Home / Outdoors / Knives & Multi-Tools

Benchmade’s Unique New EDC Knife Puts Fidget-Friendliness First

The Lowden combines modern style and premium materials with a uniquely compelling yet rarely deployed mechanism.

Close-up of a Benchmade folding knife with a partially open blade. The blade has a two-tone finish with the Benchmade butterfly logo and model number "491" visible near the handle. The handle is dark blue with visible screws and a spring mechanism. The knife is resting on a textured, light brown surface.Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol
Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published

·

Updated

With iconic EDC knives such as the Bugout and Bailout, plus paradigm-shifters including the PSK and Dacian, Benchmade has cemented its legacy as one of America’s pre-eminent knife brands.

This success is all the more remarkable when you consider the fact the brand generally eschews one of the most fashionable deployment mechanisms in the space.

Folding knife with a stonewashed steel blade and a red anodized aluminum handle, featuring a butterfly logo on the blade near the handle.
The deployment, styling and materials of the Lowden really stand out from the EDC pack.
Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

I am speaking of course of the damn-near ubiquitous and endlessly fidget-friendly rear flipper.

While loads of other brands, from CRKT and Gerber to Kansept and We Knife, bust it out regularly, it’s quite rare for Benchmade to depart from its classic thumb stud and Axis Lock mechanism. 

That’s just one of multiple factors that make its latest release, the Lowden, so special.

Flip fantasia

For the record, Benchmade has released knives with flipping action in the past — think the Arcane and a knife still in the catalog, the Vector.

However, those knives feature the brand’s Axis Assist tech, which employs a spring to enhance the deployment. 

Close-up of the handle end of a red folding knife with a visible pivot mechanism and a black button or screw on a textured beige surface.
The Axis Lock flipper mechanism distinguishes the Lowden from previous Benchmade knives with flipping qualities.
Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

The Lowden relies simply on the Axis Lock flipper mechanism. That makes it a manual flipper, depending on a bit of a snap from your forefinger to fully deploy and lock into place.

As a longtime fanatic about all things manual (particularly motorcycle transmissions), I personally find this action more satisfying.

However it has benefits beyond haptics, as manual knives are “more legal” in some parts of the world, particularly when their blades measure less than three inches, as is the case here.

Two folding knives with stonewashed blades are shown on a textured surface. One knife has a dark blue handle with a bronze pocket clip, while the other has a red handle with black screws and hardware. Both knives have a similar blade shape and locking mechanism.
Beyond handle color, the two Lowdens have one other difference: the blade of the 491GY-01 (right) has a protective Cerakote treatment.
Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

There is precedent here in the form of the Tengu Flipper. While it deployed so swiftly as to feel assisted, it was in fact manual.

However, that knife also employed a classic liner lock rather than the patented Axis lock, making the Lowden truly unique.

Modern marvel

The Axis Lock flipper truly distinguishes the Lowden, in that the flipping action can immediately be followed by a pull on the tabs of the Lock, returning to its handle — only to be addictively flipped again in true fidget-friendly fashion.

Beyond being a first for the brand, the Lowden does what so many Benchmades before it have, which is to elevate a familiar form with premium materials. 

Two closed folding knives with metal handles, one in matte blue and the other in matte red, placed on a textured light brown surface. Both knives feature a visible pivot mechanism and a pocket clip.
Anodized aluminum is not only light and tough but lovely to behold.
Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

Toward that end, the actual blade being flipped is a 2.79-inch spear-point made of M390, a super steel valued for its excellent exceptional edge retention, corrosion resistance and toughness. 

The size, shape and material here is not only beautiful to behold but plenty qualified to tackle a range of everyday tasks.

Folding knife with a red handle and a gray stonewashed blade marked "M390," placed on a textured light brown surface.
Thanks to M390 steel and Cerakote, this 2.79-inch spear-point blade is ready for just about anything.
Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

Meanwhile, the handle is rendered in two different shades of lightweight anodized aluminum, Crater Blue and Phoenix Red, with the visual flair enhanced by milled geometric contours and a circular pommel.

Together with the symmetrical blade, the overall aesthetic recalls traditional daggers, giving this decidedly modern knife its own distinct throwback vibes.

Two closed folding knives with metal clips are shown on a textured beige surface. One knife has a red handle with a bronze-colored clip, and the other has a dark blue handle with a similar bronze-colored clip. Both clips feature a small butterfly logo. The knives have visible pivot screws and locking mechanisms near the base of the handles.
Reversible pocket clips ensure your fidgety friend stays safely stashed by your side.
Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

Rounding out the features are a reversible deep-carry pocket clip and, in the case of the Phoenix Red variant, a Cerakote blade treatment that further enhances its durability.

The Benchmade Lowden 491 (Crater Blue) is available now for $320. The Lowden 491GY-01 (Phoenix Red) costs $330.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

Read More