Bought my first Benchmade, not sure I'll buy another.

my bm knives are good to go out of the box. Sounds like you regret the puchase because you didn't really have the money. If there's anything wrong with it, BM will take care of you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DMG
brownshoe said:
my bm knives are good to go out of the box. Sounds like you regret the puchase because you didn't really have the money. If there's anything wrong with it, BM will take care of you.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you and JB. Each brand has its issues. But do I Dare say it??? be a “Karen”about it is a little much. Grow a pair and have the knife repaired, warrantied or returned. Very easy. If your not happy with your purchase, resolve it. Only you can do anything about it.
Every BM I’ve purchased has been perfect. Your experience is different.
 
D4v30 said:
I recently purchased and just received a Mini Crooked River. Was really excited to get the knife but I gotta say, I'm rather disappointed with the quality control.

The knife has vertical blade play unless you really slam the blade open or force the lock forward. Doing this causes the lock to bind up and it takes quite a bit of force to release it again.

Another issue, perhaps a little knit picky, the wood scales sit proud of the bolsters at the top but flush at the bottom

Also, and I knew this was there so perhaps a little unfair, but the backspace is awful. It looks OK in pictures but in person it looks and feels horribly cheap, how has this not been changed?

I don't mean to rag but at this price point I don't understand how this knife got shipped. I have knives that cost a fraction of the price and had better fit and finish.

Now I have to find a way to return it which is going to be a pain all in itself. Don't know if I'll be buying Benchmade again.
Click to expand...
Why don’t you sell it to me and end your pain. You won’t lose a dime. I’ll pay taxes you paid and shipping costs. Send a copy of your receipt to mikelooper@hotmail.com. I’ll add for shipping.
 
If you don't sell it to fella above me: send it back to Benchmade; with a letter explaining what is going on with it.
I'll bet they make it right for you...

In the meantime: The Mini-Grip is perfect, and cool enough to have forced me to order a Mini-Bugout as well...
(Sooner or later I'll have to stop this buying spell...)
 
Now I'm in REAL trouble...
After killing my wallet on a "Spydie-Thursday": I'm l;iking this MIni-Grip enough to want to order another custom shop Benchmade. I wonder how i'd like a Mini-crooked River?
 

Attachments

  • 20210806_101640.jpg
    20210806_101640.jpg
    126.9 KB · Views: 10
Here's my take on BM's quality control issues, ( or NON_ ISSUES):
So many folks are looking at knives online, and buying them online, and reading the endless reviews online. If you are looking at a nice blade, but aren't sure, go pick one up in person, and handle it in person. That will end some the QC bashing of Benchmade and every other brand.

I've been puzzled by reviews that state "knife is bigger ( or smaller) than I expected". It just sounds so silly when the website says 3-7/8" long blade. How can somebody complain about a knive's size when it is printed in the description. Perhaps I'm fortunate to have 2 good knife shops within an hour of home, so I can look and touch a knife before buying. The OP said the orange looked good online, but in person, not so great. If he had the opportunity to handle it in person, he'd have been able to make a better decision.

I have a bunch of Benchmade knives, I like all of them. My most recent one is the Vector 496, since I wanted to try out the CPM 20 steel, and really wanted a compound grind on a blade. It's beautiful, and functional and slick. The flip-assist shoots the blade open with authority! But after a couple of months, I decided the front grind wasn't living up to the hype around 20CV. I sent it in, with a nice letter. They called me, and asked me more questions, and ended up testing the steel- it came up to Rockwell 60, which is within their specs. Due to the pandemic, it took a long time to reprofile and grind the knife, and it is now fabulous.

I find Benchmade to make quality products at a fair price. The lifetime warranty adds to the value of these knives, and adds to their cost. The Original Griptilian in 154 steel is what got me started collecting knives in the first place!
 
I really don't are what the "YouTube knife experts" have to say about a knife. I look up the specs on my own, and make my own decisions about what to buy...
What I need is for someone to talk me out of buying them every once in a while.
 
Malty Falcon said:
Here's my take on BM's quality control issues, ( or NON_ ISSUES):
So many folks are looking at knives online, and buying them online, and reading the endless reviews online. If you are looking at a nice blade, but aren't sure, go pick one up in person, and handle it in person. That will end some the QC bashing of Benchmade and every other brand.

I've been puzzled by reviews that state "knife is bigger ( or smaller) than I expected". It just sounds so silly when the website says 3-7/8" long blade. How can somebody complain about a knive's size when it is printed in the description. Perhaps I'm fortunate to have 2 good knife shops within an hour of home, so I can look and touch a knife before buying. The OP said the orange looked good online, but in person, not so great. If he had the opportunity to handle it in person, he'd have been able to make a better decision.

I have a bunch of Benchmade knives, I like all of them. My most recent one is the Vector 496, since I wanted to try out the CPM 20 steel, and really wanted a compound grind on a blade. It's beautiful, and functional and slick. The flip-assist shoots the blade open with authority! But after a couple of months, I decided the front grind wasn't living up to the hype around 20CV. I sent it in, with a nice letter. They called me, and asked me more questions, and ended up testing the steel- it came up to Rockwell 60, which is within their specs. Due to the pandemic, it took a long time to reprofile and grind the knife, and it is now fabulous.

I find Benchmade to make quality products at a fair price. The lifetime warranty adds to the value of these knives, and adds to their cost. The Original Griptilian in 154 steel is what got me started collecting knives in the first place!
Click to expand...

What strikes me about Benchmade is they are very good at making knives that look good and appear like they are designed for these elaborate scenarios they market them for - but then when you get the knives in your hand, people often immediately have regrets. I don’t think there is another knife company that has this much buyers remorse. In large part I believe this is because the price they charge outweighs the value many feel they get once they hold the knife. In this case, a Crooked River is basically marketed as a $200 Buck 110 with a pocket clip.

That‘s a long winded response that could better be summed up as - I agree, I think most of these scenarios would be avoided if the buyer held the knife prior to purchasing.
 
skx013k2 said:
...That‘s a long winded response that could better be summed up as - I agree, I think most of these scenarios would be avoided if the buyer held the knife prior to purchasing.
Click to expand...
But a "Leap of Faith" can be exciting!
 
I only have 1 Benchmade 560BK-1 Super Freek in M4. It was expensive but it is absolutely perfect, the centering, the finish, everything about the knife screams justification for the expense.
 
skx013k2 said:
What strikes me about Benchmade is they are very good at making knives that look good and appear like they are designed for these elaborate scenarios they market them for - but then when you get the knives in your hand, people often immediately have regrets. I don’t think there is another knife company that has this much buyers remorse. In large part I believe this is because the price they charge outweighs the value many feel they get once they hold the knife. In this case, a Crooked River is basically marketed as a $200 Buck 110 with a pocket clip.

That‘s a long winded response that could better be summed up as - I agree, I think most of these scenarios would be avoided if the buyer held the knife prior to purchasing.
Click to expand...
I dont have any regrets. did you find those facts online somewhere?
 
Benchmade has obvious QC issues. Thats a fair and accurate point.

I still like the knives a lot, even if theyre overpriced. Someone getting perfect knives doesnt invalidate issues had by possibly thousands of people at this point. Most of mine have come with some minor issue or another, and i've owned over a dozen or so.

Some members just have a problem allowing any criticisms when it comes to American made knives. Theres nothing wrong with holding companies accountable for their high end products.


But as i said, still like the knives. Even bought flytanium scales for my Mini Crooked River, even though it already had some minor centering issues. Such a good knife though. Also still have a CF Griptillian, absolutely love it, but it wont perfectly center without being too tight to flick out. Minor stuff, but worth mentioning at the 200 dollar price range.
 
DrRollinstein said:
Benchmade has obvious QC issues. That is a fair and accurate point.

I still like the knives a lot, even if they're overpriced. Someone getting perfect knives doesn't invalidate issues had by possibly thousands of people at this point. Most of mine have come with some minor issue or another, and i've owned over a dozen or so.

Some members just have a problem allowing any criticisms when it comes to American made knives. Theirs nothing wrong with holding companies accountable for their high end products.


But as i said, still like the knives. Even bought flytanium scales for my Mini Crooked River, even though it already had some minor centering issues. Such a good knife though. Also still have a CF Griptillian, absolutely love it, but it wont perfectly center without being too tight to flick out. Minor stuff, but worth mentioning at the 200 dollar price range.
Click to expand...
I agree holding any company accountable. But, my own experience have had zero problems with any Benchmade product. So that's what I base my opinions on. Please explain your statement that BM has obvious QC issues to a customer who has experienced zero. Its a standstill. I also don't consider a slightly off center blade as an issue. its an adjustable pivot and will change over time anyway as the knife gets used. Blade rub is different. I don't care for that.

I also wonder where some people are picking up their knives. Ebay? Craigslist? or an authorized dealer? Is everyone an expert on whats a fake and whats legit? I dont know if I would be able to tell. That's why I purchase from BM or an BM dealer.
Are we seeing issues from fake knives? Who knows unless there are a few pics that might be able to identify a real from a fake.

NEW Benchmade knives dont work as well before they are broken in. I can say there is a large difference in action between taking one out of the box and one thats been operated a couple hundred times. Alot of reviews on BF I see say things like- I just received my new BM knife and I have to say Im not happy. My response is get it taken care of.

If you shit you pants, do you whine about it or do you take care of it. Then when its all taken care of who do you blame? Just so you know, LOL. I dont shit my pants. But if I did I wouldn't blame BM. lol :poop:o_O:poop:

I handled a couple dozen knives at the factory a couple weeks ago. Some have been handled quite a bit and some were new product. I have to say, I was looking for problems with each one I handled. There were none I came across.
The knife I bought came off the shelf. I did not get to pick one out. It was great example. I check them out at Cabelas, Sportsmans Warehouse, etc. or any other outlet and still have no yet seen one with problems. Im definitely not saying they don't have problems, anything manufactured does. I just think its in my experience not anything close to what a few people are saying. Some post pictures, some don't.



The ratio revealed


Here's the ratio: It takes roughly 40 positive customer experiences to undo the damage of a single negative review. The ratio is derived from a combination of human behavior, math, and logic.
-A customer who has a negative experience is highly likely to share that experience by leaving a bad review.
-A customer who has a positive experience, on the other hand, is unlikely to leave a good review. In my experience, only one in 10 happy customers leaves a good review.
-Your company or product rating (typically out of five stars) reflects an overall average of good and bad reviews. So if your goal is to maintain an overall rating of four stars, you'll need four five-star reviews to make up for every one-star review.
-Assuming that only one of every 10 happy customers leaves a positive five-star review, and knowing that it takes four five-star reviews to make up for each one-star review, you can figure it takes 40 positive customer experiences to make up for a single bad review.

Overall I believe Benchmade makes a great product. Materials, labor, fuel costs are all going up. It costs more to manufacture in the US than overseas. There will be a obvious difference in price. I will support any US built knife company or a company that supports US manufacturing.
 
All my Benchmades are fine. No manufacturer is excluded from having a QC issue now and then.

Supply has certainly been impacted, as has the ability to keep people working.

I think it's more important than ever to support business located in the States.

We have seen far too many manufacturers close up or move overseas.
 
Makael said:
But, my own experience have had zero problems with any Benchmade product. So that's what I base my opinions on. Please explain your statement that BM has obvious QC issues to a customer who has experienced zero. Its a standstill. I also don't consider a slightly off center blade as an issue.
Click to expand...

I’ve owned roughly 10 Benchmades over the years and none of them have had QC issues. However, I have been disappointed with a couple that I mail ordered and did not meet my expectations once they arrived. Not because there were defects, but more because once I handled them for 30 seconds I knew they were not for me.

However, there is no doubt a lot of people on this forum have posted photos of knives that have obvious issues. Whether they came from Benchmade that way, we’re bought used, or whatever. What I never understand is when people pay the premium for a Benchmade which includes the lifetime warranty and then refuse to send their knife back for service. This makes me wonder if a lot of this is regret or purchasing something used with issues vs. actual QC issues from Benchmade.
 
Makael said:
I agree holding any company accountable. But, my own experience have had zero problems with any Benchmade product. So that's what I base my opinions on. Please explain your statement that BM has obvious QC issues to a customer who has experienced zero. Its a standstill. I also don't consider a slightly off center blade as an issue. its an adjustable pivot and will change over time anyway as the knife gets used. Blade rub is different. I don't care for that.

I also wonder where some people are picking up their knives. Ebay? Craigslist? or an authorized dealer? Is everyone an expert on whats a fake and whats legit? I dont know if I would be able to tell. That's why I purchase from BM or an BM dealer.
Are we seeing issues from fake knives? Who knows unless there are a few pics that might be able to identify a real from a fake.

NEW Benchmade knives dont work as well before they are broken in. I can say there is a large difference in action between taking one out of the box and one thats been operated a couple hundred times. Alot of reviews on BF I see say things like- I just received my new BM knife and I have to say Im not happy. My response is get it taken care of.

If you shit you pants, do you whine about it or do you take care of it. Then when its all taken care of who do you blame? Just so you know, LOL. I dont shit my pants. But if I did I wouldn't blame BM. lol :poop:o_O:poop:

I handled a couple dozen knives at the factory a couple weeks ago. Some have been handled quite a bit and some were new product. I have to say, I was looking for problems with each one I handled. There were none I came across.
The knife I bought came off the shelf. I did not get to pick one out. It was great example. I check them out at Cabelas, Sportsmans Warehouse, etc. or any other outlet and still have no yet seen one with problems. Im definitely not saying they don't have problems, anything manufactured does. I just think its in my experience not anything close to what a few people are saying. Some post pictures, some don't.



The ratio revealed


Here's the ratio: It takes roughly 40 positive customer experiences to undo the damage of a single negative review. The ratio is derived from a combination of human behavior, math, and logic.
-A customer who has a negative experience is highly likely to share that experience by leaving a bad review.
-A customer who has a positive experience, on the other hand, is unlikely to leave a good review. In my experience, only one in 10 happy customers leaves a good review.
-Your company or product rating (typically out of five stars) reflects an overall average of good and bad reviews. So if your goal is to maintain an overall rating of four stars, you'll need four five-star reviews to make up for every one-star review.
-Assuming that only one of every 10 happy customers leaves a positive five-star review, and knowing that it takes four five-star reviews to make up for each one-star review, you can figure it takes 40 positive customer experiences to make up for a single bad review.

Overall I believe Benchmade makes a great product. Materials, labor, fuel costs are all going up. It costs more to manufacture in the US than overseas. There will be a obvious difference in price. I will support any US built knife company or a company that supports US manufacturing.
Click to expand...
All im saying is, if my 200 dollar chinese made knives can be COMPLETELY perfect, i dont understand why Benchmade ships such a high number of knives with these minor issues. Obviously centering doesnt matter all that much, but if i cant adjust the centering without causing more blade play or a knife thats too tight, thats an issue. And its not a rare one when it comes to benchmade. You hardly see any of these types of minor issues with stuff from ZT or Spyderco.

I just dont understand how a company as big in the knife world as they are can have so many issues, for such a long period of time. This was a big topic of discussion long before i joined these forums.


And i tend to get my knives either from this forum, or maybe knife center or knives ship free, as i am a Tennessean.
 
I have 12 benchmades. I've had minor issues here and there, but on the whole the knives have been great. Minor issues meaning sharpening, either needing a touch up out of the box, or assymetrical grind. Not a big deal to me. A few needed tuning to get where I liked them, again, no big deal. All have been centered or near enough. My 3 customs are awesome, and would like them to add the Freek to the customizer, I'd order one in a heartbeat.

Scratch that...13 Benchmades. I forgot I bought an s90v Saddle Mountain Skinner. Probably the sharpest knife out of the box I've ever handled. The sheath was hot garbage though, so I got one to replace it.

So yea, I will buy more Benchmades. If I have a problem I know they will make it right, but I've been good so far, so I don't forsee any issues in the future.
 
Good info.

My Homeland, Tennessee by Nell Grayson Taylor and Lamont Smith was adopted as the official state song of Tennessee in 1925
 
DrRollinstein said:
All im saying is, if my 200 dollar chinese made knives can be COMPLETELY perfect, i dont understand why Benchmade ships such a high number of knives with these minor issues. Obviously centering doesnt matter all that much, but if i cant adjust the centering without causing more blade play or a knife thats too tight, thats an issue. And its not a rare one when it comes to benchmade. You hardly see any of these types of minor issues with stuff from ZT or Spyderco.

I just dont understand how a company as big in the knife world as they are can have so many issues, for such a long period of time. This was a big topic of discussion long before i joined these forums.


And i tend to get my knives either from this forum, or maybe knife center or knives ship free, as i am a Tennessean.
Click to expand...
And im saying my Benchmades have been made completely perfect also. Regardless of price. If your ever close enough you should stop by Benchmades factory and meet the people who work there.
I dont know what you do for a living but if it was something to do with manufacturing , someone at the BM plant might be buying something made in TN where you work.

I can say over the years ive had my fair share of Jack Daniels.😀


We both are vocal about a couple items. At least the posts ive seen over the years
You have always promoted Chinese made knives more than US made. Ive always supported US made knives over Chinese made.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top