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Benchmade’s APB System: You don’t always get to choose which hand to use.

September 14, 2015

Few manufacturers go out of their way to produce knives for left-handed use. Southpaws make up just 10% of the population and must learn to cope in a right-handed world.

When it comes to knives, automatics are the least lefty-friendly. We could only find one production left-handed automatic knife, the ProTech Doru with a single release button found on the opposite side of the knife. Benchmade has long offered ambidextrous knives – their AXIS lock mechanism works from either side, allowing for both right and left-handed use.

Benchmade’s Latest Innovation: APB System

At the 2015 SHOT Show, Benchmade unveiled their latest innovation: a new lefty-friendly deployment and locking mechanism. The Ambidextrous Push Button (APB) system is an “evolution of the AXIS lock”, featuring two identical buttons on either side of the knife to deploy and unlock the blade. The system combines an AXIS lock and a traditional push-button auto. This recipe retains the ambidextrous flexibility of the AXIS lock, but adds the push-button speed of an automatic.

“You don’t always get to choose which hand to use.”

Benchmade says the two deployment buttons aren’t just for the benefit of left-handers. Benchmade has designed the APB system to work with either hand “because you don’t always get to choose which hand to use.” For law enforcement who carry a gun on their ‘strong side’, having a knife that can flex into weak side carry is important. The blade can be deployed by either button alone or by pinching both simultaneously. APB knives offers versatility and quick action, even when fine motor skills might be impaired.

Benchmade APB Knives

So far, there are two new offerings that feature the APB system; the Benchmade 665 series for assisted opening and the Benchmade 6800 series for automatic deployment.

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