Why won't Benchmade sell omega springs?

Josh K said:
Never underestimate people's stupidity.
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Agreed. The last thing Benchmade needs is for someone to improperly install an omega spring and have the knife fail and take out some tendons.

Holding back omega springs is Benchmade's way of saying their customers are total idiot sheeple, hence their need for idiot proof policies.

Maybe they are shooting for exclusive government and law enforcement distribution contracts and want to cozy up to the local politicians and various government agency policy makers by imitating there contempt and disrespect for those that are intuitive, inventive, and prefer to think and do things for themselves ?

I can see it in the future Benchmade products advertisement available to government, law enforcement, and military only

I really like benchmade products but I am starting to get irritated by nonsense like this.
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Bahahaha. Thanks for the post. :D
 
I bought a 610 Rukus along with the replacement black g10 scales. Why do the packages come with soo many papers with warning and instructiosn, What do they think I am, an idiot??

Time to replace the scales, accidently ( looks like a good idea at the time ) took off the pivot screw and the front bolster like black g10 scales. Also looks like a good time to just check out the so much talked about axis spring. Hmmmm, oooops the dang thang flew away!!! Crap! never mind, heard that the axis lock works with 1 spring too.

Time to put back the scales, dang them screws are so dang tiny - lucky they threw in some spares in the kit. Why are they sooo difficult to screw in?? There got them in - how come them screws wont tighten??

Holy crap! Even after tightening all the screws the scales would not sit to the liners and they seems to flop around too.

Why wont the blade come out? 'll just loosen the pivot screw by 2 turns - easy to do. Look at the blade fly out - sheeet it snapped back...... Ooooops blood.

Time to send it in along with a threatening letter saying that if they dont fix it within 3 days from the day I send it in, my lawyer will sue them till kingdom comes.







In case you think this happened to me, think again. ;)
 
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With a few Benchmade Axis lock knives in the collection, I had one Omega Spring fail within a week of ownership of my 522 Presidio Ultra. Made a new one, life went on. Now, about two years after making the first spring the other STOCK Omega Spring has failed. The Presidio is heavily customized by me and the thought of sending it in for a replacement Omega Spring simply doesn't register since the replacement I made is obviously more capable of performance than the overly brittle Omegas. Sure Benchmade wants you to send it in........But in my line of thinking, it's just a money making scheme and the Spring would be replaced with another inferior Spring that too will fail. I'll stick with good spring steel over the Omega Spring which obviously is flawed. Intentionally?? Perhaps so.

Now......my Chris Reeves ENCOURAGES you to take the knife apart periodically for routine cleaning. That's a $350 dollar knife that the manufacturer encourages you to dive into it with out voiding the warranty. Now you tell me........Who, between BM and CR is more confident about their product, its owners and the integrity of their product? I've purchased all the Axis BM knives because I'm left handed and they're ambidextrous designs. CR makes LH Dedicated Knives. Spyderco makes LH dedicated knives and a few others as well. BM is no longer in the business of catering to their customers so much as they're dedicated to making a profit on sales, repairs and using inferior materials that almost seem to be guaranteed to fail at some point, ensuring that BM will also reap the repair bills in most instances.

Do I like BM knives? Absolutely!!! Do I agree with their customer service and work ethics? That is questionable. All of this is, of course, my OPINION and not intended to insult BM or anyone reading this post.

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Since I'm preparing to repair a used Mini Grip with busted omega springs, I'm curious, ZippoVarga, how you fashioned your replacement. And advice would be appreciated.
 
Its beyond ridiculous that they will not send you replacement springs or sell them to you. I like Bencmade knives but they really are jerks for doing this.

Even firearm manufacturers will send you replacement parts and they are much more complicated and dangerous than a pocket knife.

Replacing the omega spring is practically idiot proof it only goes in one way. If you can not figure out how to complete such a simple task you should not be allowed to drive, vote, or procreate.
 
Redmasta said:
Its beyond ridiculous that they will not send you replacement springs or sell them to you. I like Bencmade knives but they really are jerks for doing this.

Even firearm manufacturers will send you replacement parts and they are much more complicated and dangerous than a pocket knife.

Replacing the omega spring is practically idiot proof it only goes in one way. If you can not figure out how to complete such a simple task you should not be allowed to drive, vote, or procreate.
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Hmm... Ridiculous or not, they have the right to set their policies however they see fit. I don't see how you can blame a manufacturer for setting terms and conditions for their product. Can't seem to see the forest through the trees?

Firearms manufacturers recommend you have your gun worked on by trained and experienced gunsmiths, not by BillJimBobRalphy in his "shop". They also make very clear, what the consequences of a potential mistake may entail. Again, just because someone can buy a gun doesn't mean they, can service it successfully.

Replacing an Omega spring might be a matter of seconds to you, but since just about anyone with money and a pulse can buy a knife, it leaves a lot of room for incompetence. Just because someone can buy a knife doesn't automatically grant them the knowledge to use, dismantle, and reassemble said knife. That is a huge assumption on your part.
 
Redmasta said:
Its beyond ridiculous that they will not send you replacement springs or sell them to you. I like Bencmade knives but they really are jerks for doing this.

Even firearm manufacturers will send you replacement parts and they are much more complicated and dangerous than a pocket knife.

Replacing the omega spring is practically idiot proof it only goes in one way. If you can not figure out how to complete such a simple task you should not be allowed to drive, vote, or procreate.
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If I sold knives, I would also discourage disassembly and I certainly wouldn't do anything to support users repairing broken knives, regardless of the reason the knife broke. Hang round here for a while and you will read endless posts that all include people taking knives apart and then not being able to reassemble them properly, which usually means they haven't been assembled so they function safely. If the design or the manufacturer's policy turns you off, buy another knife.
 
I don't get the whole "money making scheme" suggestion as they don't charge for warranty repair and a broken Omega Spring falls under that category.
 
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This is a funny thread. Here are my thoughts:

Money making scheme? No, I don't think so. They fix Omega's for FREE. Their knifesharp program is ridiculous value, and they'll put a new freaking blade on your knife for $25.00? They also will send you FREE clips if you don't like the one that came with your knife. Incredible!

Not confident in their product? Hardly. Seems to me that they aren't confident with their consumer being able to competently repair a tool that could hurt themselves. They can't sell Omegas to one consumer and not another so they have this policy. I don't mind it.
 
Just to add to the subject of taking apart knives and warranty repair .

I've never read one post of where Benchmade has refused to service a knife only because it was disassembled. Some other companies yes but not BM.

Only pointing this out because I know their warranty say's they won't but I think that's more to discourage people from taking the knife apart and sending in a bag "O" parts or breaking something that wasn't broke in the first place. Guess they got tired of fixing broken knives because of user error.

In the last year I sent back two BM knives for service. One was 16 and the other 17 years old.

They accepted both and what I got back was nothing shy of amazing. All the hardware had been replaced, new screws, the liners in one case. Both were liner locks (Original AFCK and a Sentinel) and the lockup had been improved and was rock solid.

All my issues were due to normal wear and tear that you would expect with such old knives. Nothing to do with defects in manufacture but they serviced them anyway for FREE and went above and beyond in my opinion. That you can even return a knife that old and get it serviced says volumes for their commitment to their customers.

I've read threads where people can't even get their new, still in production knives serviced because the company doesn't have parts because the knives are made overseas. .

I won't say Benchmade has the "best" customer service in the industry because I haven't tried them all but of the ones I have, Benchmade CS is a standout.
 
I don't think I've ever heard of a reputable knife company that failed to provide warranty service on a knife except where there was damage resulting from the owner effing with the knife (including not knowing how to properly disassemble and reassemble the knife) or where there was abuse.

I agree that if you can't get a knife back together you probably shouldn't own knives, drive or be allowed to have children, but that's a different question.


pbcg said:
Just to add to the subject of taking apart knives and warranty repair .

I've never read one post of where Benchmade has refused to service a knife only because it was disassembled. Some other companies yes but not BM.

Only pointing this out because I know their warranty say's they won't but I think that's more to discourage people from taking the knife apart and sending in a bag "O" parts or breaking something that wasn't broke in the first place. Guess they got tired of fixing broken knives because of user error.

In the last year I sent back two BM knives for service. One was 16 and the other 17 years old.

They accepted both and what I got back was nothing shy of amazing. All the hardware had been replaced, new screws, the liners in one case. Both were liner locks (Original AFCK and a Sentinel) and the lockup had been improved and was rock solid.

All my issues were due to normal wear and tear that you would expect with such old knives. Nothing to do with defects in manufacture but they serviced them anyway for FREE and went above and beyond in my opinion. That you can even return a knife that old and get it serviced says volumes for their commitment to their customers.

I've read threads where people can't even get their new, still in production knives serviced because the company doesn't have parts because the knives are made overseas. .

I won't say Benchmade has the "best" customer service in the industry because I haven't tried them all but of the ones I have, Benchmade CS is a standout.
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JNewell said:
I don't think I've ever heard of a reputable knife company that failed to provide warranty service on a knife except where there was damage resulting from the owner effing with the knife (including not knowing how to properly disassemble and reassemble the knife) or where there was abuse.

I agree that if you can't get a knife back together you probably shouldn't own knives, drive or be allowed to have children, but that's a different question.
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I've read threads in the past where the poster claimed that Spyderco refused to service their knife (unless they paid a fee) because they believed the knife had been disassembled, even when the owner claimed they hadn't taken it apart.

It does happen.

Their policy is pretty clear.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?54083-Spyderco-s-Warranty-(Disassembling)

Spyderco's position is if you disassemble the knife you void the warranty, Period.

"Bottom line, if you take your knife apart, the warranty is void"

I also agree if you mess up your knife because you took it apart and can't put it back together then that's your problem, not the manufacture.
 
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pbcg said:
I've read threads in the past where the poster claimed that Spyderco refused to service their knife (unless they paid a fee) because they believed the knife had been disassembled, even when the owner claimed they hadn't taken it apart.

It does happen.

Their policy is pretty clear.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?54083-Spyderco-s-Warranty-(Disassembling)

Spyderco's position is if you disassemble the knife you void the warranty, Period.

"Bottom line, if you take your knife apart, the warranty is void"

I also agree if you mess up your knife because you took it apart and can't put it back together then that's your problem, not the manufacture.
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Spyderco's warranty terms are fairly clear, but it's also clear that they don't stand on the letter of the warranty. If you return a knife that has been disassembled and the disassembly didn't cause the problem, they will cover it. I skimmed the thread you linked and don't see any reports of someone taking a knife apart, then returning it for warranty service that wasn't related to taking the knife apart, and being charged for service.

Also note that under Benchmade's warranty terms they say: "What is not covered?" and the paragraph with the warranty exclusions includes: "Do not disassemble your knife. . . . Any of these acts will void your Warranty."
 
I feel that BM not selling Omega springs has nothing to do with not trusting the consumers ability to repair their knife. Off the top of my head I can think of 2 reasons BM does not send out Omega springs, Ganzo and Enlan. One of the biggest issues people have with copycat Axis locks is the tension (or so I have heard.) So if BM made their springs available that makes it a whole lot easier and cheaper to get one of those copycats operating like one of the real deals. And since no one with an Enlan is going to send it to them for Lifesharp repair (unless said Enlan owner is just that clueless) BM can be assured that what they are fixing is in fact THEIR product. When it comes to clips and screws, my guess is that most brands have different hole patterns and screw sizes. So they feel fine with sending out that hardware. Also, clip swapping is the only customer modding that is encouraged by MOST companies not just BM.

But in regards to Omega springs... Granted, this is just my opinion, but I feel it's not a liability issue. It's a copyright issue.

Just my twopence.
 
Benchmade is similar to Ernie Ball Music Man. If you have a problem with a Music Man product such as a pickup in your bass, the preamp, or the neck, you have to send the part (or bass) into them to get it replaced. It's their way of protecting the proprietary designs. Fender on the other hand mass produces and makes available EVERY part because they want you to buy Fender parts. Nothing is wrong with either business model.

When I was playing Music Man I was pretty ticked that I had to send a bass in. I gotta tell you though, it was a great experience and my bass came back like it was new. A local tech screwed the nut up on the bass so EBMM said, send it to us we'll take care of you. Their product was so good that I only had to send 1 bass in out of probably 10. I got back a new bass, fresh strings on the bass with a couple of extra packs (50 dollar value) as well as some other case candy.
 
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Benchmade policy is that any internal part needed the knife needs to be sent in to have it be replaced. I have to assume there are many reason for this including but not limited to.

1. Many people THINK they have the skill to replace these parts and cant. Its easier for benchmade to work on humpty dumpty before he falls.

2. There are MANY counterfeit Axis lock knives on the market. Their policy ensures they are not supplying parts to what many feel are inferior products. Warranty replacement costs money and they dont want to go fixing the competitions products.

3. There policy is not that dissimilar from any other companies policies. If you blow the engine in your toyota prius toyota isnt just going drop freight a new one to you. You have to bring the car in to ensure the job is done properly. Benchmade knows springs are easily lost. And I myself have had a part go flying that requires me to dredge my carpet with a bar magnet praying it is ferrous.

4. Believe it or not some people make a "tackle box" parts request. They dont need the parts. Their knife isnt even broken. But because of an internet post about a broken omega spring people panic and contact benchmade making parts requests so that they can fill their parts bin for a "just in case".

Now there are a few companies that have a nearly no questions asked policy on parts as long as they are not the expensive stuff and that is Kershaw and ZT. But I bet if you asked the people in charge they would tell you that while it is a policy they have come to be known and loved for its also a big drain on the pocket book.
 
JNewell said:
Spyderco's warranty terms are fairly clear, but it's also clear that they don't stand on the letter of the warranty. If you return a knife that has been disassembled and the disassembly didn't cause the problem, they will cover it. I skimmed the thread you linked and don't see any reports of someone taking a knife apart, then returning it for warranty service that wasn't related to taking the knife apart, and being charged for service.

Also note that under Benchmade's warranty terms they say: "What is not covered?" and the paragraph with the warranty exclusions includes: "Do not disassemble your knife. . . . Any of these acts will void your Warranty."
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The thread I linked was to clarify their policy (Which I happen to agree with) not examples of where they have refused service. I should add I also agree with BM's policy.

You take it apart and mess it up your problem.

My observation was / is I've never read of any instance of BM refusing to service a knife only because it was disassembled, but I have read threads here (on BFC) where Spyderco has. As I stated where the member claimed the knife was BNIB and they accused him of taking it apart and causing a problem that if left the factory with.

Also to be fair, he posted about it and Sal or one of the reps chimed in and did resolve the issue for the OP so they do and will take care of you. I don't doubt that.

On a whole I will say I regard Spyderco in the top three production knife companies. There have been instances though where their no disassembly policy has been brought up when it shouldn't have. I can't say I've seen the same with BM.
 
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