Oh well...

HAKnPocket

HAKnPocket

Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
1,693
I ordered a D2 Mini Grip from Cabelas with some gift cards I got for Christmas. To say the least I am not impressed what so ever. The blade is centered and thin, has no blade play, feels really good in my hand, but has absolutely no edge. Some may say if all feels well then why not just sharpen it. Well for $90 is should be sharp. D2 is a bear to sharpen and I really don't want to do it. Guess this one is going back to Cabelas unless you guys can convince me I should keep it.


HAK
RP#354
 
Don't blame you a bit.
One of many reasons I don't buy BMs anymore.

However, if you've never had an AXIS lock before, you might consider keeping it. AXIS is still one of the finest, most convenient locking sytems ever devised.
 
If the blade sharpeness out of the box is all you have to complain about it, then I'd say keep it and sharpen it just like you'll have to do after using it for a while anyway.

If the grind isn't significantly uneven and the heat treat seems good, I'm not sure what to say. I resharpen every knife I buy and plan to carry out of the box anyway just to add my touch to it.

Maybe it's just a wire edge or burr too. Have you tried stropping it?

That's just my .02 cents.
 
D2 is a bear to sharpen, particularly if you have to re-profile the edge. Take a magnifying glass and examine the edge under a bright light. If it looks uneven I'd say send it back unless you want to spend a lot of time on it.

If you otherwise like the mini grip consider getting one in 154cm. Still a great steel and much easier to sharpen.
 
I'm thinking about applying for a job in the Benchmade sharpening department. Looks like I would be busy. :D

I bet this has been mentioned 10 times in the last 60 posts in the General section.
Are they wearing welding goggles or something?
 
If your gonna be sending every knife back thats dull of of the box,or the edge is not to your liking.Your not gonna have very many knives.

As far as my knife buying history goes.Every knife I bought has required some sort of edge work out of the box.More so among production knives.

Every single knife I've ever bought,I've had to re-profile and thin the edge out to my liking.

Even if your grip was sharp as a laser out of the box. Knives don't stay sharp forever,and your gonna have to sharpen it at some point.
So save yourself some trouble,sharpen it and get it over with.:thumbup:
 
frontline29 said:
If your gonna be sending every knife back thats dull of of the box,or the edge is not to your liking.Your not gonna have very many knives.

As far as my knife buying history goes.Every knife I bought has required some sort of edge work out of the box.More so among production knives.

Every single knife I've ever bought,I've had to re-profile and thin the edge out to my liking.

Even if your grip was sharp as a laser out of the box. Knives don't stay sharp forever,and your gonna have to sharpen it at some point.
So save yourself some trouble,sharpen it and get it over with.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. I don't even feel like it's my knife until I've sharpened it at least once to my liking. If a less than perfect sharpening is the only problem with the knife, consider yourself lucky and sharpen it up:D.

I do understand where you're coming from though. It is a little disappointing when you spend that much for a knife and it comes dull. It makes you wonder how much attention they give to detail when they can't even sharpen it correctly.

It may take a little effort to get that D2 sharp, but once you do it should stay that way for awhile.
 
Hmm thats too bad, I have the same knife, my first bm knife, and I absolutely love it. It is very very sharp, one of my sharpest, but I bought it used here on the forums maybe the first owner sharpened it? But I agree that if you spend around $100 on a knife it should have a very good edge on it. But, I suggest you keep it, it is a great knife, you could try to sharpen it yourself or send it to Lifesharp
 
Benchmade seems to send out knives with a working edge that will hold up to stress well, but not slice as easily as some others.

D2 is not hard to sharpen at all. Just use a diamond stone and use it gently as diamond is aggressive.

You are always better off learning to sharpen your own knives than sending them off to someone else. This gives you the opportunity to put the edge you want on it: razor, polished, toothy, obtuse, whatever.
 
Yeah, my Grip (full-size) came with a blade that was not sharp when compared to Kershaws or Spydercos. Was disappointed.

I have 2 Benchmades, both of which did not live up to my expectations. Add to that their recent significant price increase, and I am done with the company.
 
I always plan on sharpening a new knife when I get it then if I don't have to I am surprised rather than dissapointed. Seems to be the norm these days
 
frontline29 said:
If your gonna be sending every knife back thats dull of of the box,or the edge is not to your liking.Your not gonna have very many knives.

As far as my knife buying history goes.Every knife I bought has required some sort of edge work out of the box.More so among production knives.

Every single knife I've ever bought,I've had to re-profile and thin the edge out to my liking.

Even if your grip was sharp as a laser out of the box. Knives don't stay sharp forever,and your gonna have to sharpen it at some point.
So save yourself some trouble,sharpen it and get it over with.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree. If I had to send back every knife that was not sharp enough out of the box I wouldn't of kept very many knives through the years. Even my Randall Made Knives were not as sharp as I thought they should be. It didn't make them inferior. I placed a razor sharp edge on each one and they have served me well for over 15 years. My Model 5 was dull when I recieved it. It is without a doubt the sharpest knife in my collection now.

To me sending back a dull knife is like sending back a new car because the tires are low.

Keep the knife and sharpen it. You may find it's your favorite knife if you give it a chance.

Bill
 
Thanks for the input guys. I guess I will keep it but its just a pisser to buy a fairly expensive knife only to get a dull knife. I am thinking that a few swipes on the SharpMaker and see what happens as I don't yet have any diamond stones. My sharpening skills are mediocre at best but I can normally spend enough time on these to get a pretty good edge, just don't really know with the D2.

HAK
RP#354
 
Use light pressure on the sharpmaker sticks (flats only for a PE) in the 40 degree setting and it should get that D2 Grip really sharp. As you get more experienced you'll get hair popping edges off of the brown sticks (or better), so the sharpmaker is a great tool. If that doesn't work complain to Benchmade CS and send it to Lifesharp and they should at least have it shaving. If you send it in tell them you want the angle as thin as possible, and you aren't worried about chips and hold them harmless for blade chipping related to a thin angle. That way you can more easily apply a microbevel with the sharpmaker and have Benchmade rebevel the knife for you. I personally am like a lot of the others on this thread as even a really nice factory shaving edge gets rebevelled to an angle and finish that I like so I get the type of performance I like. The rare exceptions are a couple Spydercos Ive got that had really acute angles and hair splitting edges and my Krein Customs and regrinds. Those deserved a good using until dull before I put my own angle and finish on them. That is why I recommend you learn to sharpen by lots of practice and a little OCD, as I used to think nothing could ever be sharper than a factory Spyderco, but now even the sharpest Spyderco isn't all that sharp to me.

Mike
 
My only advice would be not to purchase a knife with steel you feel inadequate to sharpen.
 
I love my Benchmade knives, and I love the Axis lock. I do not care if they come dull, I can sharpen them at the angle and edge type that I want. It is nice to get a really sharp edge on a new knife, but if you are going to actually use the knife, you will have to sharpen it anyways. Knives dull from the factory are a public relations issue, there is no doubt and I agree, but I guess I am forgiving enough that it would not sway my opinion as to purchase or not purchase any make of knife. My Benchmade 530 Pardue came shaving sharp, btw, just last week. I have no complaints, maybe I am just a Benchmade fanboy.
 
Oh I have gotten many an edge hair poppin sharp on the sharpmaker that's why I love the thing. On using the flats only though I just follow the video and use all sides but I will give just the flats a try first just need to find my torx driver so I can change the clip first. I love being a lefty. Just find it hard to believe this will replace my current edc, spyderco kuhkri. I freaking love that knife, but you never know.


HAK
RP#354
 
What happened to "LifeSharp" (circle R)? Why do I hear so many people saying thier BM is factory dull. I have not purchased a new BM in a year or so, but I've had many many BM over the years. So who is sleeping on the job and when does that guy get fired?
 
Wow, way to support the American worker. Fire the guy! My knife doesn't split atoms ...

Listen to me. An out of the box razor sharp knife is great advertising. This is a hobby for most of us, knives in excess of need, so top performance is part of the excitement.

But that razor edge won't last, and for the many who will put that knife in their pocket and use it, a slightly more obtuse but still sharp working edge is best. A true knife knut will take a strop, or a few moments at a stone, and fix that edge with no trouble at all.

Exaggerate the horror of it all you like, but Benchmade does make good knives, the grinds should be even, the steel properly heat treated. Enjoy them for many years, and sharpen them so many times you won't care how it came to you, knowing you can care for it yourself.
 
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