BM's Red Class to be dc'ed!

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PropThePolecat

PropThePolecat

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Hey everybody

Been lurking over at Benchmades forum and found out theyre discontinuing the Red Class.

From Team Benchmade:

As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary in Oregon, we’re more committed than ever to designing and manufacturing the world’s best sports cutlery and edged tools. We continually strive to provide high quality products that will deliver superior performance for our customers. It is with this commitment to quality in mind that we are proud to announce beginning in January 2010, all Benchmade branded products will be made in the USA at our factory in Oregon City, Oregon. These products will continue to be offered in our Blue, Black and Gold Classes. We will no longer offer products in our Red Class, although we expect inventory to exist in the marketplace for some time. Also, several of the more popular models from the Red Class will find their way, in one form or another, into our H&K and H-D knife lines. The USA Made models that were in Red Class will now be Blue class models (specifically, the Aphid® and the Rant®).

Some people will probably be happy, others will miss them. Personally i think that some models we're great and its a shame that theyre being dc'ed. Other models i could do without.
 
I'm gonna miss most of them. They were Benchmades for the non-knife nut. :(
 
hey everybody, lets make everything more expensive. seriously though, i cant help but prefer usa made products, free-market economy and capitalism take their toll
 
Benchmade just keeps making it harder for me to buy one of their knives. My dollars go further with Spyderco. Good luck to them, and thanks for cutting out the working class guys.
 
Wow. I don't know if it's a smart business decision, but I guess BM know better.
I really haven't spent my money on BM in the longest while. Now that they're even more overpriced than ever, and with the Red Line discontinued, I doubt I'll ever buy a Benchmade again.
 
The best decision they've made. Instead of diluting the brand they are going higher end. Excellent. Some car companies should follow suit.
 
I think its a good thing. Some may not. As far as knives go, I'm a fan of made in the usa. Ill pay the cash
 
I am a big fan as well of US made products, but Benchmade keeps making us take steps towards them, instead of them taking steps towards their customers.
 
Bolt said:
I am a big fan as well of US made products, but Benchmade keeps making us take steps towards them, instead of them taking steps towards their customers.
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Don't quite get this statement.

As to the Red Class going away, I see some issues but see some benifits.

It removes the more "affordable" models from the Benchmade line-up, but it is indicated that the knives may show up in affiliated product lines.

And I think most would agree that the Red Class has not been "stellar" in popularity, at least on the forums, so Benchmade can concentrate on what they can "do best".
 
What I meant was that first they made their products only available to B&M stores which drove prices up, then they raised their prices, and even though I am happy to see their products become exclusive to the USA, this will in turn drive up their costs. Thus, taking more steps away from the blue collar working man, who will use their knives the hardest. If they want to be exclusive to higher end collectors, that is fine. I like their knives and I own 3 of them. A 940 Osborne which has been beat to hell and back, a Grip, and a mini-dejavoo. I bought all of these on-line when prices were at their best over a period of 7 years. It takes me awhile to save for a knife, so at the current state of things, Benchmade is working their way out of my future collection growth.
 
I see this as a positive thing. Moving all of their products back to American production seems to be a good thing to me. This seems to be the current trend, as I believe Buck is discontinuing their foreign manufacture as well.

The pendulum swings the other way. :thumbup:

The United States NEEDS to start manufacturing more things domestically if it hopes to survive as a viable entity. The "post-industrial economy" is not workable as a long-term strategy. Benchmade should be applauded for this move, IMHO.
 
I think this is generally a good thing. American businesses are being forced to make tough decisions these days, and some of the most difficult involve how to structure your services - meaning do you try to be all things to all people, or do you focus on the sectors where you are most proficient? It appears that they have decided not to compete in the <$50 range, but focus on fewer, perhaps more profitable lines. The Blue Box line seems to have more "buzz" around here than any of their Red Box knives anyway, so I don't see this as a real deal killer with the fanbase. When you mention Benchmade, the 710 varieties, 940-series, or Griptillian series always get mentioned first, and they are all Blue Box. There are only about 3 brands that I seriously consider in the $100 range (Spyderco, BM, and Kershaw), but a ton of companies than provide decent products in the $20-$50 range.

Ultimately, if BM doesn't let their quality slip, it will make them a stronger company. There will obviously be less models to choose from, but the ones they keep will hopefully be great.
 
Bolt said:
Benchmade just keeps making it harder for me to buy one of their knives. My dollars go further with Spyderco. Good luck to them, and thanks for cutting out the working class guys.
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hmm,i see some spy CCC Taiwan or china from spy,some almost a $100 bux compared to the red class some as cheap as $30,i think itz a smart move....
 
I think you will see a move back towards using steels like 440C, Sandvic and 420HC - and more basic FRN to lessen the costs associated with the production of knives - thus reducing cost. I think folks are looking at Kershaw's model and taking notice.
 
It is a positive trend. Buck has all but discontinued all imports. Kershaw looked like they might go the same way but recently introduced 3 Chinese models. What it says is that U.S. manufacturing is becoming more competitive. That should be good news for everyone. Now if we could just the government to impose some serious import duties, U.S. manufacturing would get a real boost.
 
Knife Outlet said:
What it says is that U.S. manufacturing is becoming more competitive. That should be good news for everyone. Now if we could just the government to impose some serious import duties, U.S. manufacturing would get a real boost.
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Beyond America's borders, it's sink or swim in the international market. I'm hoping for more free trade and globalism.
 
I think its a good thing. I am sick of seeing companies outsourcing to China. Better to pay people an actual good wage.
 
There's a huge market for cheap overseas knives, the same can't be said for high end USA made production knives. I'm glad to see BM putting more of a focus on that.
 
BM is a head of its time with Buck. China's expenses are rising a lot. In 10-15 more years it costs as much make Knife in China as it does in Japan or USA. By that time if companies keep outscoring manufacturing they'll come in rude awakening when they notice when China made knives come more expensive than domestic and there's no much know-how left in domestically...

Besides keeping production in native countries we ensure that know-how is kept. It takes only few decades to lose tradition and know-how that has taken centuries to gain. China is not miracle country where you can build cheaply forever. Call it protectionism but each country should look their own benefit not just cost.

Thumbs up for BM and Buck.
 
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