Curious About Bento

[chuck_roxas45]

LOL Tell you what Chuck, I'll *give* you an M4 manix for *free* and just charge you 10% what BBS was going to charge you for shipping -- heck for that price I think I could fly over there and deliver it in person!

Maybe they are hoping someone isn't paying attention and actually clicks "Checkout" with that shipping? It would only take one purchase at that price...

Hehehe.

[phillipsted]

You mean there isn't a guy named Bento Shop whose middle name happens to be Box?

Ben Tobox Shop.

[KardinalSyn]

LOL Tell you what Chuck, I'll *give* you an M4 manix for *free* and just charge you 10% what BBS was going to charge you for shipping -- heck for that price I think I could fly over there and deliver it in person!

Maybe they are hoping someone isn't paying attention and actually clicks "Checkout" with that shipping? It would only take one purchase at that price...

Actually, BentoBoxShop explained that it is there to discourage international buyers. However, contacting them should work out. There will be a higher surcharge added on top of the knife cost if you are an international buyer. Personally, I would much rather pay the extra to Spyderco on their listed prices which is even higher than paying a reseller. Keep in mind that dealers may get up to 50% or more off the Spyderco listed price. So I would also say that it depends on where ones loyalties lie.

[Wolverine666]

How much of a gamble can this be? It's a Spyderco knife, backed by Spyderco's warranty. Buying one of the green 204P PM2s on the resale market is likely to cost a lot more than the BBS blue M390.

So if there a prob like an off center blade or a scuff then I should ship my brand new knife to Spyderco and wait a few weeks to get it back when the whole time the dealer could have just taken 2 minutes to do a quick inspection to make sure everything was in proper order before shipping it to me ? Hahaha. Yeah right.

I'll stick with the tried and true dealers with the "good" customer service.

And that green 204P Para2 from KW looks a lot more attractive than the blue Bento one. But either steel would be great.

[Clip]

So if there a prob like an off center blade or a scuff then I should ship my brand new knife to Spyderco and wait a few weeks to get it back when the whole time the dealer could have just taken 2 minutes to do a quick inspection to make sure everything was in proper order before shipping it to me ? Hahaha. Yeah right.

I'll stick with the tried and true dealers with the "good" customer service.

And that green 204P Para2 from KW looks a lot more attractive than the blue Bento one. But either steel would be great.

To each his own. I received my M4 Manix 2 in the mail today from Bento, packaged well and shipped promptly. I would seriously consider buying from them again.

[Diamondback]

Yes..."dealer pre-inspection" is over-rated IMHO. There are plenty of posts complaining about "poor Spyderco QC" even though the poster said the knife had been "inspected" by the dealer before shipping.

...I tend to agree. I think it provides a placebo effect when afflicted with the "nervous nellies"....which I am prone to as human.

[Blerv]

So if there a prob like an off center blade or a scuff then I should ship my brand new knife to Spyderco and wait a few weeks to get it back when the whole time the dealer could have just taken 2 minutes to do a quick inspection to make sure everything was in proper order before shipping it to me ? Hahaha. Yeah right.

I'll stick with the tried and true dealers with the "good" customer service.

And that green 204P Para2 from KW looks a lot more attractive than the blue Bento one. But either steel would be great.

Yep basically.

People freak over the smallest things. A centered blade cuts no better than one half a millimeter to either side. If Spyderco didn't care about QC they wouldn't hold a Factory Seconds sale once a year ditching Para's for Ladybug prices. Even all of those knives are completely safe.

Regarding the M390 Para2 you have less options. It's a Bento Box Exclusive so unless you get a collector club numbered one it's going to come from their den of evil.

[phillipsted]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but BBS sells both new and used knives, correct? Buyers can't expect non-NIB knives to be sold on anything except as "as is" basis.

TedP

[Blerv]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but BBS sells both new and used knives, correct? Buyers can't expect non-NIB knives to be sold on anything except as "as is" basis.

TedP

I understand those are just discontinued models closer to MSRP. It would probably be wise to ask especially if paying $200 for a Spyker or something.

[Wolverine666]

Yep basically.

People freak over the smallest things. A centered blade cuts no better than one half a millimeter to either side. If Spyderco didn't care about QC they wouldn't hold a Factory Seconds sale once a year ditching Para's for Ladybug prices. Even all of those knives are completely safe.

Regarding the M390 Para2 you have less options. It's a Bento Box Exclusive so unless you get a collector club numbered one it's going to come from their den of evil.

Blerv , I don't think anyone is freaking out here. My post reads "Curious About Bento". That's because I'm curious about Bento and their methods of operation concerning business transactions and the customer service they provide (or rather "don't" provide).

I agree that Spyderco cares about QC. But what's the harm in having the dealer give it a quick check to look for what the customer asks ? 1 or 2 mm off center is a little silly to get worried over. But what if there happened to be a scratch on the blade or handle that went unnoticed at the factory ? Or if there was a noticeable gap between the handle scales and the liner ? Both of these scenarios have happened to me in the past. So now I ask the dealer to look the knife over before shipping it to me. And so far every knife has been perfect. This method works great for me. A quick check by the dealer can eliminate headaches like these.

I'm willing to let the blue Para2 M390 slip through my fingers (as much as I would like a Para2 with M390). That blue G10 isn't bad looking but not my favorite. I'll be sure to get a Yojimbo2 M390 Sprint when it appears.

[JNewell]

Note that the much-praised folks at Howes have recently cut back on returns.

Tell us more about where we can line up for the Yo2 M390.

Blerv , I don't think anyone is freaking out here. My post reads "Curious About Bento". That's because I'm curious about Bento and their methods of operation concerning business transactions and the customer service they provide (or rather "don't" provide).

I agree that Spyderco cares about QC. But what's the harm in having the dealer give it a quick check to look for what the customer asks ? 1 or 2 mm off center is a little silly to get worried over. But what if there happened to be a scratch on the blade or handle that went unnoticed at the factory ? Or if there was a noticeable gap between the handle scales and the liner ? Both of these scenarios have happened to me in the past. So now I ask the dealer to look the knife over before shipping it to me. And so far every knife has been perfect. This method works great for me. A quick check by the dealer can eliminate headaches like these.

I'm willing to let the blue Para2 M390 slip through my fingers (as much as I would like a Para2 with M390). That blue G10 isn't bad looking but not my favorite. I'll be sure to get a Yojimbo2 M390 Sprint when it appears.

[Wolverine666]

Note that the much-praised folks at Howes have recently cut back on returns.

Tell us more about where we can line up for the Yo2 M390.

Haha. So far the only place i know to pre-order the Yojimbo2 M390 is in my head. But that place is psychotic hornets nest full of mazes and traps

[chuck_roxas45]

Note that the much-praised folks at Howes have recently cut back on returns.

I actually prefer that. I don't want to get a knife that has been returned. And besides, I can't ship out knives anyway so I can't return anything.

[Jay_Ev]

The main reason Bento isn't at the top of my go-to list is because they are in California and paying 10% tax stings a little.

[gbelleh]

I've ordered from BBS once or twice with no problems. I only ask a dealer to inspect or hand pick a knife if there is some sort of issue showing up on the forums with a particular model. I asked Howes to hand pick me a Sage 4 because of initial reports of extremely stiff locks. I've had about a 99.995% success rate going with the luck of the draw otherwise. Out of about 180 Spydies, I've only ever had to return one for an exchange.

[jtoler_9]

Curious why this is in the Spyderco general discussion thread?

[Wolverine666]

Curious why this is in the Spyderco general discussion thread?

Why wouldn't it be ?

[The Deacon]

Why wouldn't it be ?

I can see JT's point, since the question under discussion does not really fall into the "Discuss Spyderco's products and history." framework of this sub-forum, it's about the policies/business ethics of a knife dealer. However, it's a really hard call, since BBS seems to sell only Spyderco, so there's more direct connection to Spyderco than would exist with a dealer that sells many brands.

For the record, I choose not to do business with Bento Box Shop for reasons of my own.

[Zenith]

I find this very interesting because I want an M4 Manix (mine is MIA for almost a week in the post from a seller hopeing it will turn up) and Bento is the place to get one brand new now for me. It is not only Bento that are limiting international orders. Many people on the second hand market refuse to ship internationally (CONUS ONLY!) and it was hard to get the M4 already now its MIA.

Damn you guys...I just went and spilled my emotions. Damn this thread.

I really don't care about Bentos warranty, I just want a M4 Manix, I don't mind a off center blade. As long as it opens and funstions as supposed to I am happy.

[bh49]

I didn't buy anything from BBS. High prices is non-starter for me, unless I really interesting in exclusive. Which didn't happen with BBS yet.

Yes..."dealer pre-inspection" is over-rated IMHO.

+1
Agree.
Even the best can miss something or feel that this is less important than you. My gray para2 was inspected by NGK, at least I asked to do so. After I received it I sent it back to Spyderco and it was exchanged promptly. Still love this dealer