Unimpressed with M390

mete said:
Afew months ago Alfa Knife Supply [AKS ] had a post on this forum mentioning a problem with the manufacturer which apparently the company won't address !!! AKS and other dealers no longer handle the steel because of this problem !
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calc said:
Link? Or at least some background? I'm very curious about this.
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I think I remember reading that. I did a little searching last night and didn't find it. If you're interested, the member ID is Alpha Knife Supply.
 
not surprised at all. bm ruined ht on many knives. my "64 hrc" contego is as soft as nothing
 
filtrum said:
not surprised at all. bm ruined ht on many knives. my "64 hrc" contego is as soft as nothing
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And you know this by doing your own Rockwell testing on it? If I remember correctly, the first run of CPM-M4 Contegos had the lower heat treat, then they bumped the heat treat up. If that's the case, it's possible yours is one of the earlier, lower-ht knives.
 
Hey Jason ~
I'm assuming you're talking about the Doug Ritter Griptilian, correct?
If so, I would contact Doug, as it's his collaboration with Benchmade.
He recently made the switch from S30V to M390 and I think he'd be interested in hearing about the problems you're having with his new steel choice. He regularly posts here. I don't remember his handle, but you could contact him at his website too.

Good luck!
 
jdowell said:
Hey Jason ~
I'm assuming you're talking about the Doug Ritter Griptilian, correct?
If so, I would contact Doug, as it's his collaboration with Benchmade.
He recently made the switch from S30V to M390 and I think he'd be interested in hearing about the problems you're having with his new steel choice. He regularly posts here. I don't remember his handle, but you could contact him at his website too.

Good luck!
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That's a really good suggestion, especially given how things worked out with Benchmade. :thumbup: I'm surprised none of us thought of that. :o IIRC, his forum name is Critter.
 
JNewell said:
That's a really good suggestion, especially given how things worked out with Benchmade. :thumbup: I'm surprised none of us thought of that. :o IIRC, his forum name is Critter.
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Doug posted something in regards to the changed bladeshape (shorter blade height of the new M390s versus the older S30Vs). Doug mentioned that the height should be the same, but it is not based on some of the pictures that have come up. It looks like the blade is 1/16th" shorter.
 
Just stumbled across this thread and figured I'd weigh in. I have a gold class 710 with M390. I noticed a chip in the blade after the second use breaking down boxes. This chip showed up after very light use. I've not sharpened this knife since I purchased it (2-3 years ago). It's not a "user", just something I enjoy owning. I'm not bashing Benchmade, love their products and have had good customer service in the past. I've never contacted them regarding the issue with this specific gold class 710, so I don't know how they would address it. That being said, they may have had an issue with a batch of M390. Take the following pics with a grain of salt. Many others here have reported great experience with other BM M390 knives. Not trying to steer people away from BM M390 knives, but this is my personal experience with the steel.

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Just realized I have another BM with M390. Now this knife has been used moderately and has performed very well. Full disclosure...

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Joelsm, is it possible your 710 is hitting the standoff where it's damaged? That was an issue with the M4 model.
 
spketch said:
Joelsm, is it possible your 710 is hitting the standoff where it's damaged? That was an issue with the M4 model.
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I have a couple of the 710-1 version that both have a little nick in the edge in more or less the same spot. It didn't come from striking the barrel spacer. They proved to be very hard to sharpen out. I eventually sent them to Benchmade with a request to dress up the edges, which they did. As a benefit (from my point of view), that slightly reduced the recurve effect. In any case, I have no idea how they came to be that way - possibly from handling in the plant? Unclear, but odd that they both had the same nick in the same place.
 
Weird 710 experiences. I can say my blue class 710 has been awesome (D2). No chips in that blade.
 
Threads like these have caused me to stop buying Benchmades. My last ones were around the time they started enforcing MAP. All had minor issues of one type or other. I have a knifeworks exclusive 710 in M390 that had: damage to G10, uneven grind, and blade tip that poked out. I actually cut myself on the blade tip. I know these were issues with the first release, but it still bothers me that there were so many issues with a knife I will highly looking forward to. I also happen to have a 710-2 in M390 and find that it holds it's edge MUCH MUCH better than the exclusive 710. I use them about the same amount and have to sharpen the exclusive 2-3 times for every one time I do the 710-2.
 
Can't blame you Lenny, many of us feel the same and for the reasons you've written. There was a time this stuff didn't happen (regularly) and we could expect the best out of box. Their customer service, (still is...) can't plug the holes caused by the initial build issues. And has anyone else noticed the resounding silence from the company since the enforced MAP took place? We have this forum only with the help of our friend Charlie. Might as well declare there Is no BKC presence. For the first time in many years, I've chosen to buy another manufacturer's offerings for my upcoming birthday. There's just nothing in the catalog that interests me. Oh well, it's never been a living only a hobby. :cool:
 
Yes, I think the silence is very noticeable and disappointing.

No one is perfect, on the other hand. I remember, and Joe probably does too, when BM first started using S30V. There were a lot of issues before BM got their production methods dialed in. The thing that's a little disconcerting about this is that this is the second time there's been a hiccup with M390 at Benchmade.
 
I don't think this small problem will prevent me from buying my first benchmade at all :thumbup:
m390 problem is probably fixed by now
 
I'm not bashing Benchmade, but with knives as with most other consumer goods you never know how long a product has been on the shelf. The knife you buy today could have been one of the first that were manufactured. Given the way the Ritter Grips sell out, that's probably unlikely, but you really don't know. Benchmade should be more forthcoming on this.
 
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