Benchmade 943 Owners: A Few Quick Questions, Please.

S

sharkattacksw

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Aug 4, 2008
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943 Owners: I have questions.

I'm really leaning towards the 943 as my next knife, but I'm still a little unsure. I handled one at a local store and liked it. However, while it felt smooth and precise, it also felt somewhat delicate. My favorite knife I own is a Spyderco PM2. Comparing the two, the handles are much beefier on the PM2, obviously, and the blade is wider. I certainly don't abuse my PM2, but I do use it and it's been great.

As much as the 943 costs, I'd hate to spend that only to feel like I'm "afraid" to use it due to the 943 feeling "fragile". Does that make sense?

I appreciate any and all feedback from 943 owners.

Thanks!
 
Hey SA!!
The 940 & 943 do look and feel fragile......they are NOT!!
I wouldn't pry up a sidewalk with them, but if you do knife stuff they can definitely handle it!!
I also prefer the 943 blade shape.....super sleek and sexy!!
I put my 943 blade in my 940-1501 scales. Awesome knife!!
Grab it!!
Joe
Pics just because.
4f5dff7120e155be200d908d767997ea.jpg

67ba1d1cb962a707a2ed6cc27a1e4efa.jpg
 
I sold my PM2. Still got the 940, and use it often.
Buy it with confidence. If you don't do stupid things with it , the 943 will last.
 
The 940 series knives can put in some work. I carried one for years and beat on it plenty.

That said, if you buy a 943 while the 940 exists you're a bad person, because the "reverse tanto" 94x is one the one true blade style. I'm oddly judgmental on this small detail, I think.
 
I know the 940 blade will be a little beefier, but I just never warmed up to the appearance of it. Call me vain if you want to, haha, but I can't enjoy carrying a knife I don't like the appearance of. Is that weird?
 
sharkattacksw said:
I know the 940 blade will be a little beefier, but I just never warmed up to the appearance of it. Call me vain if you want to, haha, but I can't enjoy carrying a knife I don't like the appearance of. Is that weird?
Click to expand...

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I still think you're wrong, though. ;)
 
evilgreg said:
The 940 series knives can put in some work. I carried one for years and beat on it plenty.

That said, if you buy a 943 while the 940 exists you're a bad person, because the "reverse tanto" 94x is one the one true blade style. I'm oddly judgmental on this small detail, I think.
Click to expand...

Call it what you (and Benchmade) will, but it is a spey blade.

To be honest, I agree with the above post. I have owned 2 940s and a 943. I will own another 940, but the 943 isn't for me. It is down to aesthetics for me, not heft/durability.
 
Wait for Benchmade to come out with an S-90-V 943 model. Don't hold your breath.
 
We've been requesting a LE 943 for years........the request has fallen on deaf ears!!
Joe
 
My 943 has an off-center blade. Like, almost touching the liner. This is more of a Benchmade thing (although more of my BM's are perfectly centered than not, many of them are horribly centered, 3 of my Mini Grips, my 890, and that little Sibert tank all touch the scales), so as awesome as the company and their knives are, handling the knife you are going to purchase beforehand would be ideal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've had both but sold my PM2 and still have the 943. You said you didn't abuse the PM2 so the 943 will be fine. The aluminum does get scratched easily though and the anodizing does change colors after a while.
 
I can speak a little to the feeling of delicacy from this perspective: I've had several Axis lock Benchmades, all of which have had super smooth actions that kinda felt like glass, especially the way the blade can vibrate when it smacks open against the lock. If the pivot isn't just so tight, the blade can have play, and thus not feel secure, but with a little Loctite you can dial it perfect and then not have it move (perfect meaning free-dropping blade without play). With the 94X series knives, the blades are long, especially in relation to the handle, so that can feel delicate. But trust me, it isn't. .115 stock is plenty thick for any reasonable use of an EDC knife. For me, actually, it's at the verge of too thick. The blades I usually use and carry max out at .093 ;)

I don't have pictures anymore; they were on an older phone that died last summer. BUT... I did a torture test to a GEC slipjoint, a #92 Talon with a wharncliffe blade. So, no lock. Blade stock only about .07 or .08 thick at the ricasso, but tapering to xacto-knife thinness at the tip, and bone covers. In all regards, a much more delicate, fragile knife than any BM 94X. I wrenched on that blade, pushed it every which way, and in the end it took a pair of pliers for that thing to break. The blade flexed but didn't break. The only thing that happened was a little chipping of the bone and the bone covers separating from the liners, which bent, but then again are made of hand-malleable brass.

If that doesn't assuage your worries, here is a Benchmade-produced torture test of the Axis lock on the 940. They have plenty others of these, too, for other series knives. Highlights: the test ends at nearly 700 lbs of force, with an in-tact knife that has .68 of deformation in the liners. Lock never disengaged.

[youtube]b3X64SYObO8[/youtube]


Your concerns may be for the edge of your blade, but the edge of the blade on any knife that cuts well is, understandably, *subjectively* delicate. But, all things concerned, from what you have said about not even pushing your PM2 very hard, I don't think you have anything to worry about ;)
 
traumkommode said:
I can speak a little to the feeling of delicacy from this perspective: I've had several Axis lock Benchmades, all of which have had super smooth actions that kinda felt like glass, especially the way the blade can vibrate when it smacks open against the lock. If the pivot isn't just so tight, the blade can have play, and thus not feel secure, but with a little Loctite you can dial it perfect and then not have it move (perfect meaning free-dropping blade without play). With the 94X series knives, the blades are long, especially in relation to the handle, so that can feel delicate. But trust me, it isn't. .115 stock is plenty thick for any reasonable use of an EDC knife. For me, actually, it's at the verge of too thick. The blades I usually use and carry max out at .093 ;)

I don't have pictures anymore; they were on an older phone that died last summer. BUT... I did a torture test to a GEC slipjoint, a #92 Talon with a wharncliffe blade. So, no lock. Blade stock only about .07 or .08 thick at the ricasso, but tapering to xacto-knife thinness at the tip, and bone covers. In all regards, a much more delicate, fragile knife than any BM 94X. I wrenched on that blade, pushed it every which way, and in the end it took a pair of pliers for that thing to break. The blade flexed but didn't break. The only thing that happened was a little chipping of the bone and the bone covers separating from the liners, which bent, but then again are made of hand-malleable brass.

If that doesn't assuage your worries, here is a Benchmade-produced torture test of the Axis lock on the 940. They have plenty others of these, too, for other series knives. Highlights: the test ends at nearly 700 lbs of force, with an in-tact knife that has .68 of deformation in the liners. Lock never disengaged.

[youtube]b3X64SYObO8[/youtube]


Your concerns may be for the edge of your blade, but the edge of the blade on any knife that cuts well is, understandably, *subjectively* delicate. But, all things concerned, from what you have said about not even pushing your PM2 very hard, I don't think you have anything to worry about ;)
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks. That's great info. I'm definitely not unsure about the AXIS lock, no worries there. I was mostly a little unsure of the robustness of the blade. Not the edge, but the actual blade itself. It's definitely thinner and more slim than the blade on my PM2. But again, I'm not prying up manhole covers with my knives. I use them to cut things.
 
sharkattacksw said:
Wow, thanks. That's great info. I'm definitely not unsure about the AXIS lock, no worries there. I was mostly a little unsure of the robustness of the blade. Not the edge, but the actual blade itself. It's definitely thinner and more slim than the blade on my PM2. But again, I'm not prying up manhole covers with my knives. I use them to cut things.
Click to expand...

You'll have none problems then. 940 blades are incredibly robust due to the reverse tanto geometry. The 943 has a finer tip, but Benchmade knows what they're doing with it. The only blade tip I've ever broken was the tip on one of those GEC's, which again is about .07" blade stock, simple 1095 steel, and I dropped it straight into the floor from about 4 feet up. So small of a break that I was able to regrind the tip to where it almost looks factory again. The stock on the 943 is around 50% thicker than the stock on the blade in question.

If anything ever does happen, Benchmade replaces blades, free if it's a warranty issue and for something like $30 if it's a user snafu. Enjoy!
 
Yup!! $30 satin & $40 coated. Turn around is less than 2 weeks and they'll replace hardware also.
Excellent CS!!
Joe
 
sharkattacksw said:
943 Owners: I have questions.

I'm really leaning towards the 943 as my next knife, but I'm still a little unsure. I handled one at a local store and liked it. However, while it felt smooth and precise, it also felt somewhat delicate. My favorite knife I own is a Spyderco PM2. Comparing the two, the handles are much beefier on the PM2, obviously, and the blade is wider. I certainly don't abuse my PM2, but I do use it and it's been great.

As much as the 943 costs, I'd hate to spend that only to feel like I'm "afraid" to use it due to the 943 feeling "fragile". Does that make sense?

I appreciate any and all feedback from 943 owners.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Mine was the Osborne, 943BK; To me, it was indeed too delicate for my daily purposes. And I'm not talking abusing it hacking into steel and trees. I cut things with it, open boxes of ammo/equipment shipments, etc...other things of that nature. My Victorinox Tinker performed better.

Also felt really cheap and disappointing in hand. I felt it was not nearly worth the $190. My PM2 was way better. I use it for the same things and still have it. The Osborne's axis lock felt like it would break after repeated use, like the spring would die. In addition, my blade (as well as the blades on 943's of 5 other friends of mine) was not centered when the knife arrived. Totally wonky, hard to fix, and the edge had a burr all up and down it. This all for a brand new unused bought from Knifecenter. Totally disappointing for the $190 I paid for it.

Better off with the PM2 or something else you like in the same category/price point, in my humble opinion.
 
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