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Benchmade Mid-Year Releases Include New Axis Assist Vallation

May 2, 2018

Benchmade recently announced mid-year releases which include new variations of the Bugout and Proper and its latest Black Class model, the 407 Vallation. The new hard use folder will become the only Axis Assist knife in the company’s Black Class lineup.

Drawn up to be useful and robust, the Vallation has a 3.7-inch S30V blade. It may not look like the most substantial knife in Benchmade’s catalog, but full stainless steel liners under the aluminum scales and thick blade stock add muscle to the Vallation’s 6.38 oz. build. “It’s a pretty beefy and sizable assisted-opening blade,” says Benchmade’s Derrick Lau.

Although most Axis Lock knives are manual action, Lau tells us the Axis Assist, utilized on the Vallation, is a proven and durable piece of engineering. “We’ve got that pretty nailed down at this point,” he says. Before the Vallation, Benchmade’s current Black Class consisted of manual and automatic action knives. The Vallation offers a third deployment option for anybody worried about the legality of automatics in their jurisdiction.

Benchmade has been driving clean, simple blade shapes and the Vallation falls in line with this strategy. The harpoon-like ridge on the top of the blade creates a unique look and plays into the Vallation’s ergonomics. “It’s mostly a traditional drop point, but the swedge on top creates a natural place to rest your thumb,” Lau says. Significant contours emphasize ergonomics, which has been another recurring theme in recent releases like the 917 Tactical Triage. Lau says that Oregon City-based Benchmade doesn’t see a tactical mindset as an excuse for poor handle design. “In terms of ergonomics, this knife is comfortable. For something this size, it doesn’t feel so big.”

Although the Black Class exists as a line of professional tools, there’s no doubt that a good number of Vallations will end up in the hands of civilian users. Lau believes the knife is particularly suited to make the transition from duty to daily carry. “Even though we’ve geared it for duty carry, this could easily be a robust EDC for any user.”

The Vallation is the latest to roll out from Benchmade, but they’ve also added to existing product lines too. A new “Benchmade Blue” Proper, with DLC-coated blade, was announced in April. Additionally, the bestselling Bugout will soon drop in a new coloration: Ranger green handle scales and a smoke gray coated blade.

Both the Vallation and the new Bugout should be available within the next ten days.

Knife featured in image: Benchmade 407 Vallation

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