Benchmade 530 Folding Knife Review

[Roger Caffin]

> Wow. Roger can do a daily resupply!

No, not daily. Once every two or three days is more likely.
:-)

[Roger Caffin]

> I only use a folding knife like this for one thing: digging catholes. I would
> switch to a tiny knife or razor, but I can't figure out what else to dig with.
What an absolute waste of a good knife!

As for digging, I have found a Ti trowel incredibly effective, and very light. See
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/myog_ti_trowel.html
for details.

Cheers

[Gerry B.]

What makes the REI special edition worth the nearly $50 more than the standard 530?

[Rick Dreher]

Hi Gerry:

1. Different steel spec'd for blade.
2. Different color to ensure you'll be the envy of knife dudes everywhere.

Whether those differences are worth the price difference probably hinges on how much of a knife dude one is. I'd have a hard time justifying it, myself (granted, the blue would be harder to lose than standard black).

p.s. I'd be remiss if I didn't laud Roger's brave knife dismantlement. I'm great at taking stuff apart, very mediocre at reassembly and the Benchmade looks just complex enough to stymie my doing so successfully.

Cheers,

Rick

[Dale Wambaugh]

Knife manufacturers are adept at separating collectors from their money. REI isn't exactly ignorant of the process ;)

Check out custom knife sites like http://www.knifeart.com. $145 won't buy you the custom presentation case these things come in.

A knife is only a sharp wedge with a handle. Some have better wedges and/or handles. It is a tool and nothing more. Once you get past that, it's all decoration.

[Brian Jansen]

Another +1 on Opinel.

I have a number 7 Opinel knife that I love. My mom used one (and still uses the same one) my whole camping childhood. That's at least 20 plus years on a less then $10 knife!

I bought one myself a couple of years ago. I use it often at home because it's so comfortable and sharp. The round wood handle feels great and is easy to hold. The knife has great balance and the blade is thin and very strong.

What I like about it the best is the curved blade that is wide to the end. You need to think about the purpose of your knife. I use a knife for cutting AND spreading. The wide blade of the Opinel is great for spreading where as most blades are narrow at the end and don't hold much peanut butter, jam etc.

It is simple and beautiful and one of my favorite things that I own. :)

[Dale Wambaugh]

The Opinel blades are thin and can be made sharp enough to clean a fish. My concern would be getting the knife clean afterward. The Opinel blades are not flexible like a true fillet knife is and fail on that point.

The Victorinox paring knife would be a much better choice for a general food prep knife that can double as a fishing knife. It is flexible and can be cleaned easily too.

[David Olsen]

I sometimes use my Grampa Sam's home made knife.
Especially for skinning as it has a nice full belly.

He made it out of scraps. Being a homesteader near
Bridger, Montana, he made alot of his own tools.
This one uses old steel from a plow, wood that was lying
around, and brass washers from cigar cases.

[Roger Caffin]

I agree, but I rounded the tip off the paring knife to make something which can spread butter and jam as well. I don't need a second sharp point since I have the 530 for that, but equally you can't spread butter very well with the 530.

Cheers

[Dale Wambaugh]

Victorinox makes a rounded version too, but it is called a tomato/bagel knife. It's a little longer, so the weight may go up to a full ounce :)

There is also a sheeps foot blade paring knife– rounded on the top and a straight serrated cutting edge. Flip it over to use for spreading— provided you keep your fingers away from the edge.

There are dozens of brands of commercial paring knives. Some have more robust blades and/or handles. Victorinox/Forschner makes the paring knife with a rosewood handle too.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi dale

Yeah, the tomato knife is heavier, and I didn't want the serated edge.

I used the red-handled one you show and carefully ground the tip down to a blunt, almost square, end. The square end is good for scraping the last vestiges of jam from the bottom of the Nalge bottle … :-)

Cheers

[David Olsen]

Spreading is what the peanut butter piton is for.

Multi purpose.

[Roger Caffin]

Yes David, but my chrome-moly pitons are much too heavy in comparison!

Cheers

[Joseph Bernier]

My knife:

http://www.eseeknives.com/neck_knife.htm

love it!

[Andy Peredery]

http://www.gerbergear.com/index.php/product/id/187

inexpensive and only 1.2oz

or it's smaller cousin the Gerber Ultralight LST at 0.6oz with the 2 inch blade (for under $10).

[Walter Underwood]

Yep, I've been using a Gerber LST as my everyday and backpacking knife for years. $16, 36g. That weight is with a bit of cord tied to it so it won't slip out of my pocket by accident. Basic lockback design.

Avoid the half-serrated model and get the "fine edge" version.

I think it is this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WYZHDO

My son carries an Opinel.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I got to surfing around and came across a new Buck knife model that is a pretty good compromise for quality/weigh/cost. Buck has made all-plastic handled lightweight knives for decades, using the Bucklite designation. I had one for years (and lost it) and found it to be a great all around knife.

The newest model is a Bucklite Max. It comes in a couple sizes and orange or black handles. I opted for the medium orange model with a 3" blade that is 420HC stainless steel and hollow ground. It has dual thumb studs and a fixed pocket clip (right handed). Handle ergonomics are excellent and it has a lanyard hole. It is a lock back design, which is simple and secure, but not as much fun to play with. Weight is 2.5oz and you can buy one for a mere $20. Not bad.

This model also offered in a small size with 2-3/4" blade at 1.6oz, and a large with 3-5/8 blade at 3.1oz.

Caveats: hollow ground is not my favorite, but it works. The pocket clip is riveted in place and I'm left handed (grrrr). Removing the clip for lightening and pocket carry could weaken the handle– I would leave it be. This is about on par with the Gerber LST as the handle is all plastic without metal liners. The blade is riveted in place, which means you won't adjust play without some careful hammer work. Then again, if you are over 40, you will wear out before the knife does :)

[Eric Lundquist]

Looking to pull the trigger with my REI coupon. I keep my current knife tied to a belt loop and stored in my pocket with some Triptease. If the listed weight is 1.8oz what would the Benchmark 530 be without the metal clip?

[Roger Caffin]

Lots of details are to be found in the article.
I measured the weight without the clip at 50 g.

Cheers

[Dale Wambaugh]

I picked up a CRKT M16-01Z pocket knife at a local retailer a few weeks ago on sale for $16. It is a decent little knife and not a bad blade profile for food prep and general work. It is just 2.3oz and slim enough to carry comfortably in your pocket. It does have a pocket clip, but it was quite right-handed as is the lock release, so I removed it. The blade is stainless (8Cr15MoV) and a little on the soft side, so it won't hold an edge like the harder tool steels, but it is much easier to sharpen. The steel is at least as good as a Swiss Army knife.

http://www.crkt.com/M16-01-EDC-ZytelHandle-AutoLAWKS-Razor-Sharp-Edge

[O S]

[Original comment deleted. I found that I can't stand the feeling of Grivory in my hand.]

Instead I went with an Al Mar Hawk ultralight – 2.75" blade, 3.25" handle,-> 1oz!
Made in Japan in a very old swordmaking district. I went with partial serration.
Hunted around and found a really good price. Glad to support Japan right now.

I had been getting by on a 4 dollar(!) Rostfrei Barracuda tanto, 2" blade 0.7oz, which surprisingly has a more comfortable handle than the SOG flash (which has ~2.45" blade / weighs 1.3oz). The Flash was stolen, and I got the Barracuda in a trade, but now it's old and the frame finally has a small fracture in it, it's gettin' wobbly, and is really too short for food prep. I'll probably replace it to keep in the car, it's so cheap, and the there's something about a micro tanto that I really like.

I looked at CRKT Delegate Gentleman because it's 1.7oz / 3" blade, but it's made in China, which means sweatshop and low quality, and who knows what's in the metal.
SOG does have some stuff made in China, but I found a site claiming that the Flash is made in USA. I like the flash, but the handle is terrible because it has the bulk of it's width at the wrong end. Plus it's "cool" tactical appearance provoked theft.

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