Knife tip slightly bent..should I be concerned?

[9mmforMe]

I have a new(ish) Benchmade mini presidio ultra (3in. 440C blade) and I just noticed there is a very slight bend on the tip. I don't have a pic since my camera sucks. But I wonder if this is something I should be concerned about or is this typical of a midrange production knife? I took the knife out and found some 2x4s and proceeded to stick the board 5 times using an icepick stab, the blade went atleast 1/2 inch deep and there was no apparent change in the tip after examining it. I struck the wood pretty hard too.

What do you guys think? Should I be worried about any type of failure?

 

[solvability]

I would call benchmade - I bet they would want to replace it - these are nice knives and no reason for you to have to compromise.

 

[highorder]

I would call Benchmade - I bet they would want to replace it

+1 to that. Benchmade will take care of you.

 

[9mmforMe]

Thanks guys...will do.

 

[rcmodel]

Keep sticking 2"x4"'s and a new replacement will soon be bent too!

rc

 

[unwise11]

It's not ment for sticking wood.
It's ment to cut things.
If you want to stick things get a Kabar, but call benchmade and don't tell them you abused it.

 

[9mmforMe]

I know, not the best move on my part and certainly not a habit...thanks for the advice.

 

[Ogreon]

My reading of the initial post led me to believe that the 2x4 stabbing was done to see if the tip, which was already bent, was so soft that it would be unusable. In this case I think Benchmade should replace the knife.

If the tip was straight originally and only became bent after icepicking the boards, then I think the OP should keep the knife or replace it at his cost.

 

[9mmforMe]

My reading of the initial post led me to believe that the 2x4 stabbing was done to see if the tip, which was already bent, was so soft that it would be unusable. In this case I think Benchmade should replace the knife.

Oregon,

That's exactly what happened and what I was thinking when I icepicked the wood, just straight in jabs with no lateral/prying actions, and only after the bent tip was noticed. Aside from this incident I only use knives for that which they are meant...cutting.

 

[9mmforMe]

Well I sent it back today, so we'll see how long it takes for it to come back.

 

[9mmforMe]

Knife came back today

So today is the 12th of January and my knife came back. Looks great!
Order reads that they "replaced blade, springs, thumb lug, screws." They also sent a new replacement pocket clip and screws. Excellent work, I'm very pleased.

 

[WardenWolf]

Probably could have straightened it with a vise, but yeah, I don't abuse my knives.

 

[9mmforMe]

I don't think a vise would have fixed this, besides it was a factory defect and I didn't abuse the knife...The few jabs I performed were to check functioning of the blade...next time I get a defective blade, if ever, I will simply send it back first and not perform any minor tests.

 

[sonofodin]

Glad to hear they fixed the issue. What did it cost ? I have two benchmades I need to send back for resharpening, but just out of curiosity...

 

[9mmforMe]

No charge at all for the whole deal. And with their Lifesharp policy you only pay a minimal amount...here's the text from their homepage:

"There's never a dull moment with a Benchmade... That's right! We will gladly re-sharpen your Benchmade knife to a factory razor sharp edge (service does not apply to any serrated portion of the blade). If you prefer us to sharpen your blade, or if you may have neglected to maintain your edge for a while, simply ship your knife to us. We'll not only sharpen it, but we will also inspect the knife for any warranted repairs and "tune" the knife for optimum performance. Simply ship the knife to the Benchmade address, postage paid and insured. Please enclose your return shipping address with $5.00 for first knife and $2.50 for each additional knife, to cover handling and return shipping charges."


Here is a link to their website for more info:

http://www.benchmade.com/about_knives/lifesharp_service.asp


Sonofodin, I smoke a pipe too!

 

[9mmforMe]

Which 2 Benchmade models are you returning, Sonofodin?

 

[highorder]

I usually box up all of my Benchmades for lifesharp at the same time to save shipping.

It's not a small box.

 

[TimboKhan]

Probably could have straightened it with a vise, but yeah, I don't abuse my knives

On the one hand, I approve mightily of fixing my own stuff, and while I have never done such a repair, I would like to think that I have enough general shop skills to have lat east attempted it with some confidence.

On the other, Benchmades aren't cheap. If I spend the coin on one and something is wrong, why should I fix it? I own a few Benchmade knives now, and my attitude is that I paid a fair amount of money for a well made, defect free product. Evidently they feel the same seeing as how they took care of 9mm and even went above and beyond for what amounts to a factory refurb.

Further, while I don't condone abuse, if I own a knife that can't stand being stuck in a 2x4 a few times it probably isn't something I am going to want to keep. I don't recall ever doing so with any of my knives, but I would expect all of them to be able to do that without much in the way of lasting damage.