Benchmade Rift
Thursday, January 20th, 2011Lockblades are a staple of the knife world. It is a beautiful functionality that allows you to collapse a knife and put it into your pocket and not worry about stabbing yourself in the leg. Many knives that can be collapsed are dangerous because they can be closed just as easily as they can be opened. If you have ever had one of these multi function Swiss Army knives that have scissors, a saw, and a table saw all in one shiny red package, you probably have cut your knuckle once or twice. It’s a terrible design that has been tollerated simply due to the Swiss Army being conflict free for the last 500 years.
If you look at good knives, like a Benchmade Rift, or a Spyderco you’ll see that there are multiple solutions to the whole cutting your own knuckle issue. Spyderco uses, in almost all instances, what I call a “traditional lock.” You have seen this approach on lockblades all over the world. The Benchmade Rift uses a more unique approach. Instead of using a block of steel to keep the blade in line it uses a pin. It is more efficient though a bit unsettling at first. Either way, watch out for the unlocking blades or you’ll be looking for a Swiss Army emergency kit in no time.