Help me find a blade

Armen said:
I really did like the 940 a lot but both models that I ordered had axis locks that would freeze up when flicked. i.e. it took a lot of effort to release the lock. Is the axis lock also supposed to get worn in? I have a mini grip that's only a week old and its axis lock is smooth right out of the box.
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Yes, that's normal. Most of mine have been that way at the start but they all smooth out.
 
Lapedog said:
I have the exact same problem with my 940 where the knife is either too tight and thr action not free or too loose and there is slight bladeplay. There is no sweet spot. The knife has had plenty of time to break in aswell.

It seems I hear about this issue with 940s more than any other bm model.
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Well, they're not all going to be perfect. With that being said, I think returning several 940s because they didn't drop free out of the box is really jumping the gun.
 
May want to look at the Benchmade 575 Mini Presidio II. Just got one and like it a lot. Fit and finish out of the box were perfect. The axis lock was a little stiff to start but is breaking in very nicely. I think it may be very close to fitting with all your requirements.
 
Mike13 said:
May want to look at the Benchmade 575 Mini Presidio II. Just got one and like it a lot. Fit and finish out of the box were perfect. The axis lock was a little stiff to start but is breaking in very nicely. I think it may be very close to fitting with all your requirements.
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Aluminum handle :(
 
marrenmiller said:
Well, they're not all going to be perfect. With that being said, I think returning several 940s because they didn't drop free out of the box is really jumping the gun.
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You may be right. I'm Giving it another shot. Hopefully this one will be great. Still not sure to go with the 940-1 or 940-2. Definitely don't want aluminum scales.
 
marrenmiller said:
Well, they're not all going to be perfect. With that being said, I think returning several 940s because they didn't drop free out of the box is really jumping the gun.
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I somewhat agree with that. However if you keep the knife too long to the point it breaks in then they won’t accept it as a return. The whole joy of the axis lock is (for me anyway) that when you hold the lockbar back the blade swings extremely freely as the only things contacting it are the pb washers and the pivot itself.

On my other BMs I can get this action out of the box with maybe just a little pivot adjustment without bladeplay.
 
Lapedog said:
I somewhat agree with that. However if you keep the knife too long to the point it breaks in then they won’t accept it as a return. The whole joy of the axis lock is (for me anyway) that when you hold the lockbar back the blade swings extremely freely as the only things contacting it are the pb washers and the pivot itself.

On my other BMs I can get this action out of the box with maybe just a little pivot adjustment without bladeplay.
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My griptilian swings like a pendulum when the axis lock is disengaged. To get the 940 to do that you would either see blade play or blade centering issues.

I called Benchmade and they told me if I still wasn't satisfied with the action I could send it in. They are also sending me a satin and black deep carry clip for the 940-1 I just ordered again.
 
Armen said:
My griptilian swings like a pendulum when the axis lock is disengaged. To get the 940 to do that you would either see blade play or blade centering issues.

I called Benchmade and they told me if I still wasn't satisfied with the action I could send it in. They are also sending me a satin and black deep carry clip for the 940-1 I just ordered again.
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I have the exact same story here with my 940 vs my other BMs
 
Armen said:
Is it maybe cause the 940 blade is light?
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I’m sure that contributes somewhat but it seems to me the pivot is either too loose and thus has blade play or too tight so it won’t swing. In that too tight state the pivot seems very tight to the point where even a heavier blade would be experiencing significant friction.

There seems to be no setting where a heavier blade would swing somewhat freely.
 
Lapedog said:
I’m sure that contributes somewhat but it seems to me the pivot is either too loose and thus has blade play or too tight so it won’t swing. In that too tight state the pivot seems very tight to the point where even a heavier blade would be experiencing significant friction.

There seems to be no setting where a heavier blade would swing somewhat freely.
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Well, I'm hoping I will have better luck with the one I just ordered or its back to the drawing board.
 
Sounds like you want a Delica with nicer scales. Get a Pakkawood Delica, take a look at the Spyderco Mantra or learn to love the FRN scales.
 
Armen said:
Well, I'm hoping I will have better luck with the one I just ordered or its back to the drawing board.
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Regarding the black handles on the crooked river, the benchmade website offers the ability ot customize a crooked river right now for different scales, steels, pivot collar, backspacers and the bolster. It's pretty neat!

That in mind, why not try one of the 940 exclusives? The one I just bought from knifeworks (940-1501) is pretty spot on grind wise and centering wise. It isn't as smooth as a slysz bowie or a sebenza, but it is brand new as well and may break in to be much smoother. But if you're looking for drop shut on washers, that's tricky. The Slysz bowie is the only washer knife I own which can just drop without any blade play. If you're looking for washers based systems with drop shut out of the box actions, you need to up your price point substantially.
 
Agith said:
If you're looking for washers based systems with drop shut out of the box actions, you need to up your price point substantially.
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I'd have to disagree with you. I own a Griptilian 550HGBK ($125.00) and a Mini Griptilian ($93.00) and they both drop shut when I disengage the axis lock right out of the box. Either the two 940's I had in hand were lemons or the 940 is flawed. Then again everyone on Youtube raves how buttery smooth it is. Hoping the 3rd one that is on its way will live up more to my expectation. If not, I may have to just pick up a 551-1 or Sage 5 and call it a day.
 
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Armen said:
I'd have to disagree with you. I own a Griptilian 550HGBK ($125.00) and a Mini Griptilian ($93.00) and they both drop shut when I disengage the axis lock right out of the box. Either the two 940's I had in hand were lemons or the 940 is flawed. Then again everyone on Youtube raves how buttery smooth it is. Hoping the 3rd one that is on its way will live up more to my expectation. If not, I may have to just pick up a 551-1 or Sage 5 and call it a day.
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I don't mean to be a downer, but you might need to consider that knives bought through Amazon could be fake. If you're going with "fulfilled by Amazon", you're probably OK; a Marketplace vendor...not so much. I own a 940 and 943 and they've fallen shut since new out of the box.

The 94X series are heavily counterfeited.
 
Hackenslash said:
I don't mean to be a downer, but you might need to consider that knives bought through Amazon could be fake. If you're going with "fulfilled by Amazon", you're probably OK; a Marketplace vendor...not so much. I own a 940 and 943 and they've fallen shut since new out of the box.
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The seller is NetRush which is fullfilled by Amazon which is an authorized benchmade reseller. It did cross my mind that they may have been fake because I refused to believe a Benchmade at this price point had these types of issues.

Even the Benchmade rep I spoke to on the phone said the one she was handling was smooth. I jokingly told her to send me that one and she laughed and said that the edge is not sharp on the demo models they keep around the support area.
 
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Armen said:
The seller is NetRush which is an authorized benchmade reseller. It did cross my mind that they may have been fake
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Even with authorized vendors... unless they know knives they can be fooled. Consider I buy a decent fake 940 from a scabber and a real 940 from an authorized dealer then return the clone to the legit vendor. Unless that vendor knows what to look for, they restock the clone and sell it to ...you.

I'm not saying this is what happened, but it does happen.
 
Hackenslash said:
Even with authorized vendors... unless they know knives they can be fooled. Consider I buy a decent fake 940 from a scabber and a real 940 from an authorized dealer then return the clone to the legit vendor. Unless that vendor knows what to look for, they restock the clone and sell it to ...you.

I'm not saying this is what happened, but it does happen.
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Ah, yeah I get what you're saying. That kind of sucks actually to think people would do that. I watched a few "how to spot fakes" videos on the 940 on Youtube. I'll keep an eye on it when it arrives.
 
Benchmade Grizzly Ridge.


Otherwise, i think you just need to drop one of the requirements.
 
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