Benchmade 615 or 940 for EDC?

R

RippedCityOS

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Sep 3, 2010
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I want to preface this discussion with a complement to the blade forums community. I've lurked here for awhile and have come to appreciate these forums and the members who make them possible. The site is a valuable source of information and competent discussions. So, thanks to you all!

Now, getting down to business.. I've become a big fan of Benchmade. I currently have a 580 Barrage and a 527 mini-Presidio. I enjoy and 'trust' these knives, but am still in search of my true EDC. For this, I've narrowed my search down to the 615 mini-Rukus and the 940 Osborne design. My buddy has a 940, so I'm familiar with this knife. The 615, however, I only briefly held about a year ago. I realize these knives are quite different from one another, but each seems to be a great choice for an EDC. I'm curious of the community's take on these two knives and would appreciate any input you guys have.
 
The 615 at nearly 6 oz is a 50% bump in weight over your 580 and nearly twice the weight 527 while the 940 is close in weight to the 527 but the lightest of all four--making the 615 and 940 quite different in that respect. I would never EDC a 6 oz folder, but weight is strongly preferential.

Of those four, I only have the 940, and it's the smoothest opening knife I own (I've read reports of the opposite, though, so I'm not sure if mine is standard in quality). It's svelte yet long, making it a great EDC blade IMO. It has no rocking play, but it does flex a bit if I grab the tip and try to get it flex (in other words, I don't notice it flexing during actual use). The blade is thin enough that slicing is nice but thick enough I don't worry about the tip breaking. The only things I'd change if given the opportunity are that the current jimping doesn't do anything (the bottom choil is deep enough that there isn't a safety issue, however) and the bump where the handle meets the blade up top is more annoying than helpful.
 
I go for the 940; it has a decent size blade. Quick to deploy and close. And comes in a nice size package.
 
I have both, whilst the 615 is fun to play with and a beautiful knife, it is far too fat and heavy to go in my pocket for general EDC.

The 940 is IMO a far better choice, but that is coming from a person that prefers to carry a Mini Ritter, Stretch or UKPK for EDC.....so you need to take that into consideration.
 
I'll also vote for the 940. I recently got a 943 and it's very slick. I've been eyeing them for years and I'm glad I got it. The blade is a little longer than I'm used to for a non work knife but is still rides very well in the pocket.

The Mini Ruckus is a chunky monkey. Not really a mini at all, just compared to its big brother. It would be a great choice if your EDC knife will see alot of real work.
 
I've been EDC'ing my 943 for almost 8 years now and it is by far my favorite Benchmade to date.
 
a 940 has been clipped to my pocket for most of the last 10 years. Great design IMO and an excellent EDC.
 
Not to mention both versions of the Rukus are discontinued. Price has surely shot up on the full size one and for the price of a 615 on the secondary market, odds are you could get a 940 new for the same.
 
I don't like the 940 personally. Just not a fan of the shape. I would go with the mini rukus of those choices. Personally I would go with a 950 Rift if looking for an AXIS lock knife. It is a great slicer but sturdy enough to do some serious work.
 
Ripped,

I'm with FlaMtnBkr on this one. I have a 940 as well as a 610, 615, 6150 and 615-1. I like the Rukus better, but just as Kreole pointed out, weight is strongly preferential.

I happen to like beefier knives with a little weight and heft, so the 940 doesn't do it for me. It's well made, beautiful design, great blade shape and length and honestly makes for a perfect EDC if your job doesn't entail a lot of hard use (my job sure doesn't).

However, Apec brings up a good point--finding a Mini Rukus will take a little time. Not a lot of time, they're uncommon, not rare, but you could have a 940 shipped tomorrow and for substantially less than the premium the discontinued Rukus brings.

If you work in an office environment where having a substantial knife on you might raise eyebrows, the 940 wins, period. If not, my choice would be the Mini Rukus.

Just to muddy the water, have you--or would you--consider the large Bone Collector?:D

Best,

Heekma
 
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