Your experiences with the Benchmade 940/940-2

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Bobchicken1201

Joined
Nov 6, 2018
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Good morning! I've been looking to buy a benchmade 940 ot one of its variants and I have a few concerns:
1- How is the blade play/action on this knife? Many people says its dropshutty while others say its stiff
2- If the knife is drop shutty, what factor contribute to the drop shuttines?
Some knives have bearings, some knives have stepped pivots, other have bushings. The 940 has a traditional pivot with washers so what makes it special in terms of smooth action?

Sorry for the long post and thank you for reading!
 
I have a 940 and it has no blade play, it is very drop shutty (more on this later) and came with the blade off center from the factory (doesn’t bother me just pointing it out).

Drop shutty...You can easily loosen the pivot screw a hair if the blade is too stiff. When I clean mine and re assemble I can make it extremely stiff or completely fall shut smooth with very small adjustments of the pivot screw. Micro adjustments whilst periodically checking the blade action and play is your friend. As well as some blue loctite.

Pivots, washers, bearings etc can all be “smooth” I wouldn’t buy a knife just because of the pivot system unless it is known to have issues based on poor manufacturing approach and I really don’t feel this is the case with the 940. Great knife, great size and fun to use.
 
Benchmade's axis lock tends to have a slight bit of blade play in order to drop shut with no friction. Doesnt bug me as it's barely noticable but if even the teensiest bit of play peeves you, it could bug you. Of course, they all vary and how you tweak it makes a difference too.

940 is a classic tried and true yet modern design. If what I mentioned above isn't an issue I'd highly recommend one.
 
nwmetalbug said:
Ive been a diehard ZT fan for years. I bought a 940 and its kicked the ZT's out of my pocket. Like the action so much I just bought an Anthem. Still love ZT but benchmade is taking some money from them.
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This is me, kind of. I like ZT a lot, esp their move to smaller blades. I've only had amazing fit and finish except on one user that it appears someone messed around with. Great knives, great company. I do not however flock to flippers. I ended up with a 940 dash something and I've had a few of them... Amazing knife, and was a gateway to an Anthem. I've actually had 2 of them now.... currently zero. But I doubt I'll be w/o one forever. I just don't sit on a lot of knives and often sell ones I love to either try others or cover some other life expenses. The anthem (esp w/ an aftermarket clip) is one of my favorite knives of all time.

The 940 is also a very solid offering.
 
Bobchicken1201 said:
1- How is the blade play/action on this knife? Many people says its dropshutty while others say its stiff
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My 940-1 (carbon fiber with S90V and the blue spacers) is perfection ! ! !
I could not be happier with it. (I didn't have to clean it or lube it or adjust it or break it in)


2- If the knife is drop shutty, what factor contribute to the drop shuttines?
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It is my opinion, from making scales of my own and putting them on other knives (never on a 940 though) that the successful placement of the holes in the scales so they do not cause the frame of the knife to distort when the screws are tightened down is at least part of why my 940-1 functions so well. In other words if one or more of the holes in the scales had been drilled a fraction of a millimeter off the mark(s) then the angle of the screw as it passes from the hole in the scale to the hole in the frame would bow the liner.

Some knives have bearings, some knives have stepped pivots, other have bushings. The 940 has a traditional pivot with washers so what makes it special in terms of smooth action?
Click to expand...
I have found that knives made with care even if they have basic teflon washers (not my first choice) function very well. I prefer phosphor bronze washers.

The two knives I have made handle scales for that I mentioned above are, in fact, ball bearing flippers, and when the scale holes are off the mark the action of the knife is very sluggish.
When I correct the hole location for a straight shot for the screw through the scale into the liner then the action of the knife is what one would expect from a ball bearing flipper.

PS : for what it is worth I don't mind a trace of play in the pivot if the action is what I want.
Still the 940-1 I have is exceptionally knice.
For example I have a pile of Spyderco Para2s and of all of them only one was this knice from the factory.
 
I’ve had a 943 for about 6 years now and it’s still going strong. Nice and stiff when open and very smooth action. I like it because of the small/slim handle profile among other reasons. It’s not as bulky as some of the other Benchmade knives I’ve owned. Get it!
 
Is it bad I bought one just so I have one? I don't even carry it. It's pretty though.
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My 940-1 came with no blade play, perfectly centered, and a slight flick to close. OTOH, my 940 came with a little blade play so I had to make a choice between no blade play and my preferred action. 940-1 is what I still have. Others have alluded to the reasons for this so I won't rehash them. Good luck with your search.
 
I have a 940 that won’t drop shut without a little blade play no matter what I do to polish, lube or adjust. I just sold a 940-2 that was drop shut with no blade play at all. No idea what makes the difference. FWIW the 940 is much older.
 
My 940-1 came with no blade play, perfectly centered, and a slight flick to close. OTOH, my 940 came with a little blade play so I had to make a choice between no blade play and my preferred action. 940-1 is what I still have. Others have alluded to the reasons for this so I won't rehash them. Good luck with your search.
 
I have a green 940 that I went kicking and scratching into. I put off trying the model for years thinking the blade shape and small size weren't for me. 2 months and counting into my test and so far its been with me nearly everyday.

Wasn't "drop shutty" from the start but I futzed with it when I could whilst watching movies and such. I even accidentally washed it with the laundry once but intentionally didn't re-lube after and it seems to have burned in enough that it will drop shut and swing open with barely noticeable side to side play, even with no lube whatsoever. Seems the weight/geometry of the thing doesn't lend itself to swing open/close as accurately as other axis lock Benchmade products but one can adapt.

Its small for me but overall a pretty nice knife for my occupation and lifestyle.
 
My 940-1 has great action, but like others have said, it's a balance between drop shutty and blade play. I carry my PM 3 more, but it's a regular in the rotation.
 
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