Customer Reviews

Benchmade 940 Osborne Design Knife

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have collected dozens of very expensive, high end knives, many of which cost significantly more than the Benchmade 940, and about 360 days out of the year, this is what is in my pocket everywhere I go, and I mean everywhere. Why? It is a perfectly balanced and engineered design:
Any bigger and it would be uncomfortable in my pocket, any smaller and the blade would not be big enough to be usefull for all around use. The handle is as small and thin as possible so you can clip it in your pocket and still use your pocket without it getting in the way, but it is also a perfectly usable size even with big hands. It weighs practically nothing and has perfect balance and feel. The AXIS lock, locks up rock solid, but by pulling back on the lock you can flick it open and closed faster than any thumb stud (which I have removed), and in fact is as fast as an automatic. The blade is made of S30V, which as of November 2007, is the best all around steel there is. It comes with a factory edge that you can literally shave with, and will hold that edge better than anything else except D2 tool steel or ceramic (both of which are too brittle and very hard to sharpen properly). The blade design while different, is like everything else about it, an amazing piece of engine

I have been on a little of a knife binge here the last two months and decided that a high-end folder would have to be my "last drink" for awhile. I was going to go for the BM Griptillian but after seeing that Amazon had this knife for almost $50 less than most of the online dealers I sprung for the little bit more and got this beaut.

This is my first BM and my fist knife in S30V steel that seems to be all the rage. I have not had the knife long enough to comment on S30V's edge retention but most knife folks seem to love it. The knife is beautiful and light. The anionidized aluminum handles are grippy due to the coating and the purple titanium spacer is great for weight reduction. The liner is great and the Axis lock is one cool invention. This knife opens as easily as my assisted Kershaw Leek without the spring pushing the blade open. It really must be experineced to be believed. It opens even faster if you simply pull back the lock and let gravity or a flip do the work and closes just as easily.

Unfortunately, the finishing of the Axis lock is where this knife looses a point. The knife is very precisely engineered and the pivot screw is less than a fraction of a millimeter from a fast opening great knife to a wobbly blade. When I got it out of the box it opened quickly and the blade was tight but after about a hundred open/close cycles (you will do this in the first day) the blade got a slight wobble. I checked online and this was a common problem and easily remedied by removing the pivot screw and putting a small drop of Locktite in the hole and VERY CAREFULLY adjusting the screw back to that perfect point. You would think at this price point ($170 most places) and this attention to design and materials BM has put into this blade that they would take care of putting that cheap drop of Locktite in there for you so you wouldn't have to spend the extra time and energy on such a great blade.

At this price it is a recommend but at the usual price I have seen online I would probably be disappointed.

Fate would have it that this knife would fall into my hands. On a camping trip with my father about a year and a half ago, deep in the middle of nowhere in a redwood lined-ravine, which would appear to have ever been wandered through by us, I was up late at night beside the fire digging around the forest litter (I had a good amount of Newcastle in me at the time). About three or four inches into the pine needles, somehow through the most amazing and surreal circumstances I could have and still have imagined, this knife was buried. To this day, the events surrounding it's discovery amaze me. After significant cleaning of the knife, which had dirt packed into every crevice, I concluded that it was a cheap knife probably left by a local forest service firefighter. I was greatly mistaken.

The last year and a half, it has served me well. This knife is perfect in every way. I use it to cut through everything, from my steak dinner this evening, to hacking away at pieces of wood, or stabbing the soil when I'm bored. The axis locking system is incredibly useful, and works far better than any sort of locking system I have ever seen. The steel on this blade is somewhat of a supernatural hardness and durability. It will NOT ding, and the edge seems to be indestructible! The aluminum handle and titanium backbone give this knife a very sturdy, durable platform to house and execute the blade opening. Overall, this knife somehow found me, and until the day I lose it, a very sad day indeed sometime in the future (granted, my phone number is engraved in the handle), much like losing a son or daughter I imagine, I will continue to use it, to beat it, to test it and admire it.

Been looking at purchasing this knife for a while now. Finally bought it from Amazon because they had a good sale.

If you're looking for a great everyday carry knife (EDC), then look no further. The axis lock in my opinion is better than a liner of frame lock. Deployment is super smooth, and lockup is rock solid. You can adjust the pivot screw to dial your personal preference. With practice, you can quickly deploy and replace the blade using the axis lock thumbstud.

One reason I love Benchmade knives is the superb pocket clip. It is attached by 3 screws and will not budge at all. Another plus is that it rides very low in the pocket. It can be switched for left handed carry, or removed completely, but will remain tip down (a plus in my opinion).

The aluminum frame is light and strong... you cannot bend the handle like you can with some other plastic framed knives. The purple spacer on the back edge of the frame adds some nice cosmetics as well.

Benchmade has recently upgraded the blade material from 154CM to S30V. From what i have read, S30V is a better steel, corrosion resistant and will keep its edge well.

Check out "nutnfancy" 's review of this knife on youtube, he does exhaustive and thorough reviews of well made knives. This is one of his favorites.

If you're looking for a top of the line EDC knife, give the 940 a try. You won't be disappointed.

This knife is almost perfect. I would have preferred a little more flare on the top for better thumb grip but that is the only thing about which I can complain with this knife. It came extremely sharp and well ground. After about a hundred opens, the knife deploys lightning fast with no wiggle at all. The lock is perfect.

Some people complain about the color. I like the appearance of this knife very much. I don't care about a flashy knife and prefer a quality folder which does not show off. If I were buying a knife for a female, I might opt for a more colorful knife for defensive reasons.

I got this knife for everyday carry and it has been great so far. The handle is ergonomically well thought out and the sculpted aluminum handles are very comfortable. I find the knife itself the perfect length for keeping it in the pocket and it is much slimmer than comparably-sized Benchmades. Fit and finish is outstanding but time will tell how the satin finish wears.

A word of advice - there is not much difference between a wobbly lockup and overly tight lockup on the screw that holds the blade in. Some people have found that blue LocTite or Teflon tape applied to the screw helps it stay in place. Mine was a little on the loose side when I got it but I fixed it up with LocTite and now lockup is both solid and fast. This is apparently a pretty common issue and it probably has something to do with the outrageously precise tolerances to which Benchmade machines its products but I love this knife too much to give it less than five stars.

I picked up this knife during one of Amazon's unannounced ridiculously low price drops. My previous favorite edc was a sog mini-vulcan. That knife was my introduction to the "arc lock" system. I love it for it's strength, versatility and ease of use. Well, the "axis-lock" is the Benchmade original version that works as well or better. It is simply perfect. The 930 is a serious blade built on a well engineered chasis with the finest ergonomics and just the right amount of cool. This knife is very easy to carry and will do just about anything the urban warrior will need of it...from defending your life on the street to saving your life at a barbeque, and everything else in between. The sturdy tip of the reverse-tanto blade is even strong enough to use as a flathead screwdriver, a can opener and, dare I say it, the ability to do some light-duty prying. And when you are finished slicing and dicing with surgical precision, the arc-lock will allow the blade to go back in as quickly and as easily as it came out. Truly a wonderful knife...

I have 21 high-quality folding knives in my collection--including other Benchmades, SOGs, Kershaws, Spyercos, Bradleys, etc. The Benchmade Osborne 940 is hands down my favorite. Along with the Bradley Alias, it's the fastest deploying knife I own. You can bring it out slow and quiet, or EASILY flick it out fast with a nice snap that scares people. Locks up like a bank vault. The S30V blade steel takes and holds a screaming edge. But what sets this knife apart, on top of all of that, is the size and weight. Although you can do some serious cutting tasks with the 3 3/8" blade, the overall slim and light profile of the blade and handle makes for a knife that you can carry all day and forget you have it on you. It's super easy to dig out of your pocket, deploy the blade, make your cut, fold back up, and re-insert in the pocket--all with one hand. Just like butter. Plus there is something about the green color of the handle that grows on you. Green would not normally be my first choice--however, on this knife, I love it. The handle traction is decent. The handle gimping may not be too functional, but I for one do not worry about "tactical encounters" or if my hand might slip off the knife if I were forced to go O.J. on someone to save my life. I think for EDC tasks the traction is just fine. If you're worried about self-defense, pick up a pair of tactical pants and a Cold Steel Kukri instead. I joke, but seriously: I'm sure there are knives out there better suited for self-defense, if that is really a concern.

Two Caveats:
First, the edge on my brand-new 940 was better suited for applying peanut butter than it was for cutting anything. It was literally as sharp as a butter knife. I don't think this is normal--it's the only Benchmade I ever received that wasn't razor sharp out of box. I contacted benchmade and they offered to sharpen it for free if I sent it in. I opted to just sharpen it myself, to 18 degrees per side on my Edge Pro. Now it is frighteningly sharp. I have used it normally for weeks and it will still shave hair like you wouldn't believe.

Second caveat: I had to lock-tite the pivot screw because it kept loosening up on me. After that, no problems whatsoever.

I don't consider either of these caveats a big deal, really. I think the dull factory edge was a fluke, and one drop from a $6.50 tube of blue lock-tite, for the ultimate pocket knife, is a small price to pay.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this knife. It's worth every penny. Get at least one before Benchmade stops making them!

Read some of the other reviews...with all due respect to Mr. Quigley, I wouldn't call this knife the best EDC ever. I own a D2 version. I will agree that S30V is excellent steel, but I would not call D2 "brittle." S30V has a more brittle feel to me than D2. However, D2 is what I would call, "gummy," which makes it very difficult to get very sharp. As one person described D2, it is easy to get a crappy edge and will hold whatever edge it has for a long time."

I loved this knife when I bought it too. It is well balanced, has an almost elegant feel. And it has solid handles and a solid blade with a, yes, solid axis lock up. But, for me, the size is in between an EDC knife which I would put about 2.9 inches (see a mini bone collector for instance) and a tactical knife which I would put closer to a 4" blade (see Striders or maybe Gerber Fairbarn/Applegate). It's sort of in between, not quite big enough to be something you'd want to go into a fight with nor small enough to pass as a utility knife.

For the price and quality, it's a very nicely made, nicely functioning knife though. I'm a huge benchmade fan and this knife lives up to benchmade's name and standards.

I have had this knife for a month now and carry it everyday! I do own other benchmade knives and have great satisfaction with all of there products so far. This knife came packaged very sharp and clean. My only problem worry the knife so far has been the pivot screw tends to work it's self loose fate opening and closing a lot. My solution was to remove the screw and put a little blue loc-tite on it and then reassemble and that has solved the problem 100%. I would reccommend this to friends and family!