Benchmade QC issues?

Makael said:
Well the Benchmade 531 Perdue arrived today. Nice box and packaging. Nice little bag.

1st impression, nice slim well built knife out of high quality materials.
I've looked the knife over very well and cannot find one thing wrong with this particular example. Its perfect!

No blade play in any direction. No bad fit or finish. Seems like a good example I've come to expect from Benchmade.

But it's a little small from what I'm used to. It's gorgeous well built slim knife. Here are some pics.




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Could be the lighting, but I can see the tip is ground lopsided in these pictures. It appears that the clip side has more of a shallow edge bevel (higher grind) than the show side.
 
Makael said:
Lol, why would it come back with the same issues?
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Because sometimes Benchmade does that. I've had it happen to me, and others have documented the same thing. Though I generally can't stand his videos, Michael Emler on YouTube had a whole video about it recently where they sent knives back for lifesharp service, only to have them come back with the same issues.

It seems that chances are, if it leaves the factory that way the first time, there's a decent chance Benchmade is by and large ok with that defect being on your knife.
 
All knife companies are ok with a slight offset. To want to be a knife nerd and send a knife back that takes a magnifying glass to spot some not perfect grind....... I'm not saying a gross offset is ok, I'm saying slight offset would be normal. Especially finished by hand. These are production knives and there is no way to take the time needed to get a perfect knife Every time. Scales, blades, screws, pocket clips all in containers and put together in an assembly line. No matching parts hand machined for perfection on a production knife. The more attention to detail the more the price escalates. Ever drift out of your lane and hit the rub strips that vibrate your car? Of course. Doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to drive and have your licensed revoked and sent to driving school. Neither should any production knife manufacturer.

Besides some of the people's sharpening skills wipe any complaint on a grind from the factory. Or make it worse.

Here are some pics that are as close as I can focus that show the grind on each side. As far as I can tell it's pretty darn close. Plus an off set a millimeter or two at the tip doesn't mean a thing if 99 percent of the blade is good. The tip is where the blade meets the stone. It's the smallest most delicate portion of the blade. Also easiest to have slightly off.

The distance to the knife is different from side to side trying to get a picture. The knife is in hand and is a good example and there are no issues.



 
Makael Makael , you raise some really good points in your last post. Yes, if I tried hard enough I could probably find something imperfect about any knife in my collection. To be honest, I probably already have with most of them.

I think your comment, “The more attention to detail the more price escalates” is VERY pertinent to the discussion. The obverse is, “the more price escalets, the more attention to detail is expected.” That expectation is what this thread is about (from my perspective anyway).

Personally I like to hear every negative comment about every knife. Some of those negatives will be important to me, others not. In the end, it’s the sum total of positives and negatives in association with price that convinces me to buy, or not to buy a given knife.
 
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Found some pics of the shorter Anthem blade:

r2WjJQ2.jpg

HjhRlT1.jpg


Angle of the measured one makes it look shorter than it actually is...surprisingly difficult to line that up and take a pic. I think the handle shot gives the best impression. The blade is obviously within their tolerances but is noticeably smaller than the previous Anthem I had in every dimension. It also has a tiny recurve.

Am I nitpicking on this one? yes
Am I nitpicking more because it costs more? yes

I fully expect to love this knife. The blade comes sharp and slicey. The coil spring for the axis lock is fantastic. The overall size and shape hits a sweet spot for me. Both pivots were smooth with solid lock up.
 
4mer_FMF said:
I think your comment, “The more attention to detail the more price escalates” is VERY pertinent to the discussion. The obverse is, “the more price escalets, the more attention to detail is expected.” That expectation is what this thread is about (from my perspective anyway).
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Unfortunately, as inexpensive as the knife Makael Makael bought is, it shows one of the exact problems that comes on BM knives costing three times as much as this one. None of the Spyderco’s that I have ever purchased have had an edge as bad as the one pictured.

I am unsure how hand finishing an edge as an excuse for a poor edge. You would think with a human eye looking at it, it would be damn near perfect. If I could pay less for knife and get a perfect edge, bring on the robots!
 
Cypress said:
Unfortunately, as inexpensive as the knife Makael Makael bought is, it shows one of the exact problems that comes on BM knives costing three times as much as this one. None of the Spyderco’s that I have ever purchased have had an edge as bad as the one pictured.

I am unsure how hand finishing an edge as an excuse for a poor edge. You would think with a human eye looking at it, it would be damn near perfect. If I could pay less for knife and get a perfect edge, bring on the robots!
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Lol, not sure what your dissatisfaction is with BM. They aren't any different than anyone else. Your kinda nitpicking for the sake of the argument. I'll check out my spydercos and post pics.
 
3 of 4 of my Spyderco knives have the same or slightly worse variance at the tip. I love spyderco knives and dont see any issues with them. Funny thing the least exp camo version has the best tip.
either.
 
Cypress said:
Unfortunately, as inexpensive as the knife Makael Makael bought is, it shows one of the exact problems that comes on BM knives costing three times as much as this one. None of the Spyderco’s that I have ever purchased have had an edge as bad as the one pictured.

I am unsure how hand finishing an edge as an excuse for a poor edge. You would think with a human eye looking at it, it would be damn near perfect. If I could pay less for knife and get a perfect edge, bring on the robots!
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Part of my point is show pics to back up what your saying. I'm afraid some input on the forums is people commenting on knives they have never purchased. So pics really do verify a claim either good or bad.
I own hundreds of buck knives, a few hinderers a few spydercos a couple Benchmade , one CRK Umnamzaan, some Ruanas, some TOPS knives. Etc. The very rip of a blade can have a variance but doesn't represent the entire grind.
 
Makael said:
Part of my point is show pics to back up what your saying. I'm afraid some input on the forums is people commenting on knives they have never purchased. So pics really do verify a claim either good or bad.
I own hundreds of buck knives, a few hinderers a few spydercos a couple Benchmade , one CRK Umnamzaan, some Ruanas, some TOPS knives. Etc. The very rip of a blade can have a variance but doesn't represent the entire grind.
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You can trust Cypress Cypress as a member who doesn't have an agenda other than he wants to see Benchmade better themselves. He has owned them and does own them. He's not a Spyderco or whatever fanboy that is trying to justify his buying habits.

I will say I have gotten some knives from Benchmade with some imperfections and I didn't take pics. I usually just sent them back to the dealer explaining why i'd like a refund or exchange. Once a sticky was made about how to properly correct off center blades I just fixed that myself. Wonky edges though bother me.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
You can trust Cypress Cypress as a member who doesn't have an agenda other than he wants to see Benchmade better themselves.
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I can appreciate that, although the 3-4 self-professed Benchmade fans who consistently slam the brand's QC under the guise of "helping them identify the problems" is... interesting to say the least. I'm not sure how continually publicly slamming a brand without evidence is actually going to help improve their QC/QA and sales (both of which are likely related). If I thought Benchmade had fallen and wanted them to go back to their glory days, I would probably compile images of gross QC issues, send a few emails, and stay away from the brand until things improved. Yet it's the same people continually complaining about Benchmade QC, steel choice, prices and the like.

Perhaps there is a serious underlying issue with their QC/QA but perhaps there is a fervent vocal minority upset at the MAP and S30V or some other grievance with the company. I really don't know beyond my own experiences. As I've said before, I've only had three Benchmade knives and they were excellent with only minor problems that I can overlook in a production knife. These were all recent purchases (less than 1.5 years ago) and I am finding it more and more difficult to believe that I just had unbelievable luck when I spun the "Benchmade wheel of QC".

I appreciate Makael starting this thread and putting his money where his mouth is. I hesitated on buying a Benchmade Proper sight unseen because of all the griping about their QC, which made me realize how powerful word-of-mouth actually is and later made me a little bit annoyed at all the griping. From now on, I don't think I'll put much stock in the Benchmade complaints that lack pictures as evidence.
 
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bluemetalchurch said:
You can trust Cypress Cypress as a member who doesn't have an agenda other than he wants to see Benchmade better themselves. He has owned them and does own them. He's not a Spyderco or whatever fanboy that is trying to justify his buying habits.

I will say I have gotten some knives from Benchmade with some imperfections and I didn't take pics. I usually just sent them back to the dealer explaining why i'd like a refund or exchange. Once a sticky was made about how to properly correct off center blades I just fixed that myself. Wonky edges though bother me.
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Fair enough. I'm definitely not a fan boy of Benchmade. I only own two and one is for sale.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
You can trust Cypress Cypress as a member who doesn't have an agenda other than he wants to see Benchmade better themselves. He has owned them and does own them. He's not a Spyderco or whatever fanboy that is trying to justify his buying habits.

I will say I have gotten some knives from Benchmade with some imperfections and I didn't take pics. I usually just sent them back to the dealer explaining why i'd like a refund or exchange. Once a sticky was made about how to properly correct off center blades I just fixed that myself. Wonky edges though bother me.
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The very tip of a blade, maybe 1mm. Pretty easy to send out the door offset. Its beyond my skill set.
 
Darkera said:
I can appreciate that, although the 3-4 self-professed Benchmade fans who consistently slam the brand's QC under the guise of "helping them identify the problems" is... interesting to say the least. I'm not sure how continually publicly slamming a brand without evidence is actually going to help improve their QC/QA and sales (both of which are likely related). If I thought Benchmade had fallen and wanted them to go back to their glory days, I would probably compile images of gross QC issues, send a few emails, and stay away from the brand until things improved. Yet it's the same people continually complaining about Benchmade QC, steel choice, prices and the like.
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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.

If it helps you understand at all, I have a loooong history with Benchmade. My first knife was the 350 Pardue that had ATS-34 steel, which I lost in a river in MT. I've had close to a hundred different Benchmade knives at this point, and currently live about an hour from the factory. When BMCGear BMCGear says I want the company to better themselves, he is completely right. 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.
 
Cypress said:
Unfortunately, as inexpensive as the knife Makael Makael bought is, it shows one of the exact problems that comes on BM knives costing three times as much as this one. None of the Spyderco’s that I have ever purchased have had an edge as bad as the one pictured.

I am unsure how hand finishing an edge as an excuse for a poor edge. You would think with a human eye looking at it, it would be damn near perfect. If I could pay less for knife and get a perfect edge, bring on the robots!
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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.).
 
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.

If it helps you understand at all, I have a loooong history with Benchmade. My first knife was the 350 Pardue that had ATS-34 steel, which I lost in a river in MT. I've had close to a hundred different Benchmade knives at this point, and currently live about an hour from the factory. When BMCGear BMCGear says I want the company to better themselves, he is completely right. 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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It's not even close to your last statement.lol. Funny though.
 
I just bought a random knife from Bemchmade. It's fine, I don't see or have seen much to justify your op of their work ethics. Maybe with a few more purchases I will get what your claiming. Maybe I'll head to their factory. I live 5 minutes from the Buck factory. There is more to a manufacturer like Benchmade, Spyderco or Buck etc. I support these guys and other domestic companies because they support us. These forums, donations, knife rights, first responders, scouts, cancer fighting causes, or anything else they decide to support. A mis ground millimeter of the tip of a knife is not enough to boycott one of these good companies.

Work with Benchmade not against them. Bad publicity doesn't help.
 
I will order a minimum of 20 knives I would like to see some of these issues. Both fixed and folders. All NIB. Wether there are issues or not I will post pics and responses from the factory. I will also promote them because I think they are a good company.
 
Makael said:
I just bought a random knife from Bemchmade. It's fine, I don't see or have seen much to justify your op of their work ethics. Maybe with a few more purchases I will get what your claiming. Maybe I'll head to their factory. I live 5 minutes from the Buck factory. There is more to a manufacturer like Benchmade, Spyderco or Buck etc. I support these guys and other domestic companies because they support us. These forums, donations, knife rights, first responders, scouts, cancer fighting causes, or anything else they decide to support. A mis ground millimeter of the tip of a knife is not enough to boycott one of these good companies.

Work with Benchmade not against them. Bad publicity doesn't help.
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Cool dude, glad your single knife "experiment" worked out well for you. Must mean all is well then and we can shut this thread down.

Bad publicity is often the best motivator to fix a problem. If this thread gets someone who works at Benchmade to go "huh", then it did well.
 
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