Benchmade QC issues?

brownshoe said:
I've been told by a custom maker and read that almost every blade edge ground by hand has a side to side difference since most people are right or left handed, not ambidextrous. Some makers can correctly guess which handed a maker is by the grind. I've been told that only the very best with a lot of knives under their belt get it symetrical (Brend, Marfione, Bose, Boye, etc.).
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I think the point of his comment was that some companies have gone to robotic sharpening, rather than relying on human beings. It seems spyderco has done this, and I've never seen a new Golden Spyderco with a poorly sharpened or uneven edge.

Also, are you talking about blade bevel grinds, or edge grinds?
 
marrenmiller said:
I think the point of his comment was that some companies have gone to robotic sharpening, rather than relying on human beings. It seems spyderco has done this, and I've never seen a new Golden Spyderco with a poorly sharpened or uneven edge.
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Yes, Spyderco does a fine job. Robotic or not.

Still, robotic sharpening is not a cure-all. Over the years, I've owned at least three CRKT Prowlers. All three had the exact same problems with their edge. Same problems in the same exact location. You can't tell me that was not done by robotics.

Of course, it's CRKT, so I am not really surprised.

As for Benchmade's QC, problems do seem to be kinda high. Based upon some of the comments here, at least. I did note that someone posted a list of their knives and which ones had problems. I don't remember who but I thought it was interesting. To me, the problem rate was too high.

It would be of interest to see which models have the most problems and if there is any consistency with the issues. Blade centering, poorly sharpened edges, etc.. It seems to me that most of the complaints against Benchmade would disappear if they just worked on their blade centering.

I don't like it but, I can live with uneven edges (up to a point). Blade centering issues drive me nuts.
 
Cypress said:
We are "publicly" discussing the issues on these forums with the Benchmade moderator (who is a design engineer for Benchmade) and occasionally the Benchmade Customer Service department chimes in on their account when they feel the need to. We have been told several times "I will forward this issue to the *insert department*." Recently, the tone of the moderator has been one of "meh" to our seemingly-constant nagging for better materials and QC for the price. If you haven't been to the Benchmade subforum, you should check it out. The company is pretty involved in the discussions, and seems to care about making things right. We just want to skip the "make it right" step by starting with the "this knife needs nothing" step.

As it sits right now, seeing the stuff BM is rolling out of their doors is like watching a relative quit their job to start up an Amway business.
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I do follow the Benchmade subforum quite a bit and I don't blame Jimmy for basically zoning out when it comes to the same old posts by you, bluemetalchurch, Mo2, etc. The "squeaky wheel gets the grease" approach might work for some things in life, and needling BM about steel choices is at times funny, but when it comes to getting the attention of Benchmade via the subforum I think you've found it isn't working. Maybe try something new, or at least post pictures of these atrocities that are being pushed onto the unsuspecting public by Benchmade. I'm sure you must have several documented examples, given your strong emotional response. Other than that, complaining about everything they come out with is not going to bring about the attention that you are seeking.

Regarding your last sentence, I think that sort of sums up why I started ignoring the constant stream of negative posts lacking any evidence: you clearly take being a customer of Benchmade very seriously and feel like they have committed a personal slight against you because of their recent models, choices of steel, and apparent "QC issues". I guess there are two ugly sides to brand loyalty.

Finger-pointing aside, if there is actually a significant QC issue I hope that Benchmade is taking all this discussion to heart. They should, because they are developing a reputation, warranted or not. But if there isn't a QC issue and 99% of the knives leaving Benchmade are passing rigorous standards and it is just the vocal minority complaining loudly when they get a lemon or something that isn't perfect, then the company is receiving undue criticism that may harm their bottom line. Hence, show evidence of your next issues.
 
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Seems pretty simple to me...if you don't like em, don't buy em. It brings an expression to mind..."living well is the best revenge". If enough people with issues stop buying a brand, the manufacture should notice....it there are enough to affect their sales.
 
Darkera said:
Regarding your last sentence, I think that sort of sums up why I started ignoring the constant stream of negative posts lacking any evidence: you clearly take being a customer of Benchmade very seriously and feel like they have committed a personal slight against you because of their recent models, choices of steel, and apparent "QC issues". I guess there are two ugly sides to brand loyalty.

Hence, show evidence of your next issues.
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...Evidence like the now 10-page long thread of pictures highlighting the QC issues?

Or do you mean in the past, like all of the pictures I have already posted in the Benchmade forum...so much so that other members are chiming in with “I remember that knife. That was pretty bad.” I have even provided Jimmy with pictures of the barcode on the box so they can track who messed the knife up to begin with.

Have you even read the rest of this thread?
 
sabre cat said:
It would be of interest to see which models have the most problems and if there is any consistency with the issues.
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I agree! I’ve often wondered if certain lines were more prone to inconsistencies & problems than others.

Darkera said:
...post pictures of these atrocities that are being pushed onto the unsuspecting public by Benchmade.
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I agree! Pictures are much more powerful than words, and I’m grateful to those who have shown them. As has been pointed out, not every issue is readily amenable to photography, prime examples being blade play & action. Also, if you have the luxury of shopping at a brick & mortar, it’s kinda awakward to photograph all the knives you’re passing on. “No sir. I’m not going to buy it for reasons A, B, C....but would you mind if I took some pictures of the imperfections in the crappy knives you stock?” <<note there may be some hyperbole there...no pitchforks please>>

JD Bear said:
Seems pretty simple to me...if you don't like em, don't buy em. It brings an expression to mind..."living well is the best revenge". If enough people with issues stop buying a brand, the manufacture should notice....it there are enough to affect their sales.
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I agree. It’ll be sad if that’s what it comes to. Remember the US automobile manufacturing malaise of the late ‘70s & early ‘80’s? The US was at risk of loosing it’s entire automotive industry due to institutionalized complacency in pumping out largely inferior products that were seemingly OK to the manufacturer.

If you’ve read this thread you know that I’m one dude with a limited sampling. I get it. The reason I don’t have 5-6 more Benchmades amounts to my expectations either being too high, or the QC of interesting models I’ve personally held in hand being too low. Until that gap is eliminated, sadly I’ll be doing what J JD Bear proposes.
 
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Darkera said:
I do follow the Benchmade subforum quite a bit and I don't blame Jimmy for basically zoning out when it comes to the same old posts by you, bluemetalchurch, Mo2, etc. The "squeaky wheel gets the grease" approach might work for some things in life, and needling BM about steel choices is at times funny, but when it comes to getting the attention of Benchmade via the subforum I think you've found it isn't working. Maybe try something new, or at least post pictures of these atrocities that are being pushed onto the unsuspecting public by Benchmade. I'm sure you must have several documented examples, given your strong emotional response. Other than that, complaining about everything they come out with is not going to bring about the attention that you are seeking.
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Same old posts? Man, I don't feel like I've been that vocal. In all honesty I've defended the brand a lot. But as others have stated when a brand doesn't offer what you want - move on. When Benchmade offers a knife that I can't resist they'll get my money again.
 
You are all talking apples to oranges here.
If I buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store and once I get it home & open it I realize it's moldy.
I don't return it to the maker of the bread.
Get real.
I return it to the store that sold it to me.
The only true test of Benchmade quality control (for the end user) would be to purchase his/her knives straight from Benchmade.
Anything else is supposition.
Admittedly, with some things it would seem obvious that it came from the factory that way (uneven grinds).
With other issues, not so much.
Is there a washer missing?
Is the blade not centered?
Were these knives returned and put back into stock?
 
Cypress said:
...Evidence like the now 10-page long thread of pictures highlighting the QC issues?

Or do you mean in the past, like all of the pictures I have already posted in the Benchmade forum...so much so that other members are chiming in with “I remember that knife. That was pretty bad.” I have even provided Jimmy with pictures of the barcode on the box so they can track who messed the knife up to begin with.

Have you even read the rest of this thread?
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We all expect a perfect product, especially when paying $200+, but 10 pictures showing G10 blemishes, off-center blades, and asymmetrical grinds just isn't convincing me that the brand is as bad as you imply it is or that there is some deep QC issue.

I really like my Benchmade knives but I'm not emotionally/financially invested in the brand enough to be a fanboy, so maybe I'm just being obtuse... I'm starting to feel like I'm defending something for the sake of defending it. But I wonder if it is becoming a trend to bash Benchmade, whereas the same issues with say a Spyderco would be considered acceptable in a factory production knife (eg slightly asymmetrical grind or some blade play). But yes, some examples such as your Anthem and that Bugout are truly bad and make me wonder how these knives made it out the door.

If I recall correctly, Nick Shabazz said not to buy a Benchmade sight unseen and that he went through 16 or so knives before he found one that was acceptable. Statistically, I must have won the lottery if the three knives I bought were good (and I bought the first ones I inspected). Maybe my tolerance for imperfections on a factory production knife is too high.

Honestly, if I owned 100 Benchmade knives over the years and routinely saw recent gross errors such as your Anthem, I would just drop the brand. Especially if I felt like I was trying to help them out by making them aware of these QC issues only to be ignored. If your perceptions are the reality of Benchmade, why bother supporting them? I understand being emotionally attached to a brand but at some point you just have to move on.
 
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Lol, its a knife issue. Not a brand issue for sure. Nobody escapes the claim.
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marrenmiller said:
I think the point of his comment was that some companies have gone to robotic sharpening, rather than relying on human beings. It seems spyderco has done this, and I've never seen a new Golden Spyderco with a poorly sharpened or uneven edge.

Also, are you talking about blade bevel grinds, or edge grinds?
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Not sure about bevel vs. edge, but I mean the primary edge/bevel that cuts stuff :)

You know guys, Emerson does his V-grind asymmetrical on purpose, one side with a bevel and one w/o. https://emersonknives.com/uncategorized/anatomy-of-an-emerson-knife/ These flaws could be considered a hybrid Emerson V-grind :)
 
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Took this picture on November 7 2017 at a store. Didn't really feel like sharing it.
But you guys are curious so here it is.
bSzPpibh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bSzPpib.jpg o_OHD:eek:
 
Darkera said:
Statistically, I must have won the lottery if the three knives I bought were good (and I bought the first ones I inspected). Maybe my tolerance for imperfections on a factory production knife is too high.
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This is something I get hung up on a little. Of the last 5 Benchmades I bought in the last year (556-1, 551-1, Bugout, 575, and a 940) 4 of them were perfect, only the 556-1 had a blade that centered a tick off to the clip side but other than that it had zero blade play and a perfect action (I thought I had went 5 for 5 before I grabbed it to check before writing this post). I'm not a lucky man, and doubt that I just constantly win the qc lottery.

I've had issues with every brand, my worst knife buying experience ever was trying to find a pm2 that didn't feel like it was glued together at quarter to 5 on a Friday let alone one that matched the glowing reports I saw online. It's possible that people expect more from bm because they price themselves at the top of the market, it's possible folks are vocal about their qc issues because it's fashionable to do so, and it's possible I use my entire allowance of luck every few months when I buy a knife with a butterfly on the blade.
 
J.Mattson said:
This is something I get hung up on a little. Of the last 5 Benchmades I bought in the last year (556-1, 551-1, Bugout, 575, and a 940) 4 of them were perfect, only the 556-1 had a blade that centered a tick off to the clip side but other than that it had zero blade play and a perfect action (I thought I had went 5 for 5 before I grabbed it to check before writing this post). I'm not a lucky man, and doubt that I just constantly win the qc lottery.

I've had issues with every brand, my worst knife buying experience ever was trying to find a pm2 that didn't feel like it was glued together at quarter to 5 on a Friday let alone one that matched the glowing reports I saw online. It's possible that people expect more from bm because they price themselves at the top of the market, it's possible folks are vocal about their qc issues because it's fashionable to do so, and it's possible I use my entire allowance of luck every few months when I buy a knife with a butterfly on the blade.
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Are you referring to stiffness with the PM2? I have felt that way as well. Out of the several I have owned only one came in buttery smooth. The others had to have some break in time. I was extremely disappointed with my first one because of that.

I do believe that a big portion of the complaints are coming in because Benchmade's prices are high on many of their knives compared to other brands. In their defense (and if you look at my post you'll see me defending their prices a lot of the time) they offer a lot of after service care with their Lifesharp program. So there are reasons I'm sure. I just don't want to pay $200 for a folder with S30v. That isn't just a Benchmade thing - when Spyderco released the Shaman and raised the price significantly I lost all interest in that knife too and kicked myself for not buying it before the price was raised.
 
My first modern folder was a Mini-Grip that I bought 15 years ago. Since then I've bought two different flavors of full size Grips, two 950 Rifts, & a 810 Contego. I still have them all & have had zero issues with any of them. I used to prefer BMs, but I do believe that Spyderco passed BM in the more bang for the buck department a long time age.
 
Ironbut said:
My first modern folder was a Mini-Grip that I bought 15 years ago. Since then I've bought two different flavors of full size Grips, two 950 Rifts, & a 810 Contego. I still have them all & have had zero issues with any of them. I used to prefer BMs, but I do believe that Spyderco passed BM in the more bang for the buck department a long time age.
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No question that Spyderco may offer more bang for your buck but, it's not always the case. Look at the prices of their knives from Japan. I can't help but feel they are high priced for what you get. Especially the D'Allara 3 (the one I want).

But, some of us are not super big Spyderco fans so we look elsewhere. In my case, it's Benchmade even though I don't like most of their knives. I really don't. What keeps me coming back to Benchmade is their Customer Service and the Axis lock design.

Maybe others keep buying their products for just those two reasons.
 
I just sent in my 940-1701 for a blade replacement and blade play. They received it a couple days ago. If I adjusted it so there would be no play, it was too tight to open easily. If I adjusted it so it opened and closed how it should, there would be blade play. I have no idea how long it will take to get it back, but will update after it makes it's way back to me. I also would like to add that there was not an issue with blade centering.
 
I will be getting my 940-1701 back Thursday and will update the thread with the results.
 
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