I purchased a Benchmade model 530S knife a couple of months ago and have used it almost daily since. For those of you that want to get right to the bottom line, here it is I like the knife. For anyone else whos interested, what follows is a bit of a review.
The knife is a thin, light weight folder with small thumb studs and a small belt clip. It has a partially serrated, spear point blade that has a cutting edge right at three inches as measured in a straight line from the beginning of the edge closest to the pivot point to the tip. The knife is very light and very thin. I carry it in my right front pocket and it doesnt print and most of the time I am not even aware that its there. I use the clip occasionally for IWB carry but I find it hard to use since it is small and stout for its size. However the knife is so light that pocket carry is very easy. The scales are made of some type of plastic and look cheap. That is probably because they are cheap. However, they work. With the blade open, one can pinch the scales in the middle and they do flex a little. The knife is plenty rigid when used for normal cutting and has stayed nice and tight even though I have put a fair amount of pressure on it for some of the cutting Ive done. The ergonomics of this knife are better than you might think for such a thin knife. I have absolutely no problem getting a good grip on it for whatever task is at hand. (That might be a pun, Im not sure.) Mr. Bernard Levine uses a statement from time to time in describing knives that I think is perfect for this knife, It is what it is, that being a thin lightweight general purpose utility knife that cuts very well. If I may use a gun analogy, if the Benchmade 630 is like a Ruger Redhawk then the 530 is like a S&W .38 Chiefs Special.
Listed below are some comparison knife weights (masses actually) in grams. Divide by 28.4 to get ounces. The Delica is the lightest but the blade is almost half an inch shorter than the 530S. The 530S has almost the same blade length as the mini AFCK and is about a quarter inch shorter when closed.
Spyderco Delica, old style 50.6 g
Benchmade 530S 51.3 g
Benchmade mini AFCK 84.4 g
Beretta Busfield large clip point w/ G10 scales 123.7 g
Buck 112 170.8 g
The knife has the axis lock mechanism. This is the first knife with this lock that I have owned. The action is very smooth. The blade stays securely closed but is very easy to open even with the smallish thumb studs. The axis lock is, in a word, neat. A T6 torx driver fits all the screws in the knife from pivot to handle to clip.
The blade steel is 440C. IMO this steel holds an edge better than AUS-8 and not as good as ATS-34. It takes a very sharp edge and is easier for me to sharpen than ATS-34. The knife came very sharp from the factory. I have found the blade shape to be useful for general cutting. The partial serrations have turned out to be excellent for starting the cut on small branches. The knife has been used to cut the usual common things that we all need to cut from time to time. It has performed quite well. It also peels fruit and vegetables very nicely. The only dumb thing I have done with it was to cut some metal shipping straps from a pallet. The plain part of the edge didnt want to cut but the serrations sawed right through. I cut two straps. This did a number on the serrations. It dulled them right down and wore down the profile of the serrations. After I did it, I said to myself Why in the h--- did you do that? Anyhow, the edge and the serrations were easy to make sharp again using my Loray sharpener (an ancestor of the Lansky). I sharpened the serrations at the same angle as the edge and noticed that the serrations were factory cut at a shallower angle than the edge. This made for a double bevel on the serrations which I dont like especially but they are very sharp again.
The one reservation I have about the knife is the price. Retail is in the $90 range and I paid $63 to a discount dealer. At $63, it is not a throw away and along with the Griptilian is the least expensive axis lock Benchmade makes. So if you want an axis lock, you wont do much better than that for a new knife, but for $30 - $40 more you can get something with the axis lock and G-10 or aluminum scales. I bought mine because I had the money when the dealer had the knife and I thought what the heck, Ive wanted an axis lock for a while so why not. Also, I dont do mail order so I am limited to what I find in person. However, if the dealer had happened to have one of the more expensive axis locks in the $100 range, I would have bought the higher priced knife. I guess what Im trying to say is that the knife might be in the price range where a normal person would say Thats too much to pay for a knife especially one with plastic handles and a knife nut would opt for something more expensive with better materials. I realize that this has nothing to do with the blades performance, just my $0.02 worth.
The knife is a thin, light weight folder with small thumb studs and a small belt clip. It has a partially serrated, spear point blade that has a cutting edge right at three inches as measured in a straight line from the beginning of the edge closest to the pivot point to the tip. The knife is very light and very thin. I carry it in my right front pocket and it doesnt print and most of the time I am not even aware that its there. I use the clip occasionally for IWB carry but I find it hard to use since it is small and stout for its size. However the knife is so light that pocket carry is very easy. The scales are made of some type of plastic and look cheap. That is probably because they are cheap. However, they work. With the blade open, one can pinch the scales in the middle and they do flex a little. The knife is plenty rigid when used for normal cutting and has stayed nice and tight even though I have put a fair amount of pressure on it for some of the cutting Ive done. The ergonomics of this knife are better than you might think for such a thin knife. I have absolutely no problem getting a good grip on it for whatever task is at hand. (That might be a pun, Im not sure.) Mr. Bernard Levine uses a statement from time to time in describing knives that I think is perfect for this knife, It is what it is, that being a thin lightweight general purpose utility knife that cuts very well. If I may use a gun analogy, if the Benchmade 630 is like a Ruger Redhawk then the 530 is like a S&W .38 Chiefs Special.
Listed below are some comparison knife weights (masses actually) in grams. Divide by 28.4 to get ounces. The Delica is the lightest but the blade is almost half an inch shorter than the 530S. The 530S has almost the same blade length as the mini AFCK and is about a quarter inch shorter when closed.
Spyderco Delica, old style 50.6 g
Benchmade 530S 51.3 g
Benchmade mini AFCK 84.4 g
Beretta Busfield large clip point w/ G10 scales 123.7 g
Buck 112 170.8 g
The knife has the axis lock mechanism. This is the first knife with this lock that I have owned. The action is very smooth. The blade stays securely closed but is very easy to open even with the smallish thumb studs. The axis lock is, in a word, neat. A T6 torx driver fits all the screws in the knife from pivot to handle to clip.
The blade steel is 440C. IMO this steel holds an edge better than AUS-8 and not as good as ATS-34. It takes a very sharp edge and is easier for me to sharpen than ATS-34. The knife came very sharp from the factory. I have found the blade shape to be useful for general cutting. The partial serrations have turned out to be excellent for starting the cut on small branches. The knife has been used to cut the usual common things that we all need to cut from time to time. It has performed quite well. It also peels fruit and vegetables very nicely. The only dumb thing I have done with it was to cut some metal shipping straps from a pallet. The plain part of the edge didnt want to cut but the serrations sawed right through. I cut two straps. This did a number on the serrations. It dulled them right down and wore down the profile of the serrations. After I did it, I said to myself Why in the h--- did you do that? Anyhow, the edge and the serrations were easy to make sharp again using my Loray sharpener (an ancestor of the Lansky). I sharpened the serrations at the same angle as the edge and noticed that the serrations were factory cut at a shallower angle than the edge. This made for a double bevel on the serrations which I dont like especially but they are very sharp again.
The one reservation I have about the knife is the price. Retail is in the $90 range and I paid $63 to a discount dealer. At $63, it is not a throw away and along with the Griptilian is the least expensive axis lock Benchmade makes. So if you want an axis lock, you wont do much better than that for a new knife, but for $30 - $40 more you can get something with the axis lock and G-10 or aluminum scales. I bought mine because I had the money when the dealer had the knife and I thought what the heck, Ive wanted an axis lock for a while so why not. Also, I dont do mail order so I am limited to what I find in person. However, if the dealer had happened to have one of the more expensive axis locks in the $100 range, I would have bought the higher priced knife. I guess what Im trying to say is that the knife might be in the price range where a normal person would say Thats too much to pay for a knife especially one with plastic handles and a knife nut would opt for something more expensive with better materials. I realize that this has nothing to do with the blades performance, just my $0.02 worth.