I recently purchased a Benchmade knife, my first one. I was not aware of any stores nearby that carried Benchmade products, so I ordered by mail. I had previously requested a catalog from Benchmade. The catalog spoke of being "held to a higher standard," and "putting it all together with a higher standard of manufactured quality," and "It's a commitment to deliver a higher standard. And there's a good reason for all the effort we put into the brand...to exceed your expectations." Statements like this, plus the nice pictures and descriptions in the catalog, prompted me to purchase one.
When the knife arrived, I was surprised and quite disappointed to find numerous scratches on the blade. The scratches are not deep nor long, but there are quite a few of them. These are not normal grind marks, as the scratches are random in direction, mostly cross-wise to the grain of the blade. I have never seen any such marks on a new blade before from any manufacturer, regardless of cost. Part of the enjoyment I get from knives is the aesthetics, which these blemishes affect each time light catches on the blade.
Perhaps I am picky about this, since the functionality of the knife is unaffected. It is well designed and well built, and in every other respect it is the knife I was looking for. But the fact that it did not live up to the expectations I had (I expect new knives to look new) bothered me enough that I sent it to Benchmade. They sent it back saying, "Blade finish is OK. It is the stone washed finish that we put on our blades. This is an industry wide standard." When I read that, I thought, if this is an industry wide standard, why have I never seen it before? And, they clearly did not consider it important that I be happy with their product, despite what the catalog said.
This being my first experience with Benchmade, I would like your opinion:
1. Is this a normal finish?
2. Am I just being unrealistic in my expectations?
3. Have you had similar experience with Benchmade, or is this an exception?
I have a scanned image of the blade if I can figure out how to get it into a message (Help-this is my first post on this board) or I can email to any interested parties. I know it would be hard to judge this without a picture.
When the knife arrived, I was surprised and quite disappointed to find numerous scratches on the blade. The scratches are not deep nor long, but there are quite a few of them. These are not normal grind marks, as the scratches are random in direction, mostly cross-wise to the grain of the blade. I have never seen any such marks on a new blade before from any manufacturer, regardless of cost. Part of the enjoyment I get from knives is the aesthetics, which these blemishes affect each time light catches on the blade.
Perhaps I am picky about this, since the functionality of the knife is unaffected. It is well designed and well built, and in every other respect it is the knife I was looking for. But the fact that it did not live up to the expectations I had (I expect new knives to look new) bothered me enough that I sent it to Benchmade. They sent it back saying, "Blade finish is OK. It is the stone washed finish that we put on our blades. This is an industry wide standard." When I read that, I thought, if this is an industry wide standard, why have I never seen it before? And, they clearly did not consider it important that I be happy with their product, despite what the catalog said.
This being my first experience with Benchmade, I would like your opinion:
1. Is this a normal finish?
2. Am I just being unrealistic in my expectations?
3. Have you had similar experience with Benchmade, or is this an exception?
I have a scanned image of the blade if I can figure out how to get it into a message (Help-this is my first post on this board) or I can email to any interested parties. I know it would be hard to judge this without a picture.
