BM 940. What makes it special?

I'll add this, I wonder how many who look down on the 940 have actually used it? I have used many down knives over the years, no idea how many I've bought and sold and traded. I currently have a couple dozen and the only repeated knives I own are 940's and pm2's.
It's a good design, great for edc use. Slim in the pocket but good in the hand,
 
simple6 said:
Nothing is special about it unless you have tiny hands. Most overhyped folder there is.
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That's funny, I feel like the PM2 is really over-hyped and I have large hands. Different strokes for different folks; I would take the 940 over it any day of the week.

Truth be told, I would take a mini-grip over a 940 once cost is factored in. The mini grip and spyderco native 5 have remained favorites of mine for EDC for a long time.
 
Planterz said:
I have absolutely no idea what or whom the hell you're talking about.

I've had my 940D2CF for many years now. Since Sept. 2007, in fact. It was my primary EDC for a long time, and will continue to be again once I get the broken omega spring replaced. I didn't buy it because of some youtubers, and I didn't carry it for so many years because it was trendy. For me it's close to the perfect knife. I like knives that cut through things rather than bind in material or require you to chop through something because the blade is absurdly thick. I don't like a lot of belly in my blade, and the particular reverse tanto of the 940 is almost perfect for me. Carbon fiber is light, strong, and looks and feels cool. The AXIS lock allows me to flip it open and closed easily and quickly with one hand and without putting any fingers in the path of the blade. Autos/flippers/assisted knives can be fun to open, but aren't nearly as practical because of the extra effort to close it. I've never watched a prepper video and I have no idea what my EDC kit or whatever it's called weighs. I've also never seen a BM940 meme. I didn't buy my 940D2CF (or my 940Ti-01) because some douchebag on youtube said it'd be a good addition to my EDC, I bought it because it seemed like nearly the perfect knife for me, and it was.

If you think the 940 is an effeminate knife and unworthy of carry by a manly man, then I'd say you have some self esteem issues that you're trying to compensate for by carrying a beefier knife. I'd rather carry something useful, practical, and satisfies my daily needs than something that doesn't. No offense to people who like and have use for their AD10s, Medfords, Emersons, and the like; I just have no use for knives like that myself. I've done the pocket brick thing. It was impractical and inefficient. Now my largest knife has a whopping 3.5" blade and it feels like a machete to me compared to the others in my rotation.

Calling the 940 a "lesser" knife is absurd, as is insulting those that carry one. For me a larger, thicker knife would be a "lesser" knife because it's less useful to me. I'll stick with my Leeks, Delicas, 940D2CF, and the like. Heck, my most used knife is .185" thick (the entire knife is .185" thick), has a 2.2" long blade, and weighs .62oz. Are you going to talk crap about me for not using a 4" long, 3/8" thick, 9oz pocket brick to open my mail and packages, trim loose threads, shave callouses, break down boxes, or neatly slice off the top of my bag of beef jerky? Or that, despite the ample room in my cargo shorts (no skinny jeans for me), I chose not to carry a knife that requires such large pockets?

Your comments say a lot more about you than it does anybody else.
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You seem to be a big fan of the 940 and certainly tying a large portion of yourself into the knife. You're also reading a lot of nonsense that I didn't write. Here's my post again:

940 is a meme knife

Wranglestar made it popular with the prepper set, which is a Very Online culture so if they like a knife it makes it seem like it's the most popular knife since the Endura or Delica or something

It's a decent knife but better suited for smaller hands and narrow pockets, like you see in women's jeans
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The 940 was of middling popularity until the past 4-5 years. It was relatively expensive compared to other knives in Benchmade's lineup, didn't have the same upgrades in handle material and steel as the Griptilian and has an aesthetic appearance that is not as widely appealing as other models.

Google Trends isn't the whole world, but it can be indicative of why some people perceive some events in the way they do. Notice the bump in the generic search for Benchmade 940 in 2016:

Now note the publish data for this video

Youtubers definitely have an effective on the popularity of a knife. This is well known, study the case of Nick Shabazz and the Spyderco Slysz Bowie.

Otherwise, the 940 was always relatively expensive, it sold for $112+ in 2005, which made it the second or third most expensive knife in Benchmade's lineup at the time. Twice as expensive as the Griptilian and even more expensive than the AFCK. Only recently have upper-tier cost knives become a more popular price point due to the demand for likes/karma - nobody cares about a 550, but lots of people oh and ah over a 940. The current base model, is what, $190+? The 940 isn't really a special knife, it didn't have the same impact on fans at the time or later, and it's popularity now is due as much to outside influence as to the knife itself. When I got really into knives in 2004-2005 the 940 already felt old and dated. I'd argue the 750, AFCK, and 550 are all more special than the 940.

Thanks for the comment, really prompted a trip down memory lane.
 
The 940 is a decent knife , lots of folks have em and love them,
case makes the trapper and people buy , carry and love them
BM makes the 940 in S30v people like what they like
 
simple6 said:
Nothing is special about it unless you have tiny hands. Most overhyped folder there is.
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Do you just not like any small knives? Because the 940-1has s90v, cf, axis lock, USA made, perfect blade profile, milled handles with inset steel liners, fits medium hands perfectly in my case.

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I'm not sure there are any competitors at the price point for what you get in the 940, fairly priced imo with what's out there now.

I don't see it as overhyped, just well deserved recognition.

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spoonrobot said:
The 940 was of middling popularity until the past 4-5 years. It was relatively expensive compared to other knives in Benchmade's lineup, didn't have the same upgrades in handle material and steel as the Griptilian and has an aesthetic appearance that is not as widely appealing as other models.
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So you mentioned three other Benchmade models in your post, the AFCK, 750, and the Griptilian. The 940 has outlasted two of those models, and has been around longer than the Griptilian. You also asserted that the Griptilian got "upgraded" before the 950, even though the 940 had S30V years before the Griptilian did, and the S90V/CF 940-1 predates the 20CV and G10 Griptilians.

The 940 has been in Benchmade's lineup for 20+ years, and that says a lot. Benchmade isn't known for keeping knives with middling sales in their linup, no matter how popular they're perceived to be (710, AFCK, etc.).

It's fine that you don't like the knife, and you really like that youtuber, but I think you're vastly overestimating how universal your opinion is on both.
 
Silent H said:
So you mentioned three other Benchmade models in your post, the AFCK, 750, and the Griptilian. The 940 has outlasted two of those models, and has been around longer than the Griptilian. You also asserted that the Griptilian got "upgraded" before the 950, even though the 940 had S30V years before the Griptilian did, and the S90V/CF 940-1 predates the 20CV and G10 Griptilians.

The 940 has been in Benchmade's lineup for 20+ years, and that says a lot. Benchmade isn't known for keeping knives with middling sales in their linup, no matter how popular they're perceived to be (710, AFCK, etc.).

It's fine that you don't like the knife, and you really like that youtuber, but I think you're vastly overestimating how universal your opinion is on both.
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I like the 940, I don't like Wranglerstar, my opinion is mine alone. I like to look into the trends I notice. I noticed the 940 making more of splash a few years ago, which seemed odd since it's been a staple knife for Benchmade but never really one that made a big hit on social media like it was doing. I don't think the 940 is special, nor is it a good benchmark knife, which is a category it's been unnaturally put into. I'd argue that most of the knives in Benchmade's lineup have middling sales, because that means they're selling an average, ordinary amount. Regardless, it doesn't matter, the 940 isn't popular or unique enough to warrant any more discussion from me.
 
spoonrobot said:
The 940 was of middling popularity until the past 4-5 years.[
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You are very wrong.

spoonrobot said:
I like the 940, I don't like Wranglerstar, my opinion is mine alone. I like to look into the trends I notice. I noticed the 940 making more of splash a few years ago, which seemed odd since it's been a staple knife for Benchmade but never really one that made a big hit on social media like it was doing. I don't think the 940 is special, nor is it a good benchmark knife, which is a category it's been unnaturally put into. I'd argue that most of the knives in Benchmade's lineup have middling sales, because that means they're selling an average, ordinary amount. Regardless, it doesn't matter, the 940 isn't popular or unique enough to warrant any more discussion from me.
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The 940 and variants have been a mainstay of Benchmade's lineup since their introduction. How many models have been introduced and discontinued since its introduction? For that matter, how many 940 vs XXXX threads have there been here? By my count there has been about ninety (not counting 940 vs its own variants) in General Knife Discussion alone, including 12 that are just 940 vs Paramilitary 2. But you say that it's not a good "benchmark knife"? How can it not be considered a benchmark knife when it seems to be one of the knives that so many other knives get compared against? About 20 of those "vs" threads date back to 2017, leaving about 65-70 that would predate "a few years ago". That's not a knife that has been "trending", be it on youtube or elsewhere, because trends by definition don't last - they have a start and a stop, and the 940 has been popular since its introduction.

You might not care for it or think it's special, and that's fine, but clearly others do and have for a long time. Regardless of how many yutzes have blathered about it on youtube.
 
IMHO, it's because it's excellent in the pocket and pretty good in a variety of ways in use--an outstanding carry but only a tolerably good user. It's also very fidgetable because of the combination of the Axis lock and the long straight blade. It's a great knife to have on you at all times and can do an okay job at most tasks, even if other, more specialized designs could do any one task better.

To contrast with a fidgetable competitor of similar vintage that it's often compared to, the PM2 is almost the reverse: an outstanding user for most hands but only a tolerably good carry, with a tall, square profile that makes it kind of a pocket hog compared to the 940.

Compared to other BM models, the 940 also has a very distinctive look that is helpful in marketing and memes--much more so, than, say, the Bugout, which has all the same attributes but is cheaper, a better cutter and a more modern design, but suffers from the disadvantage of not looking all that different from any number of competitors offered by other manufacturers.

("Special" or not, my 940-1501 has probably had more pocket time than any other single knife I've owned, and still gets carried and used a lot.)
 
The 940-1501 , with 20cv , probably is in top 3% of a perfect EDC knife, some small room for debate,
as spyderco makes some very good sprint runs,
point is a BM 940 is near the summit and isn’t coming down anytime soon

only thing that would make it better is a lanyard hole
 
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spoonrobot said:
You seem to be a big fan of the 940 and certainly tying a large portion of yourself into the knife. You're also reading a lot of nonsense that I didn't write. Here's my post again:



The 940 was of middling popularity until the past 4-5 years. It was relatively expensive compared to other knives in Benchmade's lineup, didn't have the same upgrades in handle material and steel as the Griptilian and has an aesthetic appearance that is not as widely appealing as other models.

Google Trends isn't the whole world, but it can be indicative of why some people perceive some events in the way they do. Notice the bump in the generic search for Benchmade 940 in 2016:

Now note the publish data for this video

Youtubers definitely have an effective on the popularity of a knife. This is well known, study the case of Nick Shabazz and the Spyderco Slysz Bowie.

Otherwise, the 940 was always relatively expensive, it sold for $112+ in 2005, which made it the second or third most expensive knife in Benchmade's lineup at the time. Twice as expensive as the Griptilian and even more expensive than the AFCK. Only recently have upper-tier cost knives become a more popular price point due to the demand for likes/karma - nobody cares about a 550, but lots of people oh and ah over a 940. The current base model, is what, $190+? The 940 isn't really a special knife, it didn't have the same impact on fans at the time or later, and it's popularity now is due as much to outside influence as to the knife itself. When I got really into knives in 2004-2005 the 940 already felt old and dated. I'd argue the 750, AFCK, and 550 are all more special than the 940.

Thanks for the comment, really prompted a trip down memory
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The graph doesn't read the same to me, there were 66 searches in July 2015, which is only 4 less than June 2016. To my eye that graph shows steadily increasing interest from 2008 to 2019 with waning interest since then.

I think I first took interest in them around 2012, at that time they had a reputation as having one of the best folding knife actions on the market.

I don't necessarily think it is the best, and I don't carry mine very often anymore, but I will never sell it because mine is special to me. I do wish they made a larger version, we got the mini this year, so why not an XL?
 
IMO there are 4 things that make the 940 special; pivot action, aluminum scales, style, pocket-size vs usable blade.

Pivot - while not as "drop shutty" as a lot of the new bearing folders, mine has an excellent action, even compared to my other axis lock knives. I find it more satisfying than any of the ball-bearing folders I have used.

Aluminum scales - Sure they aren't premium like titanium, but they are lighter than titanium without feeling plasticky like G-10, and they are as strong as they need to be. If you want premium materials you can get carbon fiber.

Style - This is relative, but I think they look great.

Pocket-size vs usable blade - I don't have much to say about this one except It doesn't get in the way when I'm pulling out my keys and I never felt like it wasn't enough knife for regular cutting.
 
MBG said:
The graph doesn't read the same to me, there were 66 searches in July 2015, which is only 4 less than June 2016. To my eye that graph shows steadily increasing interest from 2008 to 2019 with waning interest since then.

I think I first took interest in them around 2012, at that time they had a reputation as having one of the best folding knife actions on the market.

I don't necessarily think it is the best, and I don't carry mine very often anymore, but I will never sell it because mine is special to me. I do wish they made a larger version, we got the mini this year, so why not an XL?
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I always thought the950 Rift was basically Benchmade's Large version of the 940. With the 810 Contego coming in as the XL (both designed by Osborne as well)
 
NorthernSouthpaw said:
I always thought the950 Rift was basically Benchmade's Large version of the 940. With the 810 Contego coming in as the XL (both designed by Osborne as well)
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I agree that those models are kind of the bigger versions of the 940. I just think they got it wrong with both of those models. The proportions of the Rift make it ugly and take away the elegance of the design (IMO). I always meant to buy a Contego folder, but they were just a little too heavy, I think if they used the larger lock bar like one the Adamas I probably would have bought one anyway. Too late now, unfortunately. Maybe I'm just too picky.
 
Long before most people were buying knives (or anything else) on the Internet, nearly every gun shop in the country (and REI too) had Griptilians, Mini-Grips, and 940s.

The 940 was seen by a lot of people as the cross between a slipjoint gentlemen's knife and a locking tactical folder - narrow, small in pocket, good slicer, but one-handed opening with an ambidextrous lock. Not too many other knives really fit into that slot, even now. If that's what you want, the 940 is probably a great choice. If that's not what you want, it's probably the wrong choice.

-Tyson
 
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