Benchmade, if an Omega spring breaks.. SOL?

[minimize]

Hi. I searched the forum and went through a ton of threads. It seems a few have had luck replacing the omega spring with a guitar spring (not too many details for a dyi). In the semi-off chance that an omega spring breaks, and I have taken my knife apart to clean (so now the screws aren't fully black), then I am forced to pay Benchmade the $20 fee cause they deem my warranty "VOID"?


Thanks.

 

[Tsujigiri]

No, I don't think they really check to see if you've disassembled your knife. That policy is just in place in case you damage the knife during disassembly and send it in for warranty. I've disassembled mine with no problem, and I've never heard of BM turning someone away because they suspect they may have disassembled the knife at some point. BM customer service is very accommodating when it comes to problems with their knives.

 

[wolf5391]

i had both my griptillians omega springs fail on me so i sent them in. Benchmade fixed it no questions asked. I will say though i wont be buying axis locks any more because they generally fail for me in a matter of 6 months use and i cant afford to sent it in every time. Ive been told high moisture areas cause omega springs to fail quicker, and for me that seems to be the case.

 

[minimize]

No, I don't think they really check to see if you've disassembled your knife. That policy is just in place in case you damage the knife during disassembly and send it in for warranty. I've disassembled mine with no problem, and I've never heard of BM turning someone away because they suspect they may have disassembled the knife at some point. BM customer service is very accommodating when it comes to problems with their knives.

Nice! Thanks Tsujigiri! That makes me feel better. I was kind of disappointed by all the threads talking about it. I would love to diy it if it ever happens. But knowing that BM probably won't void my warranty cause I have cleaned it makes me feel better.

i had both my griptillians omega springs fail on me so i sent them in. Benchmade fixed it no questions asked. I will say though i wont be buying axis locks any more because they generally fail for me in a matter of 6 months use and i cant afford to sent it in every time. Ive been told high moisture areas cause omega springs to fail quicker, and for me that seems to be the case.

That bums me out. It seems like there is a higher failure rate than ideal on these springs. Oh well. Will hope for the best. Some people use their knives a ton harder/more often than me and never run into issues.

 

[Charlie Mike]

Use a F string. Same size you use on homemade tattoo guns.

 

[jangy jr]

Benchmade is not going to give you a hard time for taking your knife apart. I dropped my griptilian off at Benchmade HQ in Portland for a sharpening while on vacation. It has Wilkins grips on it, so I obviously took it apart. No comments or questions from them. It was waiting on my doorstep all fresh and sharp 4 days later. That particular knife was bought in 2003, I have used the hell out of it, opened and closed it thousands of times, and the original omega springs are still working like new.

 

[themandylion]

forced to pay Benchmade the $20 fee cause they deem my warranty "VOID"?

One of the reasons I have chosen Kershaw/ZT primarily. Obviously, they don't cover deliberate abuse, either, but neither do they have a pretty lame "$20 reassembly fee." That, and the price fixing ("Minimum Authorized Advertised Price" / MAAP) are two very important reasons I've decided I should look elsewhere. Even if Benchmade doesn't routinely charge the fee, it shouldn't even be claimed as a "right," anyways...aren't the purchase prices high enough?

 

[FlaMtnBkr]

One of the reasons I have chosen Kershaw/ZT primarily. Obviously, they don't cover deliberate abuse, either, but neither do they have a pretty lame "$20 reassembly fee." That, and the price fixing ("Minimum Authorized Advertised Price" / MAAP) are two very important reasons I've decided I should look elsewhere. Even if Benchmade doesn't routinely charge the fee, it shouldn't even be claimed as a "right," anyways...aren't the purchase prices high enough?

You do realize that ZT has MAPP pricing that no one charges less than, don't you? At least there are stores that don't charge MAPP on Benchmade knives and are the same price as before the change.

They also have the $20 fee so they don't get dozens of knives to put back together because the average idiot had access to a Torx. Benchmade has awesome customer service in my experience and will do anything they can to fix a knife or make things right. Much better than another popular holey company.

I think the broken omega spring is turning into an urban legend that keeps being told. For all the nay sayers, search BF and write down the names of people that claim to have had one break. I did and I found 30 something people and that was going as far back as the search engine goes. Even if that is a fraction of the broken springs, compared to the number in use it is statistically probably pretty close to zero chances of it happening.

If it does, take a guitar string or piano wire, or MIG welding wire and 2 pairs of needle nose pliers and bend it as close as you can to the original shape. Takes about 10 minutes.

 

[Icancutstuff]

Just out of curiosity, are the ones breaking axis lock "flipping" the knives open? It's wierd because I've used axis locks for years. I've never had a spring break. I always open using the thumb stud however. I've messed up some pocket clips (the clip on the 420 and some others were a dumb design and would bend easy). I've had BM send me clips free of charge.

I personally have no problem with MAP pricing either. I guess it's because I worked retail in the past and I understand why they do it. It's not price fixing (unlike BOSE speakers, that's true price fixing), dealers can absolutely sell below MAP, they just can't print the price. I've had great luck buying online

 

[Talley1013]

i had both my griptillians omega springs fail on me so i sent them in. Benchmade fixed it no questions asked. I will say though i wont be buying axis locks any more because they generally fail for me in a matter of 6 months use and i cant afford to sent it in every time. Ive been told high moisture areas cause omega springs to fail quicker, and for me that seems to be the case.

I feel the same way. I really like the Axis lock but I don't think I will be buying another one. I have used a grip and mini grip @ work and they both had a spring break. I open/close my work knives quite a bit every day and they get wet and dirty on a regular basis so that may have an impact on its life. The axis is a cool lock but for me it would probably be better on a knife that I carry outside of work. Benchmade will replace the broken spring but it is kind of a PITA to send a knife in for service a few times a year.

 

[themandylion]

You do realize that ZT has MAPP pricing that no one charges less than, don't you?

I've only noticed it's Benchmade listings on various knife retailers' sites that say "call/email for price." Perhaps ZT does have MAAP pricing, but it's sure not as stringent, based on the listings of prices I've seen, nor are the "allowed" advertised prices unreasonable for the product. It doesn't appear to be kosher for me to post links to examples, so I won't provide "proof" of my claim (I imagine most people know what I speak of, though).

 

[Tsujigiri]

I've only noticed it's Benchmade listings on various knife retailers' sites that say "call/email for price." Perhaps ZT does have MAAP pricing, but it's sure not as stringent, based on the listings of prices I've seen, nor are the "allowed" advertised prices unreasonable for the product. It doesn't appear to be kosher for me to post links to examples, so I won't provide "proof" of my claim (I imagine most people know what I speak of, though).

That's because they are retailers that sell below MAAP pricing. They can't advertise their lower prices, so they only display them in the cart or by call or email. There's only one retailer I know of right now, GP Knives, that sells below MAAP pricing for ZT's. The other stores don't sell below that, so they don't have to hide their prices. Dealers that sell below MAAP for Benchmade, however, are a little more common. I suspect that this has to do with ZT not being able to keep up with demand as well as Benchmade. Many retailers have found that they don't have to sell below MAAP pricing for their ZT's to sell out.

 

[themandylion]

There's only one retailer I know of right now, GP Knives, that sells below MAAP pricing for ZT's. The other stores don't sell below that, so they don't have to hide their prices.

I don't want to turn this whole thread into a debate on this particular issue, but I wanted to say that I know of two sites that have open prices on ZTs below Grand Prairie. I'll leave it at that.

 

[RevDevil]

O

That's because they are retailers that sell below MAAP pricing. They can't advertise their lower prices, so they only display them in the cart or by call or email. There's only one retailer I know of right now, GP Knives, that sells below MAAP pricing for ZT's. The other stores don't sell below that, so they don't have to hide their prices. Dealers that sell below MAAP for Benchmade, however, are a little more common. I suspect that this has to do with ZT not being able to keep up with demand as well as Benchmade. Many retailers have found that they don't have to sell below MAAP pricing for their ZT's to sell out.

Dealers that sell below the MAAP more than likely have permission from the manufacturer that allows them to do so, but within some parameters. Overall I think it has more to do with allowing the distributors (knife stores) to make a profit on the items they sell. All manufacturers create production schedules and they are adhered to in order to keep total supply going to their distributors.

MAAP simply put protects the retailers, and provides a profit for retailers; at least that is the reasoning in other industries. Ever notice that you never really see more than a few pennies on the dollar off on Strider and CRKs too?

 

[FlaMtnBkr]

I just looked at some of the most popular online retailers and did not see the first one that has a ZT for less than 20% off, including grand prairie. I don't see how I'm missing the less than MAPP pricing. But if you know the online stores well enough to get less than MAPP pricing on ZT, then surely you know where to get at least 25% off MAPP pricing on Benchmade products. At those prices Benchmade is no more expensive than other manufacturers for what you get.

I like Benchmade but I'm not a fanboy. I like other companies more, but I can see the good and bad in any company. Claiming one company that has MAPP pricing is over priced compared to another with MAPP pricing that is not, is a bit odd. Especially when the first can easily be found for less, and the other seems more difficult (I still haven't found them for less and would be interested in seeing them for less).

 

[JNewell]

There's another side to this, and you don't hear it much because people don't post when they don't have problems. I have a few dozen Axis lock knives, and I bought one of the very first Axis knives ever sold, a 710 which I bought right after they were introduced twelve or thirteen years ago. That knife has been cycled a zillion times and has never broken a spring. I have another really high-cycle 710, a trainer that gets used a *lot,* and it's never broken a spring. In fact, none of my knives has ever broken a spring. So, yes, you read reports about failures here, but they are a very small exception to the general rule. Think about it: if the lock failed as often as some people would have you believe, Benchmade would have gone bankrupt dealing with warranty claims, or they would have dropped the lock...

Nice! Thanks Tsujigiri! That makes me feel better. I was kind of disappointed by all the threads talking about it. I would love to diy it if it ever happens. But knowing that BM probably won't void my warranty cause I have cleaned it makes me feel better.



That bums me out. It seems like there is a higher failure rate than ideal on these springs. Oh well. Will hope for the best. Some people use their knives a ton harder/more often than me and never run into issues.

 

[timberweasel]

I always use my thumb and index-finger to disengage the Axis-Lock on my 940 (which I've had for maybe a year or so...). No problems with the Omega springs yet. I wonder if using two fingers instead of one makes much of a difference...

 

[Big_Red]

Count me as an unapologetic fanboy and happy customer. The Axis lock, knife designs, and customer service being the reasons. Also never had any omega spring issues. The new Adamas folder is quite impressive by the way.

 

[wolf5391]

You do realize that ZT has MAPP pricing that no one charges less than, don't you? At least there are stores that don't charge MAPP on Benchmade knives and are the same price as before the change.

They also have the $20 fee so they don't get dozens of knives to put back together because the average idiot had access to a Torx. Benchmade has awesome customer service in my experience and will do anything they can to fix a knife or make things right. Much better than another popular holey company.

I think the broken omega spring is turning into an urban legend that keeps being told. For all the nay sayers, search BF and write down the names of people that claim to have had one break. I did and I found 30 something people and that was going as far back as the search engine goes. Even if that is a fraction of the broken springs, compared to the number in use it is statistically probably pretty close to zero chances of it happening.

If it does, take a guitar string or piano wire, or MIG welding wire and 2 pairs of needle nose pliers and bend it as close as you can to the original shape. Takes about 10 minutes.

i think benchmades customer service was good but they had a long turn aroung time, you may have had a bad experience with spydercos warranty but your one of the few. as far as im concerned they both are good companies CS wise. and as far as the zero probability of a spring breaking, just search youtube apparently more than a couple people are having these issues. Also, i guess im a nay sayers because ive had these issues with not only 1 but 2 griptillians call it user error or what have you but either way the springs broke on about 6 months edc tasks. i love fan boys....

 

[FlaMtnBkr]

i think benchmades customer service was good but they had a long turn aroung time, you may have had a bad experience with spydercos warranty but your one of the few. as far as im concerned they both are good companies CS wise. and as far as the zero probability of a spring breaking, just search youtube apparently more than a couple people are having these issues. Also, i guess im a nay sayers because ive had these issues with not only 1 but 2 griptillians call it user error or what have you but either way the springs broke on about 6 months edc tasks. i love fan boys....

I've had issues with Spyderco more than once. I mainly buy Sprint runs and if you have a problem, they don't have spares so you are out of luck. You get offered a credit but I don't want a different knife, I want the one I searched out a pre order for and waited 6 months. They need a better system in place for their top end limited run knives. They also won't even look at a knife if they think they have proof you took apart a knife. I have a ton of knives with warranty papers that say nothing about disassembly voiding the warranty. Benchmade doesn't care as long as the disassembly didn't damage the knife. That said, Spyderco is still my favorite company. I can look at the good and bad. Call me a fan boy if you want.

And I don't watch YouTube much. But I have searched here for people that have broke an omega spring. Most are people like you who mention it over and over which makes it seem like the amount of broken springs is higher than it really is. Nobody has the numbers but I'm sure the odds of one breaking is a fraction of a percent. I will have to take a look at YouTube to see if that opinion changes. I'm also curious if you took apart your Griptilians at any point before they broke?

Anything that moves can wear out or break. So we all have to decide what we are willing to deal with. If an omega spring breaks I can easily make a new spring with a piece of wire. If it happens when I'm in the woods I can stick something behind the lockbar and use the knife safely. I like being able to fix things myself. On the other hand I have had more than one frame/ liner locks wear out enough to travel all the way across to the other liner and develop blade play. I can't fix that at home. These were very popular name brand knives. Sure, not all do that, but some do. Some also slide off the blade tang, usually by twisting the knife or by putting repeated pressure on the blade so the lock walks towards the unlocked position. So I prefer not to have those locks because I have experienced things I can't fix. Just my opinion to like something I can fix at home. I also really like the ball bearing lock, compression, and good back locks. Maybe if I break one of those and can't fix it, then my opinion might change. I guess that must make me a fan boy somehow as well.

Edit: I guess I'm not real good at searching on YouTube because I only found a couple videos showing broken springs. Far to few to conclude that broken springs are a wide spread problem.