Benchmade, if an Omega spring breaks.. SOL?

im not a fanboy and im 16 so working for a knife company is out of the question haha. when i was first getting into knives 2 years ago the knives i admired the most where benchmades. i got my first a year into collecting/ using. then all of this hapend. i love alot of benchmades. 710,940,750,707,551,556,915...... etc. but i just cant buy them as of right know.

i gave a time line of my benchmade issues in a post above. i do like the knife alot when it works but i can not rely on a knife that wont last 2 months at a time.
 
i joined today because i was watching alot of reviews from people like jdavis882 and jankerson1 on youtube aka ankerson and crimsontideshooter. there was a day when you had no posts.
 
I have had multiple omega springs break, both of the springs on my 940, one on my gaucho, and one on my 13200. I don't think it's an urban legend, there might be only thirty people that have put that they have broken springs on the forums, but I think that this forum is just a small percentage of the knife buying community.

I have never sent any of my knives back to Benchmade, or used an E-string, I just canabilized some cheap chinese axis-lock knives that I had laying around in a drawer.
 
GarrettWeidman said:
I have had multiple omega springs break, both of the springs on my 940, one on my gaucho, and one on my 13200. I don't think it's an urban legend, there might be only thirty people that have put that they have broken springs on the forums, but I think that this forum is just a small percentage of the knife buying community.

I have never sent any of my knives back to Benchmade, or used an E-string, I just canabilized some cheap chinese axis-lock knives that I had laying around in a drawer.
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I will say I dont really hear about the chinese axis locks breaking. The one i own has a niticeably stiffer spring, wonder ic that makes em last longer or something.
 
Check with knifekits.com for a spring for the BM 5000.

There is a LOT of bad luck going on with this topic.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
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.
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fair enough, but i guess you must have to buy from spyderco knowing that the sprints if they break or damage cannot be replaced. Either way, im not spreading the omega spring failing all around the forums. This is my second post talking about the failures ive experienced and it will probably be my last, because every time i tell my experiences i have someone tell me "im the problem" or its "user error" and benchmade is so god like when it comes to making there knives they never have failures:rolleyes: sure i believe that. dont get me wrong i loved my benchmades, i just got tired of sending them in. Im not saying benchmade knives are bad and in my other post i had stated that it may be because of the climate of where i live (its very humid). for me the axis lock isnt practical for daily use. Ill stick with my frame lock and your enjoy your knives what ever they may be. Have a good one
 
I think it was a pretty broad, and frankly, in my opinion, unrealistic statement for a first post. -I'm just wondering if he works at Spyderco or Kershaw... -Not really, but...

I think post count, and/or joining date should be taken into account at times. But anyone can say something brilliant or foolish, honest or deceptive, regardless of either.
 
I didn't mean to sound like you are perpetuating a myth, though reading it now it does sound that way. Just that people who do have a problem mention it in multiple threads. I do it to when I have a problem and I was just trying to point out that can make it seem like a bigger problem that it is. I know they break because I had one break out of my 30 or so AXIS lock knives that I carry at least one every single day. I made a new pair of springs with a piece of MIG welding wire the same diameter as the original (0.025"). I used 2 pair of needle nose pliers and had the knife taken apart, springs made, and put back together in under 30 min. I made a pair because the one I made didn't match the strength of the other original, so I replaced both so the spring pressure is even on the lock bar.

I didnt love replacing it but I liked that I could do it at home. I have had other locks have problems and couldn't do anything about it. One is still broken cause I put it away and have forgot about sending it in for warranty work. I have been using AXIS locks daily for 7 years and flip them to keep my hands busy. One problem in all that time is OK with me. I've had a lot more problems with other knives. Benchmade has to pay someone to fix each one that breaks and they pay the postage to send them back, or they did. If it was a widespread problem they would have found a solution by now. They are a business and are around to make money. A properly made spring should have almost infinite life span as long as they don't experience plastic deformation. I would like to know why they break and if it is more than flaws in the wire.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
A properly made spring should have almost infinite life span as long as they don't experience plastic deformation. I would like to know why they break and if it is more than flaws in the wire.
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^ this

I am curious about this as well. For the poster that had multiple failures on the same knife I would suggest that the knife be sent back to benchmade with a note describing the multiple failures, and requesting that the knife be evaluated for any flaws as opposed to just having the spring replaced. The knife itself may have some sort of manufacturing flaw that is causing the failure.
 
zrfunited said:
^ this

I am curious about this as well. For the poster that had multiple failures on the same knife I would suggest that the knife be sent back to benchmade with a note describing the multiple failures, and requesting that the knife be evaluated for any flaws as opposed to just having the spring replaced. The knife itself may have some sort of manufacturing flaw that is causing the failure.
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the knife was perfectly ok that i sent in and the action on it moves front to back so i dont think there can be flaws in the individual knife. and to respond to a properly made spring thing, maybe benchmade isnt using thick enough spring material for there locks. ie, the large griptiallian spring is the same thickness as the mini griptillian spring. Bigger knife why not a bigger spring? Either way im stating facts and this is my last post on this topic here. im done no more BS. have a good day everyone.
 
I'm not a Benchmade fanboy but my current (I should add--"for today"--as my EDC tends to rotate between the Mini and a couple of others, including my new Para 2) EDC is a Mini Rukus, and I've NEVER had an Omega spring break. I use my knife every day, I'm also prone to "flip" my blade open and closed when I'm just sitting around (like any certified "knife knut"), plus I live in the damp Pacific NW air around Seattle area. So mine gets plenty of use and has to work in conditions that aren't friendly to knives. But my springs have never failed, so I guess the idea that moisture causes the springs to fail has not held true with my "sample of one." :-)

I've been lucky, I guess. With all of the 6 or 7 folders I've bought in the last couple of years (Benchmade, Spyderco, and SOG), I've only had one issue (it was a SOG problem) and they fixed it under warranty.

I am NOT trying to suggest my small "successful" sample size means that there is not a larger issue, though. I would be interested to find out if there is a widespread pattern of Benchmade springs failing at a higher-than-expected rate. I was considering buying a 710 in M390, now I'm having second thoughts because for me, this one will be a user and I don't WANT to have to send it back for service, ever. I need to be able to rely on the thing.
 
maximus83 said:
I am NOT trying to suggest my small "successful" sample size means that there is not a larger issue, though. I would be interested to find out if there is a widespread pattern of Benchmade springs failing at a higher-than-expected rate. I was considering buying a 710 in M390, now I'm having second thoughts because for me, this one will be a user and I don't WANT to have to send it back for service, ever. I need to be able to rely on the thing.
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Consider it from this perspective:

JNewell said:
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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FlaMtnBkr said:
Benchmade has to pay someone to fix each one that breaks and they pay the postage to send them back, or they did. If it was a widespread problem they would have found a solution by now. They are a business and are around to make money.
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I don't believe it's a widespread problem but it does happen and dismissing anyone that says they've had it happen is just sticking your head in the sand (it's no myth). And your right, Benchmade is a business that's ultimate goal is to make money. Perhaps that's why they change their policy and make the customer pay shipping both ways. It takes only a couple minutes to replace both springs, and with the cost of shipping purely on the customer, it really doesn't cost Benchmade to fix the occasional failed omega springs. And I'm sure they factor in the probability of return for service work into the pricing of their knives (any good business would).

It'd be nice if a rep from Benchmade would give a yearly figure for how many knives are returned for omega springs failure, but they understandably wont because it's just bad business to share with your customer base your shortcomings.

The point is, it happens, springs break, so what, there's really no need for the fanboys to jump down someones throat when they claim it happened to them. If you've had 100 axis lock knives and not a single failure, THAT'S GREAT...BUT it doesn't mean the guy with one axis lock knife is lying/trolling when he says his springs failed.


minimize said:
One post. Credible.
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minimize said:
Last time I checked, 288 > 1. Sensitive much.
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And as for the post count thing, really? You trying to turn this into a pissing contest or something? Grow up.

-sh00ter
 
I don't know if you are talking about me, but I have never dismissed anyone, or said someone was lying, or said it doesn't happen. I have only said I don't think it happens nearly as much as some people would have you believe. Not just this thread, but any thread I have posted in over the years.

This forum has well over a 100,000 members and is not only the biggest knife forum, but one of the biggest forums on the internet. I think it is a pretty good representation of knife buyers. If there are only a couple dozen people who have reported a spring failure then that is a significantly small number. Someone also made it sound like there were many videos on YouTube showing broken omega springs. If that is the case than it should be pretty easy to post links to even 5 videos.

I don't know where the BS is in this thread, but no one has to post or even read it if they feel that way.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
I don't know if you are talking about me, but I have never dismissed anyone, or said someone was lying, or said it doesn't happen. I have only said I don't think it happens nearly as much as some people would have you believe. Not just this thread, but any thread I have posted in over the years.

This forum has well over a 100,000 members and is not only the biggest knife forum, but one of the biggest forums on the internet. I think it is a pretty good representation of knife buyers. If there are only a couple dozen people who have reported a spring failure then that is a significantly small number. Someone also made it sound like there were many videos on YouTube showing broken omega springs. If that is the case than it should be pretty easy to post links to even 5 videos.

I don't know where the BS is in this thread, but no one has to post or even read it if they feel that way.
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I just used a portion of your post as a jumping off point, my post was a more in general to the thread.

-sh00ter
 
sh00ter01 said:
I don't believe it's a widespread problem but it does happen and dismissing anyone that says they've had it happen is just sticking your head in the sand (it's no myth). And your right, Benchmade is a business that's ultimate goal is to make money. Perhaps that's why they change their policy and make the customer pay shipping both ways. It takes only a couple minutes to replace both springs, and with the cost of shipping purely on the customer, it really doesn't cost Benchmade to fix the occasional failed omega springs. And I'm sure they factor in the probability of return for service work into the pricing of their knives (any good business would).

It'd be nice if a rep from Benchmade would give a yearly figure for how many knives are returned for omega springs failure, but they understandably wont because it's just bad business to share with your customer base your shortcomings.

The point is, it happens, springs break, so what, there's really no need for the fanboys to jump down someones throat when they claim it happened to them. If you've had 100 axis lock knives and not a single failure, THAT'S GREAT...BUT it doesn't mean the guy with one axis lock knife is lying/trolling when he says his springs failed.





And as for the post count thing, really? You trying to turn this into a pissing contest or something? Grow up.

-sh00ter
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:thumbup: well said.
 
Wolf,

I understand that there may have been no apparent flaws, but that doesnt mean that one doesnt exist. Without seeing where the springs split I really can't say where a flaw may exist. The idea here though is certainly not to call into question your truthfulness but rather to assist you with a possible explaination and consequent repair. There could be a nick that has formed a fin that is rubbing against the spring while it is traveling to engage and disengage the lock. There could be several other things causing undue wear as well. There may be nothing at all, and luck as it is, just may have been against you. The only reason I say this though is because of how rapidly your springs failed.
 
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