How do you rate Benchmade?

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swamp

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I have bought more benchmade knives than I could ever imagine over the last fifteen years.

My question is, on a scale from 1-10 how high would you rate the overall quality of Benchmade?

The reason I ask is because I pay about 200 per Benchmade. Some more, some less.

However, for 400 I feel like I get more than twice the knife, if buying a Sebenza.

Where do you guys and gals rate Benchmade?

I think I may try some Spyderco knives next.
 
overall quality i'd give it a 10

price considered, overall value, maybe a 7

i have never had a problem with any of the BM products I own.. but I do feel like with the same specs, other companies will produce it maybe 30% cheaper

maybe you are paying more for their proprietary axis system

but i love their designs and their fit and finish, so i have no problem paying a bit extra for a top notch company's product
 
i have a 710, Nimravus, and a Fixed Presidio. i'm pretty impressed with BM's quality. i doubt i'd pay retail for them. but i have no doubts that my Nimravus is well worth the 115bux i paid for it. my 710 was a gift, YEARS ago, and was like 130. once again, i think the price was on par with the amount of quality received. i had some issues with BM's customer service, but BM corrected the problem and made sure i realized they wanted to make me happy. i was impressed, once the right person got ahold of the issue.

now, there are some BM's that i think are a little over priced. the Infidel is not a $350 knife, in my opinion. it is really cool, though :D
 
Overall, Benchmade is either the best production knife company or tied for the best.
 
I"d say over all they are about a 7 or 8. They sometimes sacrifice good blade geometry for something that looks cool. Their quality is top notch most of the time but when it's bad it's really bad. For what they are they should be a little less expensive but i've never had a problem dropping $130 on one of their knives.
 
I only have one Benchmade currently, but it is easily the best knife I own. Maybe there are better knives out there, but I don't think Kershaw and/or Spyderco make them. Others maybe, but I can't comment as I don't have any others to compare to it.

I have a lot of traditional knives which really are not apples to apples with the Benchmade/Spyderco/Kershaw/similar genre.

I would definitely buy a Benchmade again and over a Spyderco or Kershaw.

My 2 cents, which is probably not worth that much.

Ed
 
Of the "big 3" that dominate the folder market (Kershaw, Spyderco, Benchmade), I would put them last. They are not bad knives, but the other 2 make better products, in my opinion.
 
1) BM has AXIS and that alone gives them an edge - left-handed person doesn't need to wait for a spring run - how long has it took Spyderco to start making lefty Military?
2) Quality and CS - IMHO - one of the best out there (somebody I helped to translate the letter to BM got a brand new blade without sending a broken one to them)
3) Model 710 - IMHO - the best knife .... period.

Verdict - # 1 among others
Just wish they took a lesson from Spyderco - sprint runs are great!
With so many new steels and handle materials...... well... I wish upon a star :)
 
BM makes great quality knives that are at least on par with Spyderco. One downside of BM is that they offer very little value on their knives. Everything is so overpriced for the materials you are getting. This is especially noticeable when you compare with Spyderco. If you can afford it, it is definitly worth grabbing an axis lock folder to add to your collection because it really is a great lock for edc. I wouldnt buy a lot of knives from BM though, its just really bland and same old steels and handles. It just seems like they are satisfied with the status quo and have no vision. Companies like Spyderco and even Kershaw always pump out something new and unique and arent afraid to try something new. In the end, I think that is biggest differance between Benchmade and Spyderco.
 
kawr said:
BM makes great quality knives that are at least on par with Spyderco. One downside of BM is that they offer very little value on their knives. Everything is so overpriced for the materials you are getting. This is especially noticeable when you compare with Spyderco. If you can afford it, it is definitly worth grabbing an axis lock folder to add to your collection because it really is a great lock for edc. I wouldnt buy a lot of knives from BM though, its just really bland and same old steels and handles. It just seems like they are satisfied with the status quo and have no vision. Companies like Spyderco and even Kershaw always pump out something new and unique and arent afraid to try something new. In the end, I think that is biggest differance between Benchmade and Spyderco.
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really? i don't view them like that. i mean, the way i look at it is: they started out as nothing more than a balisong company, that's it. then they started making OHO folders, then auto's, then a fixed. now they sell push daggers, tomahawks, and other oddities. i think they've expanded and diversified nicely. now, YES, most of their folders do seem like they're pretty much the same.
 
9 for me. Use my knives pretty hard, and the 610 I have been EDC'ing is holding up perfectly. Looks and cuts like new. Friend of mine has had nothing but good experiences and the BM i got my dad spent a week in and out the Alaskan Ocean and came back functioning flawlessly.
 
The only two Benchmades I own are the Benchmite and the AFO II Auto. Worlds apart to be sure, but each is excellent in its' own right.
 
Their quality is really, really good, but I think their designs are somewhat "basic" for modern folders (which can be good or bad depending on you), and they're pretty expensive.

The thing I hate most about them is their whole pricing bs. I'm not going to pay retail, and I'm not going to call in to see their prices (why should I have to put in time in addition to the money I pay for their products?) So I basically skip them when I'm shopping for knives, now.
 
Pete2s said:
Overall, Benchmade is either the best production knife company or tied for the best.
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X2
Only thing I'm not crazy about is some of the Gold class prices are on par with what you could get straight from the maker....Snody comes to mind.
Axis is my favorite lock, and the Barrage is the best A/O on the market IMHO as there is spring tension the complete arc of the blade.
 
I would give them a 9. There is always room for a little improvement with any company but they are pretty darn good.

If you are willing to look around a little bit I don't think they are over priced. I have a lot of Benchmade knives and have never paid anywhere near $200 for one. Even limited runs with M4 steel, the most I have paid is $150 from a retailer. I did pay about $170 for a M4 AXIS lock 806 AFCK, but that price has been elevated on the second hand market which is where I bought it. For the most part if you spend $120 on a Benchmade you will be getting similar materials and fit/finish as if you spent $120 on a Spyderco or Kershaw. I would say other companies like Lone Wolf are more over priced than Benchmade is. They don't have as many 'economy' knives as the other 2 I mentioned but that doesn't mean they are over priced. A large Bone collector with machined G10, skeletonized liners, AXIS lock, and D2 blade can be had for $93. That is very similar to the Manix 2 which has been called one of the best bang for your buck knives by a lot of people and runs about $85.

Even though I think $200 average for a Benchmade is over paying, I still don't feel I am getting twice the knife with a $400 Sebenza. A Sebenza is still a knife and meant to cut so for me it would be hard for any knife to be twice as good. 0.0005" tolerances may be impressive, but it doesn't make a knife really cut that much better and you are paying a premium to achieve those tolerances which just aren't important to me.

Benchmade is actually quite a bit bigger of a company than Spyderco. I think they also have quite a few military contracts and have been working at full capacity lately. I think that just leads to a different business model and limited edition knives are probably a little harder for them. I would love if they did more sprint runs and experimented with the latest steels but I think they are just working on keeping up with demand. It's not what us knife knuts would prefer but they are running a business and doing pretty well. They also have one of the best warranty departments out there. If you have a problem with a knife they are going to take care of you. Even if you mess your knife up they will sell you parts to fix it at a very fair price or for free a lot of times. The fact they have the AXIS lock is just icing on the cake.
 
I own many BM's and a Sebenza and the sebby sits in the box.

My EDC large blade is a BM skirmish and its a better blade imnsho than the sebby or the Strider that costs even more [ yes I own one of those also ]

I realize that its all ergonomics and personal taste - so this is just my NSHO s'all.

I too would go with a 9 rating as I have not seen a 10.
 
I've owned and used BM knifes for over ten years. While on active duty and now retired. My overall rating would be a 10. No question. Great knife and a good company.
 
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