Benchmade and Spyderco

Spyderco, hands down. Fantastic products. Also, they respect other people's intellectual property by paying license fees when they want to borrow a design feature.

No comment concerning the other company... :rolleyes: (Actions speak louder than words anyway).
 
Harry Callahan said:
Spyderco, hands down. Fantastic products. Also, they respect other people's intellectual property by paying license fees when they want to borrow a design feature.
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Harry

I couldn't agree more. Just look at the two recent company/company collaborations that Spyderco has been involved with - the Spyderco/Kershaw Spyker and the Spyderco/Emerson Endura Wave. Both have incorporated full recongnition (and licencing where appropriate) of each others intellectual property. Then there are many examples of Spyderco recognizing intellectual property and even paying royalties when the law didn't require it. All examples of integrity that will insure that Spyderco continues to get my business.

And then there's Spyderco's quality and customer service....... :D

David
 
I really like Benchmade and own their products, but I have to say I too have a huge amount of respect for Sal and Co. for same above mentioned reasons and that Sal spends lots of his time here on the Forums talking to us and answering our questions. THAT goes a long way with me. (IMHO) Walter

*BTW, I own way more Spydercos than BM.
 
Another example, even though Michael Walker didn't patent the linerlock, Spyderco paid him royalties for the time frame that would have been covered by the patent.

Now that's going above and beyond!
 
Very impressive. What about the knives themselves?

Where did all the hardcore benchmade fans go that I've been "discussing" with for the last few days?
 
I prefere Spyderco all the way. Easily my favorite company. I'm talking productwise too.
 
Second all that jazz about Spyderco's integrity. But when it comes to the _products_, Spyderco still gets my vote.

The bottom line is that both companies give you as much as you're paying for; neither is overpriced, and both make quality products. But each is selling you something very different. Benchmade is selling you an attractive knife with the best new lock, an exotic handle material, steel liners, and dramatic, impressive grind lines. And they're charging you a reasonable price for 'em. Spyderco, OTOH, is selling you a knife. Nothing more, usually. And chances are the Spydie'll work better (thinner blades and more full flat grinds).

If you want the highest available quality at the lowest reasonable price, go with a Spyderco. If you want that _plus_ the pretty and the prestige features (AXIS lock, steel liners), and you don't mind the thick, saber-ground blades, and you don't mind paying for it, go Benchmade.

Two companies, two philosophies, all good. :D
(Although I do have a hard time justifying doing business with Benchmade after their blatant theft of the Spyderco opening hole trademark... :rolleyes: )
 
Aside from the integrity issue, or what is happening with these companies behind the scenes, I have to say that I like both Benchmade and Spyderco and each company has many examples of production knifemaking at it's best.

As an example I think the axis lock by Benchmade is truely unique and wonderfully functional. I like the Skirmish also because it is a great cutter and feels good in my hands. On the other hand the Manix and Endura by Spyderco are among my favoites.

I think you can't go wrong with either brand as long as it meets your particular needs.
 
I would love to see a knife with benchmade handles and a spyderco blade... I think spydercos are better cutters/slicers but I really hate FRN, benchmade on the other hand have much better handles/scales but as was mentioned earlier, thick blades which IMO don't cut as well...
 
Artfully Martial said:
Very impressive. What about the knives themselves?

Where did all the hardcore benchmade fans go that I've been "discussing" with for the last few days?
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You posted the question less than an hour ago... :rolleyes:

For me they are the 2 best companies out there. I prefer Benchmade for the Axis lock, and the huge variety of designs. Spyderco only makes a handfull of high end knives, basically the rest are all FRN lockbacks. The good thing is you don't have to choose only 1 company to buy from, thats why I have several knives from both.
 
bladefan said:
I would love to see a knife with benchmade handles and a spyderco blade... I think spydercos are better cutters/slicers but I really hate FRN, benchmade on the other hand have much better handles/scales but as was mentioned earlier, thick blades which IMO don't cut as well...
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I'm in the same boat. When it comes to integrity Spyderco is at the top of the list. I have great respect for Sal and his company as do many others here.

That being said Benchmades have been my main EDC's for the past 4 years. If Spyderco offered some models with G-10, full dual steel liners, and an AXIS lock I'm sure I'd being EDC'ing more Spydercos. I think I have more Spyderco knives than Benchmades, probably because so many people rave about them on here. However, I think many of these people haven't had much experience with a Benchmade AXIS lock like a 710, Ritter Grip, 806D2, etc. It's hard to go back to a FRN knife with a lock back after handing a BM with dual steel liners, g-10 handles, and the AXIS lock.

I agree with the above poster that Spyderco offers better slicing blades. Benchmade's Doug Ritter Grip finally filled that void but it isn't available in a g-10 handle with full dual steel liners. :)

The Spyderco I have EDC'd the most would b the SS PE Cricket. It's a great little knife. I also sometimes take out the Spyderco Native. The other 99.99% of the time it has been a BM710 or Doug Ritter Grip.
 
I'm a hardcore Benchmade fan, but when I went to the knife shop today guess what I bought? Yup, a spyderco.

For the money, you cannot beat most BM knives....Some of them have better build quality than a few customs I own or handled. Right now, I think the 425 Gravitator is their finest example of this.

Both companies have their merits, both have their shortcomings, but both put out nice functional products. Their product lines are so vastly different, it's like comparing SIGs with Glocks.
 
I own both Benchmades and Spydercos.

I don't claim to be a legal expert and I don't have all the information regarding any alleged patent infringements, etc., so I will leave those issues to Sal and Les, and their lawyers. Those matters will be settled in time, soon enough.

I tend to favor the Axis lock, so I am more likely to buy Benchmade products.
 
Both companies produce great products at affordable prices. I now own several from both makers. The bottom line is finding the particular knife that most suits your requirements. In my case, one knife will not perform every duty, thus I own several. Spyderco probably offers more innovative designs, they normally come sharper out of the box and produce a larger range of exceptionally good low priced knives ( Delica, Endura, Calypso Jr to list a few ). The Benchmade Axis lock would be my first choice of locking mechanisms, strictly based on ease of use, one handed opening and closing and ambidexterity. Spydercos compression lock on the Para I own is also very good for a right hander.

My current EDC work beater is the Ritter Mini Grip, IMHO worth the extra dollars on the standard grips for the wider blade shape and slimmer cutting profile. The Spyd Cal.Jr at less than half the price is exceptional. For a larger blade the BM710HS is a classic and M2 is my favourite steal. The Endura is one of the best value for money large folders going around. For brute strength the Chinook II or Manix are hard to go past and the BM630 is a beast.

To answer your question about a favorite company, I prefer to rate their knives on how they work for me, in my hands, for my requirements. I am sure you will be able to find suitable knives from either company - and then there are all the other knife manufacturers to explore.
 
I like both companies equally. If either one brings out a product that I like, I'm all over it. My experience shows both to have excellent customer service,quality, etc. Right now Benchmade seems to make more patterns I like (skirmish, AFCK, 710) so I own more of them than the other. I never liked the Endure\Delica, but the reasons were personal issues like fit\feel in the hand rather than anything quality related. The future for me will bring a Manix and a titanium ATR. Why pick a favorite at all? Just buy what you like and what works for you from either one, can't go wrong that way!
 
Company wise, I like Spyderco better.

As for their products, both make great products. I have to say that I feel that Benchmade has better F&F, although the higher cost.

I like the really interesting styles Spyderco has, they're all very practical. But Benchmade has some really classy stuff.


To me, it's all about your style. Strange, unusual, but very practical-Spyderco. Classy style-Benchmade.
 
Neither of the 2 are my FAVORITE, but benchmade is a top contender. I have said it before, and will say it again...I do not like spydercos. I have no problem with other spyderco owners, but to me, spydercos jsut dont do it. First, in my mind, they all look the same. Something must be said for the spyder hole, but it's jsut one innovation.

One thing that benchamde offers is innovation. their knives will incorperate newer ideas faster, if not be the first to develop the idea. The designers that benchmade employs are probably so of the best working for a company. Blackwood, hinderer, osborne, and many more.

Spydercos, in my opinion, lack in the innovation. To me, they have a VERY cheap feel. when i was a kid, i broke the ti on one playing in the woods. This was before I had a clue about knives and the knife industry, so it is long gone.

Let me tell you that this is just my personal opinion, and no more.
 
Spyderco all the way. Much better blade geometry in the great majority of knives, better ergonomics, a much better lineup of small knives, the spyderhole just suits me a lot better than thumb studs. The FRN knives are unrivalled for their performance at very low prices.

Plus I don't like to buy from a company that steals another company's intellectual property.

Hans
 
1. Spyderco is an All-Star when it comes to business ethics
2. Spyderco supports this forum and is the Champion when it comes to interacting with ELU's.
3. construction is first rate, even though design runs from outstanding to dog ugly.
4. Did I mentoion that Spyderco listens to its customers?
5. Spyderco is a very innovative company.
BTW- the folks at spyderco are easy and fun to do business with.

I like many of the Benchmade knives and I own alot of them, but as nice as many of the knives are, Benchmade is not a customer friendly company, especially compared to Spyderco.
 
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