- Joined
- Aug 13, 2012
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- 782
The 42 is the best knife they have made. My second pic would be the bugout. It's not as nice as a 940 but gets more pocket time
Bluntly: Benchmade hatred is an inflated internet meme and their knives can be bought with confidence.
I think this opinion is largely spread from Nick Shabazz reviews. I love Nick and really respect what he's brought to the knife industry, but if you watch his last few reviews of Benchmade knives (I know two were the Anthem and the Bugout...can't remember the other ones) there have been no major QC issues with the knives, yet "Benchmade bad QC" continues to be his "Ugly" for the knives. I think it's time for QC issues to stop occupying the "Ugly" category when there are no specific QC issues with the knives he's looking at. You shouldn't punish a current knife for the failings of a previous knife, at least not to the extent of it being tangibly "Ugly".That was the impression I had gotten from reading things here on BF and from the vast majority of folks who have contributed to this thread.
Of course, the opinions of Mo2 , Lapedog , and @Aquaholicc should be given the consideration they deserve.
Thank you. When they don't burn the steel from sharpening it's an amazing heat treatment and they last forever when I work with them. But won't buy more and support the poor qc that hasn't got better until I see better. When you keep hearing people have issues with the anthem even after benchmade said they were going to improve its sad. All my benchmades have had qc issues. Every one. My buddy has gotten several decent examples but not all.I don't think that most people are commenting on Benchmade's qc are doing it to diss the company. Rather they just want to warn potential customers. If BM has a problem with qc to the point it becomes an internet meme then that means the meme speaks true enough to be widely accepted across the internet.
I am an Emerson fan and hear all the time about their qc issues. I understand that they must be having qc issues if enough people are mentioning them. It's not the case that those people complaining about qc issues have a hate on for the company. Rather often they want to love the company. They often bought a knife from said company that had qc issues, and they wish it didn't because they want to love the knife.
I know BM can do better. I don't want them to be a company people are scared to buy from sight unseen. I don't want to send my knife in the day I get it.
I don't think he's the only one. And let's see what his take is on your comment NickShabazzI think this opinion is largely spread from Nick Shabazz reviews. I love Nick and really respect what he's brought to the knife industry, but if you watch his last few reviews of Benchmade knives (I know two were the Anthem and the Bugout...can't remember the other ones) there have been no major QC issues with the knives, yet "Benchmade bad QC" continues to be his "Ugly" for the knives. I think it's time for QC issues to stop occupying the "Ugly" category when there are no specific QC issues with the knives he's looking at. You shouldn't punish a current knife for the failings of a previous knife, at least not to the extent of it being tangibly "Ugly".
Nick is very influential and I think we're seeing the breadth of that influence when folks who aren't actively looking at a new Benchmade knives are quick to join the chorus of "Benchmade QC sucks". I'll be the first to agree that, in general, Benchmade QC lags behind their competitors but not at the epidemic level that the internet would lead you to believe. I'm not downplaying the opinions of Benchmade critics, only questioning the current relevance of what shaped those opinions.
Also, I think it's only fair if one calls out Benchmade QC to contrast it with their (arguably) class leading service and support. Those two elements of knifedom tend to go hand in hand.
The internet is the home of "Absolute Truth" while, ironically, possessing little.
I think this opinion is largely spread from Nick Shabazz reviews. I love Nick and really respect what he's brought to the knife industry, but if you watch his last few reviews of Benchmade knives (I know two were the Anthem and the Bugout...can't remember the other ones) there have been no major QC issues with the knives, yet "Benchmade bad QC" continues to be his "Ugly" for the knives. I think it's time for QC issues to stop occupying the "Ugly" category when there are no specific QC issues with the knives he's looking at. You shouldn't punish a current knife for the failings of a previous knife, at least not to the extent of it being tangibly "Ugly".
Nick is very influential and I think we're seeing the breadth of that influence when folks who aren't actively looking at a new Benchmade knives are quick to join the chorus of "Benchmade QC sucks". I'll be the first to agree that, in general, Benchmade QC lags behind their competitors but not at the epidemic level that the internet would lead you to believe. I'm not downplaying the opinions of Benchmade critics, only questioning the current relevance of what shaped those opinions.
Also, I think it's only fair if one calls out Benchmade QC to contrast it with their (arguably) class leading service and support. Those two elements of knifedom tend to go hand in hand.
The internet is the home of "Absolute Truth" while, ironically, possessing little.
I think this opinion is largely spread from Nick Shabazz reviews. ....
The internet is the home of "Absolute Truth" while, ironically, possessing little.
I think this opinion is largely spread from Nick Shabazz reviews. I love Nick and really respect what he's brought to the knife industry, but if you watch his last few reviews of Benchmade knives (I know two were the Anthem and the Bugout...can't remember the other ones) there have been no major QC issues with the knives, yet "Benchmade bad QC" continues to be his "Ugly" for the knives. I think it's time for QC issues to stop occupying the "Ugly" category when there are no specific QC issues with the knives he's looking at. You shouldn't punish a current knife for the failings of a previous knife, at least not to the extent of it being tangibly "Ugly".
Nick is very influential and I think we're seeing the breadth of that influence when folks who aren't actively looking at a new Benchmade knives are quick to join the chorus of "Benchmade QC sucks". I'll be the first to agree that, in general, Benchmade QC lags behind their competitors but not at the epidemic level that the internet would lead you to believe. I'm not downplaying the opinions of Benchmade critics, only questioning the current relevance of what shaped those opinions.
Also, I think it's only fair if one calls out Benchmade QC to contrast it with their (arguably) class leading service and support. Those two elements of knifedom tend to go hand in hand.
Hiya Nick!Thanks for the kind words. I get what you're saying, but given the breadth of pretty negative experiences I've had in recent years, it'll take a while before I'm willing to take that off the list. Weird analogy, but if you had a coworker who, regularly and without warning, kicked you in the nuts during handshakes for many years, you might be understandably shy and guarded of certain regions when the meeting's started up. And even once he stopped for a week or two, I rather suspect it'd be a while before you're willing to go in for a front-facing handshake. They can earn the trust back by starting to make them as well as they used to again, but it's not immediate.
Also, let's imagine that they 'turned over a new leaf' in the last months. Even so, there will be a while where poorly QCed knives are still in circulation at dealers, and buying any given Benchmade off the shelf is still a dangerous game. So, my normal advice of "buy it in person, where you can make sure they're not selling you junk" still stands. If they up their game, nothing is harmed. People verify that they're getting a good one, but instead of needing to check four, the first one is good. Great. But if they haven't upped their game, people do what it takes to get a good one, and all is well.
Finally, just to note, a buddy of mine recently picked me up a Benchmade *at their factory store* and still had to try a few to get one which is centered and without play, and I got an Anthem with a crappy edge bevel (and Michael Emler has had two). This is not good. All I have is my experiences, and the experiences shared with me by my viewers, commenters, etc. And those, right now, make me think that even if they're trying, they're not trying hard enough.
The thing is, though, so many companies are doing great QC right now, and have been for the last five years, and there's a reason that ZT, Spyderco, CRK, WE, Reate, etc don't have this reputation, even when each have had major, public QC fouls. If this were an inflated internet meme, why just them? One loud jackass doesn't cause this, many years of neglect does. This is an issue with any inconsistency, where the same company can look fine to some people who get good ones ("Every Benchmade I've gotten is great! These guys don't know what they're talking about!"), and "awful" to the people who get bad ones. But community consensus tends to tell the tale.
I addressed this one directly in a Knife Gripe (http://knifenews.com/knife-gripes-episode-10-unwarranted/), as it's a common response to QC issues. But this is often not true for international buyers, it's a tax (in terms of shipping and time) on local buyers, and frankly, it's just kind of lazy. You shouldn't get a gold star for repeatedly screwing up in one area and fixing it in another, and the very best warranty service is one that's never needed. It's not an excuse, particularly when the competition often offers both QC and service.
Benchmade has great products, and I want nothing more than to be able to support them and to see their excellent designs produced with excellent quality. But I don't think we as a community are doing anybody a service by downplaying these issues, or proclaiming on the basis of no evidence that "a new era has dawned". My hope is that whoever in the company is resistant to spend the time and money on good QC will read these kinds of threads, and hear these voices, and see these videos, and decide that yeah, it IS important, and that they need to end the 'internet meme' by going to the front of the pack in QC. Heck, I wouldn't even mind seeing this coupled with some public acknowledgement of a focus on QC ("The Benchmade 100% Quality Guarantee" or the like) to signal the change. This will win folks back, and I will gladly trumpet it from the rooftops when they're really ready to make changes.
But at the end of the day, I think this kind of attention and focus on quality control, applied fairly to all brands where it's relevant, benefits the community and my fellow lovers of the brand, because we all want Benchmade to make knives as well as they design them.
Also, pardoning the threadjack, I'd argue that the Anthem is Benchmade's best knife, with the 940 not far behind, and the Valet as a choice for folks who like smaller blades.