocket knives which went dull way too quickly. I have a handful of Kershaw assisted knives (Ken Onion models). They are nice, but they go dull way too quickly. I also have a decent Spyderco Dragonfly (VG-10 steel). It's the best of what I had, but again it goes dull too quickly. I even have another Benchmade knife of inferior steel which sucks even in comparison to the Spyderco.This blade, with it's S90V steel, is sharp and holds its edge very well. The down side to this is obviously that the steel is a bit more brittle and a whole lot harder to sharpen. All of my other knives can be sharpened very easily in about 10 minutes (each). I still didn't like having to sharpen them weekly. The steel for this blade is far superior for edge retention. With the same daily use I'm expecting the edge to last a year, not a week. The down side to this is that I don't have the means to sharpen it myself. Thankfully Benchmade tends to offer their own in-house sharpening service. Send it in, they sharpen it, and it comes home when it's ready.As for size and aesthetics, this fits quite well in the pocket of my jeans. I've had no issues driving in the car or sitting at my desk at work. Most times I don't notice it's there. Looks are certainly a personal thing, and for me this is fantastic. The carbon fiber handle look great and helps reduce the overall weight. The blue accents look sharp. The axis lock mechanism is easy to work with and doesn't take much time to learn.While certainly expensive for a knife I do feel you get what you pay for here. The only thing I've found which seems like a better deal for edge retention would be the Spyderco options with an S110V blade for $80-100 less. Not quite as nice for the handles though, but just as good or better for edge retention. Just don't expect these blades to be durable if you're the type of user who uses a knife as a prying tool or perhaps as a screwdriver. When dealing with materials there is always a balance or trade-off between strength and durability. To make something really hard and durable (edge retention in this case) it is also less flexible. You'll want to look at a softer blade to find something less likely to break if used for prying on objects.

I was looking at this and the 940-1. Almost bought the 940-1 but I liked the look of this one a little better. Glad I went this route. For me it fits perfectly in the hand. Finger notches line right up comfortably and my thumb lays right into the blade. It's like it was made for me. Medium sized hand for reference. I would choose it over my mini griptillian any day.The liners add just a little weight that give it a solid feel. They blend right into the knife with a matte black finish that matches the carbon fiber. The blue trim rings and stand-offs dressing up a little.The pocket clip leaves a little to be desired in my opinion. Standard arrow clip just does not do this knife justice. A matching carbon fiber clip would be perfect for this. Speaking of the carbon fiber, it has a very nice feel and finish to it.The swedge on the blade is nicely done. Blade was sharp enough out of the box. Centered perfectly. Pivot was a little tight for me so I made a minor adjustment. Thumb stud is on the small side. It does have a nice milling to it.

First off, I’ve Owens’s several Benchmade knives including the 940-1 Osborne design. That was my favorite and best blade I’ve ever had. I lost it unfortunately but it’ll turn up somewhere at home sooner or later.My single issue is that the screw holding the blade in place comes loose after 3-7 opening. That’s never happened before and it shouldn’t. I’m not aware of locktite can be used and if it can then great. This is my favorite design out of all the blades I own. The 940-1 is a hair below but still this thing is awesome looking. It came favor sharp as well so that’s really something you don’t always see. I do believe it’s worth the prI’ve due to the material; S90V steel, carbon fibber handle, and anodized blue accents inberween the liner. So all in all I do like the blade but may return due to the loosing issue. That is, only if I can not use locktite without incurring any damage.

I am generally not big on leaving reviews. However, after receiving my Benchmade 484-1, I felt obligated to Benchmade to leave a review for designing such a gorgeous knife. I was originally attracted to the knife for the size, the blue accents and the Carbon Fiber grips and planned on using the 484-1 as my edc. Everything about this knife pleases me, I love the drop point blade, the blue bushings and the gorgeous carbon fiber handles. Everything about this knife is top quality and the knife is beautiful. I highly recommend this knife to anyone who is looking for a gorgeous edc that is willing to spend a little extra for aesthetics and high quality.UPDATE: Been using this knife as an EDC for some time now and absolutely love it. It is the perfect size, it has maintained its edge after cutting cardboard, rope, plastic, it is easy to open and close one handed. I am considering purchasing another just to have in case I lost this one.