Benchmade QC

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kershawguy13

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I've heard of some bad examples of QC from members on this board about Benchmade. I'm interested in a Mini Grip with the Spydie Hole (555HG), but am wary of buying it. So, how is Benchmade's QC? Also, would the Mini Grip be a good addition to my EDC rotation? I have:

Leek
Skyline
Tenacious
Delica 4 Wave
Dragonfly 2 (should be here in the mail soon)
Ladybug 3

Thanks.
 
Buy it.

Been buying BMs for over 20 years... Never any issues.

And like any product.
QC is not 100%

Look at the Spydie thread about a Manix with a Bad grind.
Looks like QC missed over there too.
 
I'm a huge Benchmade fan, but their QC is really hit or miss. They let A LOT of knives leave their production facility that should never make it to vendors. I have received quite a few knives that I had to send back for work, mostly off-centered blades, bad grinds, and the occasional dinged/chipped blade.

My advice to you is to either buy it from a brick and mortar store so you can inspect the knife beforehand, or if you order online, have the retailer inspect it before shipping.

Lastly, Benchmade knives are no longer a bargain, in my opinion. Back when online retailers had discount codes, they were a good value and you could take a chance on spotty QC. Now that the discounts are gone, you are forced to pay top price for something that may or may not be right coming out of the factory. Because of this, you may want to consider other brands in your price range that have exhibited more consistent QC to date.
 
uxo2 said:
Buy it.

Been buying BMs for over 20 years... Never any issues.

And like any product.
QC is not 100%

Look at the Spydie thread about a Manix with a Bad grind.
Looks like QC missed over there too.
Click to expand...

Agreed!

I was turned off by the negative manix threads for a while, but I found one for a good price and it turned out to be a great knife!

Realistically, you could hear people say bad things about any production knife maker. I've heard bad things about spyderco, benchmade, Kai/zt, Brous, Emerson, etc...

Bottom line, you have to be the one to decide if you like the knife...not us...
 
I just got a BM 755 MPR and its a lovely knife, its just a little too off-centered for me and the lock is actually pretty sticky too. I'm gonna play around with it tomorrow and hopefully straighten it out. This is only my second BM knife with the orange large grip being my first and I love that knife!
 
Between having an omega spring break twice in 3 years and their recent MAP pricing. I wouldn't suggest it.
 
Well, if you've read all the threads about Benchmade's poor QC and have to start yet another one asking about Benchmade's poor QC, then I doubt anything anyone says is going to help you make up your mind.

I could say that of the 15 Benchmade knives that I have or had, only one was unsatisfactory.

I could also say that I have had a leek with a bent tip.
a tenacious that within 3 months the lockbar traveled to the opposite side of the blade tang.
4 skylines that I still can't figure out why I didn't like.
A delica with more blade play than any lock back should have.
A dragonfly and a ladybug that are very nice.

Bottom line, if I listened to the haters on this forum, I wouldn't be a knife collector.

Buy it and find out for yourself.
 
I'll just say this. The Grip is one of the most popular knives for a reason. Buy it, and if there is ANY QC issue send it to BM and they will make it right. They have amazing customer service.
 
I don't have much experience with new Benchmades, so far all I have is an M4 Mini-Grip but it came sharp as anything I have ever bought. I was disassembling it and dropped just the blade onto my leg from probably 6 inches high. Pierced my skin and made me bleed something fierce. Had a little bit of side-to-side but that easily fixed with a torx driver and some loctite and now it is solid. I've thrashed it pretty hard because, hey, it's M4 and it can take it. Still no play any direction.

I've also handled a lot of Benchmades at my LKS and all of them are great. None of them had any wiggle any direction, all of them were centered great and felt amazing.

And one thing to remember. When someone gets a knife and it has a problem, they will post about it. Whereas a perfect knife will rarely get talked about. So while it may look like a lot of people have problems with their knives, just think about all the people with perfect knives all over who don't post.
 
My first BM knife was a 551 Grip - all I could afford from a local store. It was so dull, it's 440C steel needed external heat to cut butter. Loved that AXIS lock - hated the nylon-like grips. That was ten years ago - and was followed up by a 201 Activator fb in D2 - also dull. Determined to 'like' at least what I had, and to make my drawer of dulled Vic SAK's useful, I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker. It worked! Oddly, in my full blown love of new and new-old-stock BM's, I have since bought over three dozen BM's and never gotten another dull one - all have been sharp out of the box! Glad I persevered. Still not so fond of the Grip's grip material, but it is a nice knife. Check out their Bone Collector series for a choice of scales in an AXIS lock for a great value. Benchmade makes a fine product - fear not - purchase one in confidence. Great CS if you have a problem... or want your knife re-sharpened or renewed.

Stainz
 
When I bought my new Mini Grip a few years ago it was relatively dull out of the box. That aside it is an excellent knife design, although Benchmade's refusal to make improvements really pisses me off (ex. skeletonized liners, smooth plastic under the pocket clip, better gimping etc.).
 
The last two Benchmades that I have bought needed some minor tweaks, but nothing major. Of course, all my knives get minor tweaks, so it's no big deal. If it's something you can't deal with, they will take care of it.
 
Benchmade QC has been horrible experience for me. More than 50% of them have issues. Spyderco "golden Colorado" QC have dropped as well. Sadly to say, "Made in the U.S.A" are what they used to be.
Zero Tolerance seems to be the only knife company to be pushing QC up constantly.

From another thread I posted in:
squarebox86 said:
From my experience, despite being made in the USA, quality and workmanship are pretty shoddy for the price you will be paying. Most my Benchmade came will some flaw... As of now, I will stay away until they fixed their pricing for their shoddy quality.

DSC_0147_zps205dbadf.jpg

Adamas : obvious excess lump of BK coat on the blade (what are the inspection guys doing?)
940-1 : both came with uncentered blades, clips aren't even touching the scales (I dont wish to lose a $263.50 knife, one of them came with a horrible grind. both are of different shade of carbon fiber and standoff. They are bought from the same e-tailer a day apart.
943 : open/close the knife and the pivot will loosen up and create blade play
Ritters: The only ones without problems out of the box
Mini-Grip : it's so badly off-centered that it's almost rubbing.

How bad the quality controls are??? Come'on Benchmade, it's a $263.50 knife and not a $30 china-made clone...
SRf5OpF.jpg

TBWpJSV.jpg

DSC_0181_zps30832486.jpg

DSC_0191_zpsd55be4df.jpg


Makes me wonder if they are just manufactured by sweatshops in the USA instead of a foreign country... Dont get me wrong about hating on Benchmade but even USA made Spyderco aren't great. Just take a look that the new Manix2 in S110V, the grit used to grind the edge is probably 80 or lower but then again it's only $100 knife and Benchmade would be asking $300 if they made it.
Click to expand...
 
I have to send back my first gold class (7505) because of terrible lockup. This is the one that has me the most disappointed. Makes me think gold class just means higher priced, not higher quality.

I've sent back 3 710's for hitting the backspacer (seems like things should get better with age, the 710 has been around a long time and I've heard of many people having the backspacer issue on new knives).

Basically half of my Benchmades have been back to the factory, which puts the warranty issues well and beyond ever other knife manufacturer I've owned. I still like the knives, but I feel like there has been a bit of a slide in quality in the last couple of years.
 
I have had zero problems with BM QC. If I did; I know they would take care of it.
 
squarebox86 said:
Benchmade QC has been horrible experience for me. More than 50% of them have issues. Spyderco "golden Colorado" QC have dropped as well. Sadly to say, "Made in the U.S.A" are what they used to be.
Zero Tolerance seems to be the only knife company to be pushing QC up constantly.

From another thread I posted in:
Click to expand...

How do y'all expect any domestic manufacturer to keep up if y'all keep hurting feelings.
 
I've had half a dozen Benchmades and they have all had good F&F. Sometimes there is blade play or bad centering, but that is the extent of it and can be fixed.
 
They are production knives, so that is worth keeping in mind. As knife enthusiasts, we are likely a bit pickier about the details than general consumers.

The F&F on my Benchmades have generally been good. Mechanically, they have all been fine. Some have been off-center, some have had blade play, and I've had a couple where the pocket clip doesn't actually make contact with the knife. All those have been fixable with some minor tinkering (pivot and scale adjustments for blade play and centering, and bending the pocket clip to provide the desired retention). Factory edges and grind evenness have been a bit more hit and miss. Those too can be corrected easily enough with some sharpening and re-profiling.
 
Looking over my collection the other day I realized I have kept more of my Benchmade knives than anything else. Some people are going to complain about centering, tiny wiggle in the lockup, etc. when all it takes is 30 seconds with a torx to address most of the issues. If you go through enough knives, you will always run into issues be they production or custom. You will be fine with Benchmade - they make great knives and will take care of you. The Griptilian is a hall of fame level design for a reason.
 
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