This is going to be long read so if you are as lazy as I am you can jump to the end immediately...
It started when I ordered Benchmade Opportunist from NGK on 8th May this year. It arrived a week later, no problem in delivering. BUT it wasn't what it should be.
Blade grinds were off, see also this and this.
Also handles scales were each of different thickness. There was also a scratch on blade, but if it was only that it wouldn't be worth mentioning
Even now I can't understand how this could slip through quality control...
I was very disappointed. I don't think this is acceptable for $100 knife (and to be honest, compared by purchasing power in my country $100 here is way more than $100 in USA, to be short - no pocket change).
So I put my hope into NGK and asked them about this (included pics), but the answer was
I didn't give up and tried the contact form on Benchmade website. After 10 days they replied with the offer to replace the blade :thumbup: (this is June already)
(This is by every means honest service (and I should know, as this isn't common around here, I'm sorry to say). Failures happen and I can understand people make mistakes. Sadly this knife made it through whole chain to me without anyone spotting the "quality" itself :grumpy: )
But as I am overseas, this wasn't so easy as it can look (espacially because of tax and customs duty that have to be paid on everything over EUR 22 and is coming to EU).
I asked wheter it would be possible to send me replacement blade or knife (as sending the knife overseas back and forth isn't exactly cheap (e.g. shipping to them only is about $25 (and it isn't EMS(=$45)), tax and customs duty would add approx %22 of declared value (DV would be around $100 too)), but Benchmade didn't want to. BUT as they concluded the knife was waster they offered to refund me the shipping cost
:thumbup:
Very pleasant offer (but.. you will find out later)
So here I was put to bureaucracy of authorities and customs :barf:
If you wish you can skip the following part as this isn't very intersting
As average response time of any customs office here is about month to eternity it was very entertaining...
I have found out (after that I was told (by the customs head office btw) the knife has to be put to special customs mode - which was true, but only for commercial businesses, not for individual, which I had to discover later (if you don't know how to waste your time ask Czech officials)) that first you have personally visit customs office, sign the declaration of that this is leaving customs territory of European Union to be returned to warranty repair (so that they will let it come back without tax and duty) and let the customs see what are you sending. Then you have to pack it there and bring them international dispatch note (available on post office, which they care to tell you AFTER you come to customs office) so they can stamp it.
Not only that, returning item has to be of the same value AND has to be "clearly marked" (how and where they couldn't tell) on the box as returning from warranty repair AND has to have letter from company that will approve that the item is returning from warranty repair.
Gathering of necessary info and steps took me only about 2 and half months... BIG :thumbdn: to Czech authorities.
Finally I sent the knife out on 21st August.
I haven't heard of it until 8th of September (actually according to BM statement, the package arrived around 1st September) when I got the answer I was looking forward to
In next email from 14th September I was told the knife was sent on 13th of September.
It arrived on 25th September.
Quality is certainly improved, see grinds (although still not perfect) and scales.
I was bit disappointed the promised refund of shipping haven't took the place (but I have asked BM and will see what their answer is), but atleast customs let it slip through without tax and duty (funny is they didn't even opened the box so they could see the cover note).
For those who passed all this boring talk here is a conclusion:
Benchmade is THE GOOD.
Will I buy another BMs? Yes (actually I already did).
Do I think they should improve their QC? You bet!
It started when I ordered Benchmade Opportunist from NGK on 8th May this year. It arrived a week later, no problem in delivering. BUT it wasn't what it should be.
Blade grinds were off, see also this and this.
Also handles scales were each of different thickness. There was also a scratch on blade, but if it was only that it wouldn't be worth mentioning
Even now I can't understand how this could slip through quality control...
I was very disappointed. I don't think this is acceptable for $100 knife (and to be honest, compared by purchasing power in my country $100 here is way more than $100 in USA, to be short - no pocket change).
So I put my hope into NGK and asked them about this (included pics), but the answer was
You can realize how this improved my feelings
I didn't give up and tried the contact form on Benchmade website. After 10 days they replied with the offer to replace the blade :thumbup: (this is June already)
(This is by every means honest service (and I should know, as this isn't common around here, I'm sorry to say). Failures happen and I can understand people make mistakes. Sadly this knife made it through whole chain to me without anyone spotting the "quality" itself :grumpy: )
But as I am overseas, this wasn't so easy as it can look (espacially because of tax and customs duty that have to be paid on everything over EUR 22 and is coming to EU).
I asked wheter it would be possible to send me replacement blade or knife (as sending the knife overseas back and forth isn't exactly cheap (e.g. shipping to them only is about $25 (and it isn't EMS(=$45)), tax and customs duty would add approx %22 of declared value (DV would be around $100 too)), but Benchmade didn't want to. BUT as they concluded the knife was waster they offered to refund me the shipping cost
:thumbup: Very pleasant offer (but.. you will find out later)
So here I was put to bureaucracy of authorities and customs :barf:
If you wish you can skip the following part as this isn't very intersting
As average response time of any customs office here is about month to eternity it was very entertaining...
I have found out (after that I was told (by the customs head office btw
) the knife has to be put to special customs mode - which was true, but only for commercial businesses, not for individual, which I had to discover later (if you don't know how to waste your time ask Czech officials)) that first you have personally visit customs office, sign the declaration of that this is leaving customs territory of European Union to be returned to warranty repair (so that they will let it come back without tax and duty) and let the customs see what are you sending. Then you have to pack it there and bring them international dispatch note (available on post office, which they care to tell you AFTER you come to customs office) so they can stamp it.Not only that, returning item has to be of the same value AND has to be "clearly marked" (how and where they couldn't tell) on the box as returning from warranty repair AND has to have letter from company that will approve that the item is returning from warranty repair.
Gathering of necessary info and steps took me only about 2 and half months... BIG :thumbdn: to Czech authorities.
Finally I sent the knife out on 21st August.
I haven't heard of it until 8th of September (actually according to BM statement, the package arrived around 1st September) when I got the answer I was looking forward to
In next email from 14th September I was told the knife was sent on 13th of September.
It arrived on 25th September.
Quality is certainly improved, see grinds (although still not perfect) and scales.
I was bit disappointed the promised refund of shipping haven't took the place (but I have asked BM and will see what their answer is), but atleast customs let it slip through without tax and duty (funny is they didn't even opened the box so they could see the cover note).
For those who passed all this boring talk here is a conclusion:
Benchmade is THE GOOD.
Will I buy another BMs? Yes (actually I already did
).Do I think they should improve their QC? You bet!
