531 help

D

DocT

Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
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I have thought about getting a 531 to drop in my pocket. The questions I have, from those of you who own one, are 1) the mini Grip handles are a bit small for my hand in length. How will the 531 compare? 2) The 531 has a thin blade and over all it is thin. How durable is it (no, I will not be chopping down trees). 3) with that slight swell at the pommel and at the guard, how well does it carry?

Thanks.
 
I will try and help out.

The handle of the 531 is slightly longer allowing my pinkie finger to get a full grip as opposed to the Mini-Grip which is too short for my pinkie finger to fit on the handle.

The blade is almost the same thickness along the spine as a Mini-Grip.

Carries great the only issue is the G-10's pattern with the tiny thumbstuds it can be a bit hard on the edges of pants pockets.

It is more sturdy than it may look's.
 
Great, Thanks!. I have trouble getting my pinky on a Mini Grip. I have other BMs but they are too big to drop in a pocket.
 
The 531 is great, the length is good, its very slim, and the weight makes it unoticeable in the pocket. It is definitely one of my favorite EDC's for light-medium duty work.
 
The 530 (in the same family) was my first Benchmade and was very impressed by it. Was able to get a full four finger grip, and on countless outings was my go to knife. The 530-1302 pictured was a very limited run, and given Gold Class treatment is one of my favorite models. For tasks around the castle here it gets the job done, and I barely feel it in my pocket



 
That 1302 is sweet. I hope we see a 531 variation with CF scales and S30V or M390.

Even the good ole' 530 is a pretty tough knife as light and thin as it is.
 
531 is good, IMO. I don't carry mine much because it ruins every pocket it sees. Not necessarily the G10 texture and clip, but that little thumb stud pokes holes inside the pocket, lol. Would not carry it (or any of my Axis knives) clip-less in my pocket. They will all open, I am sure of it. New thought is to remove the thumb studs entirely, because it's the best opening/closing knife I own. Cool, super sharp out of the box, awesome looking, feels good in the hand, and sturdier than it looks. Definitely longer handles than my 556, yet thinner.
 
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:thumbup: :thumbup:

I will say that I grab the mini-grip when I know I'll need a knife (and will use the crap out of it), though I do really like the 531. I'll admit that I play with the 531 more than carry it. After posting these pics this morning, I took it with me to work. It was just fine, though not as easy to get in/out of my pocket which has a massive hole in it already. Lol. It was a nice change of pace. Been switching between a Tasman SE and Dragonfly lately as they're very light. The 531 weighs in at 2.1 oz, and the 530 is something like 1.8.
 
The g10 is rough on dress pants, but since the knife isn't really designed as a hard use outdoorsman knife I simply bent the clip out away from the handle just a hair and haven't had a problem since. Still has enough traction to keep it from falling out at work, but slides out readily when desired. Since you won't be trudging through the brush with it where it might snag and pull out of your pocket, loosening it a tad didn't make it any more apt to fall from my pocket around the office, entering or exiting the car, or even when pulling my phone from the same pocket
 
Recently acquired a mini grip, which I also love, but my 531 has a slimmer/better profile in pocket. If I knew I was going to use my knife particularly hard and HAD to pick one of the two small knives to use I suppose I'd grab the mini grip due to the thicker handle being more comfortable for extended use. That said, on any given day at work I might break down a couple of cardboard boxes and cut a dozen zip ties, and the 531 is more than enough for those cutting needs. I'd argue that for small cutting tasks the 531 outperforms the grip due to having a blade shape that slices noticeably better
 
My 530 doesn t seem sturdy enough for more than light work. I don t carry mine except infrequently with dress clothes.
 
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