Disappointed in Benchmade...

[Stays Sharp]

One of the best F&F/QC knives I ever got from any brand was the 940-1. Like I said on my post a few pages back, what I got was perfection. Hell it better be for that price. My favorite "EDC" BM since I got it.
^
Sucks that is not the case with yours. .... and the one time I sent a knife back for centering (one of the issues), it returned dead center. Looks like they are still inconsistent...

 

[jeffwithaj]

I love my Benchmades. I must be a rare breed because I actually USE my knives and base my opinions on how they perform when used. I have a few knives that are off center but perform perfectly fine for what they were intended. I am not as concerned with "cosmetic" imperfections on a hard use tool.

 

[Ulf Krogstad]

I love my Benchmades. I must be a rare breed because I actually USE my knives and base my opinions on how they perform when used. I have a few knives that are off center but perform perfectly fine for what they were intended. I am not as concerned with "cosmetic" imperfections on a hard use tool.

199% agree with this.

 

[RevDevil]

I love my Benchmades. I must be a rare breed because I actually USE my knives and base my opinions on how they perform when used. I have a few knives that are off center but perform perfectly fine for what they were intended. I am not as concerned with "cosmetic" imperfections on a hard use tool.

Yep, some folks want a little more attention to detail with their new purchase I guess. No more unreasonable than wanting a knife that is sharp out of the box, or having something you don't need to "finish" yourself after the initial investment. Different strokes I guess.

 

[Nomo4me]

Luis you would have your 940-1 rebladed due to the slightly canted grind of the tanto ? Mine is similarly canted. They all are. I'm glad I watched your video as it gave me a chance to see that I don't identify with your level of obsession.
I'm not a BM fanboi by any means but I do have 10+ and all have been just fine. BM criticism seems to be a hobby unto itself IMO.

You hit it right on the head. They actually replaced the handles. That centered the blade even with my own washers. (seems I did grind the correct size).

In any case: Video w/ the 940-1. ALSO a 0801CF review. DOUBLE WHAMMY.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Tolerance-0801CF-AND?p=13907163#post13907163

 

[asdf12345]

I love my Benchmades. I must be a rare breed because I actually USE my knives and base my opinions on how they perform when used. I have a few knives that are off center but perform perfectly fine for what they were intended. I am not as concerned with "cosmetic" imperfections on a hard use tool.

This doesn't excuse Benchmade from their extremely common QC issues. Especially considering pricing. It's rare that I see even bevels or good centering on their knives anywhere from $100-300.

Problems I've experienced:

Benchmade Gold Class 470-131: Horrible blade centering. Absolutely terrible. Unacceptable for a $500 retail knife and branding that claims to "blur the distinction between production and custom".
Benchmade 531SBK: Very uneven grind. One side had little to no bevel while the other side had a very large, uneven one.
Benchmade 530: Blade stop pin screw came stripped. Uneven bevel.
Benchmade 530: Uneven bevel and bad centering, sticky lock, unfinished milling marks on the axis studs.

I'm not taking into account the discontinued knives I've owned that, too, had lots of problems. My 640 Spike had a very uneven grind. My 211 had a badly finished CF scale. These are not cheap knives. I love Benchmade but they do need to work on QC regardless of how they or their customers think their knives are "meant to be used".

 

[asdf12345]

At Benchmade we continue to strive to produce a high quality product that delivers value and performance and we definitely appreciate our customers feedback. With that said, as we continue to strive for perfection please let us know if you have any issues with your Benchmade product and we will be glad to help try and rectify the issue through our LifeSharp Warranty & Service. Thank you!

Is it less expensive to service all the knives that are constantly coming through your repairs department than it is to do better QC? Honest question.

 

[Luis G.]

I love my Benchmades. I must be a rare breed because I actually USE my knives and base my opinions on how they perform when used. I have a few knives that are off center but perform perfectly fine for what they were intended. I am not as concerned with "cosmetic" imperfections on a hard use tool.

I am pretty sure I use my knives too. I think if you re-read this thread you will find the off center was not just a "cosmetic" imperfection.

Luis you would have your 940-1 rebladed due to the slightly canted grind of the tanto ? Mine is similarly canted. They all are. I'm glad I watched your video as it gave me a chance to see that I don't identify with your level of obsession.
I'm not a BM fanboi by any means but I do have 10+ and all have been just fine. BM criticism seems to be a hobby unto itself IMO.

Not sure what the purpose of your post was but I don't think I care much for you calling me obsessive. Secondly sticking your head in the sand and trying to detract from a valid thread isn't really helping anyone.
In any case have a good day.

 

[jkarp_53]

Is it less expensive to service all the knives that are constantly coming through your repairs department than it is to do better QC? Honest question.

This is a really good question thought about and discussed by many of us. All of the repairs must cut, so to speak, into their bottom line. And yes, thanks, your question is honest.

 

[JNewell]

Benchmade execs are the only people who know. Especially with matters like blade centering, asymmetric grinds, etc. Outside of the relatively small percentage of knife buyers represented here, how many buyers would return a knife for an issue like that? We don't know the return rate, and we don't know what the service cost on warranty knives is. We really can hardly even guess...

 

[dogboye]

Benchmade 530: Uneven bevel and bad centering, sticky lock, unfinished milling marks on the axis studs.

I'm sorry, but what? What?!
All the rest, OK, not a problem I've had or am likely worry about, but I can accept, but.... WHAT?!

 

[asdf12345]

I'm sorry, but what? What?!
All the rest, OK, not a problem I've had or am likely worry about, but I can accept, but.... WHAT?!

My 531 was sticky out of the box, too. It broke in after a few hundred actuations. I believe there is an uneven or rough surface somewhere in the lock interface on my 530. The stick has not gone away thus far.

 

[shinyedges]

It kinda seems like some people are down playing or outright insulting others in this thread, just because you haven't had a quality control issue doesn't mean others haven't. i read a lot of this I have xxx number of benchmades and every single one of them is perfect.. That's cool i REALLY wish i could say the same thing but that's not how it happened for me. I purchased 2 benchmades and had issues with them. I haven't seen a single bash against benchmade just people saying what there quality control issue is or was they have had with there benchmades which was the point of this thread. Dismissing others legitimate QC issues with out ever seeing or holding the blade based on YOUR knives that Don't have problems seems odd to me. As I've said before my first 2 knives had issues and i will continue to by benchmade knives. Hear people out.. being dismissive isn't productive and takes this thread off course.

 

[jkarp_53]

I'll give you an example of QC issues. in 2012 many of us on the Benchmade Forum placed orders for the now hotly sought after Forum knife. There were only 300 of these made. I ordered low numbers 16 and 17. On receiving these, both had deep circular marks on the blades around the thumb studs. Either the driver was too long or the studs too short, whatever. Considering the rarity of these and the fact that these were basically gold class knives, they should have never left the factory. I mailed them back under warranty, had both blades replaced and re-marked with the numbers. One of these went to a friend, the other, 16/300 I hold in the safe as an investment. Yes the knives were repaired, but the experience left me disappointed. I still am and nothing's going to change that.

When I can I will still buy a Benchmade from time to time, as I've done for nearly ten years. What I've learned is to relax about the process, fully expect they will not arrive perfect, and while I won't take any of these apart, in favor of honoring the warranty repair process - I will still go over each one with a critical eye; and also fully expect that any problems that will show up will be handled with their typical flair and courtesy.

So not all is lost in the process...I just wish my Subaru dealer offered the sale level of return service.

 

[shinyedges]

This thread isnt only cosmetic quality control issues. My issues were more than cosmetic like lateral side to side play that would not adjust out no matter what i did. And for what its worth I USE my knives as well. Thanks for the post

I love my Benchmades. I must be a rare breed because I actually USE my knives and base my opinions on how they perform when used. I have a few knives that are off center but perform perfectly fine for what they were intended. I am not as concerned with "cosmetic" imperfections on a hard use tool.

 

[calc]

This thread isnt only cosmetic quality control issues. My issues were more than cosmetic like lateral side to side play that would not adjust out no matter what i did. And for what its worth I USE my knives as well. Thanks for the post

Right - the issues that drove me away from Benchmade for a while included stripped threads, grinds that almost made the blade a recurve, the blade rubbing against the liner, etc. These are all issues that affect performance.

 

[Ulf Krogstad]

If people are having such problems with Benchmade the solution is easy. QUIT BUYING THEM! I'll take them all. I've had far worse problems from other companies. Learn to fix your knives yourselves since your such self proclaimed "knifnuts"! Take them apart and maintain them! Not sharp enough for you sharpen it or send back to the factory, have side to side play (tighten the pivot, move the wahsers,adjust screws, just try something) same goes for off centered blade. It's not rocket science it's an easy fix to do yourself unless your a dunce or send it back to them and they"ll do it or just stop buying them. I can't believe all this resentment towards them. They make some of the best folders on planet earth or elsewhere and have THE BEST WARRANTY SERVICE HANDS DOWN(that i know of). I can't complain much. Though their is a few models i just don't care for myself. And yeah "had problems" with a few but fixed them myself without crying about it. Anyways sick of the whining. Don't like what your getting from them and their QC buy another brand. The rest of us will take them.

 

[calc]

Learn to fix your knives yourselves since your such self proclaimed "knifnuts"! Take them apart and maintain them!

There are issues that require access to more parts than just spare screws or pocket clips, parts that do not get sent out. And some fixes pretty clearly violate the warranty pretty blatantly. A few of my issues:

Stripped threads: I had a Mini Ritter have one of its screws fall out right out of the box, and when I tried to replace it, it wouldn't bite. Since I do not have access to the insert in the scale that it's supposed to hold it in place, I had to send it in.

Bad grind: on another Mini Ritter the blade was ground so high at the base of the edge it was almost recurved. I shouldn't have to remove that much steel right out of the box.

Blade centering: I've had a regular Mini that rubbed up against the liner, and I almost had to lock it in place to fix it, so all I did was make it inoperable.

Omega spring failure: I've had an Omega spring break on me, and creating a new one myself would violate the warranty.

So please, give us some credit. I've had issues that affect functionality that I cannot (or should not have to) fix myself, either because it violates the warranty or I don't have access to their spare parts. You can't dismiss them by saying "it's all cosmetic" or "use your knife as a tool" or "fix it yourself".

In all fairness, I've had issues from other brands, too. And the majority of Benchmades that I've handled have been great. But these issues are the subject of the thread, so people are discussing them.

And yeah "had problems" with a few but fixed them myself without crying about it. Anyways sick of the whining.

That's great that you haven't had too many QC issues, but perhaps others have, and you can't dismiss them - their experiences are relevant to the subject of the thread, and every discussion involves two sides of the issue. And "discussing" is not the same as "whining".

There are Benchmade models that I like very much, and this thread isn't going to prevent me from buying them in the future. But this is a valid subject that people are discussing with their own experiences, and that's absolutely not whining.

 

[Steelcore]

Only own one BM, the 741 Lum Onslaught, I am the second owner of it (got it here on the exchange!). It is perfect. It was a safe queen, but I carry and use it. Love it. Have no direct exp with owning any other BMs, tho...but have a friend who owns fixed and foldr BMs, swears by them.

 

[macknife12]

If people are having such problems with Benchmade the solution is easy. QUIT BUYING THEM! I'll take them all. I've had far worse problems from other companies. Learn to fix your knives yourselves since your such self proclaimed "knifnuts"! Take them apart and maintain them! Not sharp enough for you sharpen it or send back to the factory, have side to side play (tighten the pivot, move the wahsers,adjust screws, just try something) same goes for off centered blade. It's not rocket science it's an easy fix to do yourself unless your a dunce or send it back to them and they"ll do it or just stop buying them. I can't believe all this resentment towards them. They make some of the best folders on planet earth or elsewhere and have THE BEST WARRANTY SERVICE HANDS DOWN(that i know of). I can't complain much. Though their is a few models i just don't care for myself. And yeah "had problems" with a few but fixed them myself without crying about it. Anyways sick of the whining. Don't like what your getting from them and their QC buy another brand. The rest of us will take them.

If some people are sick of whining threads then STOP READING THEM!
But really, where else can people go to let off steam about Benchmade knives, other than a Benchmade knife forum?
Cheers