Benchmade

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Avec Bien

Joined
Oct 4, 2019
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Hi I'm new to the forum. I resently purchased a Benchmade Mini Crooked River. This is my first Benchmade. I like it a lot. I think it has some of the classiest looks out there. The action is slick and I really like the axis lock. I liked the action and lock so much I bought my father in-law a Bugout which he has been very happy with.

One of the reasons I bought Benchmade was because of their customer service reputation. I've read on forums where if you request for a deep pocket clip they would even send you one for free. I tried this and my request of denied. I was told I could purchase one for $5. Do any of you know if Benchmade has changed their policy on this or if it just depends on who you contact at the time? To be honest I'm a little disappointed.

I was thinking about getting a Bugout for myself, but now I'm considering maybe going with a Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight. Can any of you compare these two as a lightweight edc option?

Thanks!
 
Their free clip policy was widely abused, so it has been modified. You can get the direct replacement for your knife; if you want a different one (ie deep carry for a knife that didn't come with one) you have to pay... but the price is trivial, especially if you consider the cost of aftermarket clips.
 
Welcome to the forums, and you're right. The Mini Crooked River is a great knife.

Can't speak for the Bugout, but a lot of people enjoy it.
The PM3LW is a great knife as well, especially if you like the pm3 platform. Some people aren't excited about the steel, but it's good enough for me.
 
I currently have a spyderco dragonfly salt and I like the ergonomics a lot. Feels really strong in hand. The action is not as fun as an axis though. This what made be think maybe the Para 3 lw would be better then the Bugout. How does the compression lock compare to the axis?
 
The fun factor is pretty high, not as high as the axis, but still.
The PM3LW isn't my favourite compression lock tho.
 
Not sure if the manix 2 is small enough for you, the ball bearing lock Is a lot of fun like the axis lock

I don’t have a pm2 yet but the compression locks are good if you get it for the proper hand.
I enjoy the benchmade bugout, the s30v is a great steel, I cannot recommend the bailout, the metal feels soft, it sharpened much faster than I thought it should and doesn’t hold an edge as long as the bugout
 
Thanks for mentioning the bailout as well. I was looking at that today but things I read echoed what you just said. I don't see the bailout lasting long in it's current configuration. The manix 2 lw is an interesting option too. Not sure if the size would be too much or not. I like the slimness in pocket of the mini crooked river. But I bet that Manix feels more secure in hand.
 
Both the para3 lw and bugout will feel plasticky in comparison to the crooked river. But thats what makes them lighter and less expensive. I'd go w the para just to further diversify your collection, but if you already have a spydie they are pretty comparable knives IMO. Awesome choice on the crooked river tho. One of my favorite designs ever.
 
Kershaw still gives out free clips. I don't know how much "abuse" BM saw but Kershaw's policy has helped me to keep buying and recommending their products. For instance, knowing that they'd send me an alternative deep-carry clip for the M390 Dividend was a major factor in me deciding to buy one. Now I'm really glad that I did. :)

On the particular choice here, I'd go with the Spyderco. There is a reason that they've remained an institution in the EDC community. I think it's worth finding out why.
 
I definitely would not let a $5 clip purchase make my decision to not stick with benchmade, love their knives and have plenty of them. I always buy deep carry clips from mxg gear anyway, like their clips much better than benchmade
 
If you like the slimness of the CR, you're going to love the Bugout.

It is slim and insanely light, but still manages to have good ergonomics somehow. Cuts way above its weight.

The price is decent, the steel is good, and the Axis lock is great as usual.
 
Avec Bien said:
Hi I'm new to the forum. I resently purchased a Benchmade Mini Crooked River. This is my first Benchmade. I like it a lot. I think it has some of the classiest looks out there. The action is slick and I really like the axis lock. I liked the action and lock so much I bought my father in-law a Bugout which he has been very happy with.

One of the reasons I bought Benchmade was because of their customer service reputation. I've read on forums where if you request for a deep pocket clip they would even send you one for free. I tried this and my request of denied. I was told I could purchase one for $5. Do any of you know if Benchmade has changed their policy on this or if it just depends on who you contact at the time? To be honest I'm a little disappointed.

I was thinking about getting a Bugout for myself, but now I'm considering maybe going with a Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight. Can any of you compare these two as a lightweight edc option?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I own the bugout and the para 3 lw and they are both excellent knives imo. The bugout has thin stock and more blade at 3-1/4" with a full length cutting edge and better steel s30v (powdered metal steel) where as the para 3 lw has a 3" blade with about 2.6" of cutting edge using a finger choil in bd1n (ingot steel i believe) which is fine grained and decent edge retention and an improvement on cts bd1. It is used in kitchen knives alot. The bugout is ultra light and disappears in the pocket but also has a pretty thin handle where the LW is still plenty light but more hand filling thickness wise. It does offer my medium-large hands a full 4 finger grip also like the bugout. axis lock vs compression lock is personal preference buy either are good choices imo which is why I own and use both knives often. The lw is about $25 cheaper than the bugout.
As far as the $5 clip thats a great deal still for an OEM clip especially a deep carry parkerized clip. Spyderco doesnt give away free clips either to my knowledge.
 
I've had great experiences with both benchmade and spyderco, both with the knives and customer service.

One thing I really like that benchmade does and spyderco doesn't is benchmade will replace your blade if it's damaged.

Oh and the bugout's great, had mine for 2-3 weeks so far and hasn't been kicked out of my pocket
 
Benchmade will also replace blades not only for damage but at request as well. I bought a couple folders that were combo edges for good deals and sent them in to have plain edge blades installed less than a year ago and even though they were in great condition they obliged. (One knife was brand new even. Mini grip and a mini presidio ultra). I wanna say it was $35/blade plus tax and shipping there. One was 440c and the other was 20cv, Same price. If its a black dlc coated blade its like $5 extra. Also they cleaned and serviced the knives, installed all new hardware, and shipped them back in Benchmade spa boxes! Outstanding customer service! I could be wrong but i think the only other company doing blade replacements for that kinda pricing is ZT although they state damaged blades but i havent needed to send any in for replacements.
 
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