Benchmade QC issues?

Pickergrinner said:
Thought I would update on Anthem with short blade grind. I'm very happy with Benchmade customer service. They warrantied the blade and sent it back perfectly centered. Really a great knife.

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Glad to hear they took care of you and that you are now happy with the knife. That is always good to hear.
 
Well, now, aren't we an obsessive-compulsive bunch!

I mean, holy crap! These are production knives meant for use, not custom made display knives. Yeah they cost a lot but everything costs a lot today if it's really good--and Benchmade knives are really good. Slight off centering, cosmetic imperfections in the handle material, slightly asymmetrical blade grinds...none of them affect the functional role of the knife in use. And use is what it's made for, not fondling and playing with and admiring and whining over inconsequential imperfections. If it bothers you that much or it's really badly put together, Benchmade has a good warranty--use it.

I own probably 20 Benchmades out of hundreds of knives. Of those the only one that came with any type of overtly obvious imperfection (that I can recall) was a partially serrated 710. The blade had a bad grind, the serrations were cut too deep and the blade was slightly off center. Some of you would probably have had a fit about it and gone online and berated Benchmade throughout all the internet. But I got it from a dealer for a good discount and I decided to just use the thing. I carried it for several years and beat the hell out of it and it became one of my all time favorite knives. Today it looks like hell but it's as tight as the day I bought it, the blade still is slightly off center but it hasn't changed a nano hair from new and those imperfect serrations are well worn down from frequent sharpening.

Knives are just tools. Use them, don't obsess over them.
 
Lee48 said:
Well, now, aren't we an obsessive-compulsive bunch!

I mean, holy crap! These are production knives meant for use, not custom made display knives. Yeah they cost a lot but everything costs a lot today if it's really good--and Benchmade knives are really good. Slight off centering, cosmetic imperfections in the handle material, slightly asymmetrical blade grinds...none of them affect the functional role of the knife in use. And use is what it's made for, not fondling and playing with and admiring and whining over inconsequential imperfections. If it bothers you that much or it's really badly put together, Benchmade has a good warranty--use it.

I own probably 20 Benchmades out of hundreds of knives. Of those the only one that came with any type of overtly obvious imperfection (that I can recall) was a partially serrated 710. The blade had a bad grind, the serrations were cut too deep and the blade was slightly off center. Some of you would probably have had a fit about it and gone online and berated Benchmade throughout all the internet. But I got it from a dealer for a good discount and I decided to just use the thing. I carried it for several years and beat the hell out of it and it became one of my all time favorite knives. Today it looks like hell but it's as tight as the day I bought it, the blade still is slightly off center but it hasn't changed a nano hair from new and those imperfect serrations are well worn down from frequent sharpening.

Knives are just tools. Use them, don't obsess over them.
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"Use them , don't obsess over them" ..... barking orders now , huh?

Who let this guy in? o_O
 
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Lee48 said:
Well, now, aren't we an obsessive-compulsive bunch!

I mean, holy crap! These are production knives meant for use, not custom made display knives. Yeah they cost a lot but everything costs a lot today if it's really good--and Benchmade knives are really good. Slight off centering, cosmetic imperfections in the handle material, slightly asymmetrical blade grinds...none of them affect the functional role of the knife in use. And use is what it's made for, not fondling and playing with and admiring and whining over inconsequential imperfections. If it bothers you that much or it's really badly put together, Benchmade has a good warranty--use it.

I own probably 20 Benchmades out of hundreds of knives. Of those the only one that came with any type of overtly obvious imperfection (that I can recall) was a partially serrated 710. The blade had a bad grind, the serrations were cut too deep and the blade was slightly off center. Some of you would probably have had a fit about it and gone online and berated Benchmade throughout all the internet. But I got it from a dealer for a good discount and I decided to just use the thing. I carried it for several years and beat the hell out of it and it became one of my all time favorite knives. Today it looks like hell but it's as tight as the day I bought it, the blade still is slightly off center but it hasn't changed a nano hair from new and those imperfect serrations are well worn down from frequent sharpening.

Knives are just tools. Use them, don't obsess over them.
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If you own hundreds of knives, then you’re likely aware of the ~$50 Chinese “budget” knives that come rock solid with symmetrical grinds and rock-solid lockup. If I’m paying the butterfly tax, I expect perfection.
 
Lee48 said:
Well, now, aren't we an obsessive-compulsive bunch!

I mean, holy crap! These are production knives meant for use, not custom made display knives. Yeah they cost a lot but everything costs a lot today if it's really good--and Benchmade knives are really good. Slight off centering, cosmetic imperfections in the handle material, slightly asymmetrical blade grinds...none of them affect the functional role of the knife in use. And use is what it's made for, not fondling and playing with and admiring and whining over inconsequential imperfections. If it bothers you that much or it's really badly put together, Benchmade has a good warranty--use it.

I own probably 20 Benchmades out of hundreds of knives. Of those the only one that came with any type of overtly obvious imperfection (that I can recall) was a partially serrated 710. The blade had a bad grind, the serrations were cut too deep and the blade was slightly off center. Some of you would probably have had a fit about it and gone online and berated Benchmade throughout all the internet. But I got it from a dealer for a good discount and I decided to just use the thing. I carried it for several years and beat the hell out of it and it became one of my all time favorite knives. Today it looks like hell but it's as tight as the day I bought it, the blade still is slightly off center but it hasn't changed a nano hair from new and those imperfect serrations are well worn down from frequent sharpening.

Knives are just tools. Use them, don't obsess over them.
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How about instead of spending extra time and money and relying on warranty to possibly solve an issue to your satisfaction, that instead the product arrives in the correct state to begin with? Or is that asking too much?

Your entire post rings hollow considering A) you're posting on an enthusiast site, B) you stated you have hundreds of knives but yet you lambast people for not just using theirs as tools, C) these issues can affect actual use, like when the locks don't work properly, or when the knife is so misground it takes a lot of time and effort to rectify, or if the tang is completely unfinished and grinds the damned axis lock bar every time you open or close the knife (true story on a $300 custom shop model, btw), and D) their warranty can fail to fix issues that customers send knives in for, as with my and others' experience. I mean, come on. If we wanted to pretend that fit and finish and QC issues don't ever affect the use of a knife, we'd all buy emerson knives.

I've had near perfect knives come from Benchmade. I've also had some real poor work come from them, more so than with any other company.
 
marrenmiller said:
How about instead of spending extra time and money and relying on warranty to possibly solve an issue to your satisfaction, that instead the product arrives in the correct state to begin with? .....
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I agree. IMO, warranty service should be to correct warranty-covered failures and not in an attempt to punch flawed, unacceptable products up into acceptable condition. When I pay good money for what should be a good knife, I expect that it’ll be in appropriately acceptable condition and not characterized by flaws and deficiencies that should have never been allowed out of the factory in the first place. I recently got a 3” and a 3 1/2” Kershaw Nura. Each had a perfectly centered blade, solid lock-up, no blade play and no visible flaws. Each of these knives cost me around as much as my state sales tax on a standard BM 940. If the Chinese factory that cranked out those two low-end knives can produce >$20 knives with no QC issues, it makes me wonder why I got a 940 that I had to return.

IMO, it smacks of a “let’s throw a whole lot of it on the wall and see what sticks” corporate QC attitude. I suspect the good majority of knife buyers are nowhere near as informed or discerning as the BF crowd, so a lot of knives that a lot of us here wouldn’t accept never get returned and so BM ends up ahead on the deal. This isn’t an attitude or business practice that I see as reflecting exemplary corporate integrity.

The fact that this discussion is still raging on after 11 pages of back-and-forth also speaks volumes. If there wasn’t a genuine BM QC problem, this thread would have run out of gas and disappeared into the mists of BF history around 8 or 9 pages ago.
 
This discussion continues due to the nature of the thread posters not due to BM. For years there have been these threads, but BM continues on. For every complainer, there are 9+ satisfied customers.
 
brownshoe said:
This discussion continues due to the nature of the thread posters not due to BM. For years there have been these threads, but BM continues on. For every complainer, there are 9+ satisfied customers.
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True. Most knife buyers aren t too discerning about fit and finish. But you would think the relatively high price would turn more of them off.
The residents here are more knowledgeable about quality for a price, but we re a small minority of knife buyers.
 
whp said:
True. Most knife buyers aren t too discerning about fit and finish. But you would think the relatively high price would turn more of them off.
The residents here are more knowledgeable about quality for a price, but we re a small minority of knife buyers.
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To be fair, it isn't exactly unheard of to hear a first time expensive knife buyer to complain about how the knife isn't that much better than a cheaper piece. It might not be that they don't notice, but rather that they don't know to expect better.
 
The fit and finish on all my BM are great . Bad blade grinds, blade play, or other major problems I have not seen. I wouldn't hesitate to buy BM.
 
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I got him back a day early. This knife is now a perfect specimen of what a 940-1701 should be. Centering is perfect. No blade play in any direction. Even grinds on both sides. Perfect action when flicking open or closed. I've owned 4 other 940s, and this one is the best one I have had by far now. I'm very happy I decided to send it in. Thank you, Benchmade.

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ugh, I've been able to resist benchmades ... so far (I was never a fan of axis for some reason, and, I just was not into higher end folders etc)
... and now I find out ...

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they had to go and make a fixed blade!
... out of 3v !!
... and puukko !!

shudup and take my money - what else can I say?
the only possible qc issue on a fixed... HT, and I know they are good on that front, I can no longer resist
 
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The worst issue I had with a benchmade was for a Limited edition 551-1302. It was many years ago. A very nice piece with unusual coloured handle, nice serial number, mint condition throughout except that it also came with an uneven cutting bevel(2nd picture, zoom at the tip). Obviously, being a limited edition, I for one would be keeping this piece in mint condition. But with a cutting bevel like this piece, I was frustrated. I have since gifted this folder away.

 
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