Benchmade 940

SpartanSaint

SpartanSaint

Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
970
i've been looking and reading alot, and i'd like to buy my first high end knife.

I'm eyeballing the Benchmade 940, i believe i've found one in D2 tool steel.

i know my dad had a carbon steel folder a while back, the thing held an edge through hell and back, and i'd like to get something similar to what he had, if not a little nicer.

My findings show that knives out of m4 are a bit out of my price range lol, but this D2 940 has piqued my interest greatly

thoughts anyone?? feel free to chime in with different thoughts on steels as well as manufacturers and styles
 
D2 is nearly stainless, being only a percent or two off from being a true stainless steel. In my experience BM does a great job with the heat treat. I don't find D2 to be any harder to sharpen than S30V, which is the steel the 940 is usually in.

If you are okay with the aesthetics of Spyderco (and not everyone is) the Gayle Bradley is in M4 and around the same price range. However, it's not going to be as thin, nor as light as the 940.

All around the BM 94x are some of my favorite knives.
 
The 2 knives that find their way into my pocket most these days are a Spyderco Caly3 in ZDP189 and a Benchmade 940 in D2 (both carbon fiber handles). The 940 is as close to the perfect EDC knife (for me) that I've found. Slim and light, fast to deploy and close, edge curvature is the way I like it, grind profile is great for slicing. I've owned or handled a 710, 806, 705, 930, 610, Griptilians, etc, and the 940 is the one that fits me the best.

Other people like bigger, beefier knives, I prefer lighter and thinner. My 940D2CF is my most carried knife (since I still can't bring myself to carry my 940Ti-01).
 
i've got one in CF and D2 as well as the standard, but i've only carried it to a couple funerals and maybe a wedding. can't make myself EDC it.
 
Welcome to BladeForums.
You really need to ask yourself 2 questions:

1-What budget are you working with?
2-What is the extent of tasks that you forsee the knife you want to buy doing?

I do not have the 940, I have the 940. Same handle just a different blade shape and steel (S30V). I've not really carried that knife too much.

For about $125 (same price as the 940, maybe a little less) you can actually buy a CPM-M4 knife, (Spyderco Gayle Bradley). Great steel, carbon fiber, a real beast of a knife. I use mine just about everyday for everything from opening mail, packages to cutting cables, stripping insulation, and it's even seen a little prying action with no problems. After 5 months I've sharpened the blade once, and it's got a nice mirror edge on it.
 
I EDC'd a 154cm version for 5-years - still kicking myself in the arse for letting it go. What was I thinking? :D
 
I have the standard s30v 940 and love it, smooth as butter capable but not threatening to non-knife people and disappears in my pocket as I removed the clip. This has been my first benchmade and my first quality non-custom and I seem to find it in my pocket daily and use it daily.
 
I have the standard s30v 940 and love it, smooth as butter capable but not threatening to non-knife people and disappears in my pocket as I removed the clip.
Click to expand...

I love the standard s30v 940 so much that I bought 2 of them inc ase one would get lost. They're about perfect. About a 3.5" blade with almost 1:1 blade to handle ratio. You get a pretty long blade in a small package. Very classy for a production folder. Opens faster than an automatic too.

Did I say I love my BM 940? :D
 
The D-2 blades turn to red dust in my pocket in the summertime. Probably eating too much salt. I like the S30V blade material. I like the shape of the 943 (clip point). I don't do a lot of skinning. The handles on the 943 are very drab (black), but you can move parts around to get a better looking knife. The axis lock is the best. The knife weighs 82gm. (less than 3 oz.). All in all a great package.
 
While I haven't had any problems with rust on 710 D2, I can see how it could happen for some people who are in a climate with more moisture. I have noticed that D2 stains rather easily (patina?), especially if you use it in the kitchen. I've had my 943 for about 4 years now, but since it has the black coating I can't really tell how much, if any, staining it would have gotten had it been satin.

Recently I picked up a 940 in satin, and so far I haven't noticed any staining. I've used it on avocadoes, lemons, limes, assorted meats, onions and other acidic foods and have yet to see any staining.

I will say that after having carried the 943 for so long, I can feel a significant difference between the 943 and the 940. That .28 ounce really changes the "feel" of the knife, even more so in my opinion than the blade shape.
 
Someonew gotta take the other side..... My problem with the 940 is the blade is too thin and IMO it is too easy to close. I've never cut myself with a knife prior to handling a 940 for a mere minute. It definitely bit me. that said I prefer the bigger benchmades such as the 615 or 583
 
I've never cut myself with a knife prior to handling a 940 for a mere minute. It definitely bit me.
Click to expand...

Tighten the pivot a smidge and the axis lock will cause the blade to kind of bounce and stay partially opened until the locking lugs are fully depressed. :thumbup:

Any knife will eventually bite you, it's just a matter of time. :)
 
hey guys, thanks for the input

overall sounds like people like the 940, which is what i was hoping to hear. tbh, i can't stand the spyderco aesthetics. i'm sure its a great knife, but to me its fugly lmao

i just want a knife that i can carry everyday, i'd use it mostly for light cutting [but i want it to be able to handle any situation i might come across], and something i can take a little pride in owning. something that will take a wicked edge and keep it.

as for budget, i won't spend more than 150. i'd love to, but i just wouldn't be able to swing it. everytime i look at pictures of the 940 osbourne, i fall a little deeper in love lol.. it just looks so sharp to me.

what makes the s30v more stain resistant? like it was mentioned above, the d2 is nearly stainless, and i think [can't remember the numbers, but looked at some specs and charts] that the s30v and the d2 have very similar chromium percentages, obviously the s30 has more, but i didn't think so much more as to make much of a difference...
 
The BM S30V is unbelievably hard (heat treat). My BM D2 & S30V are both very hard to sharpen on my SharpMaker (with diamond rods) but the S30V is by far the harder of the 2 steels. I have S30V on my 940 and D2 on my 710.
I put a back bevel of 30 degrees on each one and it took several days on the 940 S30V (10 - 12 hrs in all) and I never did get it sharp but I was able to knock the shoulders down on the 940 enough to sharpen a very nice microbevel of 40 degrees on it.

I saw the D2 940 but bought a safe queen in the same S30V steel. BM sharpens them well and it takes a lot of use before you need to sharpen them.
 
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cziv said:
The BM S30V is unbelievably hard (heat treat). My BM D2 & S30V are both very hard to sharpen on my SharpMaker (with diamond rods) but the S30V is by far the harder of the 2 steels. I have S30V on my 940 and D2 on my 710.
I put a back bevel of 30 degrees on each one and it took several days on the 040 S30V (10 - 12 hrs in all) and I never did get it sharp but I was able to knock the shoulders on the 940 enough to sharpen a very nice microbevel of 40 degrees on it.

I saw the D2 940 but bought a safe queen in the same S30V steel. BM sharpens them well and it takes a lot of use before you need to sharpen them.
Click to expand...
I had this same experience. You really have to work the 30 degree back bevel in before you start on the 40 degree micro. Now mine pops hair but it took forever to get it there.
 
I had a 940 in s30v and had absolutely no problems with it. (except that I dropped it rip down and it beoke the blade in half). My fault not a defect in the blade.

My experience with D2 (uncoated) is that rust develops very quickly. Even when carrying in pocket.
 
Get the 940. It is one of Benchmades all time best. That is why they still make it. It is still one of there top sellers after all these years. It carrys well and has a nice size blade for a small package. Good Luck. Kevin
 
You really can't beat either knife. I would think that the 940 would be better suited for regular EDC where the GB is a beast that will take whatever you throw at it. The only thing I don't like about the 940 is that the handles scratch up is you aren't careful with it.

Spyderco isn't for everyone but, I know several people that still think they're ugly and own over a dozen of them. Once you use one, it's over. Good luck with you purchase!
 
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