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They tend to get pretty high marks for most of their knives.
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How do you rate Benchmade on a scale 1-10?
- Thread starter southernknives
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8ish. I've been happy with mine, and their CS for things like clips and screws is very good. I've also found them to be very consistent (if I buy local I like to compare several samples of the same model before I settle on one).
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10, both auto and non-autos. Never had a failure in 30 years, good steel holds an edge.
5
I can't take it apart........or it voids warranty. Therefore, if my spring breaks I have to send the whole knife back instead of just taking a wrench to it (which even if you don't care about said warranty...you still cannot purchase to replace yourself).
Nope. I have one, but that's all I will have. It's a nice knife, but not one that sees much use anymore.
They are also proud of them, really proud (for what you get)....considering that I can get a spyderco for less $$$ and get better CS.
I'm getting really tired of companies using literature to weasel out of or confine people's use of said product. Now, I can understand not wishing to fix Johnny's knife after he bashed it against a rock for the 4th time....I get that. BUT, I also don't get why sharpening the thing voids the warranty.............oh yes I can.............it's because they don't want you to keep your warranty...........they want to be able to cite a reason and step away from their product as often as they can. I refuse to do business with that kind of absurdedness as long as there are companies out there that WILL NOT use fine print to get out of a warranty. (to be honest, I didn't know this at the time when I bought the BM knife).
Honestly, I'd just rather they didn't offer a warranty at all...than offer one that is nothing more than a selling point but worthless otherwise...........
I can't take it apart........or it voids warranty. Therefore, if my spring breaks I have to send the whole knife back instead of just taking a wrench to it (which even if you don't care about said warranty...you still cannot purchase to replace yourself).
Nope. I have one, but that's all I will have. It's a nice knife, but not one that sees much use anymore.
They are also proud of them, really proud (for what you get)....considering that I can get a spyderco for less $$$ and get better CS.
I'm getting really tired of companies using literature to weasel out of or confine people's use of said product. Now, I can understand not wishing to fix Johnny's knife after he bashed it against a rock for the 4th time....I get that. BUT, I also don't get why sharpening the thing voids the warranty.............oh yes I can.............it's because they don't want you to keep your warranty...........they want to be able to cite a reason and step away from their product as often as they can. I refuse to do business with that kind of absurdedness as long as there are companies out there that WILL NOT use fine print to get out of a warranty. (to be honest, I didn't know this at the time when I bought the BM knife).
Honestly, I'd just rather they didn't offer a warranty at all...than offer one that is nothing more than a selling point but worthless otherwise...........
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I can't judge a manufacturer on a scale of one to ten. Every knife, every transaction, and every interaction with ANY knifemaker/manufacturer can be different.
Doesn't Benchmade have four classes of knives? Some are rather inexpensive while others are rather expensive. Kinda hard to judge them all on the same scale.
I've owned five Benchmade knives (I'm not counting my Bradley Alias), and while four of my Benchmades were the same model (what can I say, I really liked it at the time), I judge each individual knife on it's own individual merits.
Doesn't Benchmade have four classes of knives? Some are rather inexpensive while others are rather expensive. Kinda hard to judge them all on the same scale.
I've owned five Benchmade knives (I'm not counting my Bradley Alias), and while four of my Benchmades were the same model (what can I say, I really liked it at the time), I judge each individual knife on it's own individual merits.
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- Nov 4, 2006
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You have 6 screws on your clip ?
I've been using Benchmade knives for about 18 years or so. They have all been good knives. Never had an omega spring break, and they have all been very sharp out of the box...
I like them because they are an Oregon based company, and although I've only contacted them a couple times, they have been very helpful.
I don't think anyone can honestly give any production knife company a 10. Nobody is perfect. That said, I would easily give them an 8+
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Yes, they do, but you can't buy several blades for the same handle.
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Their warranty is quite strong... As a manufacturer would you replace blades that were taken to a bench grinder, or taking an angle grinder to it?
Would you like to take in knives that have missing or damaged hardware?
The warranty is solid and provides the company protection from warranty abuse.
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- May 18, 1999
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They swap blades. They don't sell them and send them to you.
Sharpening your knife will not void your warranty unless you are abusing the blade with a grinder...
From their warranty page:
Umm... the clip only requires 3. If they sent you 6, then they just might have sent extras for the scales. Next time call them and explain exactly which screw you need. You'll most likely get the one you want, plus extras.
For a production company, I rate them near the top with Spyderco and ZT knives. I've never dealt with custom knife makers, or even mid-tech makers like CRK or Strider, or Hinderer, so I can't really compare them. I think comparing production companies to these others is rather unfair.
I have owned numerous Benchmade knives in the last 14 years, and I have always been happy with the knives and their CS. I and my boys have owned their Red class (Vex, mini-Ambush), a China-made HK knife (the 14650 P30 model), mini-Grips, one of the first 710 models in ATS-34 bought in 1999, a pre-production 910-LH stryker (from 1998), a 581 Barrage in M390, all the way to their LE models like the AFCK with M4, Rift Forum Knife in M4, and a M4 Presidio. All have been excellent and top-tier in their respective price ranges. Obviously the Vex didn't compare to the regular Rift that sits in my pocket right now, but for a $35 knife it was top-tier -- just as good or better than the Tenacious my son had. I have never had an Omega spring break in all these years, and I owned that 710 until last year.
Every time I call them, things get taken care of while email is slow, which I have found with Spyderco as well (one month to reply to a simple email, S'co? Seriously?)
Comparing apples to apples (production co.'s), I'd give them a solid 8.5 - 9.
What I should have said is, they sent me six of the clip screws, I have 3 like everyone else.
But I just got back from the mail, and I had another package from BM with every screw on the knife in it. So with this, I'll upgrade my rating to 7. The knife feels and works great, and came real sharp out of the box. It was still a let down opening the much anticipated package and having one of the screws missing.
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- Mar 25, 2012
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Solid 8. It is what a generaly edc. Great lock up, and good blade centering. They are prob one of my favorite production brands.