Just Bought My First 940...ok I Get It Now!

PeterS84 said:
I don't get it... there's another exclusive 940-1501 with the same blade steel. Only differences I can see are the handle materials which don't seem to justify the extra $80 in price for the one you mentioned. Am I missing something? What makes that one so desirable?
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Correct. Basically just black/blue vs black/red with a red thumb stud. I imagine the $80 upcharge is for the added C-tek and thumb stud.

The upgrades are:
  • Handle: Smooth contoured black G10 with red translucent C-Tek
  • Extra: Hard annodized red barrel spacers and thumb stud with a DLC coated split-arrow reversible tip-up pocket clip
 
Love my 940 defiantly one of my favorite folders! It did take me about 5 years to finally pick one up though.

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BenchMEDAL said:
Correct. Basically just black/blue vs black/red with a red thumb stud. I imagine the $80 upcharge is for the added C-tek and thumb stud.

The upgrades are:
  • Handle: Smooth contoured black G10 with red translucent C-Tek
  • Extra: Hard annodized red barrel spacers and thumb stud with a DLC coated split-arrow reversible tip-up pocket clip
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Thank you for clarifying that for me! I suppose for collectors of 940s it might be worth getting but I'll pass.
 
PeterS84 said:
Thank you for clarifying that for me! I suppose for collectors of 940s it might be worth getting but I'll pass.
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I will say that I own 940 models in S30V, S90V and 20CV steels, and while I carry the S90V model most often, that the 20CV steel is my favorite of the three. I wasn’t a fan of the G10 handle scales, so I upgraded to carbon fiber.

Just my 2 cents.
 
BenchMEDAL said:
I will say that I own 940 models in S30V, S90V and 20CV steels, and while I carry the S90V model most often, that the 20CV steel is my favorite of the three. I wasn’t a fan of the G10 handle scales, so I upgraded to carbon fiber.

Just my 2 cents.
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Yeah, agreed, I have the 1501 in 20CV and I think it's great! I may eventually buy the S90V, but more for the carbon fiber than the steel as I already have other knives in that alloy.
 
So many varieties. What I really want though, is one with a blade of 420J2. Hahaha. Kidding...but the varieties of blade steel really make me want to get my hands on several and do some side by side testing of steel types. What could be a better test that the exact same dimension blades being put up against one another?
 
Darkera said:
It's out now and just looks like a 940 with a different shaped reverse tanto. It's called the "BM-940-43" according to the store.
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I see. It’s a 940 S30V blade in a 943 black Aluminium handle. Eh.

https://www.kuttersknives.com/benchmade-osborne-special-edition-folding-knife-2219.html

However, at $279. per knife, I’d personally pass and go for the 940 models with 20CV or S90V steel (940-1501 @ $199., 940-1701 @ $280. or 940-1 @ $268.), which are either the same price or cheaper than the 940-43. Just my humble opinion.
 
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My question is: Who did the modification? If it wasn’t Benchmade, would it void the warranty? And why so expensive — it’s just a scale swap (or a blade swap ). Are they selling the inevitable 943-940 for another huge markup?
 
Babyboomer said:
My question is: Who did the modification? If it wasn’t Benchmade, would it void the warranty? And why so expensive — it’s just a scale swap (or a blade swap ). Are they selling the inevitable 943-940 for another huge markup?
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Dunno. The kuttersknives.com website lists it as a “special edition.”
 
BenchMEDAL said:
I see. It’s a 940 S30V blade in a 943 black Aluminium handle. Eh.

https://www.kuttersknives.com/benchmade-osborne-special-edition-folding-knife-2219.html

However, at $279. per knife, I’d personally pass and go for the 940 models with 20CV or S90V steel (940-1501 @ $199., 940-1701 @ $280. or 940-1 @ $268.), which are either the same price or cheaper than the 940-43. Just my humble opinion.
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Keep in mind this is in CAD (in case you were thinking it was $279 USD).
 
Oops, missed that. Cancel the outrage :D What does the standard green aluminum 940 cost in Canada?
 
Babyboomer said:
Oops, missed that. Cancel the outrage :D What does the standard green aluminum 940 cost in Canada?
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Around $235-250 CAD. I believe some stores sell them for basically the American MAP + conversion to CAD.

So when I hear Americans complain about Benchmade prices I don't have much sympathy - I'm paying even more yet I'm still a returning customer :)
 
So I picked up that 940-3 (940-43?) today, my first 940 :)

I wanted to buy the 940 (green one) but the guy at the store brought attention to the purple backspacer - what is that all about?! I never saw anything about a purple backspacer in all the reviews I red, it was a total deal breaker for me. It was a shame too, because I really, really like the green and wasn't too excited about the black. So the 940-3 or whatever is basically a 940 but with the black scales and reverse tanto blade.

That said, I asked to inspect the knife before purchasing it and it was essentially perfect: excellent blade centering, fit an finish was great, razor sharp, only issue being the asymmetrical grind at the tip. I bought my previous 3 Benchmade knives without checking them before purchase and they were all similar. I just feel I should mention this because of all the talk about QC issues, which I've yet to experience.

I am very happy with this knife although I can see turning into a compulsive flicker, it's so nice to flick and handle. The blade shape is interesting, I'm not really sold on it yet in terms of functionality but I'll need to actually get some use with it before I can decide on it. I wish I could have gotten it in green with a backspacer in black, silver, green, or almost anything but purple. That is an odd color choice to me, I couldn't get over it!
 
Darkera said:
I wish I could have gotten it in green with a backspacer in black, silver, green, or almost anything but purple. That is an odd color choice to me, I couldn't get over it
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Congrats on your first 940! I’m certain you’ll enjoy it. What’s the backspacer color on your model?

You aren’t the only person to feel that way about the purple backspacer. It’s either a love it or hate it thing. I’m in agreement with you, and actually sold my green scales and purple backspacer. I have seen a few green 940 owners do something to remove the purple anodization off the backspacer, returning it to its naked, natural aluminum color. Also, Ryan at Death of All Things (DOAT) makes all different color backspacers for the 940. He’s on BladeForums too. Here are just a few of his backspacers:

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I looked online and there are lots of complaints about the purple back spacer, it's funny I never noticed this at all. I'm sort of regretting not just getting the green scaled model and looking for aftermarket back spacers. I have more than enough black knives... but I'm still happy with this buy!

Despite the popularity of the 940, if I were Benchmade I would change the purple. I'm not a fan of anodized accents overall (I find the colors are typically gaudy), but that purple was quite the surprise. It was an odd choice on their behalf.
 
Darkera said:
I looked online and there are lots of complaints about the purple back spacer, it's funny I never noticed this at all. I'm sort of regretting not just getting the green scaled model and looking for aftermarket back spacers. I have more than enough black knives... but I'm still happy with this buy!

Despite the popularity of the 940, if I were Benchmade I would change the purple. I'm not a fan of anodized accents overall (I find the colors are typically gaudy), but that purple was quite the surprise. It was an odd choice on their behalf.
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REI made a G10 version with the same color scheme in green G10 and purple spacers known as 940-1702

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I always felt the 940 is hideous. Why would anyone want an ugly knife like that? Then, one afternoon I was at my local B&M and had a chance to handle a gold box 940.

I get it now. I still don't care for the metal handle or green finish of the basic offering but, I think I understand why there is almost a cult following for the 940.
 
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