Benchmade 530 Pardue Design Problems

[Skimo]

I may be a "sally" but my original post was merely trying to point out that some relatively minor changes that Benchmade could easily do would improve the ergonomics of the 530 knife significantly IMO. Are we all supposed to consider BM so perfect that their designs cannot be improved upon? I was the QA rep on a manufacturing companys engineering change order approval board long enough to know that virtually all products can be improved if manufacturers want to do so.

Less to do with Benchmade, more to do with Mel Pardue having designed a great knife that has many iterations from Benchmade 350, 530, 3550. Kinda rude to say that Mel coulda made it so much better. I don't disagree with blade changes and handle changes and lock changes, but at that point it needs to be a different model number and carry a new designers name.

 

[Scurvy092]

The 530 is a great little knife. Yeah the thumb studs were small for traditional deployment but made it probably the easiest knife to flick I have ever had. I sold it (because of the plastic handle more than anything else) but it was still an excellent knife.

I really liked that when you pulled back on the axis lock when the knife was closed, it would start to deploy it. If you actually pulled back on the lock hard enough you could completely deploy the knife like a spring less automatic if that makes sense...

 

[tatfiend]

The 530 is more on par with the 960, which is even thinner than the 940 and has a slightly shorter blade. 960 is a beautiful everyday carry and basically the exact same size as the 530. It's .378 thick vs .370. If you like the 530 and the 940, you'll love the 960.

FYI, there have been several versions of the 940 in carbon fiber.

Thanks for the 960 recommendation. My silver 960 arrived today and I feel that the ergonomics are an improvement over the 530, at least for me. Still a thin and dressy knife too.

 

[deathofallthings]

Glad you like it, the 960 is a great knife, and there are like 100 versions of it. Aluminum, stainless and carbon versions with every kind of inlay you can imagine. A lot of different blade steels too. My favorite is my 960-801, red aluminum with M4 blade steel... awesome user.

 

[tatfiend]

Just to prove that I do not hate the 530 I have gone ahead and ordered the REI Carbon Fiber version to add to the collection. My original post was intended to merely point out that Mr. Pardue seems to me to have let his desire for overall thinness of the 530 design, with minimal protrusions, override some considerations of user ergonomics. Except for the Axis lock release and the blade deployment thumb studs added length compared to the 530, the 960 does seem to me to be a more user ergonomic and comfortable to use design with very little added main body thickness. Both are nice knives and I wish the 960 was still in regular production.

 

[skyhorse]

I may be a "sally" but my original post was merely trying to point out that some relatively minor changes that Benchmade could easily do would improve the ergonomics of the 530 knife significantly IMO. Are we all supposed to consider BM so perfect that their designs cannot be improved upon?

Basically,yes.

 

[djdawg]

IMHO , everybody likes something different , you cant please everyone all the time.
If I had my way , all knives would have more jimping and all would have thin blades..........LOL
Maybe all hollow or flat ground ............ so , everyone here can find some detail that they would like better.
If I hate it ............I sell it.
Most I live with.

 

[deathofallthings]

Both are nice knives and I wish the 960 was still in regular production.

You never know, Benchmade occasionally brings back an old model as an LE. The recent Ares comes to mind. I never would have had the pleasure of owning one if they hadn't brought one back for an LE. I really hope that the 960 comes back someday for a couple LEs.