Benchmade Proof Of Concept Knives
I thought that it might be interesting for some of the Forum Members to get a look at some very rare knives, these are is called "Proof of Concept Knives". They are possibly the rarest of them all as Benchmade only makes one or two of these knives and they are rarely seen on the open market place.
"Proof of Concept Knife Ares 730"
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Looks nice. Is the handle carbon fiber? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by bchan77:
Looks nice. Is the handle carbon fiber?
Yes it is and in this case there is only one like it with that pattern..
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So we can expect the production of this knife in future? Or had the idea been scrapped? 0 -
where did you come across this??? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by bchan77:
So we can expect the production of this knife in future? Or had the idea been scrapped?
No what a Concept knife is just that, to test a Concept and they only make one or two to prove it..
They usually go on with another color or material from there and that is why they are so rare..0 -
quote:Originally posted by timmy<3bm:
where did you come across this???
That's a very good question Timmy,
There are certain dealers that specialize in handling very rare Benchmades, I was alerted to this and some others that where available for sale though one of those dealers.
This was not the only "Proof of Concept" that he had and to be honest with you this was the only one that I asked him for a picture of, he had a RED 710 (Just Sold) and a 960 CF also.0 -
Curious to know; Which comes first? I've never heard of a 'Proof of Concept knife', I get the idea though. Is an R&D (Research and Development) the same thing or is that part of a different process? Once these get approved I'd imagine the Prototypes then come into being.
Any way you look at it the knife pictured is a rare piece of BKC history.0 -
quote:Originally posted by joe_karp:
Curious to know; Which comes first? I've never heard of a 'Proof of Concept knife', I get the idea though. Is an R&D (Research and Development) the same thing or is that part of a different process? Once these get approved I'd imagine the Prototypes then come into being.
Any way you look at it the knife pictured is a rare piece of BKC history.
I suspect that you could call it part of the R&D, but those that never make it to production models are scrapped and don't get out the door I believe.
It can take up to 2 years for a knife to go from initial concept drawings to being put out onto the market place and these are a very rare part of Benchmade History..0 -
My wife (and others!) tell me I'm weird, but I love this kind of thing! I'd love to see more pictures and hear the stories.
I appreciate that some of it is confidential for business reasons. And of course, pictures and stories are someone's personal history and I don't mean to gossip or intrude. But I love Benchmade products and I love the stories of successful companies. I like to know how they work, the ups-and-downs, the ideas that worked and the many "failures" that were part of the path to success.
My hat's off to Benchmade for their integrity and dedication to Customer Service. I'll probably stir up some objections, but as much as I like their knives (and I do!), there are other people who make great knives. Benchmade stands above them all, however, as an organization based on integrity. That impresses me!
So, WDW -- any more pics, stories, or details would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing!0 -
I'm sure Joe is right, these "proof of concept" knives are probably made so the powers that be can pass them around the conference table when trying to decide if the idea is worthy of making a run of prototypes.
Imagine some of the ones that were rejected. Those would be some interesting proof of concept knives.
I wonder if many knives have been rejected after making a small run of prototypes?0 -
Thank you for for sharing that with us. I didn't know they even existed.
Very cool
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quote:Originally posted by fastjan:
...I wonder if many knives have been rejected after making a small run of prototypes?
Yes, I've seen numerous prototypes with various steels and handle materials that were never produced at all. In fact, I'd guess that for every production model there were several rejected prototypes.0 -
So is the knife pictured like an original proof of concept for the 730 itself? or just the idea of doing the 730 in cf? or is it related to the newer runs?
Also, if there's any chance of getting some pictures of the other ones he had? I'd love to see them, especially the 960.
Lastly, what kind of prices does this dealer get for something like this? Are there any kind of blade markings? Someone with enough time on their hands could program a mill to run off ares scales out of cf, put them on there and sell it for a few grand... or whatever something like this goes for.0 -
My guess would be PoC for the 730CF LE. They probably tested several different types of CF. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by DeathOfAllThings:
....... especially the 960..........
Don't know if the same knife but I got offer couple years ago for
960 conception knife it was marked something like 'Test' on blade
had no box and have some small damage on both MOP inlays.
I have photos in my other/arested laptop.
This one too without model mark on blade,no idea conception or not:0 -
BTW I doubt about concept knife in first page,
you can see model number on blade.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Who Dares Wins:quote:Originally posted by bchan77:
Looks nice. Is the handle carbon fiber?
Yes it is and in this case there is only one like it with that pattern..
I think these scales might be aluminum with carbon fiber pattern such as on the 705 KOTM.
The look of Carbon Fiber changes on diagonal cuts...like in the pic Laser posted.
But on this POC knife the look of the "Carbon Fiber" doesn't change leading me to believe it is only a carbon fiber pattern.0 -
Does the other side of the knife blade in the first post have any writing on it? 0 -
I think you are right on there Neuro. The pattern would change around the curves and where it's cut to a different plane. I think you've got something there! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by different:
I think you are right on there Neuro........
+1 painted surface and very rounded edges.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Neuro:quote:Originally posted by Who Dares Wins:quote:Originally posted by bchan77:
Looks nice. Is the handle carbon fiber?
Yes it is and in this case there is only one like it with that pattern..
I think these scales might be aluminum with carbon fiber pattern such as on the 705 KOTM.
The look of Carbon Fiber changes on diagonal cuts...like in the pic Laser posted.
But on this POC knife the look of the "Carbon Fiber" doesn't change leading me to believe it is only a carbon fiber pattern.
Neuro wins the Cigar, this is a quote directly from Benchmade regarding the knife..
"The "proof of concept" was regarding the handle finish. They're actually G10 that had an emersion dip coating applied to look like Carbon Fiber. They do a number of different pattern coatings like camo, etc. Here’s a link to the company with the pattern they applied:
http://www.tarjac.com/PatternI...ilver%203974-01.html
After evaluation, we selected this coating/pattern for use on the 705-05/00 “Knife of the Month” limited edition.
I hope this doesn’t take away from the knife at all. It’s still a one off concept piece and a great collector’s item.
I just thought you should know it’s not true carbon fiber."0 -
oh, I hope it was a Cuban. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Neuro:
oh, I hope it was a Cuban.
Why was? It will be!0 -
quote:Originally posted by laser:
BTW I doubt about concept knife in first page,
you can see model number on blade.
This is why Neuro won, so he gets the Cigar for being spot on with it..0 -
I have a knife that would probably fall into this category. I'm sure the older members here have all seen it before.
806M2 Prototype. It's probably the only uncoated M2 blade benchmade has done (that I'm aware of).
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quote:Originally posted by Patryn:
I have a knife that would probably fall into this category. I'm sure the older members here have all seen it before.
806M2 Prototype. It's probably the only uncoated M2 blade benchmade has done (that I'm aware of).
I'll take it!! (Just kidding...) Maybe.
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these knives all start looking alike after a while 0 -
I've never seen or heard of that one, Patryn. Thanks for posting it. Looks like it was made back in the day of the D2 806 that had an oval hole.quote:Originally posted by Patryn:
I have a knife that would probably fall into this category. I'm sure the older members here have all seen it before.
806M2 Prototype. It's probably the only uncoated M2 blade benchmade has done (that I'm aware of).
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