Benchmade may have hit a financial rough spot and that is why so much stuff is getting weeded out. I'm hoping for less models but higher end blade steels. The Bugout is seeming to be the focus because it is their big seller. I like how they have down sized their lines over the past handful of years and focused on U.S. made and ditched all the red series and other low end stuff. I hope they are getting back to their roots and not flooding the catalog with a bunch of mediocre stuff. I hope they go quality over quantity from now on. I love all the down sizing of models and seeing more higher end steels being offered. Benchmade doesn't need to compete with others. They just need to focus on quality and set them selves apart from the churn out knife companies that have flooded the market the last handful of years. They are a great company that kind of lost it's way when they started producing too many models and they have had to catch them selves and refocus. I like where they are at today compared to five years ago or more when they were associated with a lot of lower quality being made in other countries. I hope they are righting the ship that sailed off course for years
I really doubt they're struggling, but it's true they were offering too much models. They're spreading their efforts too much. They're my favourite knife company by far, but some of their choices are puzzling, even when you don't have all their internal datas.
The griptilian was one of the most popular knife back then, but they never upgraded it outside of steel. It' a tough buy now unfortunately. Sure, you can make it right through their customisation service, but what about international buyers ? What about people who don't buy online ? Why not just offer a G10 Griptilian outside of that grey/blue version ? Everyone one I know complain about those plastic handles that feels very cheap and hollow. I'm sure the Griptilian still selling well, but I'm also convinced it never reached its full potential in terms of design/sales. I'm quite obsessed with the griptilian because it summarize Benchmade last years (wasted potential). It's still the way to go if you want a bigger knife than a 940 or a something more sturdy than Bugout. I also vastly prefer it from my Para-2 for the blade shape alone.
In his last review of the Hougue Griptilian
@NickShabazz offered a nice overview about what could be done about the Grip. There was a lot to unpack : spare omega springs, better handles material, move the thumbstud out of the slicing path... I really wish Benchmade could implement them.
For one, I'm glad they'll have a tighter catalogue from now on. Maybe we'll see a better focus on the most popular models ? That's all I hope because that's a company that can take the market by storm when they nail a model. The bugout is a good exemple and if they can nail a Steep Country V2, I'm sure it will be another one of those knives. I'm also quite sure a Benchmade Adamas with proper handles (ala Schrade schf13) and without those serrations could be a big seller too.
