while I prefer other brands usually, I've bought 5 Benchmades (940/bugout/griptilian/mini grip/crooked river) in the last 6 months or so and I haven't had a single issue.
Wow! Five Benchmades in the last 6 months and it s not your preferred brand.. I wonder how many knives you ve bought in the last year. And what kind? What brand is your favorite?
I’m so confused by this thread and the OPs question that he answers himself. Op you seem to have an opinion on BM already. Bad for the money ? Compared to what? Cold steel - those designs are gross and mall ninja’ish. The one beating them is the hogue Ritter otherwise apples to alligators. I had a mini grip I sharpened 2 in 4 years. Mods Please dissolve this thread into non existence.
Last year I bought 7 knives. This year I've already bought 24 I sold off all my high end knives I wasn't using so my budget expanded. (Chris Reeves, etc). Nothing against those brands...I just found that I wasn't carrying them much anymore. My favorite knife brand overall is Spyderco. I'm a huge fan of the Military and own over 50 of them. Most of my knife "collection" is actually sentimental pieces. I'm retired Army so when I deployed to Iraq I bought a knife. Then when I came back I bought another. Then when I deployed again I bought another. etc. That's how I ended up with so many Spyderco/Benchmade/Emerson knives. In fact, I posted a thread over in the Emerson forum about how I lost an Emerson CQC-7 while baling hay. I had used that knife to cut my roommates seatbelt when we were hit by an IED. Losing it stateside when I own so many other knives made me wanna throw up. I did replace it with another CQC-7 and bought a Horseman. Currently, I am infatuated with the Southern Grind brand. In the last month I've bought a Spider Monkey and a Bad Monkey. Great build quality. I will be ordering more Southern Grind. If I ever find the "perfect" knife I'll stop buying them.
I only own two Benchmade (BM) folders. The last one was the Mini Presidio II bought on impulse last spring when it first came out (in a knife store). I like it a lot, and based on my limited experience with their products, I have have no complaints. I like fairly simple knives. I like well made slip joints but other than a SAK I don't often carry one. I do carry the Mini Presidio II. I am trying to cut back on my slip joint purchases and enjoy what I already own. But if I see one that grabs my attention, I'll get it, just because. Just because seems to be my dominant reason for buying knives these days. I like some variety in knife brands which is why I only own two BM's. I resisted buying a BM for years as I believed them to be over priced to some extent. Still do, but at least I own two that I am very satisfied with.
I forgot about this thread until I came across a reference to it and decided to read the remaining messages. Then I came across bubbaskyjacker's reply and could not let it pass. Every party needs a pooper, right? >> I’m so confused by this thread and the OPs question that he answers himself. There is a difference between answering one's own question and expressing an opinion about the product for the purpose of provoking another opinion. For purpose of clearing this nebulous concept, I got some opinions from this thread and, besides this message, I learned something from the rest of them. And I hope others did, too. So mission accomplished. >> Op you seem to have an opinion on BM already. Uh, yeah. After owning several of them I would expect anyone with a functioning brain to have an opinion. That is what one forms after ownership of several years. Had I not formed an opinion that would be absolute proof that something is seriously wrong with me. Then there are those who have an opinion having not owned them or likely, even handled one. Thing is, sometimes we seek others' opinions to confirm ours or sometimes to show that maybe we got it wrong. Did I get a bad knife from a bad batch? Maybe a counterfeit? Are they all as good as mine? Basically get another point of view. It's called conversation. >> Bad for the money? Compared to what? Cold steel - those designs are gross and mall ninja’ish. Compared to anything with which you get your money's worth. Is it worth it? Is it overpriced? Is there something better for the same or less money? Is the steel worth it or is it soft, brittle, poorly ground, or whatever? I don't recall mentioning Cold Steel. Never owned one. Won't talk about something I have not owned. Can't imagine why you would even bring this up. >>The one beating them is the hogue Ritter otherwise apples to alligators. Aren't those comparisons the only ones worth making? Think about it: Why the hell would a sane person compare, for example, a Manix 4V with G-10 grips with a Manix 4V with Micarta grips? Or a Presidio S-30V with aluminum grips with a Presidio S-30V with FRN grips? The comparisons we make in real life -are- dissimilar things. Do we want a lock knife or not? Fixed or folding? What size? What price? What brand? Where was it made? can I afford it? What will the wife say when I bring home another one? Where can I hide this one? You can argue this crap all you want, but not once have I had a debate with myself as to whether I wanted a particular knife to be flat or sabre grind. If I want CPM-M4 then I will fine one with the right combination of size, lock, heat treatment, price, and occasionally style, that I can make work for me. These are the real world comparisons we make. Not just Nissan vs. Chrysler mini van but do we need a mini van, an SUV, a pickup, a car, V8 V6 or V4, maybe I want a new C8 Corvette but is it worth it that it will cost me a wife and a house, or what. We compare and contrast the utility of a mini van with the ease of entry, gas mileage, and performance of a car, with the capacity of a truck, with the purchase price, with how ours stands up against the neighbor's new SUV, and so forth. We do not compare the black truck with the pewter truck. That comparison comes down to whatever is on the lot, and the deal. All this apples to apples junque only exists in sheltered enclaves. >> ?? I had a mini grip I sharpened 2 in 4 years. That tells me a lot about you: You have a low expectation and tolerance of sharp, and you don't use your knife much. Mine is used to cut wires, insulation, hoses, cardboard, cloth, sticks, leather, rubber, sometimes food after I have washed it, scrape rust off collets, and pretty much everything that needs cutting when my knife is within reach. So yes, it needs sharpening a bit more often than yours does. In short, mine is neither a fashion accessory nor an object of conversation and adoration. >> Mods Please dissolve this thread into non existence. That should have been done before your post. I don't know how well Bladeforums is doing regarding things such as attracting new membership, retaining new members, getting members to pay, and the like but if posts like this are typical, then the long term longevity of this place is doubtful. Sure, this has been written up before. Thing is, times change. Did a particular knifemaker change their heat treatment? Their lock style? Get a lower quality supplier or have staffing issues so quality suffers? Sometimes an older (or sometimes newer) model of a particular knife is better from a metallurgical standpoint. For example, I believe Buck has changed their blade steel several times. If the question does not come up from time to time, how are we supposed to know? Things change, and occasionally we have to plow the field again to find out about those changes. As a comparison, there is a standing joke on the Harley forums regarding oil threads. However, oil formulations change in response to federal laws. Maybe Castrol or Valvoline takes zinc out of a particular oil due to emission regulations. OK if you have a roller cam, not so if you have flat tappet; cam and tappet wear will be accelerated. We then need to find something else but only if we are aware of the change. Those of us who cannot stay on top of these things hope that as things change, we can ask the question without some haughty bored somebody with nothing but time on his hands jumps on the question because it does not apply to them. However, if it offends delicate sensibilities here to keep knowledge updated, then so be it. New members will be discouraged from posting, or perhaps even joining, page hits will go down, advertisers will fine another place with more views, and this forum will eventually die. Rant over, back to lurking mode. RCFL
I posted this in the Benchmade forum as well. I received this Bugout on 07/09/2020, and it arrived with horizontal blade-play. In less than a month - I lost an omega spring. I fell for the lightweight, amazing EDC hype. I just defended their QC/centering in another thread, and now they just lost my business permanently. Put my pictures into the album for when Benchmade defenders say that there is unpictured/undocumented evidence on their QC. I wish I had taken pictures of the uneven grinds on my 940-1 too.
20-something years ago, somebody prolly thought that very same thing. When the place runs it's course, then off to some other forum you should happily go. Over 20 years later, and Ol' Vel's still giving hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless and clues to the clueless.
dumb question, but did you for sure get it from an authorized dealer? there are so many clones and fakes floating around nowadays, i bought a kershaw blur not too long ago and didnt realize it was a fake at first, i just thought kershaw had started to cut corners and blamed them before realizing i had a counterfeit.
>> Over 20 years later, and Ol' Vel's still giving hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless and clues to the clueless. There sure are plenty of us, aren't there? Got to love the good members who actually know what they are talking about, are willing to dial it down to our level, and are so patient and generous with what they know, They make all this worthwhile. THANKS, y'all.
that bugout is rusty and the finish is worn off the thumb stud. If that is really less than a month old you need to learn how to take care of stuff.
There’s absolutely no evidence to support that being rust. It could easily be grime clinging to the factory lubricant and perhaps he just hasn’t cleaned it off for the photos. As for the thumb stud finish: if he was carrying it daily in denim or something, I don’t see how that’s a sign of misuse. Let’s also not pretend like all of his complaints don’t have years and catalogues of documentation supporting their existence on most of the BM Axis models. I’ve owned two and they both had irreparable play vertically and horizontally. I now own the Hogue/Ritter RSK and the ABLE lock makes me even more annoyed at BM. I always assumed slop was just part of the lock system but Hogue made it rock solid.
Ugh this thread again. This debate has been had like 18 million times at this point. Everyone has their own opinion. Lets move on.
I work in a profession with lots of mechanical work. It is more than likely some sort of lubricant from old locks, spindles or machine parts. It is also rubbing against rough fabric and screws all day. Feel free to see some of my other posts. I most certainly take good care of my knives.
It does not appear to be an authentic Benchmade. The color of the blue and the lack of certain machining marks, among other things, does not appear to match up.
Please, it has the primary identifying marks of any Benchmade Axis lock: a broken omega spring. Clearly authentic.
Yet I have 11 benchmades, play with them constantly, and have yet to have a broken omega spring. Give me a break. I love my Hogue Ritter, but it has worse centering than any of my Benchmades. And I can't get it centered. I'm not that worried about it, because it functions fine and doesn't rub, but when everyone says benchmade never has centered knives and my examples all show differently, it just makes me laugh. Benchmade is one of the most counterfeited knives of all, and he got it from the big river. I've gotten knives from there too, and been lucky, but many have not. Sorry you had a bad experience.
Again, it does not appear to be an authentic Benchmade. I am not saying omega spring failures don't happen...of the 30-some Benchmades I have purchased over the past two decades (most of which were Axis), I have had one spring fail on a knife that saw constant flicking. They will eventually fail if you use it long enough, corrosion is often a contributing factor to premature failures, but occasionally they do fail early on. IMHO, concerns of omega spring failure are often overstated, but my opinion there is a different topic. Getting back on topic, that specific knife does not appear to be a Benchmade. If someone is basing their opinion of Benchmade on that specific knife, they may not actually be basing their opinion on an authentic Benchmade. Some of the negative reviews of brands like Benchmade and Spyderco are coming from users who wound up purchasing a product that was sold as authentic but is actually a forgery. These fakes are extremely common on both eBay and Amazon. (source) Edit - here is a video showing the internals of the Bugout, again showing significant differences between the known authentic Benchmade and the knife of the original poster. (note to mods - this internal photo is readily available on the web, but if this comparison photo is not appropriate, I apologize in advance.)
This was posted in the Benchmade subforum too, and the Benchmade rep there brought up concerns that it looked like a fake. He told OP to send it in for inspection. I'm no expert, but I agree that it looks very suspect.
