My BAD Experience With a Benchmade 940

[SD0331]

Just sent in a HK14205 with a severely off centered blade exactly like above.I hope mine get sorted out.

I hope so too, bud. I hope mine gets sorted out on its second trip.

 

[SD0331]

I bought two brand new 940-1's mail order so had no chance to inspect them. One is perfect, the other is off center as in the above pic.

I put the perfect one up to gift someone someday and the other in my pocket as the best damn EDC ever invented. Benchmade never heard from me on it because I do this weird thing with it called CUTTING so I don't really care if it's the epitome of perfection in mfr. I hack thistles off with it. I used it to remove 2000' SF of carpet from my home, which required a trip back to the diamond stone on the Edge Pro as that tough jute backing did indeed rip those carbides out of the surrounding matrix.
At the street price I more that got my $$ worth for the form factor, low weight and superb materials. And it cuts. Who'da thunk it, right?!

If you are going to be OCD about perfection in a knife try to start at the $500 price point so the whole endeavor isn't just silly.

Being slightly off center isn't an issue, but Rubbing the liner is. I'm not sure why you assume no one else is using their knives, but it would be an incorrect assumption. Some people are willing to pay $180 and not gripe about the blade rubbing the liner, but I certainly don't think it's out of line to gripe about it. When Benchmade's response is "no it shouldn't rub the liner," then that equates to an issue with the knife. Period.

 

[338375]

I bought two brand new 940-1's mail order so had no chance to inspect them. One is perfect, the other is off center as in the above pic.

I put the perfect one up to gift someone someday and the other in my pocket as the best damn EDC ever invented. Benchmade never heard from me on it because I do this weird thing with it called CUTTING so I don't really care if it's the epitome of perfection in mfr. I hack thistles off with it. I used it to remove 2000' SF of carpet from my home, which required a trip back to the diamond stone on the Edge Pro as that tough jute backing did indeed rip those carbides out of the surrounding matrix.
At the street price I more that got my $$ worth for the form factor, low weight and superb materials. And it cuts. Who'da thunk it, right?!

If you are going to be OCD about perfection in a knife try to start at the $500 price point so the whole endeavor isn't just silly.

Many of us use our knives to actually cut things as well. I have been guilty numerous times in my life of having OCD when it comes to certain things, as well as being a perfectionist. That said, I have grown to understand that there truly is no such thing as perfect. I don't care if you spend $2,000 for a knife...

What I do know is, in the past, BM made knives that were of a higher level of quality control. Blades were centered, or close to it, and edges were reasonably symmetrical and sharp.
This is not the case anymore. For a company to send out knives that have blades so grossly off center that they rub liners or scales, is totally unacceptable.
There is absolutely no reason for it.

I never thought I would say this, but what it does show is a lack of pride in the product they make. I have been a BM user for many years, and still have six of their knives. They proved in the past it was possible to send out knives that were nicely made, but something has changed.
I have seen plenty of $20 knives that were made off shore that have centered blades. If I owned BM I would be embarrassed by the change in quality control.

I know that some of these complaints are read by people at BM, and would really like to see some explanation as to why they have these issues, and how they plan to remedy it.

 

[Cursum Perficio]

I bought two brand new 940-1's mail order so had no chance to inspect them. One is perfect, the other is off center as in the above pic.

I put the perfect one up to gift someone someday and the other in my pocket as the best damn EDC ever invented. Benchmade never heard from me on it because I do this weird thing with it called CUTTING so I don't really care if it's the epitome of perfection in mfr. I hack thistles off with it. I used it to remove 2000' SF of carpet from my home, which required a trip back to the diamond stone on the Edge Pro as that tough jute backing did indeed rip those carbides out of the surrounding matrix.
At the street price I more that got my $$ worth for the form factor, low weight and superb materials. And it cuts. Who'da thunk it, right?!

If you are going to be OCD about perfection in a knife try to start at the $500 price point so the whole endeavor isn't just silly.

I agree the 940-1 is a truly excellent EDC folder, and use mine for cutting things as I do with all my modest collection of folding knives. That's the reason I have them.

I have other folders, from BM and others, some that have a slightly off center blade or have a tiny bit off side to side play when open, or some such minor imperfection, and it doesn't bother me or in any way diminish their functionality as a carryable cutting tool. So OCD isn't present here.

My point was and is that, when in the price range that includes the 940-1, there are other manufacturers that consistently put out production folders that do not have a blade so far off center that it is, or almost is, touching the handle when closed.
Therefore it's not unreasonable to expect that from BM, particularly when, starting about a year ago, they make us pay a 25 to 30 price increase for no other reason than to portray themselves as a maker of premium grade production folding knives.

 

[TheGearGuy]

I know it's irritating to get an expensive knife that isn't centered or doesn't stay centered. However, with the 940 and most open frame design it's pretty easy to fix yourself. In addition, the pivot screw on the 940 in particular has a tendency to loosen. Blue locktite handles that issue very nicely. Here's how to center your blade:

1. Loosen (do not remove) all of the frame screws and the pivot screw.
2. Apply downward pressure to the top of one scale (frame) and the upward pressure at bottom of the other, pushing the scales in the opposite direction from one another until you've positioned the blade in the center.
3. Hold the scales (frame) in position while you tighten the frame screws. (this should hold the blade in place)
4. Tighten the pivot screw just until there's no blade play.

If tightening the pivot screw moves the blade out of your new centered position, loosen the frame screws and re-position the blade just off center enough to account for the amount the pivot screw moved it.

Once everything is perfect and tightened down, take the pivot screw out and put a small dot of blue locktite on it, put it back in and tighten it as you had it. Let it dry and you should't have this problem with that knife again.

This works on most open frame design knives. I have done this to my 940, my 940-1 and most recently my 761 as well.
You'll need a mini torx set. The hardened ones are worth the extra $$.

 

[jonearlt]

Same thing happened to me. I even called before I sent it the first time. Received it back in the same condition. I ended up selling the knife as is.

 

[d0nut]

I know it's irritating to get an expensive knife that isn't centered or doesn't stay centered. However, with the 940 and most open frame design it's pretty easy to fix yourself. In addition, the pivot screw on the 940 in particular has a tendency to loosen. Blue locktite handles that issue very nicely. Here's how to center your blade:

1. Loosen (do not remove) all of the frame screws and the pivot screw.
2. Apply downward pressure to the top of one scale (frame) and the upward pressure at bottom of the other, pushing the scales in the opposite direction from one another until you've positioned the blade in the center.
3. Hold the scales (frame) in position while you tighten the frame screws. (this should hold the blade in place)
4. Tighten the pivot screw just until there's no blade play.

If tightening the pivot screw moves the blade out of your new centered position, loosen the frame screws and re-position the blade just off center enough to account for the amount the pivot screw moved it.

Once everything is perfect and tightened down, take the pivot screw out and put a small dot of blue locktite on it, put it back in and tighten it as you had it. Let it dry and you should't have this problem with that knife again.

This works on most open frame design knives. I have done this to my 940, my 940-1 and most recently my 761 as well.
You'll need a mini torx set. The hardened ones are worth the extra $$.

Hmm. This is certainly a new way of centering, I'll have to give this a try next time.

Thanks for posting.

 

[BMCGear]

Many of us use our knives to actually cut things as well. I have been guilty numerous times in my life of having OCD when it comes to certain things, as well as being a perfectionist. That said, I have grown to understand that there truly is no such thing as perfect. I don't care if you spend $2,000 for a knife...

What I do know is, in the past, BM made knives that were of a higher level of quality control. Blades were centered, or close to it, and edges were reasonably symmetrical and sharp.
This is not the case anymore. For a company to send out knives that have blades so grossly off center that they rub liners or scales, is totally unacceptable.
There is absolutely no reason for it.

I never thought I would say this, but what it does show is a lack of pride in the product they make. I have been a BM user for many years, and still have six of their knives. They proved in the past it was possible to send out knives that were nicely made, but something has changed.
I have seen plenty of $20 knives that were made off shore that have centered blades. If I owned BM I would be embarrassed by the change in quality control.

I know that some of these complaints are read by people at BM, and would really like to see some explanation as to why they have these issues, and how they plan to remedy it.

I'm relatively new to BM compared to many of you but I have had great luck with their knives. I also buy my knives from Dealers who expect top quality. Dealers need to send knives back to BM before they get to us. I believe when that happens then something will truly be done.

 

[Captain Howdy]

I bought two brand new 940-1's mail order so had no chance to inspect them. One is perfect, the other is off center as in the above pic.

I put the perfect one up to gift someone someday and the other in my pocket as the best damn EDC ever invented. Benchmade never heard from me on it because I do this weird thing with it called CUTTING so I don't really care if it's the epitome of perfection in mfr. I hack thistles off with it. I used it to remove 2000' SF of carpet from my home, which required a trip back to the diamond stone on the Edge Pro as that tough jute backing did indeed rip those carbides out of the surrounding matrix.
At the street price I more that got my $$ worth for the form factor, low weight and superb materials. And it cuts. Who'da thunk it, right?!

If you are going to be OCD about perfection in a knife try to start at the $500 price point so the whole endeavor isn't just silly.

Your statement is "silly". If some guy in China can produce knockoffs with blades centered then why can't benchmade. I can see some knifes getting through QC a hair off but liner rub, that knife should never leve the factory. IMO it's due to laziness. That's coming from a Benchmade "mark". And btw all of my knives are users and its "silly" for you to even bring that into question because it has no bearing on the discussion.

 

[338375]

I'm relatively new to BM compared to many of you but I have had great luck with their knives. I also buy my knives from Dealers who expect top quality. Dealers need to send knives back to BM before they get to us. I believe when that happens then something will truly be done.

In all honesty I have had very good luck with BM as well. Over the roughly 20 year period I have owned and used BM knives, I have had no issues.
I have one Mini Grip out of the six I currently have that has the blade very slightly off center. It isn't even enough for me to worry about trying to correct, let alone send it back...

Out of all the different BM knives I have owned, I only used their CS once, and that wasn't because of a problem with the knife, I just decided I wanted a blade swap.

I'm not sure what the percentage of knives that have issues would be, but there have been numerous complaints here, with pictures to back up the concerns.
Granted, we are probably only a small percentage of total sales, but IMHO it is enough for BM to take note, and correct the issue.

The picture of that Gold Class knife with the blade grossly off centered really hit a nerve with me. Those knives are expensive. Highly over priced in my mind, but to allow a knife in that price range to go out the door is absurd.

Don't get me wrong, I still like BM knives, but they really need to step up and correct some of these issues.

 

[cncpro11]

Dang there's some horrible pics in this thread!
Did anyone link this to the benchmade rep because I would really like someone to address this.

 

[Stand Straight]

Sorry for the problem and frustration. Live long enough and we have them, that's for sure.

I have both the 940 and 940-1, both near perfect. I bought a 710-1401 that had a big problem; contacted Benchmade, they had me send it to them for repair and when I received it back it was "show room" perfect. I have heard many talk here about Benchmade's customer service and it's usually spoken of in high regards.
I hope you get the relief you should have.

 

[adamg01]

I'm relatively new to BM compared to many of you but I have had great luck with their knives. I also buy my knives from Dealers who expect top quality. Dealers need to send knives back to BM before they get to us. I believe when that happens then something will truly be done.

That's why New Graham Knives quit buying BM products. They had trouble out of BM products and the CS. I have a 943 and 940 which I got both used off of here. They are both excellent knives but I wouldn't pay new prices for either. My first quality knife was the Grip that I got for $70, now they are pushing $100 and the bang for the buck just isn't there for me.

OP, I sure hope you get your knife fixed. It does suck to drop that much money on a knife that's rubbing the liner, good luck sir.

 

[jkarp_53]

Fact is; You can have great customer service, which can go far to offset issues that come up during production runs. But that only works when the advertised product is available and there are paying customers willing to buy the product as advertised. The real problem is when the customer stops buying the product because it is sold and delivered, but is not as advertised. When customer service is no longer able to keep up with problems generated during production, the company starts to lose business because paying customers stop buying their product. With me so far? Read the writing on the wall, friends, this is not good for Benchmade and it's not good business to continue producing knives that are not as advertised.

 

[CookieRawwr]

I own three Benchmades. A Presidio Tanto purchased in 2010 was my first one. No issues whatsoever. I bought a Lerch Subrosa in 2012. Its a solid knife, I only wish I could of gotten one with out Serrations before they were discontinued. I bought a Rift last year and out of the box it had some bad blade play. Well I was able to fix it my self so no big deal. I'm just wondering if they are checked before being shipped out anymore. I'd like to buy a 940-1 the style appeals to me. I too hope someone at Benchmade reads forum feedback.

 

[The Dude1]

Benchmade is a premium knife manufacturer and they have started tightly enforcing their pricing to reflect this. As a premium manufacturer some of these issues are unacceptable, but issues are to be expected from any item mass produced or boutique. I feel Benchmade handles these issues as well as anyone in the business with impeccable customer service from what I have heard. I've purchased 3 Benchmade knives in the last month and all have been perfect. I have no reservation in purchasing more as I know that if something is unacceptable with the knife, they will take care of me. The trademark of a great business model is not a lack of issues, but how the company chooses to handle those issues when they arise. That is by far the most important part of any purchase in my eyes

 

[TheGearGuy]

I have every Benchmade I like or want with the exception of 2 new ones that just came out for 2015 (which I will have soon). I don't remember off-hand exactly how many I'm up to, but it's more than 20. Although I have had to learn to center knives and most recently I was very disappointed with BM QC for letting the 761 I bought leave the factory out of alignment, most of the BM knives I've bought have been perfect. Further, every time I have dealt with their CS department they have been stellar and exceeded my expectations. After a great deal of experience with them (including a visit to the factory) I feel they are a great company that makes great products.

That said, there is a saying that I believe I first read here on BladeForums that Benchmade would benefit from re-focusing on.

If you make it right in the first place, you don't have to "make it right".

They're making great stuff....they really just need one more person with a Torx set making final adjustments as they go in the box.

 

[Jesse B.]

The picture of that Gold Class knife with the blade grossly off centered really hit a nerve with me. Those knives are expensive. Highly over priced in my mind, but to allow a knife in that price range to go out the door is absurd.

(Another) anecdotal report:

I have 4 Benchmade LE's (all new/unused):
- Gold Class 940-121 (pictured previously in this thread): Arrived with off-center blade (not horrible, just bad) and very gritty action.
- Gold Class 551-101 (cf/M4 Griptilian): Arrived with a poor, dull edge; otherwise excellent fit and finish.
- Shot Show 746-1201 (cf/D2 Mini Onslaught): Perfect.
- BM Forum 950-1201 (cf/M4 Rift): Perfect.

 

[miso2]

Oh my......
That's terrible!
I would not mind to have a knife with a slightly off-center blade.
My Manix 2 is like that, but I don't care as long as it operates perfectly.
But a blade rubbing the scale......
I guess it affects the functioning, and that's unforgivable for a knife at $300!
I hope SD0331 gets his knife back fixed.
Otherwise, I have to reconsider buying a 940-1 or anything from BM......


Miso

 

[SD0331]

Oh my......
That's terrible!
I would not mind to have a knife with a slightly off-center blade.
My Manix 2 is like that, but I don't care as long as it operates perfectly.
But a blade rubbing the scale......
I guess it affects the functioning, and that's unforgivable for a knife at $300!
I hope SD0331 gets his knife back fixed.
Otherwise, I have to reconsider buying a 940-1 or anything from BM......


Miso

Mine is just the 940. I received the email last night that it is on its way back to me. I should receive it at the beginning of next week. I'll be sure to post up how it returns.