new service pricing structure

plow_2

Gold Member
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Dec 18, 2002
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534
Filled out a warranty form to get a new blade put on my 940 due to excessive use and sharpening. Last time I had it done it was $30. The price came out to $90, so I emailed them. Response was that they were taking a beating with the old pricing structure so now it's based off the price of the knife. $90 for a new blade is too much though, so will keep the old blade and carry it less.
 
I wont be buying anymore Benchmade knives, if true... Historically, I have paid a premium for the butterfly and justified my purchases by being about to fall back on their warranty/repair services. If blade replacements are now this high, I personally can't justify the initial butterfly tax.
 
I see both sides of it. From their view I doubt there is much profit from swapping a blade for $30. Between the cost of the blade, paying a guy to swap it, and shipping it back it cant be much. On the other hand one of the benefits of Benchmade was the option to buy a replacement blade at a good price. When we buy a benchmade we pay a "butterfly tax", and from what I've read on other fan groups customer service has been subpar lately. There has been alot of negative feedback for Benchmade lately. This just adds more negativity to the list from a customer viewpoint.

Obviously I don't work there and I'm not a numbers guy, but maybe they should have done different pricing structure on the blade swap.
maybe something like
S30V-$40
20CV and m390-$50
M4 and S90V-$60

But I'm no expert, just a guy who loves knives. And it’s getting harder to justify spending money on a Benchmade.
 
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At least there is an option for a replacement blade, not like some knife manufacturers that don't offer replacement blades at all.

Unfortunately, I can never send any knives back to the States for warranty work, so the price of a blade is a moot point for me.
 
Ouch... I was assuming it was m4 or s90v. I got my 20cv grip blade replaced for $30 about 2 years ago... I wonder what s90v will cost if $90 is the price for s30v.

The Custom Shop charges $30 to upgrade a standard S30V Griptilian to S90V. If Benchmade is constant in their math (that’ll be the day) that would make an S90V replacement blade $120...which is roughly the same price as an entire Spyderco Native 5 in S90V :rolleyes:
 
I like Benchmade. I also like Spyderco. Of the two my Spyderco’s have better quality. I really like Benchmade. I just wish they could keep costs down. Recently bought a Bugout and really like it. But it doesn’t have a edge on it out of the box like my Para 3 or Native 5. Same steel.

Since the Axis lock is no longer just on Benchmade’s I don’t think high prices are going to help them.
 
from what i understand the price increase came as a result of a lot of people taking advantage of their blade replacement policy, much as they used to with their free clips a while back. with them now sending the old blade back upon request, there’s been an bunch of pretty much brand new blades being replaced just to get a 2nd blade without anything wrong with the first. when you consider that spyderco (& other companies too, my old memory just won’t recall who) won’t replace a blade at all, it still isn’t a bad deal. i think they’re asking 40% of msrp from what i’ve heard.

so once again you can thank the leaches who have to go ruin everything for the rest of us
 
I'm going to have to call and check i was just about to send my barrage in ... but if the prices are this high forget it
 
The biggest issue for me is the way that Benchmade handles changes. Nothing is announced through their website or social media. Maybe it was on their forum but I don't frequent it enough to know. Instead a customer sends in a knife thinking I'm gonna pay $30 to have this rebladed because that's what it always is and then is disappointed and comes to a forum to share how much "Yours for life" actually cost.

I bought a Custom Shop (bought several actually) and payed FULL MSRP on them because I thought I could get a re-blade at a good enough price to offset the purchase if I jacked it up. That is a benefit of BM I always factor in when purchasing a new knife. If the above person is right and now I have to pay 40% of what the knife costs for a re-blade i'll have paid $322 for a Grip and then a re-blade a few years down the line. At those prices I'm getting close to just buying a second knife.

I don't think that it's outrageous but not being clear in your policy is and that's what upsets me the most.
 
The Custom Shop charges $30 to upgrade a standard S30V Griptilian to S90V. If Benchmade is constant in their math (that’ll be the day) that would make an S90V replacement blade $120...which is roughly the same price as an entire Spyderco Native 5 in S90V :rolleyes:

550/551 Griptilian in s30v - $119.00
Endura in K390 - $133.00

Even in the regular production knives Benchmade isn't really cheaper. K390 for $14.00 more. I'll just buy two Endura's and call it a day for blade replacement.
 
I hope that's wrong. Benchmade has made some really rookie mistakes in recent years, particularly with their marketing around limiteds. If the $90 quote is accurate, I may just be done with them, after 30 years of collecting their knives. They might actually benefit from being taken out by a private equity firm.
 
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