Benchmade Knife Company Acquires Lone Wolf Knives
Acquisition Brings Breadth and Variety to Benchmade...
I'm glad for Benchmade, a solid company that has every reason to be proud of its success. Thing is, I'd developed an affection for Lone Wolf -- both the company and its products.Early this year I had the pleasure of interviewing Lone Wolf Knives boss Jim Wehrs for a short-term project I was doing. His enthusiasm for the business intrigued me and his commitment to quality won my admiration. Not long afterward I bought one of his Eagle Talon "Double-Action" automatics.
To say that I'm thrilled with the knife is an understatement. Its blade is CPM-S30V stainless steel, the scales fiberglass-reinforced nylon. Pivot and lock are Swiss-watch precise. I love that it can be opened either via the auto mechanism or manually with the thumb stud.
The Eagle Talon auto is the perfect size for EDC (where the law permits). For comparison, I photographed it (ironically, perhaps) next to my Benchmade 556 Mini-Griptilian.
Anyway, back to the acquisition. I carry a Griptilian every single day and have no complaints, but when I heard that big Benchmade had swallowed much smaller Lone Wolf it gave me pause.Even without knowing details about Lone Wolf's prospects or its financial condition, I'm saddened to see it absorbed by a larger competitor. I'm somewhat consoled, I guess, that at least it became part of another American knifemaker. I'll be interested to see what Benchmade does with the brand.
