Benchmade/Spyderco debate?

3rdWound

3rdWound

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
439
Alright, I know this has been discussed before, but which is the better product? I'm biased towards Benchmade, for a cuople of reasons. First, currently I own three BM's and 1 Spydie, but IMHO, the quality goes to BM. To unknown knife fanatics, the first they say, when I pull out my BM, they say "Thats a nice knife, is it a Spyderco". No, no ,no I say its a Benchmade. This Knife is Made in the U.S.A.

Just wanted everyones opinions on the comparisons between the two.

Thanks people.
 
In my short stent as a collector, I have only have and traded 2 Benchmades, Each was for 2 Spydercos. But I think Benchmades are better products. I just had the wrong models. A Mel Pardue 330 and a Mel Pardue 350. Both great knives, Just both to small for my taste. I got them both online and was disappointed with them when I recieved them. But overall I like Benchmade better. My .02 aren't worth a Damn on this subject due to my experience or Lack of. But I have owned models from both companys, So I am chimming in.
 
Benchmade by far. I've had at least half a dozen Spydies and always end up trading them. Meanwhile I've had at least 10 BM's and still have and won't part with 4 of them.
 
I have owned 5 Spyderco's and one Benchmade. I like my Benchmade 710HS way better then my Spyderco Wegner. The blade shape, blade material, duel liners, Axis lock, and build quality make the 710 far superior then the Wegner and they both cost me same give or take $10 bucks. That being said I would be hard pressed to find a better knife under $50 bucks that beats my plain bladed Calypso Jr
 
Benchmade hands down.

'Made in the USA' goes a long way for me, not to mention the materials & craftmanship, and Benchmade wins every time when compared to Spyderco.
 
Depends on the knife but for me I think BM would edge out Spyderco.

I carry various models from both brands but the BM always end seeing more carry time.
 
Depends on the knife to me, I have BM's I love and Spydercos I love, I do think BM has the smoothiest opening knives of the 2, but BM tends to lean towards the how pretty the knife looks side, while Spyderco leans to the how well the knife works for it's intended purpose side. I have a BM Emerson CQD7 that I have carried for years and it is one tough knife, but I dont think BM has a knife out since that model that is tough and workable like it was, Spyderco does several matter of fact, (Military, Police etc. etc.) Benchmade has the Bali-Song market cornered in my opinion. It's all in what you looking for. Also to throw some in the mix, don't over look the SERE 2000 from Al Mar hard to beat that knife for it's size class in production knives, and Al Mar has a new one called a Shrike, that looks pretty sweet too.
 
If you did chase the BM 942 passaround, I gave them a high regard but my final nod still goes to Spyderco. I still am surprised by products that Spyderco makes. Not that Benchmades don't make good products (I like them too) but I found that it's actually cost prohibitive for me because I just couldn't find any serious discounted prices for them.
 
Great topic. Benchmade certainly has the edge as far a quality goes. But they do cost almost half as much... This is where Spyderco has the edge as far as im concerned. If im really going to beat the hell out of a knife i Grab my Spydie Endura, Delica, or Military. They have Great blades and im not scared to get them a bit dinged up. If im going to fork out the money that a Benchmade runs, i might as well spend a bit more and get a Sebbie or the like. Spydies are like the yellow pages....they just get used!
 
My experience with Benchmade ended a few years ago, because I was tired of buying dull knives, with pivots that wiggled, made in "less-than-cutting-edge" steel. These are all common, documented phenomena. I have NEVER received a dull Spyder (and I have about 30), never received one with a mechanism that needed adjusting, and have always had a wide range of newest, bestest steels.

As for repairs, when I sent in a Benchmade for sharpening, it would come back with the same dull Benchmade edge. Nothing like sharpening a "sharpened" knife. If I sent in a Spyderco because I pounded hell out of it, and chipped out the blade beyond my ability or willingness to repair, it would come back sharper than I could ever make it, cleaned, adjusted, sometimes even updated.

Maybe Benchmade's turned things around. Unfortunately (for them, anyway), I've never had any reason to give them a chance to prove it. A customer lost tends to be lost forever.
 
I have owned and still own many Benchmade and Spyderco knives.

This is the wrong debate, a better one would be specific models. I find the Spyderco knives made in Golden, CO to be excellent knives. The new Lil Temperance is every bit as good as a Benchmade. I would never part with my Benchmade 710.

Spyderco does a better job of covering the low end market while Benchmade is better on the over $ 100 street price market.

Spyderco does a much better job of listening to it's customers.
 
I may be considered to be biased by some of you out there, mainly because I don't own any Benchmades to compare the two brands, but I love Spyderco knives. :D

I've handled some BMs in store, but they haven't ever appealed to me. I'm sure that their knives are top notch, however, Spyderco knives shouldn't be looked down upon because of some of the lower end Spydies(Endura, Delica, etc...). Although they may be cheaper, they are stout, highly reliable workhorses that can't be beat for the price.

The main reasons that I like Spydies are: ease of opening via the Trademarked Hole, overall different look of Spydies, blade steels, SpyderEdge serrations, EXCELLENT Customer Service, and of course, out-of-the-box sharpness.

Just my .02
 
I don't discriminate, I like them both. It seems that they each have their defining pieces that have no match. Made in the USA can be a deciding factor between two similar knives. I usually look for a knife to fill a utility and then go for the best at that particular duty.
 
This is a tough one. I own several models from both companies and because I've used both brands extensively, I can say that I prefer Spyderco. IMO, for the money, Spyderco makes some of the best knives in any category with strong locks, sturdy handles (even FRN), and for the most part, great steels. The other good thing about Spyderco is that you can get into a Spyderco for <20 bucks if you look hard enough. And if you are willing to spend another 5-10 bucks, you can get a GREAT model like the Dragonfly,Cricket, or much loved Calypso Jr in VG-10.
Benchmade makes some extremely high quality high end production folders, but really lack in a knife under 50 bucks. The Ascent models are very nice and are a good lightweight but really can't be compared to the Delica and Endura. The 330 and 335 are some of my fave folders, but they fall short when compared to the Navigator, Ti Salsa, and the like.
To me, it's a very close call. Don't get me wrong, I really do like Benchmade, but right now, Spyderco is better in my eyes.
Matt
 
Benchmade...although there are some Spydies that are dead even...Bob Lum, Military, Police, Wegner...
 
Both companies are leaders in this industry as far as design and materials. Both have a range of knives from low-end to high-end, general purpose to more special-purpose. I think both companies are basically comparable overall, and to make a meaningful comparison beyond that, you'd have to compare specific knives for specific uses.


Some more specifics, my opinion: I don't think Benchmade has anything that comes close to competing with the endura. Spyderco doesn't have anything that competes well with the 710 or Axis AFCK. Benchmade doesn't compete well with the Spydercard, Calypso Jr lightweight, or Temperance Jr. Likewise, there are many areas where the two companies making competing products that match up well, IMO.

Joe
 
I like both knife companies but I use Spyderco knives more because I like there steel that they use better the VG-10.:D
 
It seems that both Benchmade and Spyderco make top quality blades, but what about the handles?

I just can't seem to get over the fact that the handles on many Spydercos look like what you'd get on a cheap POS knife! OTOH, I love the look and feel of most all of Benchmade's handles.

Am I mistaken? Are the Spyderco handles more durable than they look?
 
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