Benchmade 522

[tillias]

Hi.

I'm looking for the secondary hard-use knife. It should be cheap enough, medium or soft steel ( not S30V, D2 etc) to be sharpened easily in the field. Plastic handles (very high chance of sub-zero temperatures) are must have.

I do have portable saw (Bahco Laplander), small hatchet and Fallkniven F1 for real hard work.

So I decided to buy Benchmade 522 but can't find any reliable review of this knife. It is in "Black" category and fits almost all my needs. Any pros/cons? Any real users there?

They say "Hollow Ground Drop-Point, Ambidextrous Thumb-Studs" -- any ideas? It looks rock-solid on the picture, but who knows... And yes, I won't be using it like the pry-bar.

Thanks.

 

[LG&M]

I think it would be a good choice. Spyreco Endura would also be a good pick. Hope this helps a little.

 

[chiral.grolim]

While there are a lot of advantages to a BM522, I wonder what steered you in its direction with a variety of cheaper options available that meet the other criteria ...
For example, why not an Ontario Rat 1 or a Cold Steel American Lawman or Recon 1 or other Triad-lock knife? Why not a Buck 110? Why not a Swiss Army Knife which provides more tools? Or why not a Griptillian? What about the BM522 attracts you? What other features are you looking for besides inexpensive, non-metal handles, and easy to maintain? I have $5 Frost-cutlery knives that meet those criteria...

For the record, I own a BM520SBK and love it.

 

[tillias]

While there are a lot of advantages to a BM522, I wonder what steered you in its direction with a variety of cheaper options available that meet the other criteria ...

First of all let me thank you for real good questions! I'd like BM for four reasons:

1. Axis Lock. They say this is the stongest lock avaliable on market currently. And lock IMHO is the weakest part of any folder (if knife is used properly I mean)
2. I do have Spyderco Para-Military 2 at the moment and I feel some discomfort with it's lock while performing minor tasks with wood. The same discomfort with the handle. Three of four people I've found on the web say that BM522 has outstanding handle, one of the best.
3. I don't have any BM at the moment...
4. Quality. BM 522 isn't too cheap (it depends on the definition of cheap for every man) but it looks like a good compromise between the quality and price for me.

For example, why not an Ontario Rat 1 or a Cold Steel American Lawman or Recon 1 or other Triad-lock knife? Why not a Buck 110? Why not a Swiss Army Knife which provides more tools? Or why not a Griptillian? What about the BM522 attracts you? What other features are you looking for besides inexpensive, non-metal handles, and easy to maintain? I have $5 Frost-cutlery knives that meet those criteria...

For the record, I own a BM520SBK and love it.

I've got Wenger Ranger 155 on "my shelf" for 2 years. It is perfectly oiled with the Camelia oil and it rusts (will try to attach photos in 10 hours)...
AUS-8 on RAT-1, CS, CRKT frightens me a lot. And 440C looks good for me -- real proven *stainless* steel. No offence meant at all, it's just my non-professional IMHO.