Noooo way. No freaking frickah frakin effin way man. Broken backspacer??????

[RamZar]

Here's that old related thread from about two years ago: 810 Contego backspacer fracture

 

[Bigfattyt]

I could hand you any number of folders and watch you drop them on the floor all day with no problems. (this would probably include most Benchmade knives too!)
Some, you could do that on tile, or concrete no problems.

I can't count the number of times I have dropped folders on concrete!

I have more than a few beat up folders that have all sorts of nicks and dings!

 

[asdf12345]

Who is arguing that? Certainly not I.

I only took issue with someone saying that the Contego was worthless as a hard use knife because of this design flaw. You should never plan on dropping your knife, regardless of whether it's built to take it. Using it hard does not equal dropping it. Using it hard includes only the use of the blade for hard cutting tasks. So it's a perfectly capable hard use knife as long as you don't drop it on a hard surface (which should be avoided anyway regardless of the knife). Whether or not it breaks when dropped is irrelevant when talking about the knife's hard use capabilities.

Would you buy a knife that has a documented issue and knowingly take that chance just for the sake of feeling like you're more sensible than someone else?

Remember, the issues reported on forums are a small percentage of extant issues. Of all the people who purchased a Contego, I don't think most of them are active on Bladeforums or in the knife community in general. And of those who purchased one, how many of them will actually give the knife the hard use it's "intended" for, to the point where the issue becomes apparent?

That's why I say, if several people come forward with the same issue, then it's significant.

Have you heard of Sebenza standoffs breaking when the knife is dropped? Not really.
Have you heard of Emerson's backspacers shattering when the knife is dropped? Not really.
Have you heard of Striders' G10 sides cracking when the knife is dropped? Not really.
Have you heard of similar problems with the standoffs that Benchmade uses on other models? Not really.

Again, stop with this "you should never plan on doing X with your knife so the durability of that part doesn't matter". In that case, there's no reason to have a lot of features on knives. We have them for redundant strength in unplanned circumstances.

If all you do with your Contego is flick it and slice paper then I guess it doesn't matter. But for people who intend to take advantage of the Contego's design as a sturdy knife suitable for hard use, design & material issues are important.

If one of the more relevant parts of the knife such as the blade, lock, handle, stop pin, pivot, etc were breaking when you were trying to cut something, then there might be a case for calling the Contego a poor excuse for a hard use knife.

Any of those parts breaking would definitely be a case for calling the Contego unsuitable for hard use. I include backspacers and standoffs in that list.

 

[welsh]

Remember, the issues reported on forums are a small percentage of extant issues.

On the other hand, the Internet has a way of making rare problems seem more common than they really are. The issues reported on forums represent a tiny percentage of knives in circulation.

 

[TinyDog]

Sorry, But I don't understand how linoleum is harder than any knife? Its sounds like a known quality problem has not been addressed. Benchmade is a fine product no doubt, Hopefully they are working this problem out. It is great that they are correcting the returns but, Fixing the ones that come back is not an acceptable solution in the long run.

 

[powernoodle]

The glass breaker on my Contego chipped. Benchmade paid for me to ship it to them and replaced it quickly without any hassle. So a broken backspacer is not the end of the world.

 

[pbcg]

Here's that old related thread from about two years ago: 810 Contego backspacer fracture

Thanks for posting that again so I could go back and check.

In 2013 4 reports of GB failure and 2 reports of breaking multiple glass with no issue.

2014 no reports of breakage

2015 1 report of GB failure and 1 report of breaking multiple glass with no issue.

Like I said, hardly epidemic..

 

[jpm2]

I could hand you any number of folders and watch you drop them on the floor all day with no problems.
Some, you could do that on tile, or concrete no problems.

I can't count the number of times I have dropped folders on concrete!

I have more than a few beat up folders that have all sorts of nicks and dings!

I carried and used 1 folder every day for 15 years. Dropped it to concrete and metal surfaces dozens of times, sometimes tip first. Nothing ever broke.
Coincidently, it's a benchmade black class.

 

[pbcg]

I've dropped my knife on steel metal decks without breakage. It was a BM Black class too. Benchmade sure does make some strong knives!

 

[asdf12345]

I carried and used 1 folder every day for 15 years. Dropped it to concrete and metal surfaces dozens of times, sometimes tip first. Nothing ever broke.
Coincidently, it's a benchmade black class.

I've dropped my knife on steel metal decks without breakage. It was a BM Black class too. Benchmade sure does make some strong knives!

No one's saying Benchmade Black Class has an issue. Some of the best knives I have owned were Benchmade Black / Blue Class. This is about the Contego in particular.

 

[Nuke_Spook]

I am somewhat surprised at the rationalizations that have popped up in this thread. Yes, Benchmade makes a good product. No, breaking when dropped is not acceptable for a "hard use" knife. I have droppped Buck knives (with a significantly lower price point) all over the place with no more than a scratch. No, I didn't "plan" to drop the knife, but in the real world "stuff" happens. Also, if you need to replace a part with an aftermarket piece to ensure the knife will not break then the manufacturer needed to do so when they designed it.

Just my $.02.

 

[skivic]

mine literally fell out of my pocket on the couch and hit the hardwood and broke, they replaced it no questions asked

 

[jpm2]

No one's saying Benchmade Black Class has an issue. Some of the best knives I have owned were Benchmade Black / Blue Class. This is about the Contego in particular.

Right, but what I'm saying is, breakage in this manner is especially unacceptable for a black class knife.

 

[pbcg]

I am somewhat surprised at the rationalizations that have popped up in this thread. Yes, Benchmade makes a good product. No, breaking when dropped is not acceptable for a "hard use" knife. I have droppped Buck knives (with a significantly lower price point) all over the place with no more than a scratch. No, I didn't "plan" to drop the knife, but in the real world "stuff" happens. Also, if you need to replace a part with an aftermarket piece to ensure the knife will not break then the manufacturer needed to do so when they designed it.

Just my $.02.

What about lock failure without even dropping the knife? I've read multiple reports of lock failure with a particular brand spanning several models for years now that claims to be hard use. Yet I don't see anyone telling it's fans to "Steer" clear of it. Or questioning it's quality. But we have a few reports, and I stress "few" reports of a back spacer breaking and all of a sudden the knife isn't up to speed or sub par?

I don't know about you but I'd be far more concerned about lock failure during use then a cracked back spacer "if' I dropped it.

However, To be fair, the greater point is as stated earlier, a defect or issue that effects a small sample of an entire production run can happen or even be expected because of the nature of production knives. Because you have an issue with a few knives doesn't mean you can realistically condemn the entire line. I'd say that about any brand.

That's my point anyway.

 

[pbcg]

No one's saying Benchmade Black Class has an issue. Some of the best knives I have owned were Benchmade Black / Blue Class. This is about the Contego in particular.

Again, the greater point being that a few instances of component failure out of who knows how many thousands of knives produced does not mean the entire line or production is flawed. To suggest otherwise is simply not realistic.

Because If that's the standard then nearly every knife out there is equally flawed or sub par because I'm sure at some point in time a sample of each has also failed under some type of circumstance.

 

[jpm2]

But we have a few reports, and I stress "few" reports of a back spacer breaking and all of a sudden the knife isn't up to speed or sub par?

However, To be fair, the greater point is as stated earlier, a defect or issue that effects a small sample of an entire production run can happen or even be expected because of the nature of production knives. Because you have an issue with a few knives doesn't mean you can realistically condemn the entire line. I'd say that about any brand.

Except for the back spacer, I have no question the rest of the knife is well built and will hold up to fairly hard use.
I does slightly concern me if the glass breaker will reliably function if needed.
If mine breaks, I'll either send it in for repair and hope it was a bad batch, or replace it with individual stand offs and do without a breaker.
I hope for everyone's sake it's just a bad heat treat on one batch.

 

[pbcg]

I does slightly concern me if the glass breaker will reliably function if needed.

Well, there are also multiple reports of the glass breaker on the Contego working successfully breaking glass. Perhaps this will ease your concerns. However, If it doesn't and you are concerned and require a dedicated glass breaking tool then by all means get something else that inspires more confidence for you. Noting wrong with that and what I would do. I'm just not prepared to condemn the 810 as not being up to "hard use" (whatever that is) because of a few back spacer failures out of who knows how many made.

 

[adamg01]

Right, but what I'm saying is, breakage in this manner is especially unacceptable for a black class knife.

I agree, I've dropped much cheaper knives onto harder surfaces. People drop knives, some knives take it and some don't.

 

[Redmasta]

Seems like there a few reports of this issue in this thread alone. I agree a knife of that price in the black class shouldn't have the back spacer crack from a drop. Curious as to what type of steel they use in the back spacer/glass breaker.

 

[wtlj]

I'll add this to the list of reasons why I sold most of my bm's.