Who is buying these new Benchmades?

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I think the new Seven Ten Benchmades are at the top of the list of way overpriced to the extreme .S90 and Magnacut,i dont care if those blades were made of meteorites. Steel liners,g10 or aluminum handles there is nothing so exotic in those knives that warrants their prices. And to ceracote the blades in FDE doesnt help either.
 
mitchnola said:
I used to feel exactly the same way in regards to knives in the $500 price range. Couldn’t understand how any knife could be worth that much.

That changed after going to my first bladeshow and getting to finally handle a hinderer. I was instantly blown away by the quality of the build and functionality. Not to mention it felt completely indestructible. I bought two that first day and never looked back. Curious if you’ve actually been able to handle any of these cookie cutter midtechs? And if so completely respect your opinion, cause there’s a valid argument from anyone that a $500 pocket knife is absurd. But the fact is, there’s not a hobby out there that you can’t spend absurd amounts of money on.

As far as the adira vs the demko, I’d go for the adira over the ad20 primarily because of the blade shape. Never handled the adira but I have handled a few ad20’s and while great knives I just can’t get past the blade shape. Just looks like it would be best at spreading mayonnaise. Just my opinion though.
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Hey buddy! Some of us enjoy spreading condiments!PXL_20240927_013347909.jpg
 
goldie said:
I think the new Seven Ten Benchmades are at the top of the list of way overpriced to the extreme .S90 and Magnacut,i dont care if those blades were made of meteorites. Steel liners,g10 or aluminum handles there is nothing so exotic in those knives that warrants their prices. And to ceracote the blades in FDE doesnt help either.
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I thought the same thing. Most expensive BM folder on this site
 
goldie said:
I think the new Seven Ten Benchmades are at the top of the list of way overpriced to the extreme .S90 and Magnacut,i dont care if those blades were made of meteorites. Steel liners,g10 or aluminum handles there is nothing so exotic in those knives that warrants their prices. And to ceracote the blades in FDE doesnt help either.
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There seems to be a HUGE price gap between the S90V and Magnacut versions…. $400 vs $600…. Both aluminum…. Both are premium super steels… so What am I missing here? There is no way magnacut costs $200 more than S90V
 
tony281sc2 said:
There seems to be a HUGE price gap between the S90V and Magnacut versions…. $400 vs $600…. Both aluminum…. Both are premium super steels… so What am I missing here? There is no way magnacut costs $200 more than S90V
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I would add to that I want to swear one of the Magnacut advantages is being easier to machine/grind while I'm not sure I've ever read that about S90V. Unless they paid a fat markup to get Magnacut into the production line while people are willing to pay that premium price for it still until the next inevitable ultra magnum steelier than thou comes out at the next premium price tag.

And yes, I must confess to wanting some Magnacut as soon as I could get some to try despite not really being able to tell the difference in most of these stainless super steels.
 
For my use of folders (opening mails/bags, trimming threads, cutting fruits, breaking down cardboard boxes, etc.), I prefer S90V to Magnacut.

Back to the topic of this thread, I've stopped buying Benchmade knives directly from dealers due to their significantly inflated prices (pretty much the same with ZT and Spyderco but that is for another discussion). The four Benchmades that I still have (M390 710, M4 and S90v Super Freek, and S90v Bugout) shall last my life and beyond. If I ever want to buy another axis lock folder, I'll first look at Hogue/Ritter RSK. I buy new RHK folders more than any other brands lately because it is one of the very few manufacturers that have not jacked up their prices.
 
"Premium pricing is the practice of keeping the price of a product or service artificially high in order to encourage favorable perceptions among buyers, based solely on the price. The practice is intended to exploit the (not necessarily justifiable) tendency for buyers to assume that expensive items enjoy an exceptional reputation, are more reliable or desirable, or represent exceptional quality and distinction."

Premium pricing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

I don't participate, btw. It has been a long time since I have purchased a Benchmade.
 
powernoodle said:
"Premium pricing is the practice of keeping the price of a product or service artificially high in order to encourage favorable perceptions among buyers, based solely on the price. The practice is intended to exploit the (not necessarily justifiable) tendency for buyers to assume that expensive items enjoy an exceptional reputation, are more reliable or desirable, or represent exceptional quality and distinction."

Premium pricing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

I don't participate, btw. It has been a long time since I have purchased a Benchmade.
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I know we're ragging on BM price gouging here, but that description sounds like James Brand's mission statement!
 
AmericanEDC said:
At $560 and $580 on the website, slightly discounted at dealers, who is buying these? Anyone have an opinion?

My opinion is that Benchmade has lost their minds.

But I’m genuinely wondering if they’re selling, and to whom?

www.benchmade.com

743 Mini Narrows™ Knife in Gray Titanium | Benchmade Knives

Elevate your EDC with the 743 Mini Narrows™! Titanium frame, CPM-20CV blade, and Sapphire Blue hardware make it a premium compact choice. Upgrade today!
www.benchmade.com www.benchmade.com
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These prices have gotten way, way too high for me. I remember paying under $200 for a 761 Monolock (titanium handles with M390 blade) back in ‘18 or ‘19, and I thought it was pretty expensive then.

My last Benchmade was an aluminum handled 417 Fact for around $150 a couple of years ago, and I have never bought another Benchmade since.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
I would add to that I want to swear one of the Magnacut advantages is being easier to machine/grind while I'm not sure I've ever read that about S90V. Unless they paid a fat markup to get Magnacut into the production line while people are willing to pay that premium price for it still until the next inevitable ultra magnum steelier than thou comes out at the next premium price tag.

And yes, I must confess to wanting some Magnacut as soon as I could get some to try despite not really being able to tell the difference in most of these stainless super steels.
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I'm not sure about grinding Magnacut, but within some knife manufacturing circles Magnacut has a reputation for being a real pain to deal with because of issues with the heat treatment throwing off tolerances.

I do agree that Benchmade is gouging, though. The worst offender in my opinion is the kitchen knives, which is an area where they don't have the clout to command any sort of premium. Actually all of their fixed blades are a terrible value; what they charge for the Adamas that doesn't even come with scales is insane. The balisongs are probably the best value in their lineup; they actually feel really nice and their competitors are priced pretty high as well.
 
To put this is a little bit of context, a green pepper "should" be $0.49 each, but they are in the range of $1.99. And I paid over $50K for a dang (but very sweet) mid level Toyota Sienna minivan last year. Everything is spendy. And Benchmade's Oregon has the 6th highest individual and pass-through business income tax in the country, which gets passed on to us via the MSRP. So there are many factors at play, but it sure seems that "premium pricing" is at the top of the list.
 
sharp_edge said:
For my use of folders (opening mails/bags, trimming threads, cutting fruits, breaking down cardboard boxes, etc.), I prefer S90V to Magnacut.

Back to the topic of this thread, I've stopped buying Benchmade knives directly from dealers due to their significantly inflated prices (pretty much the same with ZT and Spyderco but that is for another discussion). The four Benchmades that I still have (M390 710, M4 and S90v Super Freek, and S90v Bugout) shall last my life and beyond. If I ever want to buy another axis lock folder, I'll first look at Hogue/Ritter RSK. I buy new RHK folders more than any other brands lately because it is one of the very few manufacturers that have not jacked up their prices.
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That's good practice. If enough people feel the same way, the market should rectify itself.

Although I feel like more and more American companies are taking the McDonald's route. Charging more and losing customers in the process but actually maintaining/improving net profit.

It doesn't strike me as clever for the long term but who knows. One thing is for certain, companies with smaller margins will happily snatch any of those wayward customers up!
 
It's not really fair to say that Benchmade is "gouging" with their prices because there is nothing exactly like it to set any sort of "standard". Not to mention, operating in a free market, Benchmade is free to charge whatever they like. And nobody is forced to buy a Benchmade.

I always wonder in these types of threads if the ones complaining operate their own business and if they would like someone else trying to tell them what their products or services should be priced at.

I also wonder what the endgame is or what they feel the outcome should be?

The market will ultimately decide if their prices are too high or not.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
That's good practice. If enough people feel the same way, the market should rectify itself.

Although I feel like more and more American companies are taking the McDonald's route. Charging more and losing customers in the process but actually maintaining/improving net profit.

It doesn't strike me as clever for the long term but who knows. One thing is for certain, companies with smaller margins will happily snatch any of those wayward customers up!
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There is probably a maths to it. And I think it is also probably easier to go down in price than up.

So benchmade will be looking at profits. And so long as they are making a certain amount they remain competitive.

At some point if knife sales drop. They can drop their prices and still remain competitive.
 
Sounds more like it's time to move and save on the taxation and cost of doing business. The price may not go down with the relocation expense but it could maybe minimally increase instead of being so dramatic every time something is going to subtract from profit margin/drive up prices.
 
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