Blue vs Black class is there a real difference?

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Wolf7

Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
220
Here is a question for you all:
Is there a real difference between blue and black classes?
Or is it just a marketing ploy to jack up the prices and charge more money for same products?

I own blue class BM710SBKD2 with Axis and black class BM912SBKD2 with a/o linear lock both made from D2, have full stainless liners and G10 handles, f & f is identical!

And yet BM has audacity to charge MSRP more for Stryker? For what???? :confused::eek:

I understand red class no full steel liners and cheap plastic handles or gold class premium materials cf, ti, premium steels.

But it seems to me blue & black classes are in reality just one class!

What do you guys think?
Agree or disagree with my assessment of this and why?
 
Black and blue are pretty close, yes.

To quote a BM rep.
"Black class are where most of the spring assist and automatics live-- It's public safety geared as a whole.

Blue class are the core product line."

Marketing.
 
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Skimo said:
Black and blue are pretty close, yes.

To quote a BM rep.
"Black class are where most of the spring assist and automatics live-- It's public safety geared as a whole.

Blue class are the core product line."

Marketing.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Well put :thumbup:
 
Blue class = EDC line of knives, sold with the idea of the general user being able to easily carry it, making it legal most everywhere, etc.
Black class = Automatics, geared more towards Military, LEO, etc. Knives are heavier, thicker blade stock,
Gold Class = Collector series, high dollar, hand finished knives. Reflected in the price and limited availability
Red Class = Long gone, made in China for the most part.
HK = Where black and blue class designs go to die.
Harley Davidson = See HK description, recycled Benchmade designs
Hunt - Knives designed for, hunters and outdoors men.
Bone Collector = First attempt at hunter series of knives. Great designs and materials, but sadly short lived.
Lone Wolf = RIP
 
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During their time Lone Wolf made some of the best knives out there. RIP indeed. ...and the short answer between black and blue Is marketing.
 
Lee48 said:
Some are in black boxes...some are in blue boxes.
Click to expand...

This reminds me of old Soviet Union Joke:

Punter walks into illegal underground drinking joint and asks bartender:
"What is the difference between 4 & 5 star Armenian cognacs?"
Bartender points at label on the bottle says: "Can't you see, it has 1 extra star drawn on it!"

At that time they didn't have supply of real 4 or 5 star Armenian cognacs,
they were making their own in basement still and printing out 4 & 5 star labels for same booze!
 
RevDevil said:
Bone Collector = First attempt at hunter series of knives. Great designs and materials, but sadly short lived.
Lone Wolf = RIP
Click to expand...

I agree that the Bone Collectors were really nice knives. The 15030-1 pictured here is unused but I picked up a well-used one on the exchange here that is now my most frequently carried knife. It's a solid choice for an EDC blade. I bought the 15050-2 as a gift for my father-in-law but liked it so much that I had to track down a second one for me.

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I have one of the Lone Wolf fixed blades that I like quite a bit too.

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The distinction between the blue and black class has always seemed a little hazy to me, really. I don't pay much attention to it.

So, the black class has:
The autos
The 520 Presidio
The Adamases
The Strykers
The Rift and Contego
The Nimravi
The Bedlam
The Loco

The Blue class has everything else:
The 58X Barrages
The 47X Osbornes
The 94X Osbornes
The 710
The Griptilians
The 757
The Bushcrafters

Sure, the autos I get, and the 520 Presidio looks black class with its black anodized aluminum handles...but the Rift?

The 710 is blue while the Styker is black?

So, I kinda get the idea, but the model lines are just not all that clear all the time.

But neither does the accusation that Benchmade just uses the classes to try and make larger margins make sense to me.

Blue class MSRP:
581 - $230
710 - $180
940 - $215


Black Class MSRP:
520 - $195
909 - $180
275 - $210
950 - $195

The above are the more or less standard models that are kinda comparable, full liners, no plastic handles, etc. You can see that the range for both is almost identical $180 - $210 for black, $180 - $230 for blue. I just don't see a big difference in MSRP between the two classes. The 581 is kind of the outlier with M390 and bolsters. The black class has the Loco at $240...Price wise, I think it is pretty much a wash.

I don't get the foot stamping about prices around here...First, the 710 and 912 are not exactly apples to apples..The MSRPs for the 710 and 909 Axis Stryker are identical. Audacity?

:confused:
 
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Hello Steve, nice to see you over here. We've moved to Virginia but I still retain my love for the Bay Area. Cheers!
 
Wasn't the lone wolf line up THE first attempt as hunter line up before bone collector? Just neat picking. :D
 
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