Why no love for the BM 520 Presidio??????

I'm sure the 520 is a great knife, and I'm still kind of tempted by the M-4 variant, the trouble for me is that I like the design of a lot of other knives a lot more. The 741 and 860, those are more my style (long blade, filling handle, flat spine/long thumb ramp, the 741 is beautifully flat ground with a hole opener, the 860 has a long sweeping blade and the thumb studs keep out of the way, and it has a low riding clip).
 
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I love the 520. So much so, that I have 3 of them. It pretty much fits the bill for me in the fact that it is heavy and all metal. For around $100, I would say the knife is worth it.
 
I had one for about a week and flipped it. I've had several 154cm knives and think it's a fine steel for what I use a knife for so that wasn't really an issue. The scales on the 520 really are pocket shredders, I like a grippy handle but the 520 is hard on pants and still not that great of a grip. I'm also not crazy about the axis lock, the knife is heavy and, like my last few Benchmades, my 520 came "Sort Of" sharp.

Nothing about the 520 was bad... ...it was just kind of averageish and blah in every way. I really wanted to like it and it looked great in pictures and on paper. I felt the same way about the Rift. Unlike my Rift the 520 did have a centered blade though the bead blasting on it was light and showed some tooling marks through it.
 
Mahoney said:
I've looked at the Presidio a few times over the years in knife stores, and although I liked the size and the style, I couldn't justify the higher price when the Griptilian is almost as much knife for a lot less money
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I felt this way as well - kept looking back at it, liked the design and size, loved the feel of the handle, the one's I handled had great F&F, but it always seemd priced too high for me. But at the same time, I couldn't get over the cheap Griptilian handle, even though I have seen videos demonstrating that knife's performance in hard use. I almost bought a 550HG, preferring that design to the 551, but then I found a 520SBK for ~&100 and the difference in feel holding them in comparison... there was NO comparison, the 520 was far superior in every aspect but weight, and that only lends confidence to the user of a 520 - it is a tank! Now I don't EDC the 520, not so much because of the weight as because it's simply bigger than I need on an everyday basis - I wouldn't EDC a 550 for the same reason. But for cost of materials (quality), fit & finish, and comfort of design, I think it well worth the upgrade in price and weight from a Grip... even the S30V Ritter Grip which costs the same (better blade steel, cheaper handle). I guess it really was the handle (which many here seem to NOT like) which sold me on the knife... well, and finding it for well below $190 ;)
 
I dunno why others seem to pass over it, but I have had the 520 (manual version), the 5000 (auto version), and the 525 (mini, manual). I traded off the 520 at one point, but kept the 5000 and the 525 (my wife carries & uses the mini).

I like this one! It's got a really ergonomic handle, yes it gets chilly in the winter, but not so bad. The blade is pretty close to a FFG (full flat grind), which makes it an *excellent* slicer, and everyone knows how nice the Axis lock is. It is a little bit heavy, but so is my Buck 110 and I don't mind carrying that around.

Of all my one-hand-openers, it sees just as much pocket time as the leaders of the pack; I just rarely carry those any more... I guess I'm in a more traditional phase currently.

If you can get one on the Exchange, or through another second hand market, you'll probably get it for a good price, and it will be well worth it. It's a solid tool and a joy to use.
 
A local store, several years ago, had a post Christmas sale of mismatched BM knives & boxes, stacked on the BM display case - all marked $99.99. Included was a 520 box... I asked - then reboxed all but one knife/box pair in their appropriate box. I picked out the 520 - and several others - and got them for $10 off each for my efforts. Brand new $165 - $255+ BMs - for $89.99! My CC had a dent in it when I left that day...

Oh, the 520. Not so fond of it's blade steel - 154CM - it's okay - but I love S30V & m390 (... and N690, too!). Came razor sharp - absolutely perfect - techno pretty, with that opposing serrations in the black Al handle. Not much carry time here, but more because of possible wear on the Al's black finish than it's wear to my pockets. Nice blade size - but my 581, with it's m390, bumped it out of rotation. As another poster said, the ZT-0551 is a lot more knife for the ~same weight. Sadly, the ZT-0551 has bumped most other knives from my pocket - except for the BM 755 MPR and BM 480-1 Shoki, oddly, both m390. Still, no need or desire to discard the 520 here.

Stainz
 
The Presidio has been around for a bit but doesn't seem to have been updated since its release. I think the fact that the price is the same but that the steel hasn't improved their steel has made its popularity taper off.
 
I've got a BM Presidio which doesn't really get much carry time. I suppose I would carry it more often if it had G-10 handles instead of the aluminum ones. It's an okay knife. I mean it's well built, it's aesthetics are pleasing, and it has decent steel, but there are a lot of better knives out there for the money.
 
lol i had a 527 mini ultra before....sweet knife. i just never got around to getting the 520 cz there are so many other options. i have no doubt the 520 is an excellent knife....i was deciding between the zt350 and the 520 and i end up with the 350 cz it has s30v and its assisted opening. but i guess the 520 its one of those things that even though its excellent, they just never caught onto ppl lol.
 
I've seen quite a bit of the 520 on Russian forums when I've done searches in the past. I wonder if the aluminum handles are valued more in cold weather conditions?

I for one love the 520. It was my first BM, a decision that was very carefully made. The blade shape, materials, construction, and feel sold me. I have a Griptilian as well, and even though the blade shape is essentially the same, the knives feel completely different to me. The grip position, the handle thickness, and the balance are very different between the two, and for me the 520 just feels better. The action on it is crisp and smooth, much more so than my Grip, which can feel slightly sloppy at times. In the end, I know there are better materials, lighter weight knives, and more pocket friendly designs, but in the end the 520 is still my do-it-all knife.
 
I like it, but only the 154cm models. It's kinda priced way too high for what it is, not to mention the ultra model is 440c for $100+ which is ridiculous.

I'd be much more inclined to get one if they bump up the steel to S30v for that price and the ultra to 154cm.

I thoroughly enjoy by mini-grips and 707 however, and getting one to actually use would be a little redundant.
 
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I personally love my presidio, I like the way it looks and the weight doesn't bother me at all, and I like 154CM. I do have to agree however, that it shreds my pockets. It doesn't help that I wear jeans that cost more than the knife itself. Needless to say, it doesn't get much carry time.
 
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