Hello All,

I am new to the forums, though not new to knives. I have a few questions about my 556 Mini-Grip.

First off, all the markings on the blade (logo, steel type, designer)are lighter than on my other BM knives, and lighter than other 556's I've seen. Everything else seems to be exactly the same. I've directly compared it to my brother's yellow 556, and they seem to be 100% identical, other than lighter markings, and my BM butterfly logo seems to be slightly smaller than his (and doesn't extend down quite as far on the blade). So, I was wondering if my 556 could be a slightly older model? It opens better than even my 940, and so I don't see how it could be a fake. I bought the 556 from a reputable seller on amazon, and my 940 from Bass Pro Shop. I've attached some pictures.

Secondly, the blade on my 556 is pretty off-center when closed. This doesn't seem to be the norm (my brother's is almost perfectly centered), and I wondered if I sent in my blade to BM, if they could center it?

Thanks!
Dan

556 w/faded logo


940 w/brighter logo


556 (left) and 940 (right)


940 (left) and 556 (right)


556 blade not centered


556

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wright88,

Anyone?

Hi Dan, welcome to the Forums.

Your 556 sounds legit, thre are an awful lot of the things in circulation and it's entirely possible equipment used for the laser markings on the blade could've been off that day.

Looks like you tried to plug photos in but it didn't work. Please try it again, it would be nice to see what the knife looks like.

And on centering, yeah sending to Benchmade would be a good idea...but here's a trick as an alternative;

First you need two Torx drivers, a T6 for the handle screws and T10 for the pivot bolt.

Back the pivot and handle screws off a few turns. With a soft cloth, and carefully, grip the blade and bend the blade TOWARDS the side it's leaning closest to. That will straighten the blade in most cases. After that's done tighten the handle screws and readjust the pivot tension to your liking.

Try that and get back to us...and BTW - for pics on the Forums, PhotoBucket.dot.com is a free uploading service that works great.

Hope this helps...!

After loosening the screws, I should (carefully) bend the blade with just my hand? Or with something else? I tried that, but it didn't seem to really do anything. Do I need to bend it pretty hard?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wright88,

...with a soft cloth and keeping your valuable fingers away from the edge please. This trick works unless it doesn't. The blade could be warped, which has happened. On the laser marking, you're right, it's light...that's a 'flub' and would be reason enough to send the thing up for a blade replacement and centering/tuneup while up there.