Home / Knife Companies / Benchmade is the Dealers’ Choice for Best Overall New for 2017 Lineup

Benchmade is the Dealers’ Choice for Best Overall New for 2017 Lineup

November 22, 2017

Presented by: Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpeners

We are pleased to announce that Benchmade is the KnifeNews Dealers’ Choice for Best Overall New for 2017 lineup. Votes cast by dealers indicated that other major contenders in this category include CRKT, Spyderco, and Zero Tolerance.

Benchmade also brought this award home last year for an impressive 2016 offering. New knives like the Crooked River and the Arcane won admiration. Updates to existing models like the G-10 Griptilian line pleased longtime fans too.

As great as 2016 was, it still didn’t satisfy Benchmade. 2017 brought another impressive lineup that contained something for everyone. Benchmade’s Derrick Lau tells us it was essential to hit the right notes this year of all years. “2017 also marked our 30th Anniversary as a company, and we wanted to offer something truly special.”

The core 2017 SHOT Show reveal exhibited a dozen solid offerings. “With single piece titanium handled knives like our 781 Anthem and 87 Balisong we wanted to show off some of our manufacturing capabilities,” Lau explains. But they managed to come out with affordable, work-ready products for users too. “With the 560 Freek and 590 Boost we set out to create comfortable workhorse-style tools.” The Black Class received some attention with the sequel to a popular hard-use folder. “We took an iconic tactical knife in the Presidio and upgraded it all around with Presidio II,” says Lau.

Best Overall New for 2017 Lineup

As well-rounded as Benchmade’s SHOT offering was, the real kicker came in the form of a string of surprise releases throughout the rest of the year. “People who are familiar with us saw that our 2017 product offering was relatively smaller than what we usually launch in a year,” Lau tells us. “But this was done deliberately as we had a lot of great products we were unveiling.”

These additional releases continued to flesh out the company’s catalog in fresh and exciting ways. The Proper became Benchmade’s first traditional-style knife. Over the summer, the Bugout developed into an enormous hit with its target audience of ultralight backpackers as well as the general knife community. The Rukus II and Mini Coalition further bolstered the new auto offerings, and the Mini Loco was a welcomne riff on an existing model. “We’re incredibly honored to be named ‘Best Overall New for 2017 Lineup,’” Lau says. “We had a lineup that we think really helped celebrate our 30th in fashion!”

AWARDS SCHEDULE

Best New Tactical Fixed Blade 2017 
WINNER: Spartan Blades Hybris

Best New Outdoor Fixed Blade 2017
WINNER: TOPS El Chete

Best New Multitool 2017
WINNER: SOG Baton Q2

Best Knife Upgrade 2017
WINNER: Spyderco Maxamet Manix 2 Lightweight

Best New Automatic Knife 2017
WINNER: Buck Knives 110 Auto

Best New High-End Knife 2017 (MSRP of $300 or more)
WINNER: Benchmade 781 Anthem

Best New Value Folder 2017 (MSRP of $100 or less)
WINNER: CRKT Pilar

Best New Manual Folder 2017
WINNER: Benchmade 535 Bugout

Most Innovative New Knife 2017
WINNER: Zero Tolerance 0055

Best Overall New for 2017 Lineup
WINNER: Benchmade

Related Items