Like many American dreams, Benchmade grew from humble beginnings...from a small shop rented in a second-story mezzanine in California, founder Les de Asis incorporated his company as Bali-Song®, Inc. Les actually purchased the original equipment from the owner of a manufacturing operation who was looking to retire. Utilizing the rudimentary technology available to him at the time, he began building handmade custom Bali-Songs (a popular type of butterfly knife originating in the Philippines) with Jody Samson, who ground all of the blades. The massive success of these custom Balis spurred the creation of the first production Bali-Song®: The model 68.

Now more than ever, Benchmade continues their momentum with great passion and enthusiasm. They’re at a critical point in the business as the industry continues to grow, forcing Benchmade to really focus their efforts on the recipe that got them to where they are today. There are inevitable challenges associated with growth, but Benchmade is confident in their ability to learn from time’s lessons and continually forge themselves to be better.