Hopefully The New Enforced MAP Price Will Prevent This!

jkarp_53 said:
A good philosophy that I've signed on with also. I really don't need any more, but keep an eye open for that NIB PE 970 and a few other old school models.
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Ahhh - The 970 PE...my first Benchmade. It is no longer "NIB", but that one along with my original 806D2 will always be my favorite Benchmade knives.

 
Just ordered me a BM Adamas for $125. (seems like some resellers still give discounts...)
It's my first Benchmade and will arrive on Thursday.
After reading all this I'm even more curious about what I will see when opening the package :)
Bad laser etching and irregular edge I can fix but an off centered blade sounds hard. I'll sure have a good look before I start modding mine!
Thanks for the warnings.
 
Redmasta said:
Yup, my biggest gripe are the sloppy edges Benchmade puts on their blades. They are abysmal compared to other makers. Nearly every one I own including the 4 I received earlier this month all have uneven bevels and angles that look they were done on a slab of concrete. It not only looks like crap but also gives me hell when sharpening. You shouldn't have to reprofile straight out of the box...
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miltmaldo said:
Before benchmade decided to be part of Blade Forum I had posted that benchmade did not wanted to be part of this forum because they did not want to hear how bad there QC . I hope that they are not hearing this but listening and paying attention MAP price for the 943 $170 check the grind on mine . Looks like a chisel grind angle .
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Now it looks like benchmade hire there grinder out of high school and when they get the experience they go right around the coner and work for kershaw . This is how it's done benchmade learn .
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miltmaldo said:
Yes I'm talking about the edge of the knife . There is no angle to it it's sharp but the ground is horrible . Can I fix it how can I the knife doesn't have an edge angle . It's like putting an edge on a butter knife .

It could be me but I like to see a nice edge like the one on the kershaw . Also excuse my lack of knolege when it comes to grind , edge , angles I'm learning as I go . Thanks
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A) Benchmade does not use a machine to put the bevels on. They use people. Every Benchmade knife is hand sharpened at the factory, so there will be inconsistencies between knives. It's just the nature of how it's done. The problem is that they aren't investing in jigs to help those sharpeners hold a consistent angle. They need to either do more training/get jigs for the folks, or they need to invest in some sharpening machines that will put consistent bevels on and have the sharpening folks run those machines (so no one is out of a job).
B) They have publicly stated in the past that they put about a 25º bevel on each side, so it will be more obtuse at the start and wont' look like the bevel on the Kershaw.

SOLEIL said:
Yes, they are not obligated to hold parts for discontinued knives, but it would make customers happy. I have needed replacement parts for some of the discontinued Kershaw products. I think their A100 Multitool has been discontinued for a decade but they still had parts to send me. They actually sent above and beyond what I asked for. This tells me that they may have overproduced the product and were trying to get rid of some inventory. It is a money thing as to how much they will produce and how long they will tie up floor space for obsolete materials. By almost all current standards of business this is probably a shorter time than the consumer would like to see. But it is a needed practice to best utilize their space to make room for new products and ultimately saving money by not keeping old items in inventory. On the good side if your knife outlasts the available repair stock it proves that you have purchased a good product.
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I think it is unrealistic to expect a company to make parts for decades afterwards to service looooong discontinued knives. I managed to swap the blade on my 812s-LH that was made in 2000 just a year ago or so. I managed to get the last left-handed blade they had for the mini-AFCK. Had I broken that blade should I really expect them to have more on hand or replace the knife? Not really. It was discontinued 12 years ago. Besides, breaking a blade would not fall under warranty to begin with, and with a liner lock, I can't imagine parts failing without some kind of abuse -- which would not fall under warranty.
 
loonybin said:
A) Benchmade does not use a machine to put the bevels on. They use people. Every Benchmade knife is hand sharpened at the factory, so there will be inconsistencies between knives. It's just the nature of how it's done. The problem is that they aren't investing in jigs to help those sharpeners hold a consistent angle. They need to either do more training/get jigs for the folks, or they need to invest in some sharpening machines that will put consistent bevels on and have the sharpening folks run those machines (so no one is out of a job).

B) They have publicly stated in the past that they put about a 25º bevel on each side, so it will be more obtuse at the start and wont' look like the bevel on the Kershaw...
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A year or two ago there was a short video that Benchmade posted to their own forum demonstrating one of their employees sharpening a blade. They were proud of how fast he could sharpen blades - and it was sharpened amazingly and blazingly fast! :eek:

However, after watching the video my thoughts were of horror and disappointment because it demonstrated why too many blade edges are in such poor condition when we receive our cherished Benchmade produced knives. :( :grumpy:

P.S. To those of us who are experiencing todays snow and cold - stay indoors and be safe.
 
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loonybin said:
A) Benchmade does not use a machine to put the bevels on. They use people. Every Benchmade knife is hand sharpened at the factory, so there will be inconsistencies between knives. It's just the nature of how it's done. The problem is that they aren't investing in jigs to help those sharpeners hold a consistent angle. They need to either do more training/get jigs for the folks, or they need to invest in some sharpening machines that will put consistent bevels on and have the sharpening folks run those machines (so no one is out of a job).
B) They have publicly stated in the past that they put about a 25º bevel on each side, so it will be more obtuse at the start and wont' look like the bevel on the Kershaw.


I think it is unrealistic to expect a company to make parts for decades afterwards to service looooong discontinued knives. I managed to swap the blade on my 812s-LH that was made in 2000 just a year ago or so. I managed to get the last left-handed blade they had for the mini-AFCK. Had I broken that blade should I really expect them to have more on hand or replace the knife? Not really. It was discontinued 12 years ago. Besides, breaking a blade would not fall under warranty to begin with, and with a liner lock, I can't imagine parts failing without some kind of abuse -- which would not fall under warranty.
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If it's a manufacturing defect which renders the blade useless and benchmade promised to repair or replace for life? Even the liner lock could be defect from factory. For all we know a knife might have been NIB until now and finally put to use were some defects became visible. Not so "hard to imagine" if you really want to.
 
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I have sent 3 discontinued Benchmade knives in for service and repair and each one came back in pristine condition with all new hardware and razor sharp...free of charge.

I don't know that Benchmade ever bragged about fit n finish on their knives other than gold class, but an uneven edge does not translate into poor quality in my opinion, especially if the thing is sharp and cuts stuff.
Blue class knives are meant to be used more than admired, and Black class is geared towards military, le, and emergency / fire / rescue, so maybe they just feel that as long as the knife is functional and sharp, that it falls within their quality standards.

Personally, very few factory edges have ever impressed me so I invested a little money into a sharpening system and a little time learning how to use it...problem solved and no complaints.
 
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Interesting thread, hope Bennchmade reads these comments and feedback.

I don't agree with Benchmade saying that because the blades are hand sharpened that it should somehow be an excuse for crappy inconsistent edges. Anyone can "hand sharpen" a knife doesn't mean it will come out acceptable. I personally don't care if its a machine, a person, or a leprechaun that does the sharpening as long as they start shipping their knives with proper edges on them like other makers do.

I do consider the edge to be part of the overall quality of the knife. Not all of us have the means or the desire to reprofile a brand new knife out of the box. I like to be able to just maintain the edge on my Sharpmaker and reprofile once the blade really needs it...
 
Redmasta said:
I do consider the edge to be part of the overall quality of the knife. Not all of us have the means or the desire to reprofile a brand new knife out of the box. I like to be able to just maintain the edge on my Sharpmaker and reprofile once the blade really needs it...
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I do have the means and desire to reprofile a knife right out of the box, and I still agree with you -- it is a quality issue, one that Benchmade has had a poor reputation for for many many years.
 
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