Benchmade fan turned Spyderco?!

I was a Benchmade fan long before I was a Spyderco even though Spyderco is so close to my home. Over the years, I slowly gravitated to Spyderco because of their designs, thinness and strength and quality of their knives. Also, Benchmade discontinued a number of their knives that I liked, went to MAP pricing, and they're politically more vocal than I prefer. Today, I have only one Benchmade, their venerable, classic 710 M2 and have three of Spyderco EDC's, PM2, Manix 2 CF S90V and Sage 2 Ti. Sold off all my other pocket knives. Both are fine companies but the Colorado one is my preference.
 
Yeah, the 154 was disappointing for me. It was on my first BM and though it was a good introduction to quality steels, it dulled super fast. But boy did it have an edge that first day, ha!

I’m with you on the 940. That is next up on the BM want list. The way it flows really stands out to me!

I was one who also had terrible experience with BM's 154cm...never could keep an edge... Went away from BM folders for many yrs.
But I do like S90v and CF, and agree that the BM 940-1 has a great cadre of admirers...
So tonite, I bought a 940-1 (ANIB) and expect that it will be a decent knife.
But...I'm still a hard-wired Spydie fan, and won't be changing that fact...
 
I like both brands, but the Gryptilian series is the only good (great) value knives (<$100) that I am aware of.
Spyderco has a lot of value knives to choose from.
Every year or so, I will snag a higher quality Benchmade marked down to my comfort zone.
It's always Christmas at Spyderco.Inc with their OpFocus program.
 
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I was a Benchmade fan long before I was a Spyderco even though Spyderco is so close to my home. Over the years, I slowly gravitated to Spyderco because of their designs, thinness and strength and quality of their knives. Also, Benchmade discontinued a number of their knives that I liked, went to MAP pricing, and they're politically more vocal than I prefer. Today, I have only one Benchmade, their venerable, classic 710 M2 and have three of Spyderco EDC's, PM2, Manix 2 CF S90V and Sage 2 Ti. Sold off all my other pocket knives. Both are fine companies but the Colorado one is my preference.

I suspect I’ll move a bit towards Spyderco at least in the meantime. I’m curious to find out how much torture the lil temp s30v can take. But, since I’m now digging the style of Spyderco’s I’m guessing the BM will be my bulletproof workhorse and Spyderco will be for all non work related carry.

I just got in my Manix 2 CF in Cruwear yesterday and my god, I’m in love. What a badass creation she is! I already have things rollin on customizing it, getting liners/hardware/clip heat bronzed, and a bronze ball cage lock! I gotta ask, how do you like yours? You put some hard use on yours at all?
 
My Spyderco knives outnumber my Benchmades around 4 to 1. This is largely because Spyderco has produced models that I like in several variants, each with enough appeal to entice me to hit the buy button.
 
My Spyderco knives outnumber my Benchmades around 4 to 1.

"My Spyderco knives outnumber my Benchmades around 4 to 1."
IN my case, it would be closer to 50 to 1, although mine are pretty well gone. My collecting days are long over..
I now have a nice smattering of quality Spydies,
and a few folders and fixed blades of indeterminate origin...
Sal has never let me down...

btw...I am guilty of some trash-talking (albeit factual) about my previous experiences with BM's 154cm ability to hold an edge.

However, Ernie Emerson's blades use the same steel and they arrive with a hair-splitting edge, and a few free bandaids in the box as well.
I laughed when I first opened that fixed blade, but used the bandaid within three minutes...
Yes, Ernie uses the same steel (purposely soft in his case), but he does so in order that it "can be sharpened on a river rock if necessary."
NOT A DIRECT QUOTE, but close...
 
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I have one benchmade in 154, my 950 Rift. So far I haven't had a problem with the steel. Sure it won't hold an edge as long as 20cv, but I don't expect it to. Thin edge and gets sharp easily!

I did handle a native chief yesterday, and immediately ordered one. I've been on the fence, just had to get one in my hand... Lol
 
I still appreciate both Benchmade and Spyderco, but haven’t bought a Benchmade since 1998 (original McHenry and Williams Axis Lock 710). Carried that one inside of my uniform on my body armor for years. Now I’m into Spyderco’s and other brands.44EB14B6-E736-4535-971D-755CD167699D.jpeg
 
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I picked up a Native Chief! Seriously awesome big folder.
 
I've liked Benchmade products for a long time, and I've bought a lot of them in fairly recent years, but gradually my Spyderco knives have forced all Benchmades out of my EDC rotation except for only one that remains. There is one Benchmade model that I would like to have and would buy one if I found it at a good price, but otherwise all of my future purchases will likely be Spyderco.
 
I live about 15 minutes from the Benchmade factory, and my first GOOD knife was a 705 May 2000 knife of the month that I purchased in late 2000. Over the years I’ve owned a total of 8 Benchmade knives. About 3 years ago I picked up my first Spyderco, a BBS M390 PM2. I’ve since discovered I don’t like the PM2 platform. However, I do like the Para3, Spydiechef and Drunken. The Lil Native and Mantra 3 are just ok. The Taichung knives are pretty incredible.

My most recent additions are the Maxamet Para3, a shot show M4 Presidio II and a M4 Bailout.

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Yeah OP I was a Benchmade fan for a few years. When I thought of getting a nice knife I always went to Benchmade and work with knives so I need one to function for me.

I heard a lot about the PM2 and one day got the s110v blurp one on Amazon. Since then I've been hooked not only on Spyderco but much more involved in the hobby. They have so much to offer and if you take an interest in the product you learn so much about knives in general.
 
I love that there’s now pictures of knifes you guys own being posted haha. They’re all really sweet! Now if I can only figure out why it’s not letting me post pics...
 
My Spyderco knives outnumber my Benchmades around 4 to 1. This is largely because Spyderco has produced models that I like in several variants, each with enough appeal to entice me to hit the buy button.
I’m now seeing how easy it is to start that. I’ll try my hardest to hold out buying new ones and do the work I wanna do on my current ones! That, and trying my hand on sharpening these v edges. I’ve gotten great on a whetstone so I think with a proper kit it should be an easy transition
 
I love that there’s now pictures of knifes you guys own being posted haha. They’re all really sweet! Now if I can only figure out why it’s not letting me post pics...

Get on imgur, upload your pics, copy the url of the picture(s), then paste in the box that pops up when you click/tap on the picture icon on here. Easy peasy... :thumbsup:

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I started with Spyderco and then began buying Benchmade out of interest towards the axis lock. I've owned quite a lot of both and have noticed that on QA pet peeves of mine (blade centering and blade play) Spyderco tends to do a little better. Don't get me wrong, they each have their issues from time to time. For every BM in my collection there are probably 2 Spyderco, but I still have some classics that I'll never sell from BM. 940, Bugout, and an old beat up Griptilian in D2.
 
I loved Benchmade for many years. Eventually I got tired of the poor quality. If you get a Benchmade (I have about 25) you will likely have one or more of these issues:
Washers (always punched to save cost) with burrs, dished or cupped. Easily fixed but stupid.
Axis bars not hardened. You’ll know because the grinding action never smooths out. You’ll see galling on the tang edge and axis bar with a loupe. Can’t be fixed, knife wears out early.
Tang grind lines not polished out, action grinds as the axis bar rides on the bumps. Very difficult to fix, but can be done with a Dremel.
Bad action. They can’t hold flatness and parallelness well enough so the blades don’t wobble or stick. This can’t be fixed by an amateur.
Insanely bad sharpening. People have seen more than 45 dps. Can be fixed.
Springs that rub against the inside of the handle, leading to broken springs early. Easy to fix with a Dremel if you know about it.

It’s too bad. I like some of their designs a lot, for example the Presidio and Contego. But I find the grinding and wobble bugs me too much to carry them. Also the axis lock can open if you bang the butt end. For example, using the glass breaker on a Contego with the blade open is asking to be cut.

You will love Spyderco. Their quality is much better.
 
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