Benchmade

[marrenmiller]

ok looking at those as we speak...so what you are saying is if I picked up a Griptilian,,it can be sharpened and actually be very sharp....I guess I got turned off by my Leopard Cub never being sharp even after sending it in.

Almost any steel can be sharpened to whatever sharpness you desire, as long as you put in the effort and have the knowledge to do so.

I'm going to let you in on a fact most people don't seem to realize: the vast majority of knife companies do a mediocre job sharpening knives. With the exception of Golden Spydercos (which are sharpened by a robot and are usually fairly even and decently sharp), virtually every knife company pays people to quickly grind an edge on their knives with some form of belt or wheel grinder, and they probably spend less than 30 seconds on your knife's edge in total. They don't care if they overheat the steel and mess with the heat treatment, or really how sharp the knife is out of the box, as long as it costs them very little to do it. If you send a knife in to the manufacturer to get sharpened, that's all they're going to do for you because it's not worth their time to do any better, and that low level of sharpness is evidently accepted by most people who don't know what sharp edges truly are.

The inplicit assumption is that the end user (that's you) sharpens their knives to their own specifications, and I assure you that you will do a better job than they do if you take some time to learn how. Plus, you won't have to pay for shipping, wait weeks, and possibly get your lost in transit.

 

[Scattergun2570]

Almost any steel can be sharpened to whatever sharpness you desire, as long as you put in the effort and have the knowledge to do so.

I'm going to let you in on a fact most people don't seem to realize: the vast majority of knife companies do a mediocre job sharpening knives. With the exception of Golden Spydercos (which are sharpened by a robot and are usually fairly even and decently sharp), virtually every knife company pays people to quickly grind an edge on their knives with some form of belt or wheel grinder, and they probably spend less than 30 seconds on your knife's edge in total. They don't care if they overheat the steel and mess with the heat treatment, or really how sharp the knife is out of the box, as long as it costs them very little to do it. If you send a knife in to the manufacturer to get sharpened, that's all they're going to do for you because it's not worth their time to do any better, and that low level of sharpness is evidently accepted by most people who don't know what sharp edges truly are.

The inplicit assumption is that the end user (that's you) sharpens their knives to their own specifications, and I assure you that you will do a better job than they do if you take some time to learn how. Plus, you won't have to pay for shipping, wait weeks, and possibly get your lost in transit.

Almost any steel can be sharpened to whatever sharpness you desire, as long as you put in the effort and have the knowledge to do so.

I'm going to let you in on a fact most people don't seem to realize: the vast majority of knife companies do a mediocre job sharpening knives. With the exception of Golden Spydercos (which are sharpened by a robot and are usually fairly even and decently sharp), virtually every knife company pays people to quickly grind an edge on their knives with some form of belt or wheel grinder, and they probably spend less than 30 seconds on your knife's edge in total. They don't care if they overheat the steel and mess with the heat treatment, or really how sharp the knife is out of the box, as long as it costs them very little to do it. If you send a knife in to the manufacturer to get sharpened, that's all they're going to do for you because it's not worth their time to do any better, and that low level of sharpness is evidently accepted by most people who don't know what sharp edges truly are.

The inplicit assumption is that the end user (that's you) sharpens their knives to their own specifications, and I assure you that you will do a better job than they do if you take some time to learn how. Plus, you won't have to pay for shipping, wait weeks, and possibly get your lost in transit.

Almost any steel can be sharpened to whatever sharpness you desire, as long as you put in the effort and have the knowledge to do so.

I'm going to let you in on a fact most people don't seem to realize: the vast majority of knife companies do a mediocre job sharpening knives. With the exception of Golden Spydercos (which are sharpened by a robot and are usually fairly even and decently sharp), virtually every knife company pays people to quickly grind an edge on their knives with some form of belt or wheel grinder, and they probably spend less than 30 seconds on your knife's edge in total. They don't care if they overheat the steel and mess with the heat treatment, or really how sharp the knife is out of the box, as long as it costs them very little to do it. If you send a knife in to the manufacturer to get sharpened, that's all they're going to do for you because it's not worth their time to do any better, and that low level of sharpness is evidently accepted by most people who don't know what sharp edges truly are.

The inplicit assumption is that the end user (that's you) sharpens their knives to their own specifications, and I assure you that you will do a better job than they do if you take some time to learn how. Plus, you won't have to pay for shipping, wait weeks, and possibly get your lost in transit.

ok good info...but sharpening is not something I want to get into..can you suggest someone I can send my knives to?

 

[jideta]

ok good info...but sharpening is not something I want to get into..can you suggest someone I can send my knives to?

I would just buy a box cutter.
Literally razor sharp and just change the blades when it gets dull.

 

[not2sharp]

ok good info...but sharpening is not something I want to get into..can you suggest someone I can send my knives to?

No.

There are people here who can repair or reprofile an edge. But, for ordinary maintenance, there is no substitute for doing it yourself. Most “professional” sharpening services work with restarants, meat processors or garment shops; and will grind away the life of your knife in an attempt to put an edge on it. This is one thing that you want to do yourself and fortunately, there are a number of excellent tools available to help you.

Everyone uses knives differently. We each hold them in whatever way we find comfortable and apply whatever level of force works for us. Only you can know the edge that works best for you, that gives you good cutting performance without folding or chipping. That edge will need to be touched up frequently to keep it just the way that you like it.

There is no substitute for learning how to do that.

n2s

 

[Mikel_24]

ok good info...but sharpening is not something I want to get into..can you suggest someone I can send my knives to?

Wrong.

Getting into knives and avoiding sharpening is akin to buying a car but not wanting to put gas in it. Not going to work.

No matter how sharp a knife is. The hair popping sharpness will be gone the first time you use that knife (more or less) and you will be left with an inferior (but still reasonable) edge. If you want that hair popiness back, does not make any sense to send the knife anywhere. You have to do it yourself.

Regarding supporting national companies... I fully agree with you, but chances are any knife out there will have, at the very least, components sourced overseas or crafted in the US with raw materials from somewhere else. You could try to send an email to Benchmade asking where do they source their screws, washers, handle material, etc from.

Mikel

 

[Gizler00]

Contact Josh at REK. He can sharpen and or reprofile anything you need. He’s a great guy. He has done amazing work for me in the past.l and will continue to be my go to guy if I ever need anything again. @razor-edge-knives

 

[sharp_edge]

I was told by an experienced sharpener that Benchmade is among his least favorite companies. He claims that Spyderco makes much better steel,and suggested I buy from them.Does anyone share this opinion?

No - I do not share your sharpener's opinion, at all. Both brands are great while each has its own pros and cons.

 

[goatslinger]

I was told by an experienced sharpener that Benchmade is among his least favorite companies. He claims that Spyderco makes much better steel,and suggested I buy from them.Does anyone share this opinion?

I am a little biased as I guess I would be considered a benchmade fanboy. But neither company makes "better steel" They are different. Me personally if i have to look up whether this knife was made in the usa or not then i tend to not even bother. With that being said the spyderco PM2 is probably my favorite edc ever. Everything about it is just fantastic. But all around I prefer benchmade. The axis lock is my favorite of any folders and the quality of knives are great. I will say that the guy doing the grinding at benchmade must be a one handed blind person as I don't think i've ever had an even, sharp grind on any of the 15 benchmades i've bought.

 

[snapshot2017]

Both companies make quality knives, i have many knives from both companies.

 

[JQuirl]

I am a little biased as I guess I would be considered a benchmade fanboy. But neither company makes "better steel" They are different. Me personally if i have to look up whether this knife was made in the usa or not then i tend to not even bother. With that being said the spyderco PM2 is probably my favorite edc ever. Everything about it is just fantastic. But all around I prefer benchmade. The axis lock is my favorite of any folders and the quality of knives are great. I will say that the guy doing the grinding at benchmade must be a one handed blind person as I don't think i've ever had an even, sharp grind on any of the 15 benchmades i've bought.

I agree 100% with this statement. After years of collecting knives, I have come to find that there are different things that each of us are attracted to... some guys like big women, while others like skinny women. Some people prefer to live in a remote cabin in the forest, and some prefer to live in penthouses that overlook cities. Some people like to drive sports cars, while others like lifted four wheel drive trucks... I think you get my drift.

The same can be said about the knives that we buy and own. I have had several knives pass through my hands from both of the companies mentioned here. They both make an incredibly well built knife. I do not own one Benchmade. I own A LOT of Spydercos. Why?... Because I do not prefer Axis locks. But that is completely my preference. I am attracted to compression locks and frame locks... that’s just my thing. I will never deny that Benchmade makes a great knife... because they do. I will never knock a friend that has just purchased Benchmade, because he just made a great purchase. I know a lot of people on this forum swear by fixed blades and won’t carry anything else. That is what makes this forum so great is all of the diversity.

In all of my rambling, I’m just trying to point out that you should buy a few Spydercos. Buy a few Benchmades. Buy a few ZTs. Maybe work your way up to higher end American made production knives... like Hinderer, Chris Reeve, and Koenig. If you run across a knife that you don’t care for, because of your personal preference, trade or sell it here on the forums. There are all sorts of people that may like what you don’t.

Keep your chin up. I wouldn’t listen to the opinions of one guy that sharpens knives. We all have opinions. Some of us share the same opinions and some of us differ. While I do not prefer Benchmade, I know that it is a great knife company. You’ll find your niche.

 

[Wannabe Rambo Guy]

I have a bm grizzly ridge and I love that knife. I sharpen it myself. But.. bm will sharpen them for you. I'd def learn how to sharpen your blade though, brother. It's all just angles, certain pressures, and feel, pretty much

 

[CSG]

I have six Benchmades and no Spydercos. However, I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker to keep my Benchmades (and Bucks) plenty sharp. Learn how to keep an edge on your own knives or, like was suggested above, just buy a box cutter. Considering most guys here seem to use their knives for breaking down boxes, a box cutter would be a better choice for them anyway.

 

[Scattergun2570]

I am a little biased as I guess I would be considered a benchmade fanboy. But neither company makes "better steel" They are different. Me personally if i have to look up whether this knife was made in the usa or not then i tend to not even bother. With that being said the spyderco PM2 is probably my favorite edc ever. Everything about it is just fantastic. But all around I prefer benchmade. The axis lock is my favorite of any folders and the quality of knives are great. I will say that the guy doing the grinding at benchmade must be a one handed blind person as I don't think i've ever had an even, sharp grind on any of the 15 benchmades i've bought.

I guess that’s why my Leopard Cub just never performed well.

 

[Scattergun2570]

I have six Benchmades and no Spydercos. However, I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker to keep my Benchmades (and Bucks) plenty sharp. Learn how to keep an edge on your own knives or, like was suggested above, just buy a box cutter. Considering most guys here seem to use their knives for breaking down boxes, a box cutter would be a better choice for them anyway.

I suppose a box cutter would be good for some,but I fish and hunt,I want a knife.

 

[DocT]

Benchmade makes blades with thicker blades down to the edge and they do not cut well. Spyderco makes knives designed to cut. Benchmade has, in the past, run their steels too soft for the best edge retention. Spyderco emphasizes edge retention. I am speaking in generalities. There are exceptions. Each company has different design goals.

 

[Scattergun2570]

Benchmade makes blades with thicker blades down to the edge and they do not cut well. Spyderco makes knives designed to cut. Benchmade has, in the past, run their steels too soft for the best edge retention. Spyderco emphasizes edge retention. I am speaking in generalities. There are exceptions. Each company has different design goals.

I don’t even know what to say,,a knife company makes knives that don’t cut well? Sounds crazy.

 

[NorthernSouthpaw]

It is all about preference.
There is kind of a fanboy rivalry when it comes to Benchmade and Spyderco (Zero Tolerance too). If you prefer one, you crap on the others. On this forum, it's mostly populated by Spyderco fans. So hence the Benchmade has worse this or that.
The truth is the differences in quality are quite small. Both companies are great, and make knives that should outlive the user if taken care of properly.

From what I can glean by reading your posts you want a good knife that is going to hold a good edge for a VERY long time and you have zero interest in learning how to properly sharpen it.
That essentially leaves you with 2 choices.
1. Buy whatever knife catches your fancy that uses a good steel (s30v, s35vn, 154cm) and also buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker and use it to touch up the blade after around a week of EDC, or after a day of hard use. It is very intuitive and Extremely easy to use.

2. Buy 2 Benchmade knives that use a high end steel that will hold an edge for a long tome (cpm-s90v, cpm-m4, cpm-3v for the American steels, M-390 is Austrian). Use one until it gets dull. Send it to Benchmade for free sharpening (they will put on a decent working edge, not perfect, but it'll slice paper easily). Then start using the second knife until it goes dull. You should have the first one back by then so you just repeat the process. This will cost you postal fees, AND the 2 knives having what is known as super steels will cost more as well.

My strong suggestion would be taking path #1. It is far cheaper in the long run, and opens up the majority of USA made knives you can choose from.

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[stabman]

I don’t even know what to say,,a knife company makes knives that don’t cut well? Sounds crazy.

Most of the Benchmade knives I bought were sharp, cut well, and had decent edge retention.
I have gotten a couple of dull Spyderco knives over the years...rare, but it happens from time to time.

Once you learn to sharpen, you don't have to worry how good the guy (or robot) was at sharpening knives that day.
I would never pay someone to sharpen a knife for me...nor would I let them do it for free.

I ruined a couple of knives learning how in my way younger years (no internet, crappy pull through sharpeners and worn out stones in old tool boxes), but now with instructional videos and sharpening tools of every variety, you don't have to ruin even one knife learning how.

And, like a previous poster, I definitely do not agree with the opinion of your sharpening guy.
Another tip; do NOT get knife advice from the guy at the gun store.

 

[soc_monki]

Benchmades don't cut well? I beg to differ. It all depends on the grind and application. An adamas? Yea, they're thick... Its a heavy use knife. It will cut, but it's more kabar than buck 119. The 940 also chooses to lean a little towards thick (for its size), it's in the design. However my Super Freek or 950 Rift... Those things are pretty thin and slicey, and will hang with any spyderco! And I have plenty of both to compare.

ZT also has some slicey knives. The 0095 for example. They aren't all over built tanks.

And I think most people appreciate all three brands, they all have variety and something for everyone. I proudly own and carry all three, no fanboy here.

 

[JQuirl]

The truth is the differences in quality are quite small. Both companies are great, and make knives that should outlive the user if taken care of properly.

I agree with NorthernSouthpaw. It is like I stated in my comment above in this thread, everyone will gain a preference, after spending some time with each manufacturer’s product, but in no way is one better than the other. I do happen to like Spyderco more, but that is entirely an opinion and in no way diminishes the quality of Benchmade knives. In fact, Benchmade makes quite a great knife. Benchmade also has probably one of the best customer service programs in the business. Definitely something to consider.

You will find what suites you. Cheers.