755 Disappointed

R

ROBB

Joined
Nov 14, 1999
Messages
1,506
Just got my Benchmade 755 MPR. Almost everything I heard was great so I was excited about getting this folder. I knew it was going to be heavy, (5.5 oz.) and I expected it to be thick but its even thicker than I thought. I could live with that. The 755 I got is not the 1st production run so I figured some of the kinks would be worked out.
I have 2 major problems with my MPR.
1. I can't open the folder with my thumb. Maybe its the position of the thumb stud. Or it could be how "pointy" the studs are. The only I can open it without flicking it is by using my middle finger on the lock side to partially open the blade and then using my thumb to open it the rest of the way.
2. The other problem I was kind of shocking to me given the robustness of the folder. The frame lock opens easier then almost every liner lock folder I have. I have a lot of frame locks and all of them are pretty strong. The 755 unlocked so easy I was surprised. I've never seen an intregal lock that pushed to the side so easy. The thickness of the lock must be over 0.10" and I have liner locks 0.55" that feel stronger and are harder to unlock. Right now the titanium lock on the MPR is still is the galling (sticking) stage. This will wear off eventually. When that happens will I have to worry about accidental closing ?
Another minor problem is the clip. I kind of expected this but I was hoping it would be fixed. Right now I can't get it into my pocket with grabbing the bottom of the clip and pulling it out a little.
Does anyone else have the problem with the weak lock or the thumb studs?
I would also like to mention that the 755 was not what I would sharp out of the box. Spyderco, Kershaw, CRK have just about every blade razor sharp shipped. I would think Benchmade could do the same.
There are a lot of positive things about the 755. Its smooth opening. The fit of parts seem very good. The lip on the intregal lock may be a good thing, I guess time will tell. The "octagon shaped stop pin may be an improvement if the blade develops play after the lock has worn in.
I guess my main complait is the lock bar seems to have very little tension. Is this normal for this folder?

I found if my fingers are not touching the lock side of the bar and are completely on the G10, then I can open the folder with my thumb but its not the most comfortable position for my hand. Apparently if any fingers are touching the lock bar its putting pressure puching the blade into the detent making it difficult to open with the thumb.
 
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I just got mine today, love it. Came very sharp, sorry to hear yours wasnt.

It can be tricky to open, but ive found that keeping two fingers on the clip and two on the g10 it opens easy and smooth.
 
the lock bar is very easy to move to the unlock position. i noticed that too, but it does not bother me. you can adjust lockup by rotating the the hex stop pin. you will not over-extend the lock bar due to the g10 acting as a stop. pretty ingenious design.

mine came very sharp and am quite pleased with it. i do not use clips, so i do not care about that. i do like the way the clip looks though.
 
i was at a knife shop earlier today and i checked out the 755 and like you said the liner lock was super loose, i asked the guy behind the counter and he was baffled. we both kinda scratched are heads. It felt really cheap and unsafe. On the other hand i handled another one a weak before and it worked just fine, nice and sturdy. odd
 
mine is perfect unlocks easy but locks up like a vault... just like my hinderer xm18... very smooth after a day of opening and i feel the lock will only become better in time .. this knife is extreamly well made and for 200 dollars your getting a knife that is practically built to custom standards..
 
I also coincidentally looked at the MPR today at a gun shop and the lock bar engaged well, but it was surprisingly loose on opening :confused:

That threw me off from it but I did like how it felt in hand :thumbup:
 
i was at a knife shop earlier today and i checked out the 755 and like you said the liner lock was super loose
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Maybe I explained it wrong. The lock is'nt loose at all. The lock up is solid. Its the tension thats so weak, it feels like very little pressure is on the lock bar. I've got Sebenza's, XM-18, and other quality frame locks. They all have much more tension on the lock bar.
Maybe its just psycologicial and there won't be any problems. It just does'nt inspire much confidence.
 
I think BM blew it when they scooped out too much material on the lock bar to allow easy unlocking. Left a paper thin area there.
I wouldn't "spine whack" test the knife, and certainly wouldn't baton it.
Otherwise it is a fine knife, I love the size, and mine shaved arm hair right out of the box.
Nice design, but that "scoop" worries me.
 
You can loosen the pocket clip by exceeding its elastic limit. Bend it out a little ways and test for fit. If you over do it, you can remove the clip and bend it the other way while holding the base in a vise. If you have the clip off the knife, test the edges for burrs or rough spots and remove them with a fine slip. You can some times increase the tension on a frame lock leaf spring by bending it toward the blade slot. The knife would have to be disassembled to allow a little over-travel. Seems you have a tight leaf and a loose leaf.
 
I think BM blew it when they scooped out too much material on the lock bar to allow easy unlocking. Left a paper thin area there.
Click to expand...
You're right the cutout is very thin. I have other folders that seem to have thin cutouts a well. I have a Larry Davidson frame lock that looks even thiner and theres no problem with lock tension. Even my Kershaw Leek's frame lock looks pretty thin at the cutout and has perfect tension.
I'm seriously thinking about returning the 755.
 
C Ben Susrool said:
I think BM blew it when they scooped out too much material on the lock bar to allow easy unlocking. Left a paper thin area there.
I wouldn't "spine whack" test the knife, and certainly wouldn't baton it.
Otherwise it is a fine knife, I love the size, and mine shaved arm hair right out of the box.
Nice design, but that "scoop" worries me.
Click to expand...

I don't have MPR yet, so following is based on other knives.
I think the "easy unlocking" comes mostly from the lockbar bend, rather than cutout depth.
I've had knives with deep cutout that had a lot of tension. I also had knives with thick cutout area that were easy to unlock. I've had the same model knives needed very different amount of force to unlock.
The tension can be adjusted fairly easily. Just take it apart and bend the lockbar slightly one way or another.
I also think that "spine whack" test result depends more on the angle of the blade tang. Lockbar tension surely matters, but IMHO not as much as the angle.
I wouldn't worry much about the "scoop". Especially with G10 over the cutout, I think it is pretty strong design.
 
I received a 755 yesterday, and sent it back today. Mine was just not up to par - the blade was all the way against the liner on the non-locking side, and there was some ugly globbiness on the jimped part of the locking liner.

I also am just not crazy about the design, which seems really impractically overbuilt while not being very convincing as a real tactical blade (the handle is not very easy to grip, and the jimping on the spine is so dull that it offers no real purchase at all).

All of that being said, I didn't notice the lock being unduly soft or easy to open, and the lockup was undeniably awesome. I still think the knife LOOKS really cool - I'm just not sold on the merits of it in reality.
 
2 of the 3 benchmades I've bought came fairly dull from the factory. Just send it back and complain, they will hand sharpen it and give you a free teeshirt.

-Freq
 
I almost got a custom MPR but after thoroughly thinking it through I decided it is just too impractical of a design for my needs.Now looking at peoples reviews I'm glad I didn't. After looking at pictures it's just too bulky and it looks like it won't cut that great either. I appreciate the quality of the custom mpr but I would be living in fantasy land if I thought it would be a good user for my needs.
 
I handled one at my dealer the other day.

I was not impressed. All the usual complaints about this knife surfaced in the specimen I looked at.

I have sold or given away most of my nice, dressier EDC folders in the last year or so. Out of all the sweet folders I had, I am down to 4 really good “dress” ones. 2 of them are Benchmades, an Osborne Switchback, (921), and a “limited Edition” Sequel, (707-701). At one time I probably had 10 different Benchmades.
Granted, these are arguably two of the nicer BM’s ever made, but the company used to offer some great knives throughout their entire lineup. When I had a lot of Benchmades, I only owned the blue or black class, but they were all very, very good. The F&F was fantastic, the blades came razor sharp and they exuded quality.

Now, their premier folder, the MPR, doesn’t even compare to what they used to produce.
It is sad to see one of my favorite manufacturers falling from grace.
 
Everyone knows that the design is a production version of the custom made by Shane Sibert, right? The design is not Benchmade's, they just took what they saw as a great knife from a great maker and brought it to market.

Everyone says lately that they just don't make models like they used to. Other than the 806 and the Skirmish, what models were so great that there is not something similar now? Just because you don't like all of their current models doesn't mean that Benchmade is not doing extremely well right now. They are making more of their knives in the US and operating at full capacity and expanding that capacity. They are also 2 or 3 times the size of Spyderco so they must be doing something right.

I agree that the MPR is too small and I won't buy one, but that is the design of the knife. They probably wanted a heavy duty 'tactical' design that would be legal to carry in the many places that have a maximum blade length of 3".

I guess every company will have their critics.
 
Wow! The MPR isn’t a BM original design? Who knew?:rolleyes:

Criticizing a knife company that you used to love is hardly being an unfair critic. (And I used to love Benchmade)
If anything, it lends credence to the argument that the company is not what it used to be.

I don’t care that much for Spydercos, but I can tell you that their F&F has gotten better, not worse over the last 15 years or so. Benchmade has gone the other way.

I am a huge fan of the Axis lock. As I mentioned, I still have two of them, partly because the action is so good and unique. For a dress/ urban duty EDC, I still think the AXIS is the best locking system ever made. I only change that opinion when it comes to my hard-use/outdoor knives. In those instances, I feel that less is more, and prefer a framelock over the Omega spring system simply because of the corrosion factor.


What BM’s were great you ask? Every Osborne, McHenry Williams, Snody and Blackwood design, for starters. The execution equaled the design. They were near custom quality, and nobody complained of shoddy F&F on those knives. Heck, BM even polished some S30V on a few models, nobody does that anymore!

Now, they even mange to screw up a Sibert design.
 
Well when people criticize Benchmade because of the design of the MPR it makes you wonder. :rolleyes:

Model numbers would be nice instead of a list of the makers who have designed probably 80% of Benchmades folders. And there are still quite a few models being produced by those makers that you listed.

I see some pictures, like in the other MPR thread, of knives that have bad F&F, but I see them for just about every production company out there. I currently have 19 Benchmade knives in my possession and there is not anything wrong with the F&F of any of them except maybe a couple very slightly off center blades. I guess I just got reallllly lucky.

The only bad Benchmade knives that I got were the M4 710. I had two of them and they both had some minor issues, especially the back spacer area. But I sold those off a while ago. I guess those 2 means that the company has gone down hill and not worth buying anymore.
 
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