Benchmade 520 Presidio

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p_mcmanis

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Ill keep this short, I thought I would put this up since its not the most popular knife and itll give me a chance to post some photos I just took:

Blade: 154cm, satin, plain edge. The blade shape is clearly defensive. I find it slightly more difficult to do edc tasks with this blade shape and it does not cut as well as some of my other knives (especially the two comparison knives) though its not bad. Peircing is excellent. Sharpness out of the box was hair popping and it could push cut paper though again not as well as some other knives. It is a little short for the handle.

Handle: Aluminum looks good, feels alright (though I dont like that it changes temperature easily and retains heat, unlike g10) but provides little in the way of grip beyond the grooves cut into the side (which are in my opinion 100% necesarry). It also scuffs very easily which has led to me shying away from using it, this is easy to clean with a cloth but even touching it produces this effect and I do NOT like it.

Lock: Excellent, both in lockup and deployment. NO wiggle, feels more solid than say a 710 which has just a tiny bit if you grab all the way at the tip and use that 3.9 inches as leverage. One thing about the 520 is that it seems to have a greater travel distance in the axis than my blue class knives, Im not sure if its my imagination but I feel like it. The 520 is the only black class axis I personally own, so I cant say if thats a black class thing. As for deployment, the blade comes out as if it were floating through air if the lock is pulled all the way back. Even though every axis I own is good, this one is probably numero uno.

As an edc blade: I cant reccomend it. Its an incredibly solid knife, but the weight, blade shape and the ease in which the handles get scuffed up kills it as something I want to carry around all the time, especially since I do not wear thick pants (I wear dress pants 100% of the time) however I recommend buying one if you like to collect at all, want a new toy or simply want a heavier edc for whatever reason.

I took pictures next to my 710 and military because those are the two big (both in size and popularity) edc knives in this price range. I managed to borrow my parents camera (I dont own one myself) and I decided it would be cool to take pictures. I hope you can at least enjoy those, since nothing here is new info most likely. Please note that additional pictures are not possible, so my apologies if you wanted to see something else.


 
Thanks for the review.I have been thinking about purchasing this knife but wondered about the black finish on the aluminium handles.Are they smooth or are they kind of mildly abrasive like a fine sandpaper.I ask because the handles on my 940 are kind of abrasive.
 
The older ones were much smoother but the newer handles feel much more grippy.

I have edc-ed one over a year and the weight is the only thing really to mention. The scales on mine are showing silver spots there, where they accidantly have touched the sharpening stones and at the tip of the finger guard.

But all in all very less and not that disturbing for a knife, that is used.

But, G10 is much more sympathetic to me, too.
 
That's why you can go with the new Presidio Ultra with the polymer scales. It's less expensive (though 440C instead of 154cm) and a lot lighter.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
That's why you can go with the new Presidio Ultra with the polymer scales. It's less expensive (though 440C instead of 154cm) and a lot lighter.
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I dont like the handle materials, I dont like the blade material, and I HATE assisted opening. Id rather just carry something else entirely.

razor: like I said in the handle section the grooves are necesarry on this knife. the handles arent slick but its certainly not "grippy" by itself. if you want to buy it, I suggest doing so, but know that you are looking at something entirely different and not really comparable in terms of weight/usage. the 940 is a really nice knife but it feels like its weight, whereas the 520 has a heft that inspires confidence.
 
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p_mcmanis said:
I dont like the handle materials, I dont like the blade material, and I HATE assisted opening. Id rather just carry something else entirely.
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It's not clear from your comment if you meant to imply the Presidio Ultra is an assisted opener, but it is NOT assisted opening.

Benchmade also just released the Barrage/Mini Barrage, which is the first assisted opening Axis, but that's a different product entirely.
 
GenericJohn said:
It's not clear from your comment if you meant to imply the Presidio Ultra is an assisted opener, but it is NOT assisted opening.

Benchmade also just released the Barrage/Mini Barrage, which is the first assisted opening Axis, but that's a different product entirely.
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oh my bad, I had thought that the presidio ultra had gotten the same axis-assist as the barrage.
 
p_mcmanis said:
razor: like I said in the handle section the grooves are necesarry on this knife. the handles arent slick but its certainly not "grippy" by itself. if you want to buy it, I suggest doing so, but know that you are looking at something entirely different and not really comparable in terms of weight/usage. the 940 is a really nice knife but it feels like its weight, whereas the 520 has a heft that inspires confidence.
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p_mcmanis,I totally agree with you that the two are completely diferrent, one is a gentlemen's knife with almost no weight to it,while the other is more of a serious combat folder with some weight to inspire confidence and trust.For a folding knife, weight always means nothing to me. Actually,my present edc is the great big badass cold steel rajah II.
 
A little late, I know, but I've been away for a bit. I have the Presidio Ultra version & have had many of the BM's Blue & Black class knives.

I have not had the reg. Presidio, although I've had a 722, which has the aluminum handles. I agree with the OP in that aluminum really adds weight & doesn't stay looking great for long as it'll just get scratches pretty easily.

The Ultra surprised me in that it's lighter, but still a pretty solid folder for its size (I believe it's over 3 oz.). The handle's a little small, but for its size, comfortable & I like the blade. I can't really say much about their 440C, but I notice it's at the same RC as their 154CM (58-60). That, in & of itself, doesn't mean it'll be the same, but 440C HTed properly is not a bad knife steel.
 
Old post.

Guess i'm in the minority.

This knife does it for me.

Have both the manual and auto versions, carry in belt pouch so pockets are fine.

I like the weight, the handles shape and the blades as well.

Function has been no problem so it has the curb appeal and functionality I like.

I guess that's why there is variety; so we can all be happy.

BTW, the mini 525 is my all time favorite, but depending on dress I use them both regularily.
 
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