Recent Benchmade Quality?

vjb.knife said:
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I love my 496. What's that beauty next to it though?

Benchmade's 3 best qualities are their designs, their materials, and their customer service. Their worst qualities, based on what others are saying, are their QC and their prices. As far as I'm concerned their prices are just fine as long as the QC is done right. I've owned 3 and had zero problems except when I did stupid stuff, which they fixed for me. As far as the price, I used to think they were expensive before really delving into the knife world. I think their prices are justified though, especially because so many other popular makers (Hinderer, Chris Reeve, ZT, etc.) leave me cold, stylistically speaking anyway, and cost more with no quantifiable justification. If Benchmade was 100% rigorous about QC then I think there's nothing bad anyone could say about them, unless they participate in some unethical business practice that I don't know of.
 
I recently bought both the 575GY-2001 and the 575SGY-2001 and both are fairly stiff, even after wet-sand polishing the spacers on both... Worked both for a couple hours and while the snap open just fine, flipping them back in isn't that smooth. I may just need to polish them further, but they aren't where I want them yet. Instantly two of my favorite knives with 100% solid lockup and dead centering. M4 on those burnt bronze aluminum scales is beautiful. I would buy this in full size for sure....

PS I also bought a 570-1 and... I wish it were the previous gen with aluminum scales. It's not a bad knife and I will abuse it forever, it just doesn't have the same feel with those whatever "CF elite" scales. And whatever coating they put on the blade is a finger print magnet and not nearly as easy cleaning as my previous gen 575.
 
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I bought three Benchmades earlier this year. I bought the standard Bugout from REI on a sale and liked the design of it but it was grindy when opening and closing and I didn't want to fool with it. I also agreed with some opinions that the scales were too flexy so back it went. However, REI exchanged it at the same price for the 535BK-2 version and it was perfect. The best of the Bugout series for me and it replaced my long carried Mini-Grip as it was lighter, fit my hand better, and had a longer blade designed more for slicing cuts.

A few weeks later, I was talking to a guy at Benchmade and lamented that as much as I loved the Griptilian line (I have one fullsize and three Minis), I wished they had a mid-size version. He mentioned I might like the Mini-Presidio II and offered it for a LEO price even though I'd left that line of work decades ago. It arrived a few days later and was just what I wanted from the desire for a mid-size Grip.

Bottom line, I'd disagree with the OP's premise. The centering on all these was fine and I could have cleaned up the standard Bugout but the scales were what mostly put me off.

And props to their CS people. That Mini-Grip that I'd carried for years was getting wobbly when closed although lock-up was good. IIRC, a gal named Lindsay talked me through making the adjustments to put it back right. Took me less than five minutes and it's like new (save for the usage marks). Benchmade and Buck, my two favorites brands.
 
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Boombats said:
I love my 496. What's that beauty next to it though?

Benchmade's 3 best qualities are their designs, their materials, and their customer service. Their worst qualities, based on what others are saying, are their QC and their prices. As far as I'm concerned their prices are just fine as long as the QC is done right. I've owned 3 and had zero problems except when I did stupid stuff, which they fixed for me. As far as the price, I used to think they were expensive before really delving into the knife world. I think their prices are justified though, especially because so many other popular makers (Hinderer, Chris Reeve, ZT, etc.) leave me cold, stylistically speaking anyway, and cost more with no quantifiable justification. If Benchmade was 100% rigorous about QC then I think there's nothing bad anyone could say about them, unless they participate in some unethical business practice that I don't know of.
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The knife above the 496 is a custom from RJ Martin called the Devastator. It is my favorite folding knife of anything I have ever seen. They are very difficult to find.
 
bought 3 bugouts and a 940-2 in the last few weeks. i'd call it a hit or miss.

half of them have been great, the other half had strange grinds or bad centering. nothing you cant fix by your own, but pricewise not so cool
 
Sir_flip_a_lot said:
bought 3 bugouts and a 940-2 in the last few weeks. i'd call it a hit or miss.

half of them have been great, the other half had strange grinds or bad centering. nothing you cant fix by your own, but pricewise not so cool
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Interesting you'd mention the issues on the Bugouts. Of all of the Benchmades I've purchased in the last month, the Bugout is the one I have had an issue with right out of the box. This is the plain jane blue handled version. I went through two of them before finally returning both, the action was gritty as hell and only got worse with use. The blue lube wouldn't make a difference. I've read about other folks having issues with these, maybe more can elaborate? Otherwise I've been very happy with the Benchmades I've added to the collection.

Pic of the mini freek with AWT scales for content: (which has nearly the most smooth action of all, love this knife)

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My new custom m4 Griptilian. Centered, great action, decent edge grind (although I have worked on it a bit... I'm becoming an edge snob... Lol). It did need a little oil (too dry for my liking) and I tuned the pivot, but that's something I do to all new knives. Axis was a little sticky, I expected that since it's all blacked out hardware. Breaking in fine and should be just as easy to manipulate as my Super Freek or 20cv Grip in the next day or two.

Guess I've been lucky 11 times, love all my Benchmades!
 
Hi everyone! I just got my Bugout tonight, my first Benchmade in about 2 years, so glad to be back! I've owned a Grip and 940-1 before this.

The lightweight nature is really refreshing, and I love the blue standoffs and thumb-stud.

I am running into an issue with side blade-play, and wanted to fix it before I set the blue thread-locker. I've tightened the pivot to the point where it doesn't drop closed and takes quite a bit of force to open, but there is still small amounts of side blade-play.
I'm being as gentle as possible, since anyone who is trying to force horizontal blade-play can, but it seems to keep moving. Is it possible that I'm moving/flexing the scales and not the blade, which tricks me into thinking there's play?

I did not run into the same issue on any previous BMs. May anyone else chip in, or have experience specifically on the Bugout too?
 
I myself just got a 940-2 and am terribly disappointed with the QC. The action is fine and one side of the G10 looks perfectly new. The other looks worn in and used. I believe I’ve seen some refer to this on G10 as a bald spot.
 
The bald spot is "normal". Two of my three 940's have it, and they're both localised at the exact same place: clip/non-presentation/back side immediately behind the Axis lock bar (although I've seen others where it's on the front).

When I say normal, it seems to be a very common quirk with this particular model. I think it's weird, and shouldn't be there, but it is.
 
Dammit, having to send my Nakamura in due to broken omega springs... we’ll see how the warranty process goes.
 
.577NE said:
Never heard of it, now I have one on the way. Unintended consequences of reading BF. I love it :thumbsup:
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That is for sure. After seeing all that is out there due to this forum, my wallet has been getting beat up pretty good.
 
^^Yes, my -1601 is perfect. The smoothest of all my 940's yet, centered, symmetrical grinds, and no blade play. However, I still grab the plain-jane 940 the most, for some reason.
 
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