Update: Benchmade service

[fatherhudson]

Original thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ave-experience-sending-in-disassembled-knives

Alright so a an update for anyone that cares, I got the knife put back together finally. The issue was that the tolerances were really really tight and getting the pin in was an absolute bear. After putting it back together I sent the knife in to get the omega spring fixed. Just got it back today. Turn around time was 12 days but that includes 2 weekends and a holiday so not bad imo.

The good things: the axis lock works again, all the bladeplay is gone (I assume they replaced the washers), the clip was replaced and the blade is now perfectly centered (it was pretty good before but I think someone must have adjusted it because it's perfect right now).

The bad: they "sharpened" it. Honestly, I should have taped the blade or written in sharpie or something to prevent this but I didn't realize they were going to do that when I sent it in for repair. The edge is bad, really bad. I've heard some people say the lifesharp service is much better than the stock edge but after this I can say without a doubt it's exactly the same. I'd be willing to bet the same exact person sharpened my blade in the factory that sharpened it when I sent in. The edge is really uneven, just like the factory edge was, and it won't shave. I had a really wonky bevel that was taken pretty far back so they must have either removed a ton of metal or completely replaced the blade because right now there's no trace of the old bevel. I need to find another 940 to compare it with but in the back of my head I know it's really unlikely that they replaced the blade and they probably just took a ton of metal off. The worst part is that all I have right now is a sharpmaker with the stock stones so I'm completely incapable of sharpening it myself until I can get someone to do a real job which probably requires sending it off to someone, something I can't really afford to do. The bevel is probably 25-30 degrees on one side and 30-35 on the other which makes my sharpmaker useless

The main use of this knife was for safety purposes in various outdoor sports and for that it's absolutely useless now. I rely on having a knife that can quickly cut a rope and for those purposes I will instead carry a $20 knife made in China instead of a $180 american made knife because the $20 chinese knife can cut a rope without sawing back and forth and the Benchmade can't. I have owned 3 benchmades now and every edge has been exactly the same: the bevels are uneven and they're not sharp. It's unfortunate because I really like the design of benchmade knives and their service was otherwise impeccable but at the end of the day a knife has to be sharp otherwise it's just an expensive piece of steel.

Sorry if this post comes off as whining, I needed to vent a little bit. I searched around for stuff about benchmade service and sharpening before I sent my knife in and I didn't find much from recent years so I hope that this post gives anyone considering sending in a knife for service an accurate picture of what to expect. My recommendation is to not let them touch your blade. Pay to have someone that knows what they're doing sharpen your knife.

 

[Honed_Edge]

Benchmade is terrible at sharpening, this is for sure. If they somehow make nice symmetrical bevels, it wont be sharp. Maybe it's sharp but ugly. You got the worst of both... ugly and dull. BOOOOOOOO Benchmade!

However, you must admit that using the knife dulls it. At some point most people learn to rebevel and sharpen. Being realistic, you just cant send it to lifesharp every time it gets dull. Sharping a knife is basic maintenance. Most of us accept the factory edge will be bad enough. Some use it then sharpen and others get to work right out of the box. We fix the edge geometry and put a nice edge on it. And, when we send them in there is a note saying hands off my edge! Lesson learned about sketchy factory sharpening. Benchmade will reblade it for 30 or 35 dollars, I forget. If they did eat a lot off the already small 940 blade, then that's an option.

At some point you have to stop. With initial cost, the omega trip and a possible third trip for a blade or a mail off pro resharpen, the final cost is absurd. Please know I don't see any of this as your fault either. So what you took it apart and had some trouble getting it back together... I knew you could! Omega springs break and we must send the knife in. That event set off the next issue of blade rape. Benchmade sure tries to have great customer service. They just fall short a fair percentage of the time. It's like every other place. It's hard to fire all the shitty workers and some people just don't give a ^&*# about what they are doing.

It's good to let the anger out on here. Sorry you had such a bad experience with BM. I have several and zero personal issues so far other than garbage factory edges.

 

[338375]

When I visited the factory last week, I got a chance to look at the "Lifesharp" area..
As I was standing there watching two of the guys sharpen knives, it became apparent they were paying more attention to chatting with each other, than they were with the knives they were sharpening...

The first thing I thought of was, perhaps this is part of the cause of bad edges when knives are sent back in.

 

[Honed_Edge]

Those two guys 338375 mentioned could mess up hundreds of knives a day, many thousands a year. How many people on bladeforums have gotten rotten edges from "those two guys". Surely there must be some required skill level to touch a power tool against an expensive quality knife. Those guys should have to pass rigorous training, random inspections and drug testing! Haha, just kidding about the drug testing. Give me a stoner that just chills at the grinder making razor sharp art all day! How does the almighty Benchmade not know the importance manning lifesharp with top quality workers. Nothing personal against "those guys" or any others at BM, but it's time for some demotions and promotions. With so SO many bad edge threads, eroding away at consumer confidence, a change is in order. Surely they need some janitors or phone answering staff...

 

[Barman1]

My Dad used to put my brother on one end of the field and me at the other for the simple reason that no work would get done if we were in the same location.
Get these sharpening guys alone in a room with no distractions other than their JOB and we'd see some better results.

 

[kodachi]

I sent 2 knives in, just got 'em back last wk. 555 came back very good (not great but satisfied), on the other hand, 586 came back with portion of the edge rough (read toothy)... sigh*. I wondered if it is due to 154cm vs m390.

I've been using Lifesharp service for awhile, have sent dozen different knives. most of the time their service including actual sharpening is great to excellent. the thing that I lament most about is that they usually take lots of metal off the blade & that high bevel! otherwise, I'd say Benchmade provides impressive service considering the service fee they charge. KAI is the only company that provides better service than BKC IMHO.

 

[BluegrassBrian]

If my 940 ever needs an omega spring replacement I may just remove the blade and send them the handle.

 

[Redmasta]

Yeah the edge Benchmade puts on is pretty awful.

They are not the only offenders out there though...

Best edges I've received on a production knife are from Golden CO Spydercos and ZT.

 

[jkarp_53]

We have seen a major change over lack of quality this last two to three years. The Alias 1 received a few weeks ago came with an outstanding edge; but it's not been offered for a long while. Most of my Limited's and more valued models in the safe received LifeSharp treatments, which Were better than what routinely came out of the box, but nothing seems to compare to what you guys are reporting these days. To spend in the range of $200 for a knife that routinely comes as you're saying...rough fit and finish and less than stellar edges just amazes me to read. I'm on the East Coast and have found a shop in South Carolina that I might try, never mind if an Omega spring breaks, mind you. Something's changed in Benchmade's system of doing things, and I sure hope that changes. And yes, the edge that I have on my Manix 2 (great knife) in good old S30V is a mighty slicer that strops well and which has no problems that I can find.

 

[338375]

We have seen a major change over lack of quality this last two to three years. The Alias 1 received a few weeks ago came with an outstanding edge; but it's not been offered for a long while. Most of my Limited's and more valued models in the safe received LifeSharp treatments, which Were better than what routinely came out of the box, but nothing seems to compare to what you guys are reporting these days. To spend in the range of $200 for a knife that routinely comes as you're saying...rough fit and finish and less than stellar edges just amazes me to read. I'm on the East Coast and have found a shop in South Carolina that I might try, never mind if an Omega spring breaks, mind you. Something's changed in Benchmade's system of doing things, and I sure hope that changes. And yes, the edge that I have on my Manix 2 (great knife) in good old S30V is a mighty slicer that strops well and which has no problems that I can find.

That is true. Back in the day, there was a reason they put warnings about the knife being sharp on the individual boxes...

To be fair, my comment about the two guys that were busy chatting while sharpening knives, was only based on an observation period of probably less than a minute, so it would be unfair to say that they exhibit this behavior 8 hours a day. However, with the number of complaints about this issue, it may just be the norm.

This doesn't explain why knives that are bought N.I.B are coming with crappy, uneven edges though, because the Lifesharp guys only do work on used knives. Perhaps they have relatives working in the production area

 

[jkarp_53]

Hi Mike, and all: Sorry if I sound harsh. I just go with my own personal opines on what I've experienced and seen. Most of my knives are better from LifeSharp. Out of many many bought and sent up, only one needed replacing, and I got to choose. They didn't have to do that. Just saying: it's can't be every one. However, maybe the relatives working in production need a vacation.

 

[338375]

Hi Mike, and all: Sorry if I sound harsh. I just go with my own personal opines on what I've experienced and seen. Most of my knives are better from LifeSharp. Out of many many bought and sent up, only one needed replacing, and I got to choose. They didn't have to do that. Just saying: it's can't be every one. However, maybe the relatives working in production need a vacation.

LOL..

No you didn't sound harsh. In full disclosure, my experience with BM has been flawless for probably close to 20 years now...
The only time I sent a knife in to them was just for a blade swap. There was nothing wrong with the blade, I just wanted a different style. I called prior to sending it in, and was told they did indeed have the blade in stock, but when the knife arrived, they were out. It wasn't a huge crisis, but BM bent over backwards to make it right.

In those almost 20 years of using BM knives, I have never owned anything other than an Axis lock. I guess I've been lucky because I have never had an omega spring break, and the grinds on all of the knives have been good. There have been a couple that weren't as sharp as they were back in the day, but they were certainly serviceable.

I will probably be a fan for the rest of my days, but I also don't have a problem calling a company out if I think they are having issues, I just don't have any negative issues with them.
Well, other than the pricing fiasco, but we won't get that started again

 

[Helderberg]

To the OP I would contact Benchmade and have them make it right. If in fact they have removed more material from the blade and ruined the set on the edge it is their responsibility to make it right by you. I have never had a knife sharpened through eversharp but I have had to send in my 710 D-2 to have the blade centered.
Maybe if we keep sending the knives back until they are correct Benchmade might just get the message. I really like the brand and mostly the Axis lock but I will not pay the money these knives cost and settle for an OK product. Make a call, send the knife back and write a letter to the Boss.
Good luck, Frank.

 

[fatherhudson]

To the OP I would contact Benchmade and have them make it right.

I don't think it there is a way to make it right because I don't think they have someone capable of putting a good edge on a knife. I don't mean to counteract the experiences of other people but I've owned 3 benchmades and i've handled probably 50 more in a shop and I can truthfully say none of them have had good edges. In the past I was ok with this when buying a new knife because the bevels were shallow and I had to the tools to put my own edge on the knives. My biggest issue right now is that I don't have any stones capable of setting a bevel especially with that s30v steel so i'm stuck with an expensive hunk of steel until I can send it out to someone who knows what they're doing. It's a shame but i'm not willing to pay for shipping and insurance just to get another bad edge.

 

[cncpro11]

One of these days I hope to get lucky and score one of these crappy edges I read about.
With Lewis G handling hundreds and now you at least 53, I'm starting to feel left out.[emoji1]

 

[338375]

I don't think it there is a way to make it right because I don't think they have someone capable of putting a good edge on a knife. I don't mean to counteract the experiences of other people but I've owned 3 benchmades and i've handled probably 50 more in a shop and I can truthfully say none of them have had good edges. In the past I was ok with this when buying a new knife because the bevels were shallow and I had to the tools to put my own edge on the knives. My biggest issue right now is that I don't have any stones capable of setting a bevel especially with that s30v steel so i'm stuck with an expensive hunk of steel until I can send it out to someone who knows what they're doing. It's a shame but i'm not willing to pay for shipping and insurance just to get another bad edge.

There is no excuse for poor workmanship. I don't care who the maker is, and it doesn't matter if the knife is new or sent in for work...
The sad reality is, it isn't just BM. It is a problem you can read about industry wide for the most part.

I like Buck knives. I have the utmost respect for the company, and the family, and they truly care about the customer, and will bend over backwards to make them happy.
They have had QC issues as well, and reports that were not positive after people sent knives in for repair...

I went through a period where I bought quite a few used, older 110's and 112's. I enjoyed cleaning them up, and putting a nice edge on them. A couple years back I decided to send two used 110's in for a "spa" treatment. The knives were returned to me and when I opened the box I was not very happy. One didn't look like it had been touched, and the other looked a lot worse then when I sent it in.

Did that one incident spoil me from buying any Buck knives in the future, or still respecting the company, the family and the great people who work there ? Nope...

I'm not making excuses for either company. I have been a perfectionist most of my life, and have a hard time accepting workmanship that is sub-par, but it is sadly a reality these days.

In BM's case, it seems the knives with bad grinds are similar to those that continually break omega springs. Some people constantly have troubles or bad luck, while others like myself have been using their producst for roughly 20 years with absolutely zero issues.

 

[338375]

One of these days I hope to get lucky and score one of these crappy edges I read about.
With Lewis G handling hundreds and now you at least 53, I'm starting to feel left out.[emoji1]

You could always put an ad in the WTB section of the Exchange

 

[jkarp_53]

There is no excuse for poor workmanship. I don't care who the maker is, and it doesn't matter if the knife is new or sent in for work...
The sad reality is, it isn't just BM. It is a problem you can read about industry wide for the most part.

I like Buck knives. I have the utmost respect for the company, and the family, and they truly care about the customer, and will bend over backwards to make them happy.
They have had QC issues as well, and reports that were not positive after people sent knives in for repair...

I went through a period where I bought quite a few used, older 110's and 112's. I enjoyed cleaning them up, and putting a nice edge on them. A couple years back I decided to send two used 110's in for a "spa" treatment. The knives were returned to me and when I opened the box I was not very happy. One didn't look like it had been touched, and the other looked a lot worse then when I sent it in.

Did that one incident spoil me from buying any Buck knives in the future, or still respecting the company, the family and the great people who work there ? Nope...

I'm not making excuses for either company. I have been a perfectionist most of my life, and have a hard time accepting workmanship that is sub-par, but it is sadly a reality these days.

In BM's case, it seems the knives with bad grinds are similar to those that continually break omega springs. Some people constantly have troubles or bad luck, while others like myself have been using their producst for roughly 20 years with absolutely zero issues.

Well said Mike. I grew up with Buck 110 and 112's. They were my introduction to the knife world. At 14 or 15 they were the best knives anywhere. Still sell like hotcakes on the various Forums.

 

[cncpro11]

You could always put an ad in the WTB section of the Exchange

Ya know, every time I unbox a new Benchmade, I think 'this may be the one'! Lol.
I very rarely buy collectables and look for fit over finish. A perfectly functioning, durable knife that I know will last for many years is so much more pleasing to me than a pretty one. Seriously, all this talk of uneven edges makes my head spin.

I do have a few safe queens and others that don't see much actual use, but most of my knives were bought as users and of all the things I look at and expect from a knife, a factory edge just doesn't rate that high.

A few years ago I invested $60 in a diamond sharpening system and another $10 on a few thick, sturdy pieces of leather and a chunk of green stropping compound. Nowadays I'll use a new knife until it dulls, put my own edge on it, and maintain it for months with just a quick touch up and strop. It might be a year before I actually re-sharpen it.

As far as broken springs go I think they're like unicorns, I hear stories but have never seen one in person, and I have never had a dull edge out of the box.

I have sent 4 knives to Benchmade for refurbishment not warranty and it was insisted that I not pay for service or return shipping, and they all came back as close to new as possible.

 

[brownshoe]

To put things in perspective, I have had one custom knife sharpened by an ABS Master Smith and another by a maker with about 3 designs made as CRKT knives. In both cases, the use of power equipment removed more of the blade than I would have by hand. In both cases, the knife was made by the man sharpening the blade. With one knife, the edge was not fully sharp and it took awhile by hand for me to get it that way. So if a Master Smith and an old custom maker can make mistakes...have a little compassion for the two guys in LifeSharp

Why not call them up and complain, see what they say? You'd get more action from them, than here.

If you don't have the equipment to sharpen a knife, then maybe you should buy a DMT $30 diamond duofold hone. It will do the job just fine. That's what I used until I got the diamond rods for the Sharpmaker.