POLL- Who thinks BM has below par QC?

The General

The General

Joined
Jun 6, 2000
Messages
3,625
This comes up a fair bit.

For the record, even though I own a number of BM knives, I have had to work darn hard to get good ones. I have little against BM knives par say, as a good BM knife is a GREAT knife, and I have defended a number of models from unfair attacks. However, my experience tells me that BM are seriously SLACK on the QC.

In fact I honestly think they don't have a QC department or person (perhaps it is the company dog? Rover is slacking
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). Angie does a fantastic... AMAZING job in fixing knives that aught never have left the factory
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. I have no argument with her, she aught to run this company, we would have FAR better products and QC! I heard that MT took on a BM employee for sharpening MT blades, he did not last very long as he could not do the job properly, he went back to BM, why am I not surprised?
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Jokes aside, who here thinks for the cash, they aught to do a better job? Look at Spyderco and CRK&T for example... Then look at Camillus, Clod Steel, Microtech, Masters of Defence... blah blah blah!

Anyone who disagree's with me over this, feel free to fire away. For your infomation I have JUST bought a BM model knife, however I made sure the dealer was a good one, I am sure he would not have let a duff model come my way. It was good, but the edge was not very sharp, which is weird, because some of my BM blades have had exeptional edges and others, quite poor... QC?

My vote, hell yes!

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Wayne.
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto

A few useful details on UK laws and some nice reviews!
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Certified steel snob!
 
General, I can't speak for everyone, but I've been fortunate enough to say that I've never had any quality problems with my Benchmade knives. Lock up has been always tight and action has been always smooth on the models I've seen stocked by my local dealer. The same cannot be said of some production Emerson knives I've sampled and owned. I still like Emerson knives, but I've had to see several samples of the same knife in order to choose one that's right for me. Again, I am speaking from my own experience and to be honest, I just have not had that problem with Benchmade.
 
el cid, that fine my man! I am interested in those that have had dealings WITH BM knives or handled BM knives or who have spoken to people who are reliable, who can't be here for whatever reason. I respect your honesty. Unlike some formites I can accept it when a persons opinion is different from my own, I don't resort to insults and name calling and I certainly don't get upset or offended.

Thank you for sharing with the group and with me
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Wayne.
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto

A few useful details on UK laws and some nice reviews!
http://members.aol.com/knivesuk/
Certified steel snob!
 
General I wish you had said something earlier I just bought a brand new 710 M2 and now you have scared me a little please explain the problems you have had so I can check and make sure mine is up to snuff.

Darkjedi - "May be the, Lord be with us."
 
The majority of my knives are Benchmade, and I have yet to get one that had any problems whatsoever.

I have dealt with Angie in the past trying to get a new blade for my 970, and since they couldn't help me with that, they assisted me with a replacement knife. Aside from an initial bad encounter with the CS department, they are top notch in my book, and they have my support.

So, IMHO, Benchmade's QC is good, but could use some improvements in the sharpening arena.

Mike
 
For their pricepoint, I feel QC is subpar. I think they took a real QC hit when the new management took over at Benchmade. After getting several knives with QC problems, I stopped ordering them. Spyderco offers similar models at similar pricepoints and I have yet to have a problem personally. Considering how competitive the marketplace is, I see no reason to accept wavering levels of quality and QC.

I should note that I think Benchmade has made corrections and problems of the past probably won't remain problems of the future.

Stay Sharp,
Sid
 
Bought BM's on/off since '93 or '94. Stopped buying them because I caught the custom bug. Still have 5 of them. Just sent my 812S, that's going on 7 years old, in to have the lock checked and get a plain edge blade put on-after over 6 years of use, got to where I could force the lock. Problem?

I've had no complaints about my BMs, and have even had good luck with the factory edges some have complained about.

For the money, I'll take a Benchmade over a MT, Spyderco, or CRKT any time. Apparently, you feel the same way, or you wouldn't keep buying their knives.

Nice troll-hope you get lots of complaints to satisfy you.
 
IMHO the negative comments about Benchmade's
QC and fit/finish are old news...

Yes, I saw a few Benchmades a while back that
I thought had poor grinds, weren't sharp out
of the box, or were somehow not up to par for
what they cost (off-center blades, edge hits
spacer, that sort of thing). Not good to see.

But, that said... I have an 730 that I swear
by. It came sharp out of the box, blade has
no play and is dead-center, and it does not
hit the spacer. Same thing with the 722, and
lots of people have reported near-bliss with
their 940 and 705/710 knives.

IMHO with newer Benchmade knives (especially
the AXIS models) QC has improved to the point
where these threads are starting to look more
historical than topical...

T.

[This message has been edited by tw (edited 05-27-2001).]
 
This is an excellent idea you raise, General.
This is my opinion, and some of these thoughts I have shared before:

I think the quality control of Benchmade is lousy. They do not sharpen their knives properly. Many knife knuts have defended this by saying BM leaves it to the owner to sharpen as he/she wishes. The knife knuts probably have a good point, and this is a desirable "oversight" to many who are experienced sharpeners.
So sharpness aside, I think the fit & finish is subpar. I have the slightly crooked blade when it is closed. That is about it, however. The fit & finish certainly won't remind you of a custom, but the BM knives are typically utilitarian anyways.
There are differnt types of "quality" when one buys a knife. It is easy to witness the overall aesthetic quality of an Al Mar SERE 2000 vs the BM 710 for example. But fit & finish, general quality control, are not the only types of quality. There is a very good reason why people still buy BM knives, despite the chronic nags about QC issues. It is because of the quality of the innovation one buys with a BM. When you take a SERE 2000 or LCC out of the box, examine it, heft it, and compare it to the 710....well the 710 seems at first quite inferior. But it is indeed superior. I have a SERE, and just love it. But the 710 has M2 steel....and of course the fantastic Axis lock. These features make a $15 price increase well worth it. I have found myself carrying the 710 more often than the SERE, just because it seems more durable somehow, slim yet strong; and supremely utilitarian and practical. I cannot speak on behalf of any other BM knife, but I realize they have all had QC issues with some owners, but are all popular. I believe the 710 will go down as an all time classic.
By the way, I think one reason the BM quality control has diminished could be realted to the new Balisong line, and their many backorders. BM has spent too much attention on the 42s, and it has shown with the other folders.
However, the Axis is king.
 
When I got my 710 a year ago, I was annoyed by the dullness and uneven grind. I sent it back and they returned it perfect.

Just got a 770 and it was plenty sharp.

The way I see it, they used to have a sharpening problem that they've addressed. I don't know if it's fair to call it a QC problem, since we're not talking about things falling apart or rubbing. I've never had or heard of any of those nasty problems--unlike with other respectable makers.

Benchmade used to make really great knives with lousy edges. Now they make those knives with sharp edges.
 
while i have had no problems with BM, the same cant be said of some others who shall at this point remain anonymous lol...


SIFU
 
I have four benchmades, all in great shape, including a miniafck. Yes, I had to sharpen the uneven grind on some of mine but I do that to most of my knives (including customs) because I usually reprofile the edge anyway. I used to complain about BM's thick blades but not anymore. I like the strength of their flat ground blades. And my BM 721 continues to amaze me with its ability to hold an edge. People have complained (including myself) about how hard it is to sharpen a BM but I'm not complaining anymore. Once it's sharp, it stays sharp. And I've not noticed any brittleness in the edge. Whatever they are doing in the heat treat department, I hope they keep it up. Anyway, four knives is not a large sample size so maybe I've just been lucky, I dunno. But in general, BM knives are so good that if there is a risk, I think it's worth taking. They have the best lock in the business and when BMs are good, they are really good.

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
BM likes their quasi-premium price point and has been rumored to take a tough stance with dealers in order to enforce it. Their designs and materials are good but they seem to have made a conscious decision to use end line users (retail consumers) as unsalaried QC inspectors.

Sure, Angie is great about making your knife right, and then the consumer can post here about how great BM because they fixed his brand new knife that should not have been bad in the first place.

Many just don't know any better. A lot of poeple define "sharp" differently than we do. A centered blade is important to us, but of no moment to someone who just wants to show off his cool looking new $100 knife. Blade wobbles a little bit, don't all knives do that?

Bottom line, BM bangs out volume, hard line disciplines their dealers into mainitaining a "premium" price point and then graciously fixes those small percentage of knives that someone actually sends back. It's probably cheaper than making them all right in the first place.

It's not just QC; it's QC as part of an overall corporate attitude.

[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 05-27-2001).]
 
I can't really fault Benchmade quality for any of my Benchmade folders. The edges on delivered knives varied in sharpness, but that can be said of Spyderco, CRKT and other popular makers.

My guess is that 90+% of all who frequent this site will immediately work on the edges of new knives to check/set angle and sharpness to their own preference - and look forward to doing so.
 
The last 3 BM's I have bought have been top level quality. From what I understand they have set a new higher standard for sharpening and the blades I rec'd are great. The rest of the knife is just fine, centered blades, smooth reliable locks and nice finishing.
I completly agree with TW and Schmackey that this is old news, time to move on....

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Fas est et ab hoste doceri
It is right to learn even from an enemy.
 
General, although I agree with the substance of your post, you know that this topic has been done to death around here. You are starting to act like you have a personal vendetta against BM. Give it a rest. Please.

Para
 
Hi General:

I have quite a few BMs and have found the QC to be very acceptable. I would add that they were all purchased in person from a B&M dealer.

The edges, however, have had a tendency to be somewhat inconsistent in terms of sharpness and edge-grind.

A recent 690 had a razor edge on it, but a 735 was a bit sub-par in the sharpness catagory. It was, however, rendered shaving sharp with a couple of passes on a DMT ultra-fine hone.

Both knives, in all other respects, were of very high quality. In fact the 735 even seemed to have liners that were almost mirror-polished--even better than the original 730.

Bottom line: The QC is there, but a bit more attention to edge-grind and sharpness consistency would be in order.

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Dick

[This message has been edited by knifenerd (edited 05-27-2001).]
 
"Most" consumers refuse to frequent companies that provide sub-standard products.

Here are a few rules to survive by:

1. If you don't like their stuff ~ don't buy it.

2. Once bitten ~ Twice Shy !

3. Got me once ~ shame on you. Got me again ~ shame on me!

I've always found it strange why ppl cry wolf, return for more and then b!tch about it.
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Isn't that like visiting a woman who you know has VD and not wearing protection ?
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GigOne
"Livin' Life - Full Throttle"
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[This message has been edited by GigOne (edited 05-27-2001).]
 
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