Disappointed in recent Benchmade QC

[jmclfrsh]

I went to a local decent-volume shooting goods store last evening that has a nice collection of knives.

Among them were a good line of Benchmades, which were my favorite company by far when I started collecting two years ago. Have had more Benchmades than any other brand.

Among them were a black serrated Contego and a new 940-1, the carbon fiber 940. Other than the extreme light weight of the new 940, the main thing that stood out is the fact that both blades were not centered.

They had a Benchmade Blue Box wrench set, which we used to try to correct the issue on both. We failed after trying everything. My Benchmades are all centered, and cost less than the new units. I would have walked out with the Contego, actually, had we been able to correct it. I gave away a perfectly centered unit like it last Christmas and wanted another.

I've heard everyone complaining about the new prices, but to have the quality go down so badly is another issue altogether. Sad.

Luckily, I went home and found a ZT0770CF in Canada, whereas all the ones I found in the U.S. were sold out. So I still got to buy a knife yesterday, one that I had held on pre-order at another location but it never came in.

Any one else notice that fact?

 

[pnsxyr]

Hopefully the 940-1 will not follow the example of their 710 LEs. There were a LOT of issues with the limited edition 710s including the knives not being centered and traveling too far on closing. The most recent LE 707 I got I noticed it did make slight contact with the backspacer...and while that's more of annoyance, none of the above should be happening on a $200 knife and allowing non-centered knives to go out the door is not good.

 

[harris2]

The quality control problems are a sensitive issue with many, and has been discussed in the past to the point that some disbelieving, extremely brand loyal members will use it as an excuse to snipe and use false information of those who bring the subject up hoping to silence them. My personal opinion is Benchmade will not improve quality control unless the issue receives attention through members testimonials - the good and the bad.

Since this has been discussed so many times before I will conclude by including a statement about the quality control issue I made previously that sums up my sentiments nicely, and also two old, very lengthy threads on the subject that I'm sure will satisfy your curiosity.

Others may want to add to the topic, but I have nothing else to add as I'm not buying many new Benchmades anymore, but I do enjoy the over twenty that I already own.


My previous post that sums up my position nicely:
"Blades that are off-centered, have uneven edge grinds, and not sharp have been a known, and often discussed topic long before the new pricing structure. It has only exasperated the concern from owners who now pay more for the same knife and see no improvement in the quality control deficiencies. What it does demonstrate is that "profit" dictate all decisions at Benchmade and that is counter to the marketing/advertising rhetoric used by them. Yes, we all know Benchmade doesn't receive a higher profit under the new policy, but the end result is still the same to the buyer - increased cost and the same quality control issues remain.

As was clearly stated in an earlier post by a wise poster, there will always be some owners who are so devoted to a specific "brand" that no amount of quality control issues will ever allow them to admit improvement is needed. Posted pictures and testimonials of the same issues by many different owners who do not have an agenda will have no effect on them.

In my case the inconsistent quality control has caused me to reevaluate future Benchmade purchases. It is pathetic that so many $25.00 - $50.00 knives made by other manufactures do not have the quality control issues we are seeing with Benchmade. Yes, the design, materials, and "cool factor" are vastly inferior to Benchmade, but that is not what we are talking about. Until a consistent improvement is seen in Benchmade's quality control my next knife purchase will most likely be another brand. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on Benchmade because I still like those that I own now, and do like Benchmade's axis lock, materials and design. Contrary to what some here may think, I am not anti-Benchmade and I do not have an agenda other than a desire that Benchmade take note of the issues talked about in this forum and decide to improve quality control.

Nothing will ever change if people are silent and nobody brings up the issues. You can be a believer or a non-believer - it no longer matters to me, I have had my say."

Links to two of the threads previously mentioned:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ce-Will-Prevent-This!?p=13015554#post13015554


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1143322-Benchmade-s-QC-Problems

 

[this_is_nascar]

Very nicely said. With any product, in any hobby, you have the "fan-boys" that will never admit to an issue and will never admit that improvements are needed.

 

[Redmasta]

I absolutely love the Axis lock, it really is the best thing since sliced bread but the QC from Benchmade is abysmal. The sad part is it doesn't seem to be changing even though their prices are going up, up and away into the stratosphere.

I was optimistic that this would have changed with the higher prices but seems I was wrong. I'm packing up 2 knives as we speak to be sent in to Benchmade, which in the past I maybe would of lived with but I'm sick of getting lemons especially at these prices. From now on every knife with an issue is going back. Hopefully more will do this as well and eventually when they are flooded with poor QC knives (which seems to be the case because of the long service time) they may consider it in their best interest to just send them out right in the first place.

 

[topher89]

I bought my wife's mini-grip like 5 or 6 years ago for $60 and the blade was not centered. Not a big deal so we sent it back to Benchmade to have it fixed up.

We would spend $100 dollars for the same D2 mini-grip today... that is too much money to get a not perfect knife. The price change has brought all the QC issues to fore-front. If I am paying more than I expect more

 

[topher89]

From now on every knife with an issue is going back. Hopefully more will do this as well and eventually when they are flooded with poor QC knives (which seems to be the case because of the long service time) they may consider it in their best interest to just send them out right in the first place.

Agreed... I have had knife there for about a month... still waiting...

 

[Redmasta]

Agreed... I have had knife there for about a month... still waiting...

I think they may be a little confused on the meaning of their "Lifesharp" warranty. Its supposed to cover the knife during its lifetime, not take a lifetime to get it back once you send it in. Lol

 

[A.P.F.]

I have around eight Grips, two M390 710's and a Rift and all were centred, well made and functioned perfectly. One of the Grips I would consider needed sharpening, yet the S30V Grip I got a couple of weeks ago is as sharp as any knife that I own. I am not doubting any of the complaints here, only saying that my experience with BM has been positive. I hope you all get your knives back in as good a condition as mine.

 

[BMCGear]

Every Benchmade I've gotten recently has been great. One blade was slightly off center but no where near the liner.

 

[cncpro11]

I went to a local decent-volume shooting goods store last evening that has a nice collection of knives.

Among them were a good line of Benchmades, which were my favorite company by far when I started collecting two years ago. Have had more Benchmades than any other brand.

Among them were a black serrated Contego and a new 940-1, the carbon fiber 940. Other than the extreme light weight of the new 940, the main thing that stood out is the fact that both blades were not centered.

They had a Benchmade Blue Box wrench set, which we used to try to correct the issue on both. We failed after trying everything. My Benchmades are all centered, and cost less than the new units. I would have walked out with the Contego, actually, had we been able to correct it. I gave away a perfectly centered unit like it last Christmas and wanted another.

I've heard everyone complaining about the new prices, but to have the quality go down so badly is another issue altogether. Sad.

Luckily, I went home and found a ZT0770CF in Canada, whereas all the ones I found in the U.S. were sold out. So I still got to buy a knife yesterday, one that I had held on pre-order at another location but it never came in.

Any one else notice that fact?

I don't doubt your story, but I do wonder how many people that salesman let use that Benchmade Blue Box wrench set to disassemble and fiddle around with those high dollar knives?

It is probably a good thing that you didn't buy a knife from there because seeing as how Benchmade is now being inundated with all these crappy knives, they may just start enforcing their No Disassembly policy and you would have ended up paying $20 minimum for the repair all because some guy at the decent volume shooting goods store lets anyone just walk in and start tearing stuff apart and voiding warranties.

Now I wonder how many guns he let people fiddle with and are missing guide rods and recoil springs!

 

[jkarp_53]

Despite superb customer service and their lifetime warranty, the QC issues with the knives seem to be remain. Yes, warranty repairs usually address this problem on the other end, but the 16 to 18 day turnaround still seems excessive compared to past years and also means there are still a lot of us buying them with ongoing fit and finish problems; also keeping in mind what they now cost since the price increases went into effect months ago.

 

[BMCGear]

I guess I'm lucky because I've had nothing but solid experiences with BM so far. I was a bit worried seeing some of the "i'm pissed they put a MAP in place threads" but I have been happy with every purchase.

 

[pbcg]

I've purchased six 810 Contego's since they came out. Of the six one had a slightly off center blade. To be honest, and I feel this way about any production knife, If the blade is only "slightly" off center, as long as it's not rubbing the liner or close to doing so I don't really consider it an issue at all. Never have.

The 810 blade with the swedge and reinforced tip doesn't leave a whole lot of room for error so any variance will stand out. I think BM has done pretty well with that model based on my purchases.

Not giving BM a pass on this because I agree they can do better but to be fair if I were going to start at thread about every production knife I've gotten with a slightly off center blade I'd have to include Spyderco, ZT / Kershaw, Sog, Boker, Cold Steel, Case and CRKT because I've gotten an off center blade or two from all of them. Some more then others.

Not saying I think it's ok necessarily. if it bothers you it bothers you but as long as it's only slightly off and not rubbing the liners I think it's a non issue.

But that's just me.

 

[pnsxyr]

Not giving BM a pass on this because I agree they can do better but to be fair if I were going to start at thread about every production knife I've gotten with a slightly off center blade I'd have to include Spyderco, ZT / Kershaw, Sog, Boker, Cold Steel, Case and CRKT because I've gotten an off center blade or two from all of them. Some more then others.

Not saying I think it's ok necessarily. if it bothers you it bothers you but as long as it's only slightly off and not rubbing the liners I think it's a non issue.

But that's just me.

Good point. I think recently I've personally been a little more stringent towards Benchmade's QC because they've moved their prices upwards and they've really shifted into a mode of making some knives closer to semi-custom levels like that of ZT with some of their limited folders. Because of that, my expectations personally may not be realistic, and especially in a world where knife blades generally do not have a lot of space between handles/spacers/sides to save form-factor. But you are right; a production knife will have some abnormalities in most cases. I suppose also differences in Blue Class/Black Class and Gold Class should be made given Blue/Black class knives are going to be like the ZT0770 and ZT0300 where as Gold Class is going to be more comparable to a ZT0777 or ZT0888 in which the expectations on fit and finish are very different between the two.

It's also worth noting that over the past almost two decades, I've seen Benchmade change as a company (just like every other knife maker). They are more well-known, they are in more markets including many of the LE/Gold Class models, they are doing more sprint runs, and it is a name that significantly more people recognize than say in the late 1990s. The one thing that has NOT changed has been their customer service. They've always treated me well, made a legit effort to go out of their way to please me, and have always come through. I have zero doubts about their dedication. So they deserve that credit with the criticism of some fit/finish issues not being detected. Especially given there are a lot of knife makers out there that just are not pleasant to interact with and whom I honestly don't think they care about their customers whatsoever.

 

[Wolverine666]

I bought my wife's mini-grip like 5 or 6 years ago for $60 and the blade was not centered. Not a big deal so we sent it back to Benchmade to have it fixed up.

We would spend $100 dollars for the same D2 mini-grip today... that is too much money to get a not perfect knife. The price change has brought all the QC issues to fore-front. If I am paying more than I expect more

Your last sentence sums up perfectly how I feel here.

 

[BMCGear]

I bought my wife's mini-grip like 5 or 6 years ago for $60 and the blade was not centered. Not a big deal so we sent it back to Benchmade to have it fixed up.

We would spend $100 dollars for the same D2 mini-grip today... that is too much money to get a not perfect knife. The price change has brought all the QC issues to fore-front. If I am paying more than I expect more

Your last sentence sums up perfectly how I feel here.

I get your point. However I've heard stories of CRK Sebenzas having off centered blades as well. That's a 400 dollar knife.

 

[JP Chestnut]

I get your point. However I've heard stories of CRK Sebenzas having off centered blades as well. That's a 400 dollar knife.

I've heard those stories too - no more than a couple though. There were more off center blades posted in the 940-1 thread alone, than I've ever seen posted about CRK. It's clearly an issue at Benchmade.

 

[Jesse B.]

There were more off center blades posted in the 940-1 thread alone, than I've ever seen posted about CRK. It's clearly an issue at Benchmade.

(Wouldn't compare CRK to Benchmade; they're very different knife companies.)

I counted 4 reports (to date) of seriously off-center blades in the 940-1 thread. Unfortunately, it's impossible to accurately determine the statistical relevance of that number without more data.

 

[Wolverine666]

(Wouldn't compare CRK to Benchmade; they're very different knife companies.)

I counted 4 reports (to date) of seriously off-center blades in the 940-1 thread. Unfortunately, it's impossible to accurately determine the statistical relevance of that number without more data.

Very different knife companies how ?