Benchmade Red label... Did it hurt the company?

Mid range production knives and below are just not for Benchmade's current target audience. They're cashing in on their reputation as high end production knives, which is good for some quick money, but in the long run, will lower consumer image of the company (which shouldn't be confused with lowering revenue...).

I don't know whether or not it was a good financial move for Benchmade, but the company means less to me now. They should have done like Spyderco and used a different name.

Consider: what if Porsche decided to sell a 30k car instead of their normal 50-120k lineup? Everyone would want the cherished logo, and the car might not actually be bad at all, but owning a Porsche would be nothing special, and in five-ten years, it would be like owning an Acura. Point being, if Benchmade wishes to retain its cherished status, this is a bad move.
 
First of all, it's Red Class and not Red Label. We're talking about a Benchmade--not a bottle of Johnnie Walker... ;)

And I agree with Artfully Martial that BM should have released their foreign offerings under a different name (a la Byrd.)
 
I just knew it came in a red box! Speaking of red label *goes to liquor cabinet, pours glass of scotch* tasty....
 
i have a benchmite and its a good knife for the money even knowing its made in china.the way things are going with china buying up all the steel.....before long only the elite class of people will be able to buy american knifes and poor folk like me will be stuck with red box benchmades that do the job like the blue and black box ones i own and will keep:)
 
I own only a couple of Red Box Benchmades, and think esp. the Monochrome is a well-made knife. Not my favorite, but well-executed. Has the Red Box category hurt BM in my eyes? Not really. If I don't like them, I could just concentrate on the Blue Box, Black Box, etc. My impression is that they did not separate their Red offerings from the rest by name because they want first to gain a foothold in the lower-end market; then, hopefully, when they've grabbed some attention from that, those buyers will then want to upgrade to the U.S.-made offerings.

Yes, Spyderco separated their Byrd line from their standard line, but that is their choice, and so far it's worked for them. Why should BM do exactly the same thing? Truthfully, most people out there who buy and use knives probably don't even come on knife forums, but buy what they see as being good for whatever price they're willing to pay. In some situations, trying to satisfy only one market (higher-end) may reach a saturation point. I can see mention now of, what about CRK? but again, it's a different company. If the Red Box lineup helps BM to continue to stay in business, then that means everyone who wants only their Blue Box and beyond lineups can continue to do so.
Jim
 
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