Benchmade, if an Omega spring breaks.. SOL?

I called Benchmade last week and they still have back-spacers for 970ST, made about 15 years ago. I've found their turn around time to be very good. I've had Axis locking knives since a pre-production 710, back in the 90s when they used ATS-34. Since then I've flicked, waved, and abused several Axis lock knives and never had a spring issue what so ever. Oh, and they sell new blades for $25. Good luck finding that else-where.
I've had Spyderco tell me to retire my knife because they could fix it as it was discontinued.
 
I have had 2 Benchmade knives. The first (griptillian) had the spring break within a couple of months. I called Benchmade and tried to get springs, of course they said no but I could send it in. I have bought one axis lock knife since and have babied it since it was new. No problems yet. I do have to say,I don't like the idea of spending $150 on a knife and having to baby it to make sure I don't have to send it back. My experiences wont keep me from ever owning another axis lock.... But it will have to be something I really want.
 
JNewell's side of the story is exactly what I have experienced. From my perspective, the Axis Lock is as good as there is. I still wish that BM would consent to sending out new sets of omega springs, even if I had to buy them, just so I would have them. But it is nice to know that a F guitar string will do the trick for an omega spring!

The 275 Adamas is as good of a production heavy duty knife as there is out there. Otherwise I wouldn't have two more on order!!
 
It could be the 20 proof Imperial Stout that I'm drinking but what guitar has an "F" string?

E-A-D-G-B-E Is it an inside joke?
 
Hey, I'm no muscian, can't even spell it right.:eek::D I just read it somewhere recently and it had to be here or at the Benchmade forum.

So there is no F string?


Just found the culprit...........it was Charlie Mike!!:eek:;):) And it was in this thread!
 
cutter17 said:
Hey, I'm no muscian, can't even spell it right.:eek::D I just read it somewhere recently and it had to be here or at the Benchmade forum.

So there is no F string?


Just found the culprit...........it was Charlie Mike!!:eek:;):) And it was in this thread!
Click to expand...

Well if it were Charlie Mike then most likely he meant, "Just use the F'ing string" :D
 
RetiredGuns said:
Well if it were Charlie Mike then most likely he meant, "Just use the F'ing string" :D
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Lol!

I have owned about 8 diff axis lock knives at one time or another (2 atm, with 2 more on the way). I have never had an omega spring break, and I habitually open and close my axis knives when I have em in hand. Also, having two means the lock is completely functional with only one spring, and even if both springs break, the knife will still open, close and lock, so still usable in an emergency.

Also, the blade replacement mentioned up thread is huge. I will say that benchmade never responded to an emailed question I had about paying to replace a blade, but I will hit them up again this week to see whats up.
 
Oops. I meant E but funny anyways.
 
JNewell said:
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...
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That does make me feel better. haha! Thank you.
 
bobusx said:
Lol!

I have owned about 8 diff axis lock knives at one time or another (2 atm, with 2 more on the way). I have never had an omega spring break, and I habitually open and close my axis knives when I have em in hand. Also, having two means the lock is completely functional with only one spring, and even if both springs break, the knife will still open, close and lock, so still usable in an emergency.

Also, the blade replacement mentioned up thread is huge. I will say that benchmade never responded to an emailed question I had about paying to replace a blade, but I will hit them up again this week to see whats up.
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They aren't real good about responding to email, but neither are a few other knife companies. I would imagine they have some pretty heavy duty spam filters.

But if you give them a call they will take care of your problem.
 
I've broken the omega springs (both) on my 930, probably just from opening and closing.

Yes, one spring will break and but it has two, so the knife will still work. However, a minor issue is that unless you feel like shining a flashlight into the crevices of your knife, you actually won't know one of the springs is broken. The Axis bar will move oddly or slowly, but it's not immediately obvious what happened. In my situation, it was only a short time (maybe a week) after the first spring broke that the second followed.
 
Sadly enough I have become a benchmade customer service expert this year. I have sent the same knife in 4 times in 2011 with broken omega springs. No questions asked. Just ship it and wait 2-4 weeks and you will have you blade back ready to break again
 
imbryan715 said:
Sadly enough I have become a benchmade customer service expert this year. I have sent the same knife in 4 times in 2011 with broken omega springs. No questions asked. Just ship it and wait 2-4 weeks and you will have you blade back ready to break again
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That is some bad luck. Do you take your knife apart to clean or for some other reason?

That is strange since I have flipped the knife in my pocket 10s of thousands of times without an issue, and I know I'm not the only one. It would be nice to know why you have broke so many while most other people don't have a problem.
 
I'll go out on a limb and say bryan715 is a fanboy of another company, and might even work for one. I smell B.S.. -But... who knows, maybe he's just the unluckiest Benchmade owner on the face of the earth.
 
imbryan715 said:
Sadly enough I have become a benchmade customer service expert this year. I have sent the same knife in 4 times in 2011 with broken omega springs. No questions asked. Just ship it and wait 2-4 weeks and you will have you blade back ready to break again
Click to expand...

One post. Credible.
 
I'm no longer much of a fan of Benchmade since the... well, you know, that hole big thing a while back.

But even so, I love my 806 and 710 to death (as well as a NOS 805 that's waiting for the right day to be put into use). I've opened and closed them thousands of times, always by pulling on the lock to flip them open and closed. I'm stunned that the springs haven't failed, really. My 806 has been wet, muddy, constantly dusty and gritty from being on dirty jobsites all day and it still comes back for more. So I simply can't knock the sturdiness or longevity of the lock. I think when some people run into failures, even multiple ones, it's just a really bad coincidence.

As has been mentioned, a lot of times, people don't voice an opinion until they have a problem. If all the info I've found online (here, other forums, YouTube, etc.) regarding failures is any indication of the AXIS' performance, I'd say Benchmade makes a very strong and dependable lock. And again, all this from someone who very likely will never buy another BM.
 
Springs break with use, no matter what the application. I've seen the main landing gear downlock springs break on commercial aircraft. They are mounted in pairs, yet one of them will break while the other won't. I do wish Benchmade was more willing to send out replacement parts, like Kershaw does.
 
the only tasks that knife sees are light edc and flipping open and closed while on the internet. i also have a benchmade 5000 and the auto spring in that broke after 1 month. i dont think it can be sent in to benchmade because they told me they dont ship autos accros state lines to civilians. the knife i broke 4 times is a benchmade 527

late april 2011 : bought benchmade 527
mid may 2011: omega springs break
mid june: get knife back from benchade
early july: breaks again (omega springs again)
late july: get knife back
early aug.: start carrying again and it breaks again( omega springs)
mid aug: get the knife back
late september: breaks again (omega springs)
early november : get back in mail.

have not toutched it since. i dont even want to sell it because i dont want to screw a guy with a shitty knife.
 
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