Should I return my bugout?

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papier

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Sep 8, 2023
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Hey! My brand new mini bugout has defect. Edge on one side is sharpened on lower surfaces than the edge on another side. Except for that knife is perfect. Centered perfectly. II'm starting my knife journey so I'm not sure if it's something that I should be worried. I can return that knife. It was quite expensive. Hover maybe you will say that I can easily make edge symmetrical in first sharpening process? I'd like to add that in future I was planning to strope that edge and make it convex by time and maybe it can be tough with such uneven factory edge. I'm sending pictures attached. Thank you for help!
 
I wouldn't bother returning it since I sharpen all my knives to the way I want them, But it's your knife & money so if you're entitled to an exchange you might as well.
BTW I convexed my bugout but you won't reach it by stropping. Multiple grades of sandpaper over a mousepad did the job.
 
Part of me wants to say that Benchmade Bugouts are so expensive these days you should return it if anything is wrong.

The other part of me thinks that’s not a big deal.

I guess it’s Benchmade’s own fault for pricing these things sky high.
 
From an engineering standpoint, the tolerances on an edge bevel will be magnified relative to the actual difference. So as long as it works for you, I think it's fine. A very slight change in angle or a thousandth or two one way or the other becomes far more visible than we would otherwise expect, and that can make it seem like it was farther out of spec than it actually is. Value is a hard question since we don't know exactly where our money is going when we buy a knife (how much each step in the process costs) and so while it can be tempting to make comparisons to other makers, it is also a bit of a fools errand since you can decide almost anything is true with no evidence. If you like it, cool, if you don't, that's fine, just know that your replacement might be similar or worse. If you want to pay for "perfection" more power to you, there are plenty of folks who will take your money for a re-grind.
 
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I think you should send it to Benchmade rather than return it to a retailer.

If you return it, the next one will likely be from the same production run and may have the same problem. If you send it back to BM, they’ll fix it properly and also make note of the quality problem.

They’re too expensive and the steel's too hard to reasonably learn sharpening on. Save that for some throw-away knife.
 
Last edited:
EngrSorenson said:
Wut.
Click to expand...
Change an angle by a fraction of a degree, and the hypotenuse of the triangle changes in relation, and is more noticeable. Cut one side a little deeper than the other, and in relation it seems to be a larger change because even if it's only off center by 1 thousandth, the edges are now larger by the relationship of the triangle on each side, and the other side is shorter. So in comparison, it shows up as more visible that it would be in other conditions. I don't know if his bevel looks to be off by a BCH or a full mm, but either way, is it off enough to actually matter?
 
I guess it depends on wether you bought a tool or toy.
If you bought a pocket knife then use it until it needs sharpened then sharpen it.
If you bought I fidget spinner or whatever then return it for a better one I guess.

Oh and welcome to Blade Forums.
 
papier said:
Hey! My brand new mini bugout has defect. Edge on one side is sharpened on lower surfaces than the edge on another side. Except for that knife is perfect. Centered perfectly. II'm starting my knife journey so I'm not sure if it's something that I should be worried. I can return that knife. It was quite expensive. Hover maybe you will say that I can easily make edge symmetrical in first sharpening process? I'd like to add that in future I was planning to strope that edge and make it convex by time and maybe it can be tough with such uneven factory edge. I'm sending pictures attached. Thank you for help!
Click to expand...
I looked at your pictures and that would not bother me.
2 reasons - 1, I'm going to use the knife which means - 2, I'm going to sharpen the knife. through those processes, I can even it out to my satisfaction.

If I werent going to use the knife, and wanted it as part of a collection, I may want to return it for a better grind - but its hard to tell exactly how bad it is from those pictures.
 
If you use the knife enough then the edge will get dull and will need to be resharpened. An edge bevel that is not quite right can be corrected at that point.
 
But does it cut? If yes, keep it and sharpen it yourself. I wouldn’t send it back to benchmade, you won’t get it back for maybe a month or so. You can try returning to retailer, explain problem, and see if they can assist picking out a better one.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Change an angle by a fraction of a degree, and the hypotenuse of the triangle changes in relation, and is more noticeable. Cut one side a little deeper than the other, and in relation it seems to be a larger change because even if it's only off center by 1 thousandth, the edges are now larger by the relationship of the triangle on each side, and the other side is shorter. So in comparison, it shows up as more visible that it would be in other conditions. I don't know if his bevel looks to be off by a BCH or a full mm, but either way, is it off enough to actually matter?
Click to expand...
ah...
"Small changes in sharpening angle have a big change in bevel appearance."
 
If you freehand sharpen, it's likely your bevels won't wind up matching exactly anyway. Just use it, it'll straighten out with subsequent sharpenings. If it's something your going to be bothered by no matter what, invest the umpteen bazillion dollars in a guided system.
 
I say it won't affect use so use it.
Eventually you'll need to sharpen it and then it kind of works itself out. On a side note people mention benchmades prices, did you know their new bailout is 600 dollars, handle scales from aluminum to titanium for a 330 difference --- just felt like FYI-ing
 
If you like the knife, I wouldn't return it for edge angle issues. It's really a very minor issue and won't affect the knife's performance once you start sharpening, but for the price you pay for a Bugout, they could do a little better about getting it even.

My fear/frustration on the issue is that the majority of the knife industry, and Benchmade at the helm of the issue, is going to keep experiencing price creep for growing quality issues. The more issues the customer base deems acceptable for the same price, the worse it will get.
 
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