My BAD Experience With a Benchmade 940

[MacMook]

I agree. I really like the majority of the BM product line and for folders the AXIS lock gives me a great sense of security.

On examining the knife I received from Amazon further, not only was the blade misaligned and the clip chipped, but the profile of the tip was badly formed.

When I talked with the BM rep on the phone they pointed out that they haven't sold through Amazon for 4+ years. So any BM knife on Amazon is sourced from either ADs or ???

So it is possible that this knife was a second or imperfect specimen to begin with.

Lessons learned!

 

[Firestrike]

I agree. I really like the majority of the BM product line and for folders the AXIS lock gives me a great sense of security.

On examining the knife I received from Amazon further, not only was the blade misaligned and the clip chipped, but the profile of the tip was badly formed.

When I talked with the BM rep on the phone they pointed out that they haven't sold through Amazon for 4+ years. So any BM knife on Amazon is sourced from either ADs or ???

So it is possible that this knife was a second or imperfect specimen to begin with.

Lessons learned!

This is good to know, I am glad you talked with BM and discovered the Amazon information, sorry that your knife is less that perfect hopefully you will get something that makes you happy.

I edc the regular 940 and really like it, the green handle and purple back spacer really gets peoples intrest, makes it hard to use my knife to cut things when people are around because people want to have a look and discuss where I got it and for how much..

 

[Thomas Linton]

All I can say is I own 3 Infidels,a mini Stryker, 940, 610 Ruckus (used and several years old), 51 Bali, 62 Bali, mini Grip, 710, and 808 Loco, and not a single one of them have any of the issues mentioned here.....All were purchased from the same Brick and Mortar store and have likely seen a little handling by the public...I call B.S. on the vast majority of peoples complaints, my guess is there are some haters out there taking pics of what they have screwed up...as for the 940 I pulled the pivot screw out, locktighted it and replaced to absolute perfection in less than 1 minute, with ZERO bladeplay or off centering so I'm not sure why anyone is having issues with doing the same.

Sorry for my callousness, but I'm seeing too many threads and comments trashing Benchmade as of late, and I have yet to see these issues first hand.

Thank you for your guess.

 

[notafinga]

After carrying a comparatively cheap folder for 17 years, I decided to splurge and get something higher quality. I decided on a 940. I have to say that I am a bit disappointed. The first time I opened it, the blade got stuck open and I had to work for 5 minutes to get it to close. I still don't understand what jammed up the axis lock. Since then with hundreds of cycles opening/closing it has gotten smooth and I absolutely love the axis lock now, but I thought I was going to have to send it back just after the first opening. The grind is really uneven, there is a scratch on the handle, and came with plenty of play. My cheap knife had none of these issues, so I expected my Benchmade to at least have an even grind (don't really care too much about the other issues as I will scratch it, adjust it, etc).

Granted I have a very critical eye, but the amount of issues I had with this new expensive knife are beyond simply being a picky perfectionist. I'm keeping it but I doubt I will ever drop that kind of money on a Benchmade or any expensive knife again when my cheap blade didn't have even 1 of these issues. I would be ashamed if I my QC were so terrible at this price point.

 

[Daniel]

After carrying a comparatively cheap folder for 17 years, I decided to splurge and get something higher quality. I decided on a 940. I have to say that I am a bit disappointed. The first time I opened it, the blade got stuck open and I had to work for 5 minutes to get it to close. I still don't understand what jammed up the axis lock. Since then with hundreds of cycles opening/closing it has gotten smooth and I absolutely love the axis lock now, but I thought I was going to have to send it back just after the first opening. The grind is really uneven, there is a scratch on the handle, and came with plenty of play. My cheap knife had none of these issues, so I expected my Benchmade to at least have an even grind (don't really care too much about the other issues as I will scratch it, adjust it, etc).

Granted I have a very critical eye, but the amount of issues I had with this new expensive knife are beyond simply being a picky perfectionist. I'm keeping it but I doubt I will ever drop that kind of money on a Benchmade or any expensive knife again when my cheap blade didn't have even 1 of these issues. I would be ashamed if I my QC were so terrible at this price point.

Why are you going to keep it if it does not meet your expectations?

The only way that companies will learn not to ship items which are poorly constructed is if people either do not buy them or they return them. If the customer accepts poor quality control there is no incentive for a company to change.

 

[notafinga]

Why are you going to keep it if it does not meet your expectations?

The only way that companies will learn not to ship items which are poorly constructed is if people either do not buy them or they return them. If the customer accepts poor quality control there is no incentive for a company to change.

I am keeping the blade because despite being disappointed in some areas, the blade is still my ideal EDC. I do not believe that there is only one method of effecting change, nor do I believe that my sending the blade back will effect the change I desire. If I send the blade back, I am left without the blade I want so I am trying to stimulate change in the manner that effects me the least.

 

[jkarp_53]

I am keeping the blade because despite being disappointed in some areas, the blade is still my ideal EDC. I do not believe that there is only one method of effecting change, nor do I believe that my sending the blade back will effect the change I desire. If I send the blade back, I am left without the blade I want so I am trying to stimulate change in the manner that effects me the least.

Very interesting statement; worded to my liking, I have done the same. With that in mind it's hard to open the package and pull what I would expect to be a well made knife out, to be, again, disappointed. Not knowing if their (BKC's) quality control will ever change, and so the following: Mixed with a stunning silence regarding this issue, I don't think there's anything we, as enthusiasts can do to offset the current problem. Other than stop buying their product, or finding a custom shop to modify the knives to our liking, OR continue to feed the problem by sending the defective items back for warranty repair (which does get old...) there's no clear answer. And we didn't create this as a reality, they did. So yes, I agree with 'notafinga's post.

So what to do? I haven't a clue, but am saving lots of money by not doing anything.

 

[pbcg]

I am keeping the blade because despite being disappointed in some areas, the blade is still my ideal EDC. I do not believe that there is only one method of effecting change, nor do I believe that my sending the blade back will effect the change I desire. If I send the blade back, I am left without the blade I want so I am trying to stimulate change in the manner that effects me the least.

May I ask where you purchased this knife from?

 

[Sulaco]

Over the years I've come to realize that several things are taking place in American goods and manufacturing.

One, the people hired to do the skilled work aren't skilled and don't care.

Two, volume is more important than quality.

Three, pride of work doesn't exist. It's more important to check Facebook and goof off than do a good job at work.

Call me old fashioned but I long for the days when guns were blue, knives were sharp and men were men.

 

[jkarp_53]

Over the years I've come to realize that several things are taking place in American goods and manufacturing.

One, the people hired to do the skilled work aren't skilled and don't care.

Two, volume is more important than quality.

Three, pride of work doesn't exist. It's more important to check Facebook and goof off than do a good job at work.

Call me old fashioned but I long for the days when guns were blue, knives were sharp and men were men.

This older gen knife nut says "+1"!

 

[Daniel]

men were men.

And, they stayed that way!

 

[notafinga]

May I ask where you purchased this knife from?

Sorry for the delay! I bought the knife from DesignerGear on Amazon.

I actually have since returned the knife as I had the axis lock fail on me due to the metal tension/spring breaking. When opening I used a little wrist and it bounced off the axis pin and almost back onto my fingers as the spring did not function to lock it open or closed. Too many issues piled up to make me want to keep it or try again.

 

[pbcg]

Sorry for the delay! I bought the knife from DesignerGear on Amazon.

I actually have since returned the knife as I had the axis lock fail on me due to the metal tension/spring breaking. When opening I used a little wrist and it bounced off the axis pin and almost back onto my fingers as the spring did not function to lock it open or closed. Too many issues piled up to make me want to keep it or try again.

The reason I asked was to gauge and advise possible options for repair / return.

As you've since returned it I guess problem solved.

Interesting though another defective BM knife sourced threw Amazon? I really recommend people buy threw one of the authorized dealers like Knifeworks, KSF ect. Most if not all are more then happy to inspect the knife prior to shipping and in the event of a problem return or replacement is pretty painless.

I've purchased quite a few BM's this past year and all were without issue.

Best of luck going forward.

 

[RippedCityOS]

Ughh, I feel like I'm cheating on my girlfriend here.

I'm a long time Benchmade fan, have owned most of their axis models at one point or another, and will continue to support their product into the future. However those pictures of the 940-121 gold class compelled me to share my experience with this model as well. A few years ago I bought my first gold class, the 940-121, and as the other poster mentioned mine also became off centered after a few dozen cycles to the point that it was rubbing the liner.

I sent it into Benchmade along with how I prefer my blade retention; I'll sacrifice slight horizontal blade play for buttery smooth function. I got it back and liked how they set it up, plus the blade was perfectly centered. Since then, it's been a safe queen which rarely sees the light of day. I've pulled it out every now and then to flick it a few times, but have yet to convince myself to turn it into a user.

A few weeks ago I pulled out the knife and noticed it was a bit off centered once again. I then realized the blade was incredibly sloppy, to the point that it can almost touch either side of the liner depending which side if facing up. Furthermore, one of the liner screws had fallen out(!). So, this gold class 940 which has never cut a thing and gone through BM warranty service became sloppy after a few years of sitting in its box and being flicked a few dozen times. Meanwhile, the standard 940 I bought my dad as a Christmas present years ago is truckin' without a single complaint; go figure.

At this point I realize I'm just b*tchin', but it is a bit frustrating. With any of my other Benchmades, I would have taken care of these issues without a second thought and continued using them, but I guess I have a different perspective about my sole gold class safe queen. I'll send it back to BM at some point, and I'm sure it will be received with terrific customer service, but the knife just doesn't provide the pride of ownership that I thought it would.

Pics for proof:

 

[seroiusly]

Disregard post

 

[Lee48]

...Interesting though another defective BM knife sourced threw Amazon? I really recommend people buy threw one of the authorized dealers like Knifeworks, KSF ect...

Buying from an authorized source is always wise, especially since MAP means virtually everyone now sells for more or less the same price. But I would point out that Amazon and Amazon Marketplace sellers probably sell more knives than any other single source online, therefore, it is logical that there would be more defective knives sold through these sources. Even so, defective is defective and that simply means a knife got built and shipped out that shouldn't have, regardless of the seller.

 

[pbcg]

Buying from an authorized source is always wise, especially since MAP means virtually everyone now sells for more or less the same price. But I would point out that Amazon and Amazon Marketplace sellers probably sell more knives than any other single source online, therefore, it is logical that there would be more defective knives sold through these sources. Even so, defective is defective and that simply means a knife got built and shipped out that shouldn't have, regardless of the seller.

I understand your point, but what I was getting at has more to do with getting a BM knife that is actually new from the factory, and not possibly a used or damaged knife, repackaged and sold as new threw an unreliable or unauthorized source.

 

[notafinga]

While looking for a replacement knife, I kept coming back to the 940 series. Ultimately I ended up ordering a 943 because the blade shape will fit my tasks better. This time I confirmed that the dealer is an authorized dealer via benchmade.com's dealer locator so I got that base covered. I'll let you know if the Omega springs can handle more than two weeks with me or not this time around.

 

[palonej]

I must be the luckiest BM customer.
I bought my first, a 940, this past July.....it blew me away completely! It was literally as close to perfect as possible.
I now have another 940, my son decided my first one looked better in his pocket, a 943, a 530, a 581, a 477-1 and a 710-1401. None had any issues at all.
The only issue I had was the 710 was a bit tight out of the box. Couple of tweaks to the pivot and it's squared away.
After reading this, and other, threads I think place of purchase can make a difference. Lot of issues with Amazon and eBay.
I buy all my blades from White Mountain. One man shop on eBay, Justin, that truly takes care of his customers.
He checked each blade for me before sending. He never mentioned if he found any with problems, but the ones I received are problem free.
The 710-1401 came from KW. Some reviews pointed out that the tip of the blade was close to exposed when closed. I asked that they check for this problem before sending the knife or I'd be returning it. Quite a few went back for refunds.
That being said, if I received a Gold Class 940 in that shape I would but out.
BM is also not the only one with these types of issues.
Couple of high end Spydies went back. A Brous Bionic flipper would NOT flip.....took 3 weeks for them to answer my e mail. They've had my knife for over a month and haven't heard anything after a couple of e mails.
Sorry for ranting.
Joe

 

[adamg01]

This is good to know, I am glad you talked with BM and discovered the Amazon information, sorry that your knife is less that perfect hopefully you will get something that makes you happy.

I edc the regular 940 and really like it, the green handle and purple back spacer really gets peoples intrest, makes it hard to use my knife to cut things when people are around because people want to have a look and discuss where I got it and for how much..

I received a Spyderco Caly 3 CF from Amazon that I had at the time believed to be a return judging by the packaging (I later found out this is common for Japan Spydercos). I almost didn't say anything but right before I went to bed I emailed them about how I was disappointed if they sent me a return of a such an expensive knife that I purchased as new.

The next morning I get an apologetic email from an Amazon rep who sends me another from free of charge and to do whatever I want with the old one. I was floored by this amazing CS. When I later discovered the first knife wasn't a return I emailed them back and offered to ship it back on my dime but they refused.