Benchmade vs. Spyderco

jazub said:
I prefer Benchmades for the ergonomics, the lock (Axis), handle materials, stout-feeling construction, and USA production. I own only one model Spyderco now, the Military, but it is one of my absolute favorites to carry and use, and I have 3.

I generally stick to American made when presented with a choice. There are some great looking Taiwanese-made, Spyderco-branded knives that I will never try -but I'm ok with that. It sounds like the company who makes knives for Spyderco does a great job. But if I venture to try a Taiwanese knife, it has a Cold Steel price tag.

To address the "Lone Wolf is Benchmade" argument: If a knife says BENCHMADE, it is produced in the USA. If it says Lone Wolf or H&K, it is largely produced in Asia and not made by Benchmade but rather for Benchmade, the parent company. News Corp owns both The Wall Street Journal (in the US) and The Sun (in the UK); surely nobody contends that these two entities owned by the same corporation are the same?
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Keep in mind not everybody is American and as much as I hate to say this, but in my experience in overseas traveling, many people would not pay a dime for what they call "shoddy American made products".

I guess we are great at making knives but our car industry/electronics is a stain on our reputation.
 
My bias towards American made knives (I prefer them but it's not a deal breaker if I like the overall package) comes from being raised working with US made tools. Knives are tools to me, I lump them into the same category in my head as I do other hand tools. I may be weird but I try to stay away from Asian made hand tools, just don't trust them to be dependable.
 
crom said:
My bias towards American made knives (I prefer them but it's not a deal breaker if I like the overall package) comes from being raised working with US made tools. Knives are tools to me, I lump them into the same category in my head as I do other hand tools. I may be weird but I try to stay away from Asian made hand tools, just don't trust them to be dependable.
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I trust US made knives more as well simply because I'm from the US, but I was just stating that not everybody on this forum is American and many people overseas see Made in USA as how we view Made in China... aka low quality, cheap.
 
My view of made in the US is less about quality concerns anymore than it is spending my money with companies that still try to keep manufacturing jobs here in the US.
 
Seilu said:
I guess we are great at making knives but our car industry/electronics is a stain on our reputation.
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This isn't the 80's anymore. US manufacturers have been doing better and/or just as well as foreign auto manufacturers. Check out the new surveys relesed just this June. This isn't new. This has been happening well over the last 10 years.
 
crom wrote:

Also, say I had a 1999 Geo Metro and I needed a part. Am I going to call the part store and tell them I have a Toyota Corrola? No, i'd be confusing the guy on the phone and a Corrola isn't what I have.



That is ridiculous, those cars were made by 2 entirely different companies. Benchmade, HK and Lone Wolf knives are all made by the same company, Benchmade.
 
Tempfile, the Geo Metro is a Toyota Corrola underneath. Same drive train, same platform. So, that is not a ridiculous statement. Benchmade knives are made in the USA, Lonewolf and HK are not. Prizm, my bad, had to look it up hehe! My bro in law had one and I put new motor mounts in it.
 
Ford1911 said:
This isn't the 80's anymore. US manufacturers have been doing better and/or just as well as foreign auto manufacturers. Check out the new surveys relesed just this June. This isn't new. This has been happening well over the last 10 years.
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That is debatable, but like you said, this isn't the 80's anymore. Asian manufacturers have been doing better or even surpassing our domestic production, it's just who contracts those workers or pays them more money to do it.

Taichung Spydercos are generally regarded as the higher ended Spydercos.
Sorry, but just seeing this bias (if not even racism at times) against Asian manufacturers is ridiculous as if we keep believing we're the best and they can't make anything, we're simply going to fall behind.


anyways let's get back on topic shall we?
 
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My personal preference lies with spyderco, for a variety of reasons.

1. They give you options, even in the general every day user knives that they produce.......you can get different steels, etc. Not so with Benchmade.
2. If the spring on my captive ball lock Manix 2 broke, Spyderco would mail me another one so that I could install it. Benchmade makes you return your blade, on your dime. (sure, the spring might cost $3, but it costs much more to mail a blade back to Benchmade.
3. Spyderco seems to be more about making great knives as users rather than show pieces. Benchmade has some knives (griptillian) that fall into this category, but they don't really make a lot of variety in their user-priced class. It seems to me that if you want a unique blade shape (hawkbill, pikal, wharncliffe) that you have to step up in price point rather greatly.......not so much with Spyderco.
5. I know this isn't really related to the quality of their knives, but Golden CO is about a 45 minute drive from my house, so November is my happy time of year (factory blem sale). Benchmade simply cannot compete with being able to get knives I KNOW Spyderco made, for prices that knock-offs bring on e-bay. It's not a fair comparison, but then again it might just be..........I haven't been or heard of a Benchmade factory sale like the Spyderco one.....and to me, this speaks to the fact that Spyderco is about knives and their owners, not just selling them.
 
Seilu said:
Keep in mind not everybody is American and as much as I hate to say this, but in my experience in overseas traveling, many people would not pay a dime for what they call "shoddy American made products".

I guess we are great at making knives but our car industry/electronics is a stain on our reputation.
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I can't disagree with you, except that maybe we should leave the automotive & electronics industries to their own respective forums. W can talk knives here of course.


co556guy said:
My personal preference lies with spyderco, for a variety of reasons.

1. They give you options, even in the general every day user knives that they produce.......you can get different steels, etc. Not so with Benchmade.
2. If the spring on my captive ball lock Manix 2 broke, Spyderco would mail me another one so that I could install it. Benchmade makes you return your blade, on your dime. (sure, the spring might cost $3, but it costs much more to mail a blade back to Benchmade.
3. Spyderco seems to be more about making great knives as users rather than show pieces. Benchmade has some knives (griptillian) that fall into this category, but they don't really make a lot of variety in their user-priced class. It seems to me that if you want a unique blade shape (hawkbill, pikal, wharncliffe) that you have to step up in price point rather greatly.......not so much with Spyderco.
5. I know this isn't really related to the quality of their knives, but Golden CO is about a 45 minute drive from my house, so November is my happy time of year (factory blem sale). Benchmade simply cannot compete with being able to get knives I KNOW Spyderco made, for prices that knock-offs bring on e-bay. It's not a fair comparison, but then again it might just be..........I haven't been or heard of a Benchmade factory sale like the Spyderco one.....and to me, this speaks to the fact that Spyderco is about knives and their owners, not just selling them.
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I'm not picking sides, and am late to the discussion.
1- Both companies offer knives with various steels. The Para2 and the Mini Grip, the Military and the 710 as some examples.
2- I was not aware that Spyderco sends out parts now free of charge, not long ago they would require that the knife be sent in. Disassembly voids warranty in both organizations last I saw.
3- Yes, price pointe are different. However, one company (the larger of the 2) producing US made knives primarily, vs Seki City, Taighung, and other locations creates a differential economic playing field. Hardly a fair comparison. Spyderco does offer a lot of knives to accommodate various laws throughout the world, innovation that has been seen year after years, pioneering new steels and introducing them into the cutlery world, as well as incorporating ELU feedback into their processes. If Spyderco were to offer reblading as Benchmade and other manufacturers do it would be a nice advantage. It's currently not done I guess due to CQI reasons.
4- Skipping 4
5- Sort of a moot point, and introduces a bit of bias.

To be fair, Benchmade is a much larger company than Spyderco. So naturally things are not level across the board as one would like for a comparison. All good, just different.
 
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RevDevil said:
I can't disagree with you, except that maybe we should leave the automotive & electronics industries to their own respective forums. W can talk knives here of course.
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Ya I understand that so I suggested to get back on topic in my second post
 
I'd purchase a design I liked if it was offered by either company and I'd buy with confidence.

That said, I think Mr. Sal Glesser is one heck of a classy chap and I like how he does business. He listens to his customers and is a real innovator in the industry. He's even taken the time to respond to a couple of my posts on this very website... :thumbup: It makes me feel good about supporting Spyderco. I have no idea who's at the helm of Benchmade, which makes me more ambivalent towards the company.

-Brett
 
crom said:
Tempfile, the Geo Metro is a Toyota Corrola underneath. Same drive train, same platform. So, that is not a ridiculous statement. Benchmade knives are made in the USA, Lonewolf and HK are not. Prizm, my bad, had to look it up hehe! My bro in law had one and I put new motor mounts in it.
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Geo prizm is a corolla. Geo (and later, cherolet) metro was a suzuki swift, but i got your point
 
Ha! I was typing that in a parking lot and as i pulled out, i pulled behind a geo prizm. Wierd
 
Depends.
Are you gonna beat the knife right to death?
Then Benchmade. They'll replace blades dirt-cheap.

That aside, they are very different. Both being great and both companies have my money.
Lately, I've been carrying a Benchmade.
 
This thread is totally off the rails...but may I ask: why on Earth do people feel the need to say one (of anything) is better than another? Is it insecurity, or limited ability to entertain complementary ideas concurrently, or intolerance, or a desire to start arguments? :rolleyes:
 
Seilu said:
That is debatable, but like you said, this isn't the 80's anymore. Asian manufacturers have been doing better or even surpassing our domestic production, it's just who contracts those workers or pays them more money to do it.

Taichung Spydercos are generally regarded as the higher ended Spydercos.
Sorry, but just seeing this bias (if not even racism at times) against Asian manufacturers is ridiculous as if we keep believing we're the best and they can't make anything, we're simply going to fall behind.


anyways let's get back on topic shall we?
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There's nothing wrong with the Taichung knives, but you don't really get much value out of them vs something like a US made Kershaw.
 
fzla226 said:
There's nothing wrong with the Taichung knives, but you don't really get much value out of them vs something like a US made Kershaw.
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Gotta be careful with the word "value". Knives like the Southard can be bought, used & sold without losing a dime and sometimes even coming out ahead! That there is value.
 
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