Taking cover: wonder when the s**t IS hitting the fan!

[HoB]

Ok there is now officially a second model of the Skirmish....yes with hole and everything...just smaller:
http://www.benchmade.com/products/produ ... ?model=635

[mystillwater]

um...yeah...so...who cares? it's another cool knife that it sounds like you won't buy. life goes on.

[CKE]

Resisting urge to beat already dead and gone horse................. :D I have not come to expect much from many companies ethics Too Bad really.

[Ed Meinel]

As has been stated in other threads, the hole-in-the-blade patent has expired but the single round hole is still a :spyder: trademark. Benchmade gets around it by using four holes instead of one. Even Sal uses an oval in the byrd line to differentiate it from the :spyder: line.

I think this will be a non-issue anyway. Did you see the price? $200 :eek:

[The Deacon]

Trying to do the same Craig, but...
Having never visited the Benchmade Forum, having no intention of doing so, and meaning no offense to HoB, I do have to wonder what would happen if someone were to post what amounted to an ad for a competitors product, especially one that might be felt to infringe on their turf, there. Are, for example the Spyderfly and Szabofly openly linked to and discussed there? Just curious.

[RLR]

Give it up. Although the Skirmish isn't on my want list, a few of the other BM in the new lineup are. I collect and use both :spyder: and BM. Both have their place and both are excellent quality. The Axis is still my favourite lock ever, hands down.

Integrity is also respecting others. Just my $.02.

Off to give a dead horse some water, I remain,

RLR

[mystillwater]

HOB:

do you speedskate? i used to be very into the sport and i just noticed your avatar...

[CKE]

Wonder what would happen if say..oh...Linton manufactured a knife with the Axis lock?????? I guess that would be alright...hey it would be cheaper than the BM :D

[Senate]

I also think that BM is circumventing the trademark by using mutliple holes and that's not a very honest move from them but they make great knives so maybe I'll be buying a 630 and 635. it's not my job to judge, I can only buy or boycott and that's difficult enough for me... :)

[clovisc]

i dunno. four holes looks way different from spyderco's trademark single spyderhole.

if the guy who invented the first folding knife was alive, do you think he'd be angry at everyone making folding knives?

sal should be proud that the industry has to try to keep up!

i guarantee that while others imitate, spyderco will continue to innovate and lead the way in knife design... and that people will continue to notice!

[HoB]

It is good (maybe what I like most about this forum), that there are so many here that are so even keeled. Maybe I am showing my (relative young, as we now know :) ), age through this rash behavior.

Maybe you guys are right and this horse doesn't need more beating and Deacon, you are probably right, I shouldn't have copied the link. Not a well thought through action on my part. So in a way all of your reponses have me kind of regret starting this thread.

However, my concern stands in part: The trademark is in part received due to the exclusive use of the round hole on Spyderco's side but also due to the fact that nobody else is/was using it. The more knives that are out there which feature a round hole to open it the weaker the legal basis of the trademark becomes I would guess, though I am not a legal expert. And this is really nothing against BM in particular here.

I can also see that a slip is possible and that nobody is willing to retract a knife that sells this well is also clear. So, fine, nothing I could get riled up too badly about, but to make changes to the handle embellishment but not the much contested blade embellishment, while changing size and shape of it. I don't know, makes me wonder when Spyderco is forced to take action, even though this is strictly speaking none of my concern.

I just have to wonder how many other manufactures will figure, that since nothing happened in this case and BM is expanding the line, they can do the same as long as they put a couple of holes around it. And thus I wonder how long it will take till few people will associate a round hole with the Spyderco name?

But again, I guess I should leave all that to Spyderco, were it is certainly in better hands than mine.

[4 s ter]

Where is that "biting my tongue" smilie :confused:

If this thread keeps up I'm going to post something I might be sorry about :eek:

David

[druid]

I have a lot of loyalty to spiderco, they have always done me very well. The original skirmish was in my opinion a little on the large side of practical, for better or worse this seems to be an improvement. In my opinion the whole opening mechanism is the best method for opening the blade and most likely the most popular. It is hard for me to blame other manufacturers for using this. That said I would rather by a legally royalties paid version. But honestly I don't know if I would feel differently for company other than spiderco. Given the obvious utility that this opening system and the length of time they've had a relative monopoly on. As has been mentioned before spiderco was the first to use a pocket clip. It would be difficult to imagine a world in which no other company was allowed to use this innovation. And as much as I like spiderco I think competition is part of what keeps people competitive. I have myself posted a thread about the original Blackwood.

[shrpshn]

Several years ago it was general knowledge that Benchmade was one of a few manufacturers licensed by Spyderco to use the "Hole", as in their Ascent folders. which also utilized a top-lock. Don't know if that license is still in effect or not.

FYI

John

[4 s ter]

shrpshn

The licence hasn't been in effect since Benchmade started using the elliptical hole instead.

David

[Slvgx]

I'd like it if Spyderco and Benchmade did a collaboration and made something with a round opening hole and an AXIS lock. If Spyderco and Benchmade teamed up it would be pretty impressive I think.

Too bad it probably won't happen. :rolleyes:

[cheez]

That would indead be a great thing that will never happen.

[denn]

the closest models to Spyderco'd Benchmade are the older 800 afck and the current 806 afck. the first had the round hole and liner-lock which caused problems between :spyder: and BM. the latter has an oval hole and axis-lock.

BM's 800 and 806 are the only ones i'd like to have someday, but otherwise my interest in Benchmade remains only because of the balisongs. all the other models don't really grab me

[thombrogan]

HoB,

I used to complain over at the Benchmade forum about the 630. Some folks understood (whether they disagreed or agreed), some didn't get it, and some were offended that dirty secrets might see daylight.

Some of these folks had no problem bashing "the Chinese" because some factories in China have less-than-scrupulous practices, but had no problem when it was being done by Les and Neil.