Why Buy Benchmade?

I buy knives as a tool. Mind you, if I have bigger pocket, I would buy all models I think it strikes me fancy. ;)

I have few reasons I buy Benchmade knife. Unfortunately, 3~5 inch folder, stainless steel model, I have difficult time justifying more than ... say $300. My decisions for the selection of the knives are purely Spartan. Yes, I have few other that does not have 100 qualification of being utilitarian. I can see some people like CRK, Hinderer, Microtech, Strider, etc. Heck, I was seriously considering Brous silent soldier. But I want the knifes to sit in my pocket, rather than being a safe queen.

I buy Benchmade production knife, because I want my folding blade to be;
* Able to open and close with one hand ambidextrously
* Able to operate under cold winter with gloves as well as hot summer with sweat and grime on my hand without injury or lose the knife.
* Minimum maintenance and knife would not break apart.
* Flat ground preferred.
* Stainless steel preferred.

So, I have 3 EDC rotational knife from Benchmade. with 2 other stand by

* All are AXIS lock
* Regular rotation has Osborne Tanto (Modified Reverse American Tanto)
* One is (940) less than 3.5" due to city ordnance of maximum blade length requirement.
* One has serration (810) for weekend outdoor needs to cut when needed (wet rope, for example)

MFL
 
What did he say? " expensive knives have quality handles made of bone or G-10. Not scales made of some un identified plastic"? Well, unless it's a Griptilian. :D I'm very proud of that one. Hopefully I'm not so new around here that my humor isn't appreciated. ;)
 
I used to be fond of benchmades, but their price fixing changed all that. My last BM purchased now costs $50 more for no reason. I am sure dealers are feeling the pinch, since they now have a bunch of overpriced inventory to sell.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
I used to be fond of benchmades, but their price fixing changed all that. My last BM purchased now costs $50 more for no reason. I am sure dealers are feeling the pinch, since they now have a bunch of overpriced inventory to sell.
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^^^This.

BM is a good knife, but not a great one. Yet BM is now charging prices that should be reserved for great knives. I have about 20, all obtained before the price hike (IOW, under the coupon discount plan). I haven't bought one since my 7505-142 (then $367, now $510) and won't.

I really appreciate KSF and Derrick as a dealer and they will continue to get my business on some other brands (actually, I never bought a BM from them, just several traditionals) and the folks I used to buy my BMs from will lose quite a bit of business because of this. I'm sorry for that because the dealer that got my BM business were a good company. It is a shame, but it is BM's choice to do business as they will and my choice to use my money as I see fit.

As for Derrick's video, it is well done and I appreciate the time he takes to make all of his educational videos, this one included. I just respectfully disagree as to his opinion on the quality of the BM product. Like I said above, they are good, but not great and the value just isn't there any more especially when you consider the absurd prices that they are now asking for Gold Class.

And to clarify, I don't just buy cheap knives. I own other quality (true quality) knives. In this respect, Derrick is right. There is a reason to buy quality vs cheap. But one has to determine what is an acceptable price for the quality presented in the knife. That becomes somewhat subjective and, IMHO, BM has fallen below that quality for the dollar line.

Best of luck to those who think that they are worth the money. We each have to decide for ourselves what is worth it and what is not. And KSF is one of those few great places to shop for whatever knife you are interested in.
 
I was bummed about the MAP enforcement for a while, too, and admit that I would have pulled the trigger on exactly 3 more in the last couple months had the price hike not gone in to effect (Rift for Dad at Christmas, and 300-1, second Rift different color for myself). That said, I make no allusions that I will quit buying Benchmade. They are my favorite maker of modern folders by far. At least two Axis Strykers, one H&k, and the 940-1 are on the "definite list" this year. I just like Benchmade too much to pretend I don't want their knives or their subforum.
 
jazub said:
I was bummed about the MAP enforcement for a while, too, and admit that I would have pulled the trigger on exactly 3 more in the last couple months had the price hike not gone in to effect (Rift for Dad at Christmas, and 300-1, second Rift different color for myself). That said, I make no allusions that I will quit buying Benchmade. They are my favorite maker of modern folders by far. At least two Axis Strykers, one H&k, and the 940-1 are on the "definite list" this year. I just like Benchmade too much to pretend I don't want their knives or their subforum.
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BINGO!!!

Just because the gravy train is over doesn't mean I starve.
 
I think I finally hit my sweet spot on that. My shot show grip in CPM-M4 is all the better I would ever need. To me anything more is just for style, which is also okay by me.

Personally I think you could spend a lot more and get a lot less as far as performance.

Then again you can buy and mod an opinel and have one heck of bang for your buck.


okbohn said:
I think there are diminishing returns (however you spell it) at some point. You get beyond $300-400 and you are paying a lot for small improvements.
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I plan on getting an Axis Stryker and maybe the 940-1

I was bummed about their pricing at first too, but then I started looking at the other knives I wanted to pick up this year.

I like Spyderco knives, so I was excited about the new Spyderco Firefly, until I discovered the dealer's price of 223.95.

The Axis Stryker @153 seems like a great deal to me in comparison.
 
I don't understand the complaining about the price. The price of steak has doubled in the past couple years. Many other things have gone up in price. We are in an inflationary cycle. The value of the dollar is tanking. The price of everything is going up, not just benchmade knives.
 
Ssnik said:
I don't understand the complaining about the price. The price of steak has doubled in the past couple years. Many other things have gone up in price. We are in an inflationary cycle. The value of the dollar is tanking. The price of everything is going up, not just benchmade knives.
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That has nothing to do with BM's business decision to mandate an artificial price increase. A BM710 that was going for $112 and is now sold by the same dealers for $150 has nothing to do with anything you just said. You "don't understand" it... Because you don't get it. Now if your gonna use those as reasons to justify and make you feel better fine, but there's valid reasons why a good chunk of their loyal fans and online dealers aren't thrilled.

Price of steak hasn't even doubled the past couple of years, at least try to make your examples convincing.
 
Ssnik said:
I don't understand the complaining about the price. The price of steak has doubled in the past couple years. Many other things have gone up in price. We are in an inflationary cycle. The value of the dollar is tanking. The price of everything is going up, not just benchmade knives.
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It has nothing to do with inflation.
 
Quick refresher course: It's common info that the price increase is mandated at the dealer level so it's the dealers and not BM getting the increase. It is done to raise the perceived value of the knife and to protect brick and mortar only dealers. It wasn't raised because of increased production cost or out of necessity, or value of the dollar tanking BS. Inflation and cost of materials also has nothing to do with it.

Lucky for me, I have the BM's I want. If they come out with a must have like an AFCK Ill get one but as a regular new buyer I'm pretty much done. Secondary market is where it's at. 30 to 40 percent increase for the same exact knife, I can't justify it sorry. YMMV
 
Stays Sharp said:
Quick refresher course: It's common info that the price increase is mandated at the dealer level so it's the dealers and not BM getting the increase. It is done to raise the perceived value of the knife and to protect brick and mortar only dealers. It wasn't raised because of increased production cost or out of necessity, or value of the dollar tanking BS. Inflation and cost of materials also has nothing to do with it.

Lucky for me, I have the BM's I want. If they come out with a must have like an AFCK Ill get one but as a regular new buyer I'm pretty much done. Secondary market is where it's at. 30 to 40 percent increase for the same exact knife, I can't justify it sorry. YMMV
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Agreed. All of it.
 
uofaengr said:
Agreed. All of it.
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Well written, I agree as well. Being well stocked with exactly what I wanted from the catalog offerings I rarely buy anything retail. With good friends and a very healthy secondary market the price increases didn't (and won't) affect me in the long run.
 
Stays Sharp said:
That has nothing to do with BM's business decision to mandate an artificial price increase. A BM710 that was going for $112 and is now sold by the same dealers for $150 has nothing to do with anything you just said. You "don't understand" it... Because you don't get it. Now if your gonna use those as reasons to justify and make you feel better fine, but there's valid reasons why a good chunk of their loyal fans and online dealers aren't thrilled.

Price of steak hasn't even doubled the past couple of years, at least try to make your examples convincing.
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OK. So what you are so rudely telling me is benchmade has decided to change MSRP to MRP. Like Apple. So large companies like WalMart can't buy hundreds of thousands of copies and make their profit on a $.01 per item markup while a small mom and pop store has to charge more because because they have to make a profit on every knife they sell to stay alive. So wherever you go a BM knife should be the same price.
I don't have a problem with that.
 
Ssnik said:
OK. So what you are so rudely telling me is benchmade has decided to change MSRP to MRP. Like Apple. So large companies like WalMart can't buy hundreds of thousands of copies and make their profit on a $.01 per item markup while a small mom and pop store has to charge more because because they have to make a profit on every knife they sell to stay alive. So wherever you go a BM knife should be the same price.
I don't have a problem with that.
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I look at knives the same as everything else. There are many places to buy everything. Having the option to shop around, and find the best price is a nice option to have... Being forced to pay the same price everywhere, takes away some of the buying process that most of us enjoy.

Big players like WalMart are a non-issue regarding Benchmade. They don't sell Benchmade...

There are many dealers that have been selling BM for quite some time, so even at the old prices, there must have been enough profit to justify stocking the product. I think most of us here understand that dealers need to make a profit. It's the only way they stay in business.
But when the manufacturer dictates what they will see the product at, it infringes on the business owner to make their own decision on what they want to charge. It would be different if BM had always had this pricing implemented and enforced, much like Chris Reeves, but they didn't. They decided to change the rules after many years of customers being accustomed to variable pricing.

How many people would buy a new car if they went to the dealer, and were told, This is the price. Period... People by nature, don't like paying full MSRP for anything. It doesn't matter what the product is.

I still think it was a bad move by BM, and it has alienated many customers. Only time will tell if it affects their bottom line. Will I never buy another new BM ? I'm not going to say I won't. There are still knives I would like to have, although the thought of paying 30% more really doesn't make me happy. The other option is to keep waiting, and find one on the secondary market... The second choice is more likely to happen, than the first, but never say never.
 
If you don't understand my comment about WalMart as being an example then I don't know what to tell you.
Also, when you state that BM is infringing upon a business making the decision of what they want to charge, well isn't BM a business? Don't they have the right to say what price they want their product sold at?
 
Ssnik said:
If you don't understand my comment about WalMart as being an example then I don't know what to tell you.
Also, when you state that BM is infringing upon a business making the decision of what they want to charge, well isn't BM a business? Don't they have the right to say what price they want their product sold at?
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Yes BM is a business, and like all businesses, they have every right to dictate what price is charged for a product. The same holds true for the BM dealers.
They are an independent business. As long as they are paying BM, or any other company, the price that BM wants to charge dealers, it shouldn't be any of their business what the dealer wants to charge.

If the dealer wants to charge less, and make less profit per piece, that should be entirely up to them. If they want to charge more, and take the risk of selling fewer products, that too should be up to them.

According to BM, they aren't making any more money because of the pricing change. So really, what is gained, other than dealers "possibly" making more $$$ ?
That assumes that their sales don't drop off dramatically because of the price change. It isn't going to change peoples perception of BM's products.
Especially if the QC issues some have posted about, aren't rectified. It's hard to charge more for a product if the quality is going downhill...
There again, that is BM's choice.
 
Lets imagine this was your own business. So you make a product. You make a product and one or two retailers decide to sell your product at a major discount in order to attract attention to their business. Your product begins to sells major volume at a discounted price through one or two retailers and much, much more slowly everywhere else. All other retailers sell less and less volume -to the point that you become dependent upon one or two commercial (internet) outlet retailers. Their sales dominate your order capacity. At this point, they can begin to make demands and dictate business decisions, i.e., they become un-invested business partners. You have now made yourself very vulnerable and do not "own" your own decisions.

Who here would honestly do that?? Sounds dumb.

I hate paying more, too, but come on. Who of you would make yourself so vulnerable?
 
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