Gold Class QC

Wolverine777 · May 17, 2014

Do you think Benchmade QC checks each individual Gold Class knife before it leaves their manufacturing facility ?

Redmasta · May 17, 2014

I don't know if its a matter of checking for the issue, I can only assume anyone with decent eye sight would catch poor blade centering and wonky uneven bevels during final assembly of the knife. The question would be when they notice these issues during assembly of a Gold Class knife, would they put it aside to be fixed or just forget QC and send it out the door anyway like all their other knives.

pnsxyr · May 17, 2014

Every Gold Class I have owned or handled has has a fit and finish that was second-to-none. I look at a Gold Class in a sense that is different from a Blue or Black class, where production variation is more acceptable relative to the price.

Their most recent Gold Class, the Mini Grip 556-141, is the nicest Benchmade I have ever handled short of a few Gold Class Balis they made with MRSPs north of 2 grand, and so much level of attention was paid to detail that I honestly do not think that it could be improved.

Kyle78 · May 18, 2014

I honestly don't think you should expect tighter tolerances on the gold class line, I've seen some with very minor fit/finish issues same as the regular lineup. Bottom line is Benchmades are production knives, even the gold class.

Wolverine777 · May 18, 2014

Kyle78 said:
I honestly don't think you should expect tighter tolerances on the gold class line, I've seen some with very minor fit/finish issues same as the regular lineup. Bottom line is Benchmades are production knives, even the gold class.

I guess I had it in my head that maybe the Gold Class knives were individually hand-finished and inspected.

ryxlyx · May 18, 2014

Absolutely they are!!

cncpro11 · May 18, 2014

Here is a short video explaining some of the extra steps that go into making a Gold Class knife.

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Not sure where kyle78 got his information, but I believe he misspoke.

Wolverine777 · May 18, 2014

That's a great vid. Except now I want TWO Gold Class BM's : the 710-141 and the 7505-132 (or 131).

Kyle78 · May 18, 2014

I guess it depends on your expectations, for $500+ dollars some of these gold class knives go for I expect perfect grids, plunge lines, bevels, blade centering, lockup, etc. I've owned and handled a few gold class that were perfect and some that were not so, just like the blue class.

For example, my REI green/black g10 griptilian has far better blade centering and even grinds and bevels than the gold class griptilian I used to own, which had a slightly off centered blade and one side ground higher than the other. I prefer to buy my benchmades in person if possible, they make great knives, some are perfect and some have small imperfections that many don't care about.

cncpro11 · May 18, 2014

Kyle78 said:
I guess it depends on your expectations, for $500+ dollars some of these gold class knives go for I expect perfect grids, plunge lines, bevels, blade centering, lockup, etc. I've owned and handled a few gold class that were perfect and some that were not so, just like the blue class.

For example, my REI green/black g10 griptilian has far better blade centering and even grinds and bevels than the gold class griptilian I used to own, which had a slightly off centered blade and one side ground higher than the other. I prefer to buy my benchmades in person if possible, they make great knives, some are perfect and some have small imperfections that many don't care about.

Pics or it didn't happen.

pnsxyr · May 18, 2014

Wolverine666 said:
I guess I had it in my head that maybe the Gold Class knives were individually hand-finished and inspected.

From my experience, the fit and finish on Gold Class knives are significantly better than standard models. While I've not owned or held every Gold Class model in person, I've seen quite a few and find them to have been given major attention to detail. As for the most recent Mini Grip Gold Class, I think the fit and finish of that is on par with the awesome ZT0777. While I am sure not every Gold Class has been absolutely fantastic, my first-hand experience has found the Gold Class knives to be very consistent, very high-quality, with exceptional fit and finish, and with attention paid to even minor details.

Does that justify that cost of the Gold Class over a Blue or Black Class model? I guess it depends on the individual person. But regardless, they are high-quality knives with exceptional fit and finish, IMHO.

SaintlyBrees · May 18, 2014

Wolverine666 said:
That's a great vid. Except now I want TWO Gold Class BM's : the 710-141 and the 7505-132 (or 131).

I know that you and I have chatted before about the 7505-132 back when I got mine. Over time, I appreciate the knife more and more. No flaws that I can find. IMHO (and I can be kinda picky), mine is a flawless example of this model.

Since I bought that one (my last new BM), I have also obtained a 586-141 from a friend as part of a trade. That one is also a flawless, beautiful knife.

Is it worth the money to buy a GC? Well, that is up to the individual. I won't pay what they're asking again, but I have to say that I believe that the GC knives are more about uniqueness and material than improved quality. They are good knives, well built, and impressive. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the BM GC knives. I love both of mine. Quality has never been an issue with any of the BMs that I own, let alone either of my 2 GCs. I know that the experiences of others may be different...

And the 710-141 is another beauty. I'm very fond of blue and the combination of the damasteel blade, the CF, and the blue C-Tek makes for a gorgeous knife.

Of course, JMO.