The Benchmade 940 is pretty much an EDC classic at this point…
It’s been around for a long time now, and it’s an incredibly popular design that many people own and swear by…
And because of the popularity of the original 940, Benchmade decided to create a couple of other variations of the knife…
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 | Benchmade 940-1 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Benchmade 940-2 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
So in this Benchmade 940-1 Vs 940-2 comparison, we’re going to examine how these two knife designs compare in a number of different categories…
We’ll start off by explaining how exactly the knives are similar (because they are both Benchmade knives from the 940 series)…
And after that, we’ll get into all the differences between the 940-1 and the 940-2. In the end, I’ll tell you which of these two awesome knife designs I prefer…
And you should have all the information you need to determine which 940 variation will work best for you…
Let’s start by going over their similarities…
Benchmade 940-1 Vs 940-2 – How Are They Similar?
Blade Shape And Handle Design…
The Benchmade 940-1 and the 940-2 have the exact same blade shape. It’s the reverse tanto blade which is a signature of the original 940…
I like the reverse tanto blade shape because it’s very nimble and versatile so it can be used for a number of different everyday carry tasks…
In addition to that, both the 940-1 and the 940-2 can be had with either a plain edge or a serrated edge (with the serrations on the lower half of the blade)…
Personally, I prefer the plain edge version just because it’s easier to sharpen, but Benchmade actually offers a service called Life Sharp with all of their knives…
Basically, the Life Sharp service allows you to send your knife in to Benchmade to repair it, to lubricate it, or to sharpen it…
You can send your knife back as many times as you want to for the life of the knife, and the service is completely free…
I really like that Benchmade offers this service because it shows that they take care of their customers and that they stand by their products (which they expect to last for a long time)…
Now you can also get both the 940-1 and the 940-2 with either a satin finished blade or a black coated blade, and both knives are razor sharp right out of the box…
Both knives also have a thumb stud that allows you to open the blade with one hand, and the blade deployment on both knives is very, very smooth…
Now the handle materials on both of these knives are different, and we’ll address those differences later in this comparison…
But for now, the handle shape on both versions of the 940 is very similar, and they’re both ergonomic and very comfortable in your hand…
They also both really lock into your hand when you’re using the knife, and they’re both black in color (even though they are different materials).
Locking Mechanism…
Both the 940-1 and the 940-2 use the AXIS Lock locking system. This is a locking system that incorporates a spring tensioned bar, a track in the handles and liner, and the tang of the blade…
It’s a proprietary locking mechanism for Benchamde, and they acquired the patent for it all the way back in 1988 from knifemakers Bill McHenry and Jason Williams…
It’s a very strong locking system, that locks out the blade very securely, and at the same time, it allows the blade to be deployed very smoothly…
All in all, I think it’s a great locking mechanism, and it’s the system Benchmade employs on it’s entire 940 series of knives.
Size And Dimensions…
All versions of the Benchmade 940 have the same dimensions. First of all, their blades measure in at 3.40 inches long, and their handles measure in at 4.47 inches long…
That brings the overall length of all knives in the 940 series to 7.87 inches long when the blade is fully deployed…
I really like the size of the 940 because it’s small enough to carry very comfortably in your pocket all day long, but at the same time, it’s large enough to handle most everyday carry tasks.
Pocket Clip And Carry Position…
The clip on the 940-1 and the 940-2 is exactly the same. It sets you up for tip up carry only, and you can swap it to either side of the knife…
Personally I prefer tip down carry for my EDC knives, but I don’t mind carrying with the tip up if it’s a cool knife and that’s the only option available to me…
Also, I really like that you can swap the clip to either side of the knife because that means you can optimize it for left-handed or right-handed carry…
In addition to that, both the 940-1 and the 940-2 sit fairly low in your pocket. There is a little bit of handle that remains visible with both of them, but overall, they’re both pretty discrete…
And last, because the handle design for all of the knives in the 940 series is pretty slim, both the 940-1 and the 940-2 are extremely comfortable to carry around in your pocket all day long.
Benchmade 940-1 Vs 940-2 – How Are They Different?
Blade Steel And Materials…
Benchmade 940-1
The original Benchmade 940 is made using CPM S30V blade steel, which is a premium blade steel. It does a good job at resisting rust and it holds an edge pretty well…
However on the 940-1, Benchmade upgraded the blade steel to CPM S90V. CPM S90V is considered an ultra premium blade steel (it’s one of the best blade steels you can get)…
It also does a good job of resisting rust and corrosion, but it holds an edge extremely well (better than the CPM S30V blade steel on the original 940)…
The one downside to having CPM S90V blade steel on the 940-1 is that it is a little more difficult to sharpen than the CPM S30V on the original 940…
But that being said, you can sharpen it (it will just take a little more time and effort), and if you don’t want to go through the hassle…
…you can send your knife back into Benchmade using their Life Sharp service and they’ll put a razor sharp factory edge back on it for you (for free).
Now the handle on the original 940 is made from aluminum and it’s kind of a dark green color. But on the 940-1, Benchmade chose to change the handle material to carbon fiber…
I really like carbon fiber as a handle material because it’s firm and strong, and at the same time, it’s extremely lightweight…
It’s also very comfortable in your hand, and it allows you to get a good purchase on the knife when you’re using it.
Benchmade 940-2
The Benchmade 940-2 uses the same CPM S30V blade steel as the original 940. Like I said earlier, CPM S30V is considered a premium blade steel…
It does a great job at resisting rust, and it holds an edge pretty well. Again, it won’t hold an edge quite as long at the CPM S90V on the 940-1, but it’s still a very respectable blade steel (and it doesn’t cost as much either)…
In addition to that, the handle on the 940-2 is made from G-10. G-10 is a very strong and lightweight handle material…
It feels extremely comfortable in your hand, and it also helps give you a solid grip on the knife when you’re using it…
Last, to summarize the materials used in the 940 series of knives, you have the original 940 which has a CPM S30V steel blade and a green aluminum handle…
The 940-1 which has a CPM S90V steel blade and a black carbon fiber handle, and the 940-2 which has a CPM S30V blade and a black G-10 handle.
Knife Weight…
Benchmade 940-1
The 940-1 only weighs 2.4 ounces, which is 0.5 ounces lighter than the original 940. The main reason for this is probably the carbon fiber handle (it’s a much lighter material than the aluminum used on the handle of the original 940).
Benchmade 940-2
The 940-2 weighs in at 2.6 ounces. It’s just 0.2 ounces heavier than the 940-1, and again, the main reason it’s lighter than the original 940 is because the G-10 handle is lighter than the aluminum handle…
All that being said, the 940-1 is the lightest knife in the whole 940 series, but the 940-2 is only a little bit heavier.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because sometimes the prices of these knives change due to changes in the market…
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the 940-2 is around 115 to 120 bucks less expensive than the 940-1…
That’s a pretty significant difference and the main reason for it is because the CPM S90V steel on the 940-1 is a higher quality blade steel than the CPM S30V steel on the 940-2 (even though CPM S30V is still a great blade steel)…
In fact, the 940-2 is actually the most affordable knife in the whole Benchmade 940 series of knives because even compared to the original 940 itself, the 940-2 is usually around 25 bucks less expensive…
So in the end, the 940-2 is significantly less expensive than the 940-1, and that can definitely be a factor if you’re trying to stay on a budget.
Benchmade 940-1 Vs 940-2 – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, the Benchmade 940-1 and 940-2 have a number of similarities. First of all, they have the same reverse tanto blade shape, which is great for an everyday carry knife…
And they also have pretty much the same handle design in terms of shape and ergonomics (it’s comfortable and feels great in your hand)…
Next, they both have the same locking mechanism, the AXIS Lock which is a great locking system because it locks out the blade very securely and allows you to deploy the blade very smoothly…
They’re also the same exact size with a blade that measures in at 3.40 inches long, a handle that measures in at 4.47 inches long…
And an overall length of 7.87 inches long when the blade is fully locked out. Last, they both have the same pocket clip design which allows you to carry tip-up and is swappable to either side of the knife…
Now some of the most notable differences are in the Blade Steel and Handle Material category, the Weight category, and the Price category…
First of all, in the Blade Steel and Handle Material category, the 940-1 has CPM S90V blade steel and a carbon fiber handle… whereas the 940-2 has CPM S30V blade steel and a G-10 handle…
The CPM S30V on the 940-2 does a good job of resisting rust and holds an edge pretty well, but the CPM S90V blade steel on the 940-1 is superior because it will maintain its edge longer…
In addition to that, I personally like the carbon fiber handle on the 940-1 because it’s strong and extremely lightweight, but the textured G-10 used for the 940-2 handles is also a great material…
In the Weight category, the 940-1 is just a little bit lighter than the 940-2 (probably because the carbon fiber handles are just a touch lighter than the G-10 handles)…
And last, in the Price Comparison, the 940-2 is around 115 to 120 dollars less expensive than the 940-1 because of the blade steel used in each model…
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Benchmade 940-1…
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I prefer the 940-1 for a few reasons. First of all, I like the CPM S90V blade steel that you get with the 940-1…
It’s one of the best blade steels you can get, and it’s a step up from the CPM S30V (which is also a very good blade steel) that you get on the 940-2 because it will hold its edge for a longer period of time…
In addition to that, I like the carbon fiber handle that you get on the 940-1. I think it looks really sleek, and it’s a strong and lightweight material that feels really great in your hand…
Last, I like that the 940-1 is a little bit lighter than the 940-2 because it just makes the knife a little more comfortable to carry around all day as an EDC knife.
Now if you’re happy with the CPM S30V blade steel (which is still a great blade steel), and you want to save some money, then feel free to go with the 940-2 because it’s still an amazing knife…
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You won’t go wrong going with either of these two awesome knives from Benchmade. Both are amazing, and the two biggest factors you’ll need to consider are…
Number 1: Which blade steel do you want on your knife? And Number 2: What price point are you willing to pay to get your 940?
Figure that out, and your decision over which of these two great knives to get will become clear.