First Benchmade; Worried about Omega Springs

BMCGear

BMCGear

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Hey guys,

Looking at getting my first Benchmade knife. Really digging anything with Osbourne's name on it! :)

I guess my only concern is the Omega spring wearing out in the knife. Is this a common occurrence?

EDIT:

I appreciate everyone's feedback. I will say that although the Omega's can fail I do like the fact that I can send the knife to Benchmade and they will take care of it. Other locking designs would be much harder to fix I imagine.

Now I have to decide which one to go with. What is a tough knife good for EDC? :)
 
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No it's not. I've had a couple BM's that were carried and used daily for a few years each, and have never has a spring break...
Yes, some have had them break, but that is a very small percentage. If you do a search, you should find plenty to read about this topic.

If by some small chance they do break, BM will take care of it. Just buy the knife you really want, and enjoy it.
 
338375 said:
No it's not. I've had a couple BM's that were carried and used daily for a few years each, and have never has a spring break...
Yes, some have had them break, but that is a very small percentage. If you do a search, you should find plenty to read about this topic.

If by some small chance they do break, BM will take care of it. Just buy the knife you really want, and enjoy it.
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Thanks man. I've read a lot of threads about the issue. It seems to be a common occurrence. Just wanted to get info from the Benchmade forum.
 
I have 2 bm's and have not had any problems, both of them have been used quite heavily as well. I wouldnt worry about it.
 
I've never had a problem with this in years. However, I did avoid purchasing a Benchmade for years due to reading thread posts such as you mention; a fact that still mildly embitters me toward other brand fanatics who post and re-post theoretical qualms with omega springs. It's funny how strangers' concerns can become your own when repeated frequently enough.

Also keep in mind that if anything were to ever go wrong with a spring, Benchmade would repair your knife.

Good luck in your decision. :thumbup:
 
I've had BM knives with the AXIS locks almost since the beginning. Some heavy users, some light users and some that are safe queens that never get used much if at all and I've never had an Omega spring break in what has to be well over 10 years now.

From reading the forums over the years I've read far, far more instances if lock failures with Liner locks, Frame locks, and even Lock backs then AXIS locks but I still have confidence in those designs also.

Omega spring breakage is a very rare occurrence considering the amount of AXIS knives that are out there.

I will say I have made the following observations from reading all the threads on Omega spring breakage over the years. Those that report spring failure usually report that it has happened with more then one knife and or more then once with the same knife. The common connection often appears to be truly excessive flipping of the blade. Not always but enough that I've noticed.

Bottom line is I have complete confidence in the AXIS lock, even more so in it then other lock designs that I listed above.

Hope this helps and best of luck!
 
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Bottom line is it is not common, and not worth worrying about. Axis lock is a great lock period

(I would love to hear from BM what % of knives come back for this fix vs. knives produced. I bet its a very small percentage)
 
I appreciate your feedback. I will say that although the Omega's can fail I do like the fact that I can send the knife to Benchmade and they will take care of it. Other locking designs would be much harder to fix I imagine.

Now I have to decide which one to go with. What is a tough knife good for EDC? :)
 
pbcg said:
The common connection often appears to be truly excessive flipping of the blade.
Click to expand...

^ ^ ^ ^

This is what I was going to post. Don't constantly FLIP/FLICK, occasionally shouldn't be a problem. I've never understood the fascination. Is it a way for ex-smokers and nervous people to maintain their equilibrium? :D
 
harris2 said:
^ ^ ^ ^

This is what I was going to post. Don't constantly FLIP/FLICK, occasionally shouldn't be a problem. I've never understood the fascination. Is it a way for ex-smokers and nervous people to maintain their equilibrium? :D
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To add to that one of the AXIS locks greatest attributes can also lead to it's undoing. It's ease of use that is.

It's so easy to use and flip people do it for the sake of doing it like you said, and far more often then lets say a stiff frame lock or a super stiff Tri-Ad lock. With those locks you pay a price every time you close it with a sore thumb. lol. Cuts down on the amount of flipping though.....

People do seem to love to flip the AXIS though....
 
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bluemetalchurch said:
I appreciate your feedback. I will say that although the Omega's can fail I do like the fact that I can send the knife to Benchmade and they will take care of it. Other locking designs would be much harder to fix I imagine.

Now I have to decide which one to go with. What is a tough knife good for EDC? :)
Click to expand...

As far as a solid tough, hard use knife, of the current line up I'd suggest the Rift, Contego, or Adamas, can't really get any tougher then that.

All the best!
 
One of the Omega springs in my Kulgera broke after about two years of use. The other Omega spring will worked for about a week, so the lock didn't fail. I sent it in to Benchmade and they replaced it in about 10 days. They have great customer service.

The only reason I would be nervous about the Omega spring breaking is if I only had one knife. ;)
 
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pbcg said:
As far as a solid tough, hard use knife, of the current line up I'd suggest the Rift, Contego, or Adamas, can't really get any tougher then that.

All the best!
Click to expand...

+1:thumbup:

You just need to determine the size that's right for you
 
Ordered both a Griptilian and a Rift today. :)

The Griptilian is gonna be my EDC at the office as I felt the Rift would look a little out of place and would be pocket heavy for my khakis. The Rift will ride in my jeans most of the time unless I decide I wanna use the Griptilian all the time! ;)
 
I have been carrying a 960 daily for a few years and the previous owner carried it daily for a few years before I bought it. Original omega spring.

I wouldn't worry about it....I don't.
 
Don't worry, it's not necessary. That is why you have a warranty on your knife. Provided you don't void that, you will be ok. As an aside, all moving parts wear out, it's part of the mechanics of things.
 
The Rift is awesome. Good call.

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Do Axis springs break? Yeah, once in a long while. I bought one of the first 710 knives when they were introduced and have cycled it more times than you could count. I also have a 710 trainer that has seen much more cycling. I have probably two dozen other Axis knives that get less use and handling. I have never had a spring break in 15 years.
 
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