Bugout 535BK-4 Disaster Recovery

[DStan]

I waited anxiously for my new knife to arrive. It was the Bugout with M390 steel dressed up in beautifully milled 6061-T6 Aircraft Aluminum scales. Amazing that it is a mere 2.5 oz. Out of the box and into my hand, ready to rock. I went to thumb flick it and nothing happened. The blade was stuck, locked into position. My heart sank, I was expecting elation instead I got aggravation.

I grabbed the blade and pulled it out, it resisted but finally yeilded. I exercised it, thinking CPR but it became apparent that it was DOA. This was not going to be a case of breaking it in. I tried anyway, only to be disappointed. I could see a gray sludge around the part of the blade that forms the pivot. I thought, “what kind of lubricant were they using?”

Not to be disappointed any further, I took matters into my own hands. I loosened the pivots and screws on the scales, enough to get significant blade play and swished the pivot end of the knife in 99.9 pct Isopropyl alcohol. Not the stuff you can get in the local pharmacy, this has zero water, it is pure. I could see the gunk washed into the alcohol. Took the knife out and used compressed air to clear out and dry off the alcohol. Then I got some KPL ultralight oil into the pivot and some KPL heavy oil onto the axis bar that rides on the blade and into the detents. Just a few drops of oil, tightened the scales and readjusted the pivot. Perfectly centered and wow the action is unbelievable. The thumb flicks, reverse (spydie) flicks and wrist flicks (unlocked) are amazing. The blade closes so easily and without crazy bounces. Finally the perfection that I was expecting. This knife is amazing, I am elated.

My other Benchmade knives arrived in good condition, I was not expecting this and was going to send it back but gave it a whack. By the way this is a beautiful knife, the below picture doesn't begin to do it justice. No upgrades are required.
Anyone else run into a new knife with gummy lubricant?

 

[Kryme]

Personal experiences like that is why I'll never buy another BM knife again. Absolutely zero quality control and utterly incompetent workmanship. It's truly baffling people still invest in this company.

 

[Ozmose]

I waited anxiously for my new knife to arrive. It was the Bugout with M390 steel dressed up in beautifully milled 6061-T6 Aircraft Aluminum scales. Amazing that it is a mere 2.5 oz. Out of the box and into my hand, ready to rock. I went to thumb flick it and nothing happened. The blade was stuck, locked into position. My heart sank, I was expecting elation instead I got aggravation.

I grabbed the blade and pulled it out, it resisted but finally yeilded. I exercised it, thinking CPR but it became apparent that it was DOA. This was not going to be a case of breaking it in. I tried anyway, only to be disappointed. I could see a gray sludge around the part of the blade that forms the pivot. I thought, “what kind of lubricant were they using?”

Not to be disappointed any further, I took matters into my own hands. I loosened the pivots and screws on the scales, enough to get significant blade play and swished the pivot end of the knife in 99.9 pct Isopropyl alcohol. Not the stuff you can get in the local pharmacy, this has zero water, it is pure. I could see the gunk washed into the alcohol. Took the knife out and used compressed air to clear out and dry off the alcohol. Then I got some KPL ultralight oil into the pivot and some KPL heavy oil onto the axis bar that rides on the blade and into the detents. Just a few drops of oil, tightened the scales and readjusted the pivot. Perfectly centered and wow the action is unbelievable. The thumb flicks, reverse (spydie) flicks and wrist flicks (unlocked) are amazing. The blade closes so easily and without crazy bounces. Finally the perfection that I was expecting. This knife is amazing, I am elated.

My other Benchmade knives arrived in good condition, I was not expecting this and was going to send it back but gave it a whack. By the way this is a beautiful knife, the below picture doesn't begin to do it justice. No upgrades are required.
Anyone else run into a new knife with gummy lubricant?

I have the exact same knife, and it is absolutely awesome. That grey sludge sounds a bit like certain thread lockers I've seen. I wonder if some made it into the pivot somehow. That would cause some problems for sure.
I have had issues with bad or contaminated lubricants in the past. One was on a considerably more expensive knife. There were a bunch of people freaking out about it at the time. People were getting the knives, and there was a ton of blade play. Of course everyone took to the internet to trash it. I took mine apart and noticed there was some kind of particulate in the lube that was making the steel washers the bearings ran on sit a hair off. Cleaned it up, put it back together, and it was perfect. Turns out that was the case with all of them, just a simple fix. The funny thing is, all the people that returned them and were trashing the knife online, were back complaining about how hard it was to find a month later.

 

[FordFan]

While not a new knife, I got my 940 back from the factory in December. It’s more than a decade old. I damaged the blade so sent it in for a new blade. It came back and the pivot was perfect. Opening and closing actions are terrific and no blade play at all. It was also sharp but I still clamped it in my Wicked Edge and tuned it to my desired bevel.

 

[DStan]

Personal experiences like that is why I'll never buy another BM knife again. Absolutely zero quality control and utterly incompetent workmanship. It's truly baffling people still invest in this company.

There's no excuse for the muck on the pivot and barlock. Once sorted out the knife proved to be absolutely amazing. If fidgets with the best of them.
The price is high but there is a cost to maintaining tooling, parts and trained personnel to support a lifetime warranty, not to mention the lifetime sharpening. Even still they are costly to do business with.
The knife is sharp but not wicked sharp. My 4 Spydercos and Demko CF s35vn AD 20.5 are all wicked sharp. I also have a Kershar Iridium which is sharper and an amazing value. Looks like I'll have to sharpen it if I want it to be wicked sharp. That shouldn't be so.
The machining on the blade and scales are amazing. The action and feel of action is second to none and that is something that I value, otherwise I'd be one unhappy camper. It is a beautiful knife.

 

[DStan]

I have the exact same knife, and it is absolutely awesome. That grey sludge sounds a bit like certain thread lockers I've seen. I wonder if some made it into the pivot somehow. That would cause some problems for sure.
I have had issues with bad or contaminated lubricants in the past. One was on a considerably more expensive knife. There were a bunch of people freaking out about it at the time. People were getting the knives, and there was a ton of blade play. Of course everyone took to the internet to trash it. I took mine apart and noticed there was some kind of particulate in the lube that was making the steel washers the bearings ran on sit a hair off. Cleaned it up, put it back together, and it was perfect. Turns out that was the case with all of them, just a simple fix. The funny thing is, all the people that returned them and were trashing the knife online, were back complaining about how hard it was to find a month later.

I absolutely love the knife, now that I fixed the problem. If that was some sort of locktite, there is no excuse for that happening, especially if it has happened more than once. This is not a cheap Chinese knife. I have a few Civivis which for the most part are excellent, only one had a problem that could only be solved by filing down a ramp on the detent slot. I sent it back as I shouldn't have to do something like that. If you ever get an impulse, try the Civivi Conspirator, a great fidgit knife with a figitible fuller for reverse nail flicks.

 

[DStan]

While not a new knife, I got my 940 back from the factory in December. It’s more than a decade old. I damaged the blade so sent it in for a new blade. It came back and the pivot was perfect. Opening and closing actions are terrific and no blade play at all. It was also sharp but I still clamped it in my Wicked Edge and tuned it to my desired bevel.

That's why they charge an arm and a leg, lifetime warrant.
I also have grigory (plastic) Benchmades that I have titanium scales coming in this week. Looks like they'll be off warranty.
My Griptilian makes a terrible loud smacking when deploying or locking back the blade. The plastic is the culprit and there is plenty of it. Other than that it is pretty sharp and has great action.
I have another grigory S30v Bugout, again good action. The Alpine Glow color is nice, but the scales will be in a sock drawer once the titanium scales arrive.
The M390 Bugout has much better action, first class. It wasn't cheap.

 

[Kryme]

There's no excuse for the muck on the pivot and barlock. Once sorted out the knife proved to be absolutely amazing. If fidgets with the best of them.
The price is high but there is a cost to maintaining tooling, parts and trained personnel to support a lifetime warranty, not to mention the lifetime sharpening. Even still they are costly to do business with.
The knife is sharp but not wicked sharp. My 4 Spydercos and Demko CF s35vn AD 20.5 are all wicked sharp. I also have a Kershar Iridium which is sharper and an amazing value. Looks like I'll have to sharpen it if I want it to be wicked sharp. That shouldn't be so.
The machining on the blade and scales are amazing. The action and feel of action is second to none and that is something that I value, otherwise I'd be one unhappy camper. It is a beautiful knife.

I'm sure they could save a ton on warranty claims if they actually invested in "trained personnel" and proper quality control procedures. The knives I received show obvious lack of both, and it is unacceptable at their price point.

 

[DStan]

I'm sure they could save a ton on warranty claims if they actually invested in "trained personnel" and proper quality control procedures. The knives I received show obvious lack of both, and it is unacceptable at their price point.

Perhaps it's a lack of QA on the assembly side, at least from my limited experience. The machining and tolerances are first rate on my Bugout as once degunked, it's a dream. I have a second Grigory Bugout that will undergo a vital transformation as new titanium scales should arrive today.