Ronnie Fieg’s collab machine has already given us Kith-badged BMWs, TAG Heuers, and Cinelli race bikes, but it’s the label’s EDC detours that keep us coming back for more coverage. Last March, Kith and Benchmade dropped a monogrammed Bugout 535 capped at just 50 pieces, and naturally, it sold out almost instantly.
Now, 18 months later, the two are back for round two, and rather than remix another catalog staple, they’ve reached much further back in time with the Kith for Benchmade Yamori.
A Lockless Knife From the Lock People
The Yamori takes its cues from the iconic higonokami, the pocket-sized Japanese friction folder that’s been carried by schoolkids and craftsmen alike since the 1890s. True to that lineage, there’s no locking mechanism here at all. And if you’ve never used a Higo, the extended lever on the blade’s spine doubles as a thumb rest, and you use pressure from your grip to help keep the edge deployed while in use.
It’s definitely a more interesting move from Benchmade, as they’re a company that built its entire modern reputation on the beloved AXIS lock. But it does track. The higonokami has always been about restraint and ritual over hard use, and this release is aimed more squarely at the display-case crowd than the hard use or EDC crowd.
Damascus, Checkerboards, and Billet Aluminum
Each Yamori wields a 2.95-inch wharncliffe rendered in Damascus steel, its rippling patterning left on full display beneath a satin finish and deep, anodized laser engraving. It also measures in at just 0.09 inches thick.
The handle is machined from a solid billet of aluminum and covered corner to corner in a checkerboard of tiny KITH wordmarks, which is an evolution of the treatment we loved on the Bugout. Buyers get three anodized options, with the blue Nocturnal, gray Drift, and murdered-out Black all sharing the same 6.95-inch open footprint.
Read the Spine
Our favorite detail lives on the handle’s spine, which has been engraved with kanji reading “friends and family.” And just in case you didn’t know, that’s also more or less the literal definition of “kith.” Each knife also ships with a co-branded leather slip pouch.
And where the Bugout drop was a 50-unit sprint, Kith is playing this one a bit differently. In a trend we’ve been seeing more frequently with limited edition drops, the Yamori is made-to-order. This means the final production count will be dictated by however many people pull the trigger before the window closes.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Benchmade
Collaborator: Kith
Model: Yamori
Knife Type: Friction folder
Blade Length: 2.95″
Blade Thickness: 0.09″
Blade Steel: Damascus
Blade Shape: Wharncliffe
Handle Material: Billet-machined aluminum
Handle Thickness: 0.325″
Open Length: 6.95″
Closed Length: 4.36″
Colorways: 3 (Nocturnal, Drift, Black)
MSRP: $375
Pricing & Availability
The Kith for Benchmade Yamori is live now through Kith’s Monday Program at $375 per colorway, though there are some caveats. It’s US online only, capped at two per customer, and orders close Sunday, September 27th at 11:59pm EST, after which you’ll be waiting 4 to 5 months for delivery. Head over to Kith’s website to lock yours in.
Recap
Kith for Benchmade Yamori
Kith and Benchmade follow up their instantly sold-out Bugout with a made-to-order, Damascus-bladed spin on Japan’s traditional higonokami friction folder, available to order for one week only.
