FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

2008 marked the 35th anniversary for the IWA & Outdoor Classics trade show hosted in Nurnberg, Germany. This highly acclaimed international exhibition had a record number of over 31,000 visitors and 1046 exhibitors from 51 countries. Benchmade Knife Company was among these exhibitors and left their mark in Germany as a recipient of one of this year’s International Knife of the Year Awards.

55 knives from 33 suppliers competed for the coveted IWA International Knife Award. This is the 8th consecutive year of the competition. Categories for this award include: gourmet knives, multitools, outdoor knives, special knives, collector knives, special design and special innovation. Benchmade Knife Company’s 480 SHOKI ™ was awarded the IWA International Knife Award in the category of Special Design.

A recent press statement released by the IWA 2008 Outdoor Classics media department reported the knife as “Excellent for anyone looking for really timeless elegance and perfect technical design. This is the model for the true gentleman.”

The unanimous vote of the jury stated the 480 SHOKI as “A knife that impresses with it’s extravagant style and design.”

Doug Pettis,director of sales, attended the ceremony and accepted the esteemed award on behalf of Benchmade.

“This is a very exciting win for Benchmade, as it marks the first collaborative efforts between Benchmade Knife Company and custom knife designer, Seiichi Nakamura. The 480 SHOKI also introduces a brand new locking mechanism called the NAK-LOK™,” states Pettis. “It is with great pride that we display this award at our manufacturing headquarters in Oregon City, Oregon.”

For more information regarding Benchmade, contact public relations coordinator, Emily DuPlessis emily@benchmade.com or visit www.benchmade.com.