Benchmade sharpness issues?

I bought a couple of Benchmades a year or so ago and they were very dull. Would not cut paper. But I can sharpen a knife so it wasn't a problem.

However, I bought a Torrent last week and a Ritter mini-grip a few months ago and they were shaving sharp. Maybe Benchmade did fix the issue.
 
There has been some problems with dull benchmades in the past. They seem to be getting better though. The last 2 benchmades I got (limited edition Ares in m390 and a ritter mini grip in m4) were pretty good out of box. The Ritter was substantially sharper than the Ares but both were serviceable. It makes no difference to me either way though because the first thing I do with any new knife is sharpen it. I have yet to find a factory edge I can't improve upon.
 
I have 3 BM's and all were sharp out of the box. I prefer to reprofile them on my Lansky to get them scary sharp and polished.
 
I've gotten a very few knives that were somewhat dull out of the box but none of them were a Benchmade.
 
I think they had some sharpness issues like a year ago for a little bit and people still seem to talk about it like it's still an issue.
I've bought three since January and all of them came verrrry sharp.
 
I've bought about 8 in the last year, some from dealers and some directly from BM, and all have been razor sharp. No worries, plus if they ever get dull from hard use they will sharpen it for you for as long as you own it. Great customer service!
 
Well, I'm hoping my sharpmaker will arrive before the griptilian, so I can sharpen it up for him before I wrap it.
 
I think the problem with a lot of benchmades are they are not slicers like spydercos. The blades are way thicker making it harder to slice threw things. I know when I first started getting into knives that was my problem with benchmade.
 
The only Benchmade I've had that wasn't nicely sharpened was one of the now discontinued Red Class knives, I think a Pika. Most of the blade was sharp, but there were a couple of spots that weren't. I traded it, but it was the only one I can remember.
 
Both my 520 and 530 were not sharp out of the box. A serviceable edge? Sure. Bt I was very impressed when I finally experienced Spyderco's sharpness out of the box. That being said, I love Benchmades and my father's Ritter Mini-Grip was sharp when new. Maybe I just had bad luck.
 
but both Benchmade and Spyderco have had recent QC issues in my opinion. Spyderco's are probably still the sharper of the two. I have knives from 15 years ago that are sharper than current knives (same model). Benchmade rested on its laurels and Spyderco became too busy (or so say its supporters). Zero Tolerance knives aren't always very sharp but BM and Spy. are opening the door for the company in terms of QC. And prices seem to be going up.

These expensive knives should do better. Heck, a Mcusta is probably sharper. Or a Cold Steel at half the price. Disdain for customers? And blades with better steel (M4) that are not soft make it hard for those in Colorado and Oregon to easily deal with. (Can't really blame them --- they probably have a daily quota and may risk carpal tunnel.)

P.S. Most sprint runs are expensive IMHO. And sometimes even these blades are dull. Get your $275 Wicked Edge when back in stock. :thumbup:
 
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As others have said...

There was a problem with benchmade sharpness a little while back. However benchmade officially acknowledged the problem and corrected it. All knives produced recently should be nice and sharp out of the box. Of course when you go to buy one, it's perfectly possible the knife has been sitting in stock at your retailer since they had the sharpness issue. Most of us know how to sharpen a knife though, and if you don't, send it back to benchmade and they'll sharpen it for you.
 
Benchmade hand sharpens their knives.

My first BM, a 551 Grip in 440C, was bought unpoened from a LGS. At home I was impressed with the fit/finish - and AXIS lock. It needed heat to cut butter! A couple of years later, number two BM for me, a 201 Activator+ fb in D2, was bought via mail order. It, too, was a great example - except for that also needing heat to cut butter feature - 0 for 2! I liked the knives - I just needed to master their re-sharpening - I ordered a Sharpmaker. Problem solved. What problem? I would buy thirty odd more BMs over the next years - and never find one that wasn't sharp right out of the box. Problem solved? You decide - I think they still do produce the odd dull knife (Check the BM forum!). An old timer told me once upon a time - when I was still in my fifties (I am sixty four now.) - that "... A man shouldn't carry a dull knife." and, further, that, " ... A man should know how to sharpen his own knife!". I had been making razors out of single bevel edged carving & lathe tools for decades - but I couldn't sharpen a double bevel edge knife - until that Sharpmaker. My drawer full of dulled knives would quickly empty.

Stainz
 
Over the years I've owned several nib Benchmades. Some have had kinda obtuse final edge grinds but they all have been shaving sharp right out of the box. It wouldn't be a deal breaker to me anyway if they weren't because I can sharpen them razor sharp with little effort. All knives no matter the brand or steel used will eventually go dull from use and anyone who uses them or just plain enjoys knives needs to be proficient in the art of re- sharpening. To me that would be like someone who loves to drive cars not knowing how to gas one back up! ;)
 
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I bought a 940 about 2 years ago and it was so dull I had to put on a Norton combo Indian stone to sharpen it. It did sharpen up nicely after I reprofiled the blade. I bought a mini Barrage and a Grptilian a few months back and they were razor sharp. Benchmade did have a problem with dull edges a while back but have fixed the problem as someone else said. In my opinion a new knife from a leading manufacturer should come with a very sharp edge. Like buying a new car with 4 flat tires. You can fix it but should not have to.BTW, Queen knives are always dull when new but sharpen up nicely and the make a fine knife. They do not seem to care about fixing the problem.

RKH
 
All of mine came sharp as hell, damn near sliced my finger with my ritter a couple of days ago. It has only been stropped.
 
Probably don't need another comment but I just brought a new Griptillian home and it is razor sharp.
 
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