Benchmade quality still hit and miss?

[Corduroy]

I have my reservations about buying Benchmade knives sight-unseen because I have found their quality widely variable in the past. Based on its rave reviews, however, I ignored this and purchased a 710 Axis for a friend. The knife was every bit as nice as I had heard (for a knife with no blade-hole, anyhow) and I was very impressed. Aside from a rather uneven grind on the bevel, it had no flaws in workmanship I could see and in a few days the action was very smooth. That's the good news.

I then ordered an M2 AFCK, which arrived quite promptly from Skylands, but which I knew would have to go back to Benchmade after handling it only a few seconds. The action was hideously tight, but I did not want to loosen it because the blade was already scraping on the lock-side liner when thumbed open. The bevel on the clip side of the blade looked like it had been ground by a four-year old, it meandered so badly. And of greatest concern, it appeared that they had simply forgotten to chamfer the blade hole on the non-clip side, as it remained sharp-edged with clear signs of the cutting process, in contrast to the nicely chamfered opposite side of the hole. Yes, I thought, this is why I don't buy Benchmades mail-order.

Now, this is only two knives, and I do not wish to leap to conclusions. Several years ago, however, I spent a great deal of my time in a knife store and also made some money by modifying Benchmades for resale. When Benchmade began producing their G-10-handled knives (the AFCK and CQC-7) there was a decline in quality so marked that for a period of time nearly every Benchmade that came into this store had to be disassembled and adjusted to make it suitable for sale. I assisted in this process, and also have replaced the handles on somewhere from 3 to 4 dozen Benchmade knives, and have disassembled countless others. I have seen many things that should never have been allowed to leave the factory, but I attributed this to the growing pains of a small company encountering wild success and production demands.

Now I am less certain. The hit-or-miss quality control I associate with Benchmade seems to still be evident. So as not to base my judgement on only two knive, I am posting this for comment. I am personally very upset by the delay I will now have before the AFCK is replaced (assuming it is), when it took me literally seconds to spot the problems. Is anyone looking over these knives? It seems to me they are not, or they are holding them to standards much lower than those boldly stated on their box.

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-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)

 

[TimmyTheTalkingToilet]

I feel your pain.
I have bought a Mel Pardue Double edge, and the swedge was ground wrong, so I took it back to the place I habe gotten it from and we checked 5 more knifes and there was only one that was ground correctly. Why it that?
and on there ad in the knife magizines you can see that the knife is ground wrong.

Hmmm great quality control if you are going to pay that much for a knife you should have the ****ing thing to be ground right.

well that is my 2 cents worth

FLOOSH

 

[Snickersnee]

I would have never suspected that Benchmade wasn't consistant in the workmanship of their knives. Especialy for the kind of money they charge. Thank the Great Bladesmith in the Sky that Benchmade has never made anything I was interested in since they stopped making Balisongs.

On the positive side, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who makes the guy at the knife counter take out every knife of a given model I'm considering buying so I can compare and contrast the quality of the grind/fit and finish, as well as make them walk and talk. Some of the other customers look at me like I'm nuts when they see the panapoly of knives I'll have strewn out on the store's floor while inspecting my next purchase.

I NEVER buy sight unseen. Except my Project 1. I think that's a testament to the quality Chris Reeve Knives.

 

[Jackal]

That is why I'd never mail order BM's. You are right. It takes about 4 of the identical knife to pick one suitable enough to be modified to be a winner. It really sucks. That's why Microtech's are my new #1. -AR

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- AKTI Member ID# A000322

- Intelligent men, unfortunately, learn from fools, more often than fools learn from intelligent men.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

I must be the luckiest guy in the world, benchmade quality-wise. All mine are great, even my 840 didn't fail the spine-whack test. On the other hand, I do typically buy "over the counter"; actually at gun shows, where I can handle the knife I'm going to buy, and prices are about as low as buying on the internet.

Joe
jat@cup.hp.com

 

[Mark W Douglas]

Ohhhh no! You guys are scaring me

I never use the duplicates I buy to put away, and very rarely do I even open them to check em out!

For all I know, someone could be placing a piece of wood in the box instead of the knife being I sometimes don't open the box to take a peak

Oh well, my twin boys will find out in the future whether there is a knife in there and if it is any good or not

Mark
AKTI Member #A000003

 

[Tom S]

Just two months ago I was looking for a BM750 at my local dealer. Both knives he had in stock were pretty craptacular. One with a coated blade had an uneven grind, an extremely stiff lock, and the blade rubbed on the liner which had already scratched the coating!! I ended up buying a Sebenza instead.

Now last weekend I was going to give BM another shot and look for an Axis. The 710 that I handled was better than the 750 by far but the grind was still off, especially at the tip. There was also a slight line on the inside of the spacer that indicated the blade was hitting when closed. The end result was I ordered a Microtech SOCOM instead.

I'm to the point where I doubt I will consider BM in the near future at least. I too wonder if these guys are even looking at the knives before they go out the factory door.

 

[Dannyc]

I guess since we can't control the hit and miss thing with Benchmade, the best way to avoid it altogether, is to buy from a reputable dealer.

I can name three. One is James Mattis of Chai Cutlery, who's well-known to check all knives before shipping them to the customer. Another is Cecil Self of Arrow Dynamics, who does the same thing. Lastly, Chris and Marti of Top of Texas Knives also do that. Only a few dealers would do that for you.

I put my complete trust in these guys, as they know that it would be a major hassle if the knife comes to me with a defect of sorts since I'm overseas.

Dan

 

[Professor]

Corduroy,
I too have had less than good luck with about twenty percent of the BM's that have come into my hands at one point or another. On about twenty of the one hundred models I have mail-ordered to re-sell, the fit and finish was less than desirable to my perfectionist eyes, but apparently not to the not-so-selective. Many were sent back and replaced for free by the company, so I don't see the occasional irregular quality as being anything other than an inconvenience in terms of their turnaround time on replacement. My question to you is, don't you think that this would be a topic for their forum?

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Professor

 

[Corduroy]

Professor,

A customer should not be expected to need to return their knife to its manufacturer 20% of the time. This may be a "minor inconvenience" to each individual, but it represents an unacceptable lack of quality control when taken as a whole. Understand that many of these knives are not returned because the consumer either does not understand or does not feel justified (which they are) in taken advantage of the warranty. But it is not the consumer's job to make sure their knife isn't defective - it is Benchmade's! A knife that is immediately returned to the factory should probably never have left it in the first place.

Yes, I feel that this is appropriate for the Benchmade forum. I will get membership and post identically there right now. If you are implying that this is not appropriate for this forum, I disagree entirely - nearly everyone here has owned or considered owning a Benchmade knife, and should be informed about their workmanship.

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-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)

 

[Mark W Douglas]

You guys still have me scared

Should I go open and check out all my knives that I haven't opened up ever to see, or should I let my twin boys have the pleasure when they are old enough? I thought it might be fun for them to get new un-opened or un-touched knives so they can have the same pleasure as I do when I first get a new knife that's mine! Secondly, just Benchmade's or all the Brands I have?

Mark
AKTI Member #A000003

 

[James Y]

I believe a few months ago there was a thread in the BM forum that addressed these concerns, but...

I'm still considering a mini-Axis lock, but I'm going to wait and see if the QC issue is taken up. Because it IS a lot of money to spend if QC is not at least a little consistent.
Jim

 

[Professor]

Corduroy,
Easy now, I'm not implying anything. In fact I'm on your side in terms of it being the responsibility of the manufacturer to insure better quality control. I feel the reality of it is that when you turn out as many knives as they do, it's difficult to maintain the quality control that would keep even the most discriminating eyes consistently pleased. But you're right in that it's another matter altogether when proper function is comprimised and it's no longer just a matter of aesthetics. I think for as much as people pay for them, all BM's should be flawless. But somehow some other companies are just having better luck at achieving this near perfection. I'm not on this forum to flame; I was simply wondering if this topic might better be served where the company will more likely take notice. Peace.

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Professor

[This message has been edited by Professor (edited 10 June 1999).]

 

[Corduroy]

Hey, no harm, no foul, Professor. Just wasn't sure what you meant. Expect my post on the BM forum shortly. I hope folks don't take it the wrong way.

Benchmade makes some of the finest production folding knives in the world... sometimes. It's the rest of the time that I'm concerned by.

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-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)

 

[Jackal]

Mark, if I were you, which I'm not, I'd open them all and check them just to be sure while BM still has the resources to replace / repair anything which may be unacceptable. You don't want your lucky children to be more dissappointed than they are happy do you? Besides, I'd feel safer if they had a good coat of and an overall cleaning with some Rem Oil. -AR

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- AKTI Member ID# A000322

- Intelligent men, unfortunately, learn from fools, more often than fools learn from intelligent men.

 

[stjames]

The last few BM knives I purchased were not sharp at all. I consider this a major drawback as many people collct their pieces and want to keep them NIB, and so they will stay dull because people might not want to touch them up, thus removing the right to call them that. And this from a company that offers to keep your knife sharp for as long as you own it.

Mark, with all the talk about warrentees and "original ownership" issues that have been floating around, you might want tocontact BM and see if your NIB blades you plan on giving to your boys will be covered. This came up on the CRK forum, but they refer to the "original user" of their knives. Someone commented that some nutcase had too many Sebenzas to ever really use, so his children would most likely be the original users. I don't know why he would have so many, one for every day of the week is enough for me

And just so you are all aware, BM might not be posting, but they are lurking. I recieved an email directly from their CEO when the question of the new lock style on the BM750 came up last week. He was responding to a thread on this forum, so just remember, we are all talking in public.

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James

 

[Feneris]

I have owned two BMs one was a full size, non-coated, plain edge, Eclipse. I examined the dealers display model and found it to be very good condition, the one I got was a different story. I did not look at it very close until I got home, the tip had been heated too much in the grinding process and was slightly discolored because of it.

The other one I own is an full size, non-coated, plain edge AFCK. I made sure to check this one out before I handed over my money, that's SOP now, no major problems. However, the tip appears to be slightly bent. It is so slight I could be imagining it. If it is bent I know I did not do it, I've had it less than a week and the toughest thing it's cut or punctered is beef jerky.

Anyway, that's my story and I stickin' to it.

 

[Alan]

I guess I must be lucky too. I've bought five Benchmades over the last couple of years, and haven't had problems with any of them. Two I bought through mail order, and the other ones I was satisfied with the first knife the store owner handed me to inspect. They could have been sharper out of the box, though.

stjames, I'm curious; if you keep the knife NIB, then why is so important that they be sharp when new? If someone keeps them just to collect and never cuts anything with them, what does it matter whether the knife is sharp or not? I'm not disagreeing that Benchmade shouldn't have their knives as sharp as possible, I'm just not sure I understand your reasoning.

Alan

 

[clyde]

Hello,

I must be lucky I've purchased the following:

750, 840, 800 and 710 all purchased
over the net in the last 6 months
not a problem. Or perhaps I'm not
looking hard enough (IMHO).

Thanks

 

[stjames]

Alan, just a personal preference, I suppose. But isn’t that what collecting anything is about?

NIB describes a mint condition, never used product with all the discernable paperwork in the original packaging, I believe. Does that include the Spyderco catalog that came with the knife? The styrofoam and original tissue wrapping a CRK Sebenza? If you are buying from a dealer, at either list price or a discount, then yes. If I am buying a pre-owned knife, (a much better application of that term than when describing an automobile, IMHO) from the original owner, or the second or even third owner, then I don’t think so.

When I buy a knife, even just to decorate my home, I like to enjoy the tactile aspects as well. The heft and fit in my hand, how it feels when switching to a different grip, passed from hand to hand, the feel when you draw a fixed blade from its sheath, the action of the pivot and lock on a folder. I might only handle them a few times, then put them in a case and hang it on the wall.

This might be a mistake in some cases, like the pre-owned BM750, Pre-Production, #2xx of only Forty Five Thousand or so, but I didn’t really buy it as an investment, I bought it because someone else who had wanted to check it out had decided You have become tiresome. Away with you! The real mistake is that I think I have a very nicely put together one, bolted together right the first time. (Except the darn edge is dull, which just bugs the living daylights out of me, isn’t the thing supposed to cut, too? I mean, It Is Just A Knife, as my loving and devoted wife would say, I would just like it too be able to cut something, is that too much to ask? Just a personal preference. Sorry, but you did ask

) and I think someone could benefit from it more than I. Someone I know personally. A collogue. A friend. It might not be a great collector’s piece, but it sure is a good knife.

I just wish the edge were sharp.

BTW, I treat some knives better than others

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James


[This message has been edited by stjames (edited 11 June 1999).]