My Love-Hate Relationship with Benchmade

I see, I didn't realise you were from Canada, that price would be a bit much and dealing with customs might be slower too.
 
They don't want to be held liable in case little Johnny slices his hand openning his BM up for a spring change. Changing a clip is no big deal. My original BM, a 440C 551 Grip, must be nearly a decade old - and has over thirty BM siblings, many with the AXIS lock - and no problems. Okay, it did come dull enough to make me wonder if it was a training knife. It needed heat to cut through butter. I guess I am a tad hard-headed - my second BM, a 201 in D2, was also dull NIB. The next thirty or so have come sharp! I like their design, materials selection, fit/finish, and the fact that they are US-made - with a fantastic warranty. I met the owner and his son at BLADE this year - nice folks, too.

My advice to those worried about AXIS lock 'omega' spring availability is to get a different lock style. Their Ti framelocks are great. I did remove the torsion spring roller & pin from my 790 Subrosa, defeating it's 'assisted' open feature (Gads... the warranty!). My very common EDC is a 755 MPR (m390 Bohler steel). Someone said he wouldn't buy a BM 'Bone Collector' series folder due to the AXIS lock's spring - they make a nice lockback folder in that series - 15050. Mine below is in cocobolo - same D2 steel.

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Stainz

PS Before trying to remove a BM screw, try heating it for a few seconds with a clean tipped 25-30 Watt soldering pencil first. It really helps. They use something akin to blue Loctite. (Tip from BM's CS!)
 
Stainz said:
My advice to those worried about AXIS lock 'omega' spring availability is to get a different lock style. Their Ti framelocks are great. I did remove the torsion spring roller & pin from my 790 Subrosa, defeating it's 'assisted' open feature (Gads... the warranty!). My very common EDC is a 755 MPR (m390 Bohler steel). Someone said he wouldn't buy a BM 'Bone Collector' series folder due to the AXIS lock's spring - they make a nice lockback folder in that series - 15050. Mine below is in cocobolo - same D2 steel.
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(thatwas me) I've got enough decent Lockbacks. I kind of wanted an Axis lock knife and the Bone Collector. I played around with the MPR and really liked it. If the pocketclip had been switchable I'd already own one. I'm a lefty and refuse to buy a knife that I can't switch the pocketclip on to lefthanded carry.
 
The last Axis lock I've bought is even more refined than any I've had before. It opens so smooth, locks so precisely and tight, I can't imagine having a problem with it. In fact this one I'll always keep.

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Someone call the WAAAAAAAMbulance.

Oh no, the company you purchased your knife from prefers if domestic customers mail the knives back to them (with $5 included for return shipping) so employees can service the knife and provide top-notch customer service.

Benchmade, like CRK and Strider, prefers to minimize liability and time wasted repairing Jack Burton style knife jimmy-rigging. Benchmade has better things to do than keep a file containing the waivers of a handful of stubborn customers who throw an enormous, and perhaps even ridiculous, fit over refusal to mail an omega spring. I imagine these are the same customers who spend more time researching how to twist a clothing wire into an omega spring than it would take to drop their knife into a $3.00 [net cost $7.00] priority mailing box.

I've sent several knives into BM for service (but have -never- had to replace an Omega spring, and I abuse [sorta] the living hell out of my Grip and 710 performing outdoors cutting tasks) and am always surprised how quickly to the knives come back to me [usually in 3-5 days].

If Benchmade customer service sucked, I might be pissed, but it is right up there with Strider and Spyderco, and I'm happy to send in my knife rather than waste valuable time attempting to make repairs.

If you're hesitant to purchase a Benchmade knife for the reason that their customer service department wants to take care of you and elects to not mail an omega spring, I won't go so far as to flame you, but your behavior does make me scratch my head in pure confusion.
 
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For me it's more the fact that they have an unexpected tendency to break on people without real reason or abuse. THAT (for me) is the reason I'm opting not to spring for one.
 
You can spend your whole life worrying about small contingencies like an Omega spring breaking, but then what's the point? I choose not to overly concern myself with them and will continue to buy Axis lock knives. If they do end up breaking, I don't see it as a big deal. The knife goes off to Benchmade for a little while and then it comes back better than new. Being a knife collector comes with a certain level of neuroticism that you eventually have to overcome.
 
I have never had to send any of my Benchmades in for service or repairs, and all 5 are axis locks. Out of all the knife brands and lock types I have used the absolute worse problems I have had were with ti frame locks from ZT. I had to send in 3 of them due to lock rock and blade play. They replaced the ti lock side on two of them. So, for me Benchmade has been an excellent brand. And the axis lock has been far more reliable than ANY of the ti frame locks I have had. I will continue to buy axis lock Benchmades.
 
Slowrid-Der said:
Should the warranty be void on your Sig P220 if you replace the hammer spring?
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Exactly, there is no good excuse for the policy. If you choose to void your warranty and then send it back in pieces then you will have to pay. I should not be punished because a few are inept.
 
gadgetgeek said:
I'm confused. A company that wants to get its hands on a failed bit of product to look at is bad? Sure it would be nice if everything was always the way I want it, but guess what, I'm just me, that makes me a minority. So you want Benchmade to add a second layer to their product shipping stream for the 100 people a year that might want a spring?
Besides, any mechanical part can break, linerlocks can break, pivots can wear out, lockback springs can break (I've had it happen on a mid-high end production knife)
Instead of looking at BOO HOO, benchmade won't send me a spring, just ask them to tune it up while they have it, and replace the washers and the like.
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So I should not have the option? If my knife breaks then I should HAVE to send it back?

If the recoil spring on your favorite pistol gets weak should you have to go without it while it gets shipped half way around the country? What about when it is time for a oil change on your vehicle?....

All I am asking is that they SELL them, for a profit if they would like and allow me the option of knowingly voiding the warranty and doing it my self. It can be a small expense for the springs, a 3 day wait for the springs to arrive and a ten minute job or I can pay shipping and be without my expensive knife for three weeks.... I should get the choice.
 
Oakengroves said:
Someone call the WAAAAAAAMbulance.

Oh no, the company you purchased your knife from prefers if domestic customers mail the knives back to them (with $5 included for return shipping) so employees can service the knife and provide top-notch customer service.

Benchmade, like CRK and Strider, prefers to minimize liability and time wasted repairing Jack Burton style knife jimmy-rigging. Benchmade has better things to do than keep a file containing the waivers of a handful of stubborn customers who throw an enormous, and perhaps even ridiculous, fit over refusal to mail an omega spring. I imagine these are the same customers who spend more time researching how to twist a clothing wire into an omega spring than it would take to drop their knife into a $3.00 [net cost $7.00] priority mailing box.

I've sent several knives into BM for service (but have -never- had to replace an Omega spring, and I abuse [sorta] the living hell out of my Grip and 710 performing outdoors cutting tasks) and am always surprised how quickly to the knives come back to me [usually in 3-5 days].

If Benchmade customer service sucked, I might be pissed, but it is right up there with Strider and Spyderco, and I'm happy to send in my knife rather than waste valuable time attempting to make repairs.

If you're hesitant to purchase a Benchmade knife for the reason that their customer service department wants to take care of you and elects to not mail an omega spring, I won't go so far as to flame you, but your behavior does make me scratch my head in pure confusion.
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O' BS.....

All we are saying is that we should have the option to wave our warranty ect and NOT ship our expensive knives away for three weeks over a stupid spring. I really don't think that that is asking too much. BM's service is great but mine is just as good or better.

Would you buy a car that you were not allowed to work on or even change the oil on if you so desired?
 
LX_Emergency said:
For me it's more the fact that they have an unexpected tendency to break on people without real reason or abuse. THAT (for me) is the reason I'm opting not to spring for one.
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The spring broke on my 940 for no reason at all. It never cut a thing and didn't even get played with that much, it was/is a safe queen.
 
Had a similar issue with Cold Steel once. Got a knife and out of the box one of the washers between the blade and handle was torn. I called Cold Steel and asked if they could just send me a new washer and I'd replace it myself. They refused and I was very annoyed. Had to send it in but they did sent me a new knife.

Ok, few months ago a good friend of mine bought a Sog (Arc lock) model off the forums. The blade had vertical play and didn't feel safe or sound to him.

He sends it back to Sog and they call him and tell him the knife had been disassembled and the lock bar put back in backwards. Seems the Mr.Fix it tinkerer that owned it before took it apart for whatever reason and didn't know what he was doing when he put it back together.

Sog took my friends word that it wasn't him who took it apart and waived the fee to fix it and sent it back to him repaired. Who would even think you could put a locking bar back in backwards? Or that it would make a differance?

Point is I guess it's possible and for liability and other reasons they don't want you taking the knife apart, even if you know, or think you know what your doing. I can see why. Annoying as it is.

For what it's worth my experience is Benchmade's CS is second to none.
 
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Oakengroves said:
Oh no, the company you purchased your knife from prefers if domestic customers mail the knives back to them (with $5 included for return shipping) so employees can service the knife and provide top-notch customer service.

Benchmade, like CRK and Strider, prefers to minimize liability and time wasted repairing Jack Burton style knife jimmy-rigging.
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I don't own a benchmade, so maybe I'm not allowed to complain, but if I were to void my own warranty, isn't that up to me? Also, one can fashion an omega spring quickly and far cheaper than sending the knife out, waiting the 3 days for the knife to get there, waiting for benchmade to fix it, and then waiting for the knife to come back. And there's around $10 for the shipping. Yes, some people may like the customer service, but I've always been much more of a DIY guy. And for those who're taking their knives apart to clean it anyways, why shouldn't they be able to pop in a replacement omega spring? It's far more convenient, and the voiding of the warranty is a risk they assume.
 
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