A couple of days ago I picked up a new Triage 916 for EDC. When I got home and took it out of the box I found it to be sharp as a razor and well made.

Then I noticed the blade was not centered well at all. When closed (with the tip of the blade facing toward you) the top of the blade is off to the right. But when slowly opening the blade, the edge is way off to the left.

It is as if the blade is slightly twisted clockwise.


Look at the tip of the blade compared to the base near the lock. It looks to be twisted to the left at this angle:




Here is a pic with the blade slightly opened. Notice how the edge of the blade is way off to the left? It is not contacting the frame, but it is very very close:




Here is the blade in the fully closed position. The blade spine is way off to the right:




I called BM to ask about the issue. I was told that I could either send the knife to them for evaluation or exchange it at my place of purchase. I opted to exchange it.

When I returned to the shop where I bought the 916, the clerk told me all the 916's they had were like that. He showed me another one they had on hand and it's blade was "twisted" also.

Is this blade twist a feature of some sort that I am unfamiliar with? Normal? Wrong?

Thanks in advance!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TenSeven,

My first thought was "that is one messed up blade!" Then I looked on Benchmade's web site for the 916 (bold added to draw attention):

quote:

Opposing bevel blade style with ambidextrous thumb-stud opener

Methinks it's supposed to be that way.

EDIT: watch this video at the 0:30 mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qhp1FiVbBQ

quote:

Methinks it's supposed to be that way.

I didnt give this thread much thought at first , but now that you mention it ......
Maybe it has to make room for the seatbelt cutter.

Sent a message to BM about this question. Still waiting for a reply...

You might want to call them. 800-800-7427.

thank God i have the 915, that blade does not look good to me it is twisted. or at least looks that way.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Old Boy:
thank God i have the 915, that blade does not look good to me it is twisted. or at least looks that way.

Watch the video I linked to. It clearly shows that it was designed with an offset bevel. It's not twisted, it's not messed up, it's supposed to be that way. The cross section of the blade is more of a parallelogram. We're so used to seeing either single bevel chisel grinds, or double bevels that are equal. This is like a chisel grind on one side at the bottom and a chisel grind on the other side at the top.
Like this:

FYI - I went to the 'WBK' store on Fisherman's Wharf in SF today and took a good look at the 916. The bevel on the knife IS off to the side on purpose and accomodates the belt cutting hook.

The knife isn't messing, Benchmade designed this one with heavy-duty features. One of the more interesting, aside from the beveled edge, is the flattened tip for prying, and on the other end is the carbide glass breaker.

I also love the G-10 scales...I wore gloves when playing with the knife and while it's a little hard to open the knife with the studs, it IS possible to open the blade by gripping the spine. And with the gloves on it's very grippy.

I prefer the 915 version with a little more point, but yes the blade is angled on purpose.

The 915 was on my short list and I was happy that when the 916 came out I had not bought a 915 yet. I thought the blunt nose on the 916 was a big plus. Now am leaning back into the 915 again. I know they know a lot more about making knives than I ever will, but my brain is unhappy with the rest of the 916 blade shape. Seems like that is always going to look wrong to me. The 915 blade is symmetrical, yes?

quote:

Originally posted by Jan:
The 915 blade is symmetrical, yes?

Yep.

Yes.

Correct.

Si.

Da.

Ja.

Correct-o-mundo.

Righty-o, mate!

etc.,etc.

(sorry, it's late and I'm sleep deprived)