Is a Benchmade worth the money

I have a Mini Griptilian that I carried for 10 years and it is still ready for service. Sent it back to Benchmade for their free sharpening several times to put their excellent edge back on it.

My wife bought me their Emissary model last Father's Day. It is a great knife for everyday carry in a business casual environment. It is the knife I now carry most.

Their quality is very good and they are made in the USA.

Let me first say I have many knives. I own top of the line Ka-Bars, Kershaws, Case Knives and SOGs. Before I bought my Benchmade model 62 (Which I have always wanted) I always carried my Kershaw or SOG. This is my new favorite folding knife. It is of amazing quality, and in my mind it is worth every penny of that $250 I paid. D2 blade that is as sharp as my Thiers-Issard straight razor, fantastically smoth action, good weight, and overall a beautiful sturdy knife. So yes they are worth the money.

I've carried Gerber, CRKT, and Benchmade. My auto presidio served me well in Iraq and I ONLY carry Benchmade as a result. If you are considering one, check out their Griptilian model, they are awesome little knives, and they even let you custom order them!
http://www.benchmade.com/customize/default.aspx

I've carried Gerber, CRKT, and Benchmade. My auto presidio served me well in Iraq and I ONLY carry Benchmade as a result. If you are considering one, check out their Griptilian model, they are awesome little knives, and they even let you custom order them!
http://www.benchmade.com/customize/default.aspx

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Ok, That is my next knife! Thank you for posting this!!

hso said:

If you like the Kershaw you carry you may want to look at the Zero Tolerance knives since they are the next step up on that path instead of changing paths.

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hso, what do you mean by changing paths?

Never had any other premium knives to compare to, but benchmades are certainly quality. Popular items down range, only trouble's keeping the darn things out processing through customs (auto models). I've had two autos confiscated and manged to keep one. The lifetime sharpining is nice too.

I actually went the other way - I used to carry a Benchmade and now carry a Kershaw. Don't get wrong, Benchmade makes a high quality knife that will last quite a while; but the problem for me was at $150 per knife, you can't afford to lose too many of them. So far, the few Kershaws I have owned have been excellent quality at about 1/3 the price - and they will do everything I was doing with the Benchmade.

I discovered a thumbhole mini-griptillian a couple years ago and it's been my constant companion ever since. The clip tension still keeps it securely in my pocket, the action locks virtualy as solid as a fixed blade yet opens and closes butter smooth with just one hand, the size and blade design is perfect for my use, the blade is very sharp and it's made in the US. The only way they could make them better IMO is to offer the thumbhole in more designs across the line.

So YES it's worth the money and then some IMHO.

I've carried a Mini-Grip daily since getting it 2-3 months ago, and it's replaced all of my Kershaws, Spydies, and Buck VantagePro's in the EDC category. For all of sixty beanos, it's a real bargain.

I'm with the OP on this one. I can afford a Benchmade but don't own one. I have and really like the several Kershaws that I own but I'm willing to pay more for the right reasons. I realize that you all really like your Benchmades just like I really like my Kershaws and a friend of mine really likes his Spyderco.

Back to the OP's question regarding Benchmade.

In what way is it better?

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Compared to my Kershaws and Spydercos and the Buck VantagePro (my former EDC), the MiniGrip is lighter, more comfortable in the hand, can be carried tip-up on either the right or left side if you fancy clip carry, has a more useful blade shape for use in civilized settings, came sharpened better, and seems to be holding an edge much better. In addition, I will only pocket carry a folder that is not AO and which can be opened and closed one-handed.

For my EDC needs (dropping a knife into a pocket), the MiniGrip is simply the best that I've found so far.

I have a few Benchmades, and they are nice knives. I would say depending on model, yes they are worth the money as are Spyderco.

With regards to Kershaw, to be fair many of their knives are lower priced than Benchmade, but I believe they offer better value for what you get. Also, Kershaws Zero Tolercance line is more comparable in price to many Benchmades and Spydercos are are probably a better comparison for price. The ZT line is excellent, and has pushed my Benchmades out of my pocket and into my sock drawer.

The Axis Lock of the Benchmade knives make the price worthwhile for me. I have both a Griptilian and a Mini Griptilian. The Axis Lock allows a one handed opening as fast an automatic knife yet locks up solidly. I bought each for about $85 online.

Are they worth the money? To me yes.

Do you want to abuse a 100 dollar plus blade? Up to you to answer.

Are they worth the money? To me yes.

Do you want to abuse a 100 dollar plus blade? Up to you to answer

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To me the fact that you have a blade made of D2 Steel vs. AUS 6 stainless or Chrome Vanadium means the blade can withstand more abuse. I bought a K-Bar D2 and that thing is one tough customer. That makes it worth it to me.

To me the fact that you have a blade made of D2 Steel vs. AUS 6 stainless or Chrome Vanadium means the blade can withstand more abuse. I bought a K-Bar D2 and that thing is one tough customer. That makes it worth it to me.

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Well put!

I have to say that I'm not a real fan of the axis lock anymore. I used to like it and carried one in my pocket for years. The problem with them is that you can't easily get in there and clean everything without taking the whole knife apart. The spring inside starts to rust and then breaks in half. Then the knife is useless until fixed. With most of the liner lock designs (among other designs) you can clean the whole thing in 2 seconds inside and out and there's no springs to worry about. I just like to keep it simple. No more springs in knives for me unless they aren't critical to the use of the knife. I do think benchmade knives are great quality knives and they are almost worth the money (the price tag on some models is a little too high for what you get imo). I'd rather have a spyderco though. If I was looking to save money I'd get a kershaw. I like the fixed blade benchmarks and some of their other models though. I really regret selling all of my older limited run benchmade fixed blades a while back.

I went throught the same dilemna as the OP. I had a couple of Kershaw assisted opening knives and wanted something a little smaller so I decided to try a benchmade (mini griptilian) to see what the hype was about.
I would say yes, the benchmades are higher quality, hold an edge longer than the Kershaw, and come sharper (in my experience).
However I think if money is a concern, the Kershaw is probably a better value for the $ spent. Both have a lifetime warranty and are made locally (Oregon).
Since you already know your Kershaw I'd suggest giving a Benchmade a try. It was a little hard to part with $70-$80 for a smaller knife but I don't regret it at all. If for some reason you don't like it you can sell it without losing your shirt since they hold their value well.

The Benchmade 556 mini grip has studs....