Benchmade

[Korean Hog]

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

Y'all....
At this point I think we're feeding a troll.
If not trolling, then we should all realize that if you CHOOSE to be none too bright, despite folks' best efforts, your knives will be none too sharp, no matter what you buy.

I've seen people hacking away with dull box cutters....

Dug through OPs profile, he was asking Benchmade quality questions and sharpening questions back in 2013/ 2014 and has now resurfaced asking the same questions.

Brother, we're glad to help ya , but if you won't pick up what we're putting down for at least a thoughtful minute , NO ONE will be of any real help.

 

[colin.p]

Y'all....
At this point I think we're feeding a troll.
If not trolling, then we should all realize that if you CHOOSE to be none too bright, despite folks' best efforts, your knives will be none too sharp, no matter what you buy.

I've seen people hacking away with dull box cutters....

Dug through OPs profile, he was asking Benchmade quality questions and sharpening questions back in 2013/ 2014 and has now resurfaced asking the same questions.

Brother, we're glad to help ya , but if you won't pick up what we're putting down for at least a thoughtful minute , NO ONE will be of any real help.

He's definitely exhibiting classic troll-like posts. Short staccato like replies, looking for an argument. I won't bother gracing this thread forthwith.

 

[DocT]

Benchmade makes a good knife. I have at least 10. But, and every company is like this, they have different goals when designing knives than Spyderco. I never said they don’t cut. I was saying, as a general rule Spydercos will cut better and that is by design. They each emphasize different things. (And we won’t mention Benchmade ripping off Spyderco numerous times).

 

[allenC]

I know I humbly bowed, BUT
It's worth mentioning I plop my half South Korean, half South Alabama white boy behind in a Japanese truck filled with American gasoline to shoot an Austrian pistol filled with American bullets to shoot at Chinese plastic. And hell yeah I put kimchi on my cheeseburger with a side of French fries and Irish stout.
Finish the day sharpening an American knife made by South Africans.
The world has lots to offer...

I haven't had kimchi since 1990 back at Camp Casey, TDC.
But on a hamburger?
NO WAY!

I had many a night of kimchi and OB, or soju.

 

[Korean Hog]

I haven't had kimchi since 1990 back at Camp Casey, TDC.
But on a hamburger?
NO WAY!

I had many a night of kimchi and OB, or soju.

For whatever reason I tried it one time and thought it was great in place of pickles or onions or whatever.
I think it's worth a try, get after it brother
If nothing else, you will either epically win or epically lose the fart game

 

[BillZee]

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.

I enjoy buying knives from a variety of companies. Haven't found a favorite maker. Just my two cents.

 

[sechip]

I collected the Aries model back in the day and then for whatever reason I lost interest and sold them, then years later I got a Bugout and sold that because I didn't care for the flimsy scales.

Flash forward to about a month ago and got a Bugout with Rogue bladeworks CF scales and then I was hooked once again I now own 5, so I guess you know how I lean. 535 Bugout, 565 mini Freek, 484-1 Nakamura, 940-1 Osborne and a 698 Foray. I'm back baby!

Don't care for the hole in the blade either.

 

[Scattergun2570]

Benchmade makes a good knife. I have at least 10. But, and every company is like this, they have different goals when designing knives than Spyderco. I never said they don’t cut. I was saying, as a general rule Spydercos will cut better and that is by design. They each emphasize different things. (And we won’t mention Benchmade ripping off Spyderco numerous times).[/QUOTE

Alright,sorry I misunderstood.

 

[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 was watching an hour long video about that Spyderco Sharpmaker..seems like it can do anything..if it works as well as the demo guy claims,I guess I would consider getting one.

 

[DocT]

I was watching an hour long video about that Spyderco Sharpmaker..seems like it can do anything..if it works as well as the demo guy claims,I guess I would consider getting one.

I finally broke down and bought one. Now, I wonder why I ever delayed. It is all I use any more unless it is a really nasty reprofile job.

 

[craytab]

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?

It says you've been a member for 7 years. I'd advise you to spend some time doing a lot more reading. You'll avoid a lot of the misconceptions you're bringing up. Also, don't listen to that sharpener.

 

[CSG]

Along with the Sharpmaker (which I have owned for 7 years), I have a pair of their pocket stones in the same grits that the Sharpmaker uses. I keep them in my vehicle and, while a bit awkward to use due to their 1x5 size, they work remarkably well in the field, especially on blades under 5". These require holding the angle but bench and free hand sharpening isn't all the difficult to learn (practice) but the Sharpmaker is downright simple to learn and use.

 

[soc_monki]

I was watching an hour long video about that Spyderco Sharpmaker..seems like it can do anything..if it works as well as the demo guy claims,I guess I would consider getting one.

If it's the video I'm thinking of, that was Sal the founder of Spyderco. The sharpmaker can do just about anything, but reprofiling takes time even with the diamond or cbn rods. But touch ups are a breeze, and you can use the rods to sharpen just about anything, they're really handy!

I've since gotten into freehand sharpening and use diamonds, but I bought a medium spyderco bench stone because I love the edges I get off the brown rods. And it translates to freehand as well. That stone is the bees knees!

 

[Scattergun2570]

If it's the video I'm thinking of, that was Sal the founder of Spyderco. The sharpmaker can do just about anything, but reprofiling takes time even with the diamond or cbn rods. But touch ups are a breeze, and you can use the rods to sharpen just about anything, they're really handy!

I've since gotten into freehand sharpening and use diamonds, but I bought a medium spyderco bench stone because I love the edges I get off the brown rods. And it translates to freehand as well. That stone is the bees knees!

yep thats the one

 

[Scattergun2570]

It says you've been a member for 7 years. I'd advise you to spend some time doing lot more reading. You'll avoid a lot of the misconceptions you're bringing up. Also, don't listen to that sharpener.

yeah I have been,just got into other stuff heavily,and put the knife thing aside.Traditional Bows at the time,,but I did learn to use stones to sharpen broadheads back then. I wish there was a member in the NYC area..Id like to hook up with someone who really knows how to sharpen in person.

 

[RustyIron]

I was told by an experienced sharpener that Benchmade is among his least favorite companies.

If you're asking if I agree that Benchmade is your friend's least favorite manufacturer, then I wouldn't argue. I don't know your friend, but there's no reason you'd lie about such a thing.

But if you're trying to figure out whether Benchmade makes good knives, that's a whole 'nother question. Sure they do! They make some very nice knives. Does Spyderco make "better" knives? I wouldn't go as far as to say that, as their products are very different, for the most part. I have a couple Spyderco's that are my favorite carry knives, but I've carried some very nice Benchmades, as well.

There are some Spyderco's that don't interest me at all, and some Benchmades that don't interest me. Since they both make a quality product, you're best off figuring out which style of knife will best fit your needs. Also, don't put too much value on the advice of people who make wide-ranging blanket statements.

 

[JPD1998]

Most "professional" sharpeners that I've come across will usually mangle a knife and then blame the quality of the steel.

I almost handed a knife over to a sharpener at a knife kiosk. But as I watched him perform his magic on another customer's knife, I walked away.
Most professional sharpeners mainly sharpen flat ground kitchen knives or scissors.

I've been sharpening knives free hand for over 40 years and while I'd be the first to admit that I've lost a few patients , it really isn't hard to master.
When you use a machine to sharpen the mistake happens quickly and usually really bad, but by hand you work slowly and check your work constantly.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

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

Im just gonna leave this thought here...for fishing and hunting purposes...fixed blades are the tool for the job. Easy to clean. Surprised no one one else has said this yet...too fixated on sharpening advice I guess.

 

[craytab]

yeah I have been,just got into other stuff heavily,and put the knife thing aside.Traditional Bows at the time,,but I did learn to use stones to sharpen broadheads back then. I wish there was a member in the NYC area..Id like to hook up with someone who really knows how to sharpen in person.

Learning to sharpen isn't all that difficult or complicated. What I did is start with an inexpensive double sided stone (like from norton) and a couple really cheap kitchen knives. Practice on them first until you get it down. Lots of resources here over in the maintenance and tinkering subforum.