Benchmade 530 SBK/Mini ruckus Bk1 serr--EDC thoughts and opinions

knivesandguns

knivesandguns

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Mar 6, 2008
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Hey guys, browsing on the internet and this blade just caught my eye, and was wondering what your opinions were about the knife. I've also played with the mini-ruckus, and I like that one, but it is on the spendy side.
Thoughts, opinions, pictures? Please only comment on these two, I've already looked at all of the other BM's.
Thanks,
-Mitch
 
Well, those are about as different as they get!
If you get the 530, you’ll have nowhere to go but up.

The 530 is nice and thin but I think it feels kind of cheap.

The 615 is about as nice as they get. Real solid and built like a tank.

Of course if you damage or lose the 530 you won’t feel as bad.

How did you come to choose between these two knives?
It’s like apples and oranges. Will this be your first Axis Lock?

It’s kind of like asking whether you should get a Saturn or a Lexus.

They knives really have nothing in common except the locking mechanism. {The best there is by the way}:)
 
The 530 is my EDC.

I really must disagree with my fellow forumite bearcut here.
The 530 is tremendously tough and reliable despite its low profile carry and light weight.

Stainless steel lined Noryl scales, Axis lock, 154CM blade that's a wicked cutter.

A great knife.

(IMHO.)
 
I have never handled a mini-Rukus but I'm a big fan of the 530, carry one almost every day. I keep the edge pretty thin, 12-15 degrees per side, and the thing will easily slice a hair into three splits. I've never had any durability issues and I've used it pretty hard, probably the toughest thing it did was drill a bunch of holes in 1/2 inch sheetrock. The 154CM sharpens up nicely, and with such a thin blade sharpens up QUICKLY. Its a great all around utility knife, with an excellent locking mechanism, for a reasonable price.

I can understand why people think it feels flimsy, mostly due to the plastic scales, but to me it seems like a tactile illusion of the Noryl plastic, that stuff in reality is pretty durable. A lot of people don't like the Griptilian for the same reason, but given the performance posts I've read about it here, it seems to be a non-issue.

A lot of the little knives out there that weigh next to nothing also give you next to nothing in terms of actual blade size. With the 530 you get 3.25 inches of blade, not much less than a mini-Rukus.

But oh yeah, I wouldn't use it as a pry-bar.:D
 
I don't have a problem with Noryl GTX handles, but didn't really like the 530. I found it little fiddly to open with those wierd thumb studs and prefer the jimping on the Axis studs that other Benchmades have.

I would start with a 556 Mini Griptilian.
 
Steven Andrews said:
I don't have a problem with Noryl GTX handles, but didn't really like the 530. I found it little fiddly to open with those wierd thumb studs and prefer the jimping on the Axis studs that other Benchmades have.

I would start with a 556 Mini Griptilian.
Click to expand...

I can completely understand that criticism, but as long as we're going out of the boundaries set by the OP, my favorite BM is the 710D2.
 
I have handled both knives. I currently EDC a 530 and feel that it is an excellent knife. Even though I am currently looking for a replacement for it, it is a great knife for the price. I always forget I am carrying it due to its light weight. The blade is 154cm and you can never go wrong with a modified spearpoint. However if you are looking for a larger blade to handle extremely tough jobs the Rukus would definetly be the better bet. The s30v blade thickness is 0.150" compared to the 530's very thin 0.09" blade.
 
WOW,
Thanks for your ultra quick comments guys. I'll take a look again at the 710 though--there's just too many of them out there! :) Thanks!

Well the reason I picked the 530 vs. the 615 is because they both looked good to my eye, and I read quite a few reviews on the 530. I've handled the big ruckus and I was like WOAH this thing is a monster!

After searching on the 710, I can't get a big enough picture, do some of you guys mind uploading a few beauty shots?

Thanks again,
-Mitch
 
rifon2 said:
The 530 is my EDC.

I really must disagree with my fellow forumite bearcut here.
The 530 is tremendously tough and reliable despite its low profile carry and light weight.

Stainless steel lined Noryl scales, Axis lock, 154CM blade that's a wicked cutter.

A great knife.

(IMHO.)
Click to expand...



I didn’t say the 530 WAS cheap, I said it FEELS kind of cheap.

NORYL is almost indestructible. 530's are good knives. I'm not saying they are a piece of junk.

I have Griptilians and they feel cheap too. I fixed that problem with my own ingenuity so it isn’t an issue for me anymore.

The 530 is a good knife, but let’s face it, it barely qualifies as a Blue Class. You aren’t going to hand a 530 to some guy and have him say, ‘Whoa! Nice knife!”
If you hand a 615 to the same guy, you’d better make sure you get it back….

Knivesandguns,

"Please only comment on these two, I've already looked at all of the other BM's."

I could show you some other options, but you said you only wanted opinions on these two. I thought you had done your homework and made up your mind.
 
Would there be a way to replace the noryl scales with G-10 or something? I dunno, I just love the ambidextrous, dagger-like look to the 530, and the classic, tank-like look to the 615. I don't think I would get a griptalian or a 710--they don't really appeal to me that much...

Thanks,
-Mitch
 
I have been a little turned off on the 530 because of the cheap plastic type handle scales but....they are very tough and practical and show little abuse cosmetically. The 530 is very sharp and easy to maintain and it carries so well you don't even know your carrying a knife until you need it. The Mini-Ruckus is a fine knife but it is a fairly large and thick bulky knife for what I would consider an EDC. The new assisted Strkyer gives you the same blade as the 615 but in a slimmer package. I would like to see the 530 with checkered zytel handles or G10 which is my favorite handle material. I do think the 530 is an excellent knife especially when you consider the price. And the 530 as the best lock the AXIS lock. And like someone else said just my 2 cents.
RKH
 
Yeah, I sorta wanted the nitrous striker, however, I carry tip-up, and I wanted something with an AXIS lock on it--I have too many liner/frame locks.
Thanks for all of your suggestions, I'll make up my mind eventually. (possibly getting both)
-Mitch
 
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