Disappointed in Benchmade...

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Luis G.

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I never thought I'd make a thread about one of my favorite knife companies but I've gone through about 6 Benchmade and have handled over 50 of them lately and so far all have exhibited QC issues.
The ones I owned or worked on:
1. Griptillian 556/551: Off center. Issues with Lock up (up and down on both).
2. Mini Barrage 586: Major Lock up issue (up/down play that would rattle) uneven primary flats.
3. Sibert: Issues with blade grind, and not flush scales.
4. Barrage 581: Issues with lock up (up/down and side to side play) off centered.
5. Contego fixed blade (uneven blade grind, not sharp from factory).
6. Lastly my latest purchase: 940-1. Off center. Uneven blade grind. Off center. Rough/gritty action no matter how I lube or clean. Lastly protruding screws (seems to be the case with all 940-1's).

In any case I had to grind the screws down so they'd be flush. Resharpened the edge, and polished the washers. May send this in to Benchmade to get it centered. We will see.

Benchmade: I expected better from you.
 
It seems that I've noticed more of these threads popping up concerning BM knives.

I'm curious if it goes in cycles as new production people are moved in to replace those who've left for some reason, or the final inspection is just getting sloppy. Dunno.

I do think though, even though it's a hassle, unless these QC issues are addressed with the company, it likely won't get resolved.

And here in the forums, we tend to be perhaps a little more critical as compared to the general knife buyers. I could be wrong there though.
 
Joe58 said:
It seems that I've noticed more of these threads popping up concerning BM knives.

I'm curious if it goes in cycles as new production people are moved in to replace those who've left for some reason, or the final inspection is just getting sloppy. Dunno.

I do think though, even though it's a hassle, unless these QC issues are addressed with the company, it likely won't get resolved.

And here in the forums, we tend to be perhaps a little more critical as compared to the general knife buyers. I could be wrong there though.
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I think your right on your last comment. We're a bit more anal, but at the same time when it comes to knives like these 940-1, Shot show limited edition runs. We knife nuts are probably the biggest buyers.

I'm going to call Benchmade morning and see about having my 940-1 centered. I managed to fix the gritty action but running the axis lock on the strop for a few seconds.
 
Sorry to hear about all that, especially with the 940-1. I just picked one up yesterday at a gun show and I am very happy with it. I think it's because I was able to fondle it and inspect before trading/buying it. I have also seen the same QC issues at a local shop that stocks benchmade. The knives aren't lazor sharp like they seemed when I first discovered benchmade about 7-8 years ago. I did handle a 940-1 at the same shop when about a month or so ago and at that time I wasn't impressed. The pocket clip wasn't even touching the scale to hold the knife securely, the blade was off-center, and the lockup was gritty. I felt at that time that my regular 940 was far superior because it didn't have any of those defects. Had I not handled my new 940-1 in person I would have continued to feel it was not worth the increase in cost vs the 940. I'm very happy with the 940-1 I have but being a "Benchmade" I would expect that all of their products should be 110% and not hit or miss.
 
batosai117 said:
Sorry to hear about all that, especially with the 940-1. I just picked one up yesterday at a gun show and I am very happy with it. I think it's because I was able to fondle it and inspect before trading/buying it. I have also seen the same QC issues at a local shop that stocks benchmade. The knives aren't lazor sharp like they seemed when I first discovered benchmade about 7-8 years ago. I did handle a 940-1 at the same shop when about a month or so ago and at that time I wasn't impressed. The pocket clip wasn't even touching the scale to hold the knife securely, the blade was off-center, and the lockup was gritty. I felt at that time that my regular 940 was far superior because it didn't have any of those defects. Had I not handled my new 940-1 in person I would have continued to feel it was not worth the increase in cost vs the 940. I'm very happy with the 940-1 I have but being a "Benchmade" I would expect that all of their products should be 110% and not hit or miss.
Click to expand...

I bought my First Production 940-1 at a brick and mortar. They're not sponsors so I can't really name them but I got a good price on it and the people there are pretty cool to talk to.
I knew it was off centered but it was also loose, I hoped a little adjusting could center it but no luck. The screw issue I knew beforehand having seen plenty of videos/pictures of the 940-1.

So far I am liking the knife, still can't get over how light weight it is.
 
Send them all in. Give them a chance to make things right. I can't think of a company with a better warranty. I'm with you on the Barrage line-up won't buy another i don't think. all the rest you've stated have been perfect for me. What Sibert are you talking about? I will occasionally get a semi-bad grind from a benchmade but not often(as with other companies even more often). Little blade play on a few but no worse than any other knife brand. Blade centering on Benchmades is perfect always for me.
 
I've purchased around 15 brand new the past three years and only two had issues and they were minor. So for the most part, I've been lucky I guess.

I have only purchased one new BM since the MAP enforcement, the 940-1 S90v (got it at way below MAP) and it is absolutely stellar. F&F, the CF quality, centering, lock-up, deployment...man everything is on point it's like candy dammit!. My experience combined with others' positive/negatives suggest that it's a mixed bag it looks like.

Hope their quality keeps up with their price increase. Even with MAP, sometimes I can't resist... The 710 KW exclusive is on deck and I have high hopes for that one.
 
Sorry about your troubles, and I stand by your concern. The last round of knives in this past two years every one of them had to go back. From radial blade play to uneven grinds to poorly fitted scales, this has put a Kabosh on my purchases even though under warranty every one of them were repaired to my satisfaction. Yes it's a production company, albeit with their new pricing system we would expect better for what we're now paying. So now I have the knives that I want, plan on selling a few in the next few weeks that I don't, and right now have no plans for further purchases. QC, and I go back to 1995, was far better back then. Yes many of us had issues with sharpness, and that seems to have been addressed. But the number of complaints among us regarding fit and finish out of box just doesn't make for good press. :rolleyes:
 
Uneven main grinds, uneven edge bevels, blade centering, etc.. have been very common on the Benchmades I've come across. ALL makers have QC issues but unfortunately I would have say the fit and finish of Benchmades are a few pegs bellow some of their biggest competitors in the same price range. These QC issues doesn't necessarily affect the use of the knife, but with new inflated prices it has become slightly irritating.

I haven't bought a Benchmade in a while, the price increase and QC issues have turned me off for the time being and I've lately purchased from other makers. I'm sure I'll buy a Benchmade again in the future as I love the Axis lock and they have great customer service.
 
The 940-1 is essentially my dream knife, but I've been weighing the decision to buy one since they've been released. Benchmade's price "restructuring" (or "increase" as I tend to think of it) is relevant. The price-to-quality ratio becomes harder to ignore when the knife is comparatively expensive (compared to similar offerings from competitors, or compared to what the knife would have sold for under the old pricing policy.) With the 940-1 for instance, I'd be pretty intolerant of any noticeable/significant manufacturing defects on a knife I spent $263.50 on. And what if the knife is just a little defective, like the 940-121 (MSRP $500) that arrived gritty and very off-center but otherwise perfect? (I disassembled the knife and fixed the centering; now it's just gritty.)

Threads like these have an impact. Nevermind that the last Benchmade (484) I bought was essentially perfect, or that a new 940-1 will probably be fine -- it's the possibility of receiving an expensive knife in unsatisfactory and/or disappointing condition which almost has me debating ordering one directly to Lifesharp.
 
My love for Benchmade is still good and strong because as people have mentioned a trip to the warranty department tends to get things set right and their customer service is so far in my opinion second to none.
Like who the hell gives entire MSRP voucher because there was a mispelling in on the lasermark service AND gives the knife in question back free of charge plus an apology? Or replaced the blade on that limited edition M4 grip blade because of concerns of the HT with a burnt tip and edge that wasn't sharpening right?

While I understand the price hike was more to keep people from being bullied out by the big knife stores and I appreciate the brand taking care of it's smaller mom and pop shops it's a bit hard to swallow that price hike when you are trying to walk the talk and help small businesses when the last 6 purchases you've had have been letting you down.

In any case I decided that no more Benchmades for a bit.

I am not sure if I will send this 940-1 in to life sharp or if I will just sell it.
 
I've had + handled quite a few Benchmade products. It's very much a "get what you pay for" type company. You get

A solidly performing product
American production
Sharp final product
A product that functions well

Want perfect grinds?
Pay more money
Want flawless operation?
Shop around and pay more money
Want better consistency in the final product?
Pay more money

My point is. Benchmade operates in that sweet spot between "highly controlled and expensive" and "reasonably priced with a philosophy to back it up"

The knives I've handled all had nearly flawless grinds. Perfect? No. But it took a keen eye to notice the difference.

Sharp? Exceptionally. The knives I've sampled were all scary sharp.
Perfect operation? No. Some were a bit tight amd/or gritty from the factory. But with use they became the smooth performers you'd expect at this price point.

You can either pay way more for something more refined and flawless or pay way less For something noticeably... Less. YMMV. IMHO.
 
Cant argue with the sharpness point you make. My last 4 have been borderline dull, regardless of steel. I think it also depends who is on the floor assembling these. At heart I'm a balisong collector, and my entire 4X collection is SCARY sharp; 154CM, 440c and D2. So are the 6X balis. However, those are $250+ a pop, so maybe they just put more care into them. Three of my 580's and my 915 were no where close.
 
SoCal_kid said:
I've had + handled quite a few Benchmade products. It's very much a "get what you pay for" type company. You get

A solidly performing product
American production
Sharp final product
A product that functions well

Want perfect grinds?
Pay more money
Want flawless operation?
Shop around and pay more money
Want better consistency in the final product?
Pay more money

My point is. Benchmade operates in that sweet spot between "highly controlled and expensive" and "reasonably priced with a philosophy to back it up"

The knives I've handled all had nearly flawless grinds. Perfect? No. But it took a keen eye to notice the difference.

Sharp? Exceptionally. The knives I've sampled were all scary sharp.
Perfect operation? No. Some were a bit tight amd/or gritty from the factory. But with use they became the smooth performers you'd expect at this price point.

You can either pay way more for something more refined and flawless or pay way less For something noticeably... Less. YMMV. IMHO.
Click to expand...

I am not new at all to paying a bit of money for a knife and in fact a majority of my knives were in the $300+ range before I stopped collecting and recently that's all I've been buying. I am very well versed in what to expect in certain price ranges depending on the blade design, manufacturing, fit and finish aspects (the manufacturing process of anything is as exciting to me as having the final product on hand).
I can make an educated guess as to how much machine time, fit and finish, a knife has received and figure out what can be expected.

At $250~ the issues I've had should not happen, and has not happened as frequently in other makers in the $250~ range.
 
Sorry you are having those issues. I only have 3 Benchmades and one is the 940-1 which I can't find another knife to kick it out of my pocket. It actually displaced my coveted Umnumzaan because of size (pocket space), weight and a bit more concealability. The only problem I have had was in getting a low ride pocket clip. After several email back-and-forths with cust serv I received 1 of the 2 I requested, and that one wasn't quite formed properly so that it was too loose in the pocket. I attempted to bend it in a tad with pliers and POP! It broke. I didn't bother trying to get a replacement. I should have heated it up before bending...wasn't thinking.
 
SoCal_kid said:
Want perfect grinds?
Pay more money
Want flawless operation?
Shop around and pay more money
Want better consistency in the final product?
Pay more money
Click to expand...
Except the Kershaw Cryo II and Spyderco Tenacious (less than $40 each) had perfect grinds with hair-popping edges. Each Spyderco I have seen/handled has been consistently excellent in fit & finish with even grinds, perfect centering, and sharp blades. If Kershaw and Spyderco can deliver what we expect on knives that cost less than the cheapest Benchmade, then Benchmade can do it. I expect nothing less.

My point is. Benchmade operates in that sweet spot between "highly controlled and expensive" and "reasonably priced with a philosophy to back it up"
Click to expand...
Except they meet ISO 9001 standards, so they are highly controlled, and with their pricing change, expensive. Yet we have received no increase in QC.

You can either pay way more for something more refined and flawless or pay way less For something noticeably... Less. YMMV. IMHO.
Click to expand...
Or pay a little less for something that is just as good or better than what Benchmade has been putting out lately. The Manix 2 I had was flawless from a manufacturing design. I just didn't like the caged ball bearing lock design, so I gifted it to someone who needed a good knife.
 
loonybin said:
Except the Kershaw Cryo II and Spyderco Tenacious (less than $40 each) had perfect grinds with hair-popping edges. Each Spyderco I have seen/handled has been consistently excellent in fit & finish with even grinds, perfect centering, and sharp blades. If Kershaw and Spyderco can deliver what we expect on knives that cost less than the cheapest Benchmade, then Benchmade can do it. I expect nothing less.


Except they meet ISO 9001 standards, so they are highly controlled, and with their pricing change, expensive. Yet we have received no increase in QC.


Or pay a little less for something that is just as good or better than what Benchmade has been putting out lately. The Manix 2 I had was flawless from a manufacturing design. I just didn't like the caged ball bearing lock design, so I gifted it to someone who needed a good knife.
Click to expand...

Funny you picked the Manix. It had a reputation for uneven grinds and still has uneven grinds to this date (less in number but considerably more than other knives).
Spyderco is one of the last companies I'd look to for consistency. Not being funny or trying to bash either. I've worked on a few Spyderco (namely sharpening). Most are widely uneven, and over sharpened at the factory.

I didn't really bring up Spyderco that much in terns of consistency because quite frankly alot of their knives are in the $100- segment which I have leniency towards and few $200+ products that are worth it. (In fact 0 in my mind are worth the $200+ price tag) from a manufacturing/value aspect.

Southard= Hardly any work done to the scales or titanium compared to other knives in the price point. Finishing aspect of it is automatic, very low cost and not really hand done or anything (ZT 560 requires sanding/polishing before the Scales/blade are stonewashed.
The blade grinds are not complex. Lock geometry that is one of the worst cookie cutter lock bar designs with predictable lock up that makes it seem like it was manufactured to high tolerances when in reality it's just a cheap design choice. Look at CRK for a GOOD lock bar geometry. You will notice it was designed for LONG LONG time wear, and use. The Southard has little allowance for wear.
 
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Luis G. said:
I never thought I'd make a thread about one of my favorite knife companies but I've gone through about 6 Benchmade and have handled over 50 of them lately and so far all have exhibited QC issues.
The ones I owned or worked on:
1. Griptillian 556/551: Off center. Issues with Lock up (up and down on both).
2. Mini Barrage 586: Major Lock up issue (up/down play that would rattle) uneven primary flats.
3. Sibert: Issues with blade grind, and not flush scales.
4. Barrage 581: Issues with lock up (up/down and side to side play) off centered.
5. Contego fixed blade (uneven blade grind, not sharp from factory).
6. Lastly my latest purchase: 940-1. Off center. Uneven blade grind. Off center. Rough/gritty action no matter how I lube or clean. Lastly protruding screws (seems to be the case with all 940-1's).

In any case I had to grind the screws down so they'd be flush. Resharpened the edge, and polished the washers. May send this in to Benchmade to get it centered. We will see.

Benchmade: I expected better from you.
Click to expand...
If I may add...the sheaths I have handled by them have been POOR quality.
 
Did not read the whole thread, but send it to BM. They have an excellent service, I never had a problem. Gary
 
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