Benchmade OTF Long Term Durability?

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Nephron44

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Hey all!

I have an HK Turmoil OTF and I am considering shelling out the cash for a Benchmade Pagan or Infidel, or maybe an HK Epidemic. As it is, I am hesitant to carry the HK Turmoil for fear of wearing it out. I know Benchmade has an awesome warranty, but it's a pain to send back auto knives from my state as I have to go through a dealer.

Before I pay a large amount of money on another otf, does anyone have any input on the durability and longevity of these knives? I'm only interested in the HK and Benchmade OTFs.

Thank you!
 
All OTF's are problematic but the Infidel is one of the more robustly built ones....matter of fact its quite manly ....once you see it, you can never un-see it.....your welcome.:D

 
I've seen a very well used Turmoil. I can't say how old it was, but it has clearly been used hard for a long time and it still worked fine.

I wouldn't worry about using them. Just make sure the blade is clean before retracting.
 
Ive owned every offering from MT otf line except the stainless steel bodys, All have failed to fire at one point. Pocket lint, sand, ect.. I love the idea, but after my scarab failed to fire because there was a tiny piece of packing tape stuck to the blade from opening a box earlier in the day.....last straw,..problematic..
But op said he wasn't interested in MT...so moot point. :)
Anyway, this thread is bound to go to the "automatic knives" section where every 15yr old who saved there allowance for an otf will defend there supreme tactility and godliness until there fingers bleed from typing...:( I hope you get the answers your looking for op. take care.
 
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I would avoid the infidel (or pagan. Same knife different skin) if practical EDC carry is your goal. I STRONGLY disagree that its a robust knife. Its a finicky knife. I wont say underpowered because it operates but it more prone to failure than a Turmoil epidemic or tumult. The infidel is an attractive knife. And a well made knife. But its also much more complicated than a knife of this type needs to be. It has a lot more parts and it is not easily serviced by its owners. Should you have a problem that needs it to be opened its way more in depth than the other benchmade offerings. And if you remove the wrong set of screws and remove the wrong parts you are gonna have a hell of a time getting it back together. Benchmades other OTF knives are based on the old school mikov internals that microtech adopted in 2000. They are incredibly simple inside and if anything wears out its going to be the spring. Do some other components sometimes present an issue over time? Sure. But usually its minor and a much simpler fix. For me the infidel was way too unreliable, had severe amounts of blade play and while attractive I find it to be limited in its usefulness and its just not a working mans OTF.
 
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brandoak said:
Ive owned every offering from MT otf line except the stainless steel bodys, All have failed to fire at one point. Pocket lint, sand, ect.. I love the idea, but after my scarab failed to fire because there was a tiny piece of packing tape stuck to the blade from opening a box earlier in the day.....last straw,..problematic..
But op said he wasn't interested in MT...so moot point. :)
Anyway, this thread is bound to go to the "automatic knives" section where every 15yr old who saved there allowance for an otf will defend there supreme tactility and godliness until there fingers bleed from typing...:( I hope you get the answers your looking for op. take care.
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That scarab didn't fail. Its owner failed to properly maintain the knife. There is no OTF knife that you can get a piece of packaging tape stuck to the blade (by failing to inspect and clean said blade) and expect that it wont cause an issue. If you see a bird crap on your car and you leave it on your paint on a hot summer day and find that later it ate away your clear coat it wasn't a problem with the car or its paint that caused the problem. Its the owner who failed to clean it and a problem ensued. Is a OTF more prone to issues that a fixed blade or frame lock folder? Sure is. But if you learn proper care of the product it will happen much less often. I know guys who used scarabs in Afghanistan and Iraq. They aren't 15 and they liked their knives just fine in a desert environment. But they did have 2 other things that help. Personal accountability and knowledge.
 
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A friend of mine has carried an HK branded otf for quite a few years without having any problems last I knew. Not sure how hard she actually uses it though. I forget what model it is, but as I recall it is a partially serrated tanto blade. That was enough to make me lose interest.
 
I have a Pagan that misfires 20% of the time. Of course I actually need to get it serviced at some point, but nevertheless OTFs have more gadget factor than reliability. You want reliability, get a fixed blade or folder if that's not an option.
 
LOL, I almost ended my last comment with "QUE PURPLEDC"

PURPLEDC said:
That scarab didn't fail. Its owner failed to properly maintain the knife......... Is a OTF more prone to issues that a fixed blade or frame lock folder? Sure is. But if you learn proper care of the product it will happen much less often.
Click to expand...

So there you have it, carry your OTF in a sandwich bag to insure its reliability or you can be like purpledc and carry a small bottle of cleaning fluid and cloth and meticulously buff, clean, and inspect (said blade) before retracting the blade so there wont be an issue the next time you deploy it. ROFL
 
brandoak said:
LOL, I almost ended my last comment with "QUE PURPLEDC"



So there you have it, carry your OTF in a sandwich bag to insure its reliability or you can be like purpledc and carry a small bottle of cleaning fluid and cloth and meticulously buff, clean, and inspect (said blade) before retracting the blade so there wont be an issue the next time you deploy it. ROFL
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Sour grapes...
 
I've always been under the impression that double action OTF knives are prone to failure simply because the firing mechanism is weaker, since it has to both extend and retract. Though I don't own one, I've been told that single action is more reliable since the mechanism is simply a big spring, a latch, and a fire button. I would love to own one but unfortunately they're too pricey for the amount of use I'd get out of it. I haven't heard many problems with OTF knives from any of the big manufactures over time, other than what you might experience with any other spring loaded knife. I wouldn't trust one for self defence, but I wouldn't be too concerned with it up and breaking on you in the near future, it just might have issues with firing occationally which in a general EDC capacity is OK in my book.
 
brandoak said:
LOL, I almost ended my last comment with "QUE PURPLEDC"



So there you have it, carry your OTF in a sandwich bag to insure its reliability or you can be like purpledc and carry a small bottle of cleaning fluid and cloth and meticulously buff, clean, and inspect (said blade) before retracting the blade so there wont be an issue the next time you deploy it. ROFL
Click to expand...


On your first point. I'm not 15 nor inexperienced in regards to the subject. I am 36 and actually know things instead of just trying to spread hypothetical nonsense as fact and blame products for my own negligence.

As to your second, it beats assuming that all knives have the same maintenance. Any time the operation of an item changes so does its maintenance and its uses. Being ignorant of that information doesnt mean you pass the blame on to the product when you fail to learn that information. If you buy a 2 cycle dirtbike and blow it up because you fail to mix oil in the gas is it really the dirtbikes fault because you assume anything with an engine is apples to apples? Or maybe just maybe should someone learn how to properly use and maintain a mechanical item before assuming how it should work?
 
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brandoak said:
"QUE PURPLEDC"
Click to expand...

orly-007.jpg
 
The infidel is a great knife. I used mine for 4 years in southwest Asia, and 2 more years in Djibouti. Djibouti is as dusty, and hot and humid as anywhere on the planet. Where I was in Asia is dirty, wet, hot and cold. The knife worked great. You can bear down and cut with it full strength. You can drive/stab it into wood full strength, it takes it all. When it got dirty, it failed to deploy a few times, but if you swing/flick your wrist a little and it still deploys faster than a non auto does. Its fine as an edc knife.
Try and keep it clean. Oil it if it gets sticky untill you have the time to send back to benchmade for maintenamce. Which they do for free. Great knife.
 
Supposedly well built OTF autos like the Infidel are capable of puncturing a 55 gallon drum. If that’s the case, they can hold their own pretty well. However, if you make it a habit to sit around all day popping the blade in and out, sooner or later, your knife will wear out.
 
The fact of the matter is, the more moving parts in something, the higher possibility of failure. OTF's by design are very cool, however unlike other design(s) they're more prone to partial, or complete failures. Not to mention the restrictions/difficulty (I've read about) shipping OTF's still for many. I think it depends on what your definition is of long-term? A couple of months?Years?Decade+? I personally always wanted to get an infidel, but by no means is it the most practical knife.

Desmoullin said:
The infidel is a great knife. I used mine for 4 years in southwest Asia, and 2 more years in Djibouti. Djibouti is as dusty, and hot and humid as anywhere on the planet. Where I was in Asia is dirty, wet, hot and cold. The knife worked great. You can bear down and cut with it full strength. You can drive/stab it into wood full strength, it takes it all. When it got dirty, it failed to deploy a few times, but if you swing/flick your wrist a little and it still deploys faster than a non auto does. Its fine as an edc knife.
Try and keep it clean. Oil it if it gets sticky untill you have the time to send back to benchmade for maintenamce. Which they do for free. Great knife.
Click to expand...

Out of pocket, not including fixed blades they're at least the third fastest.
 
LoL, I've never really read about them. Ive just used them.
I know many others that ran Benchmade otf, and Microtechs in these environments, they all seemed to Perform well. These are people that use their knives.

Yes, fixed blades are great knife designs as well.
 
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