Benchmade Precursors ?

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kootenay joe
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Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by kootenay joe »

I have 2 very well made folders branded "Aristocrat/Seki Japan". There are other knives marked similarly but without "Seki" that are inferior to the Seki ones. I think the brand name changed ownership from Aristocrat "1" to Aristocrat "2".
I have an almost identical knife that is branded "Pacific Cutlery/Seki Japan" with a logo that looks the same(?) as the Benchmade butterfly.
Did the person behind the Seki Aristocrat knives start Pacific Cutlery and then did this business become the Benchmade company. I am surmising this based on the similarities of these 3 knives.
Any help will be appreciated.
thanks, kj
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PCwizard
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by PCwizard »

Joe

"Balisong USA" was the original company name,
Then it became "Pacific Cutlery" then after bankrupt in the early 1980's the name changed to Benchmade.

Those knifes you have look to be from the same factory, there dead on.

I don't know any association with Aristocrat, the best person to ask would be Dale "Orvet"
Here is a post I did awhile back, Dale added a lot of great info to it.

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... =2&t=48029
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orvet
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by orvet »

I am unfamiliar with the Aristocrats/Seki Japan. I don’t know who made them nor for whom they were made. ::shrug::

kootenay joe wrote: Did the person behind the Seki Aristocrat knives start Pacific Cutlery and then did this business become the Benchmade company. I am surmising this based on the similarities of these 3 knives.
As we have often seen in the cutlery industry in this country a knife pattern may be made with several different brands on it for several different companies. Take the case of Schrade and Camillus knives that were made for numerous different companies in the hardware wholesale business. I am sure the same is probably true of the Japanese cutlery industry as well. Just because Aristocrat sold a knife that appeared to be the same as a Pacific Cutlery knife does not necessarily mean there was a connection between the companies. The connection was probably that the two companies were buying from the same manufacturer.

Did Les de Asis, the founder of Pacific Cutlery have anything to do with Aristocrat knives? The answer is; I do not know.

You asked if Pacific Cutlery Company become Benchmade Knives? According to what Les de Asis is told me, no! When Les was starting Benchmade he told me Pacific Cutlery ended in bankruptcy, assets seized, etc. When Benchmade was getting started his credit was so shot from the bankruptcy of Pacific Cutlery he wasn’t even listed as an owner, the company was in his wife’s name, but he was on the Board of Directors if memory serves me.

As I recall we did discuss the Balisong butterfly logo. It was his impression at that time that that was the trademark of Pacific Cutlery and the rights to the Balisong butterfly logo was the only thing he was able to get out of the collapse of Pacific Cutlery. He and Jodi Sampson were both very happy that they had been able to hang on to the rights to the Balisong butterfly logo. I know there was a court case in recent years regarding the Balisong branding, I don’t know all the details but if I remember correctly the case did not go in Les’ favor. I think the ruling was that the name Balisong had become a generic name for a butterfly knife much as Kleenex has become a generic name for a tissue, even though both are trade names.

I do not recall ever hearing Les speak of a Balisong USA company. It was my impression that his first venture into the cutlery world was Pacific Cutlery. Balisong was their flagship brand.

I hope this helps.... some at least.
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kootenay joe
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Dale Thank You for your knowledgeable help. I had not thought of the manufacturer making the same knife for 2 or more businesses that were ordering knives from them.
I am surprised how few people know of the Aristocrat/Seki knives. The quality is on par with Al Mar, Moki, etc., a true top line knife.
There are other knives branded "Aristocrat/Japan" that are of lower quality that the "Aristocrat/Seki" branded knives.
There are also high end Gent's Tactical style knives branded "Ant" whose construction is very similar to the Aristocrat/Seki knives.
Maybe one day someone who knows the Aristocrat story will come across this thread and post the details for all of us to read.
kj
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by PCwizard »

orvet wrote:I do not recall ever hearing Les speak of a Balisong USA company. It was my impression that his first venture into the cutlery world was Pacific Cutlery. Balisong was their flagship brand.
Dale you right about the USA, the USA is at the bottom of there butterfly logo and I thought it was part of the name (My Bad), I just read the company history and its not USA its "Bali-Song, Inc."

Bali-Song, Inc. did turn into Pacific Cutlery. But after the Bankruptcy they started a new company called Benchmade.

Below is the History of Benchmade written by the company itself.

https://www.benchmade.com/benchmade-history
kootenay joe
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Gary, thanks for the link to Benchmade history page. My "Pacific Cutlery" knife is definitely related to The Benchmade company as these were both business owned by the same person (Les de Asis).
Now i would like to know which knife company in Seki made the above knives and who the person is behind the Aristocrat knives.
kj
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by PCwizard »

kootenay joe wrote:Gary, thanks for the link to Benchmade history page. My "Pacific Cutlery" knife is definitely related to The Benchmade company as these were both business owned by the same person (Les de Asis).
Now i would like to know which knife company in Seki made the above knives and who the person is behind the Aristocrat knives.
kj

Sorry Joe can't help you with that, I will say that there all good looking knives, you have a great set of them ::tu:: ::tu::
kootenay joe
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Re: Benchmade Precursors ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Thanks Gary. I have another 5" Aristocrat on the way. This one is the same knife as the "Pacific Cutlery" knife shown above, except it is branded "Aristocrat Sovereign".
kj
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