Benchmade 530 Pardue

Benchmade 530 Specifications:

Overall Length: 7.42"

Closed Length: 4.17"

Blade Length: 3.25"

Blade Thickness: 0.090"

Handle Thickness: 0.370"

Blade Material: 154CM Stainless Steel

Weight: 1.8oz

Today I am reviewing a Benchmade 530BK Pardue folder. I've been carrying this knife for approximately three months now and I must say, I LOVE IT !!

I have read comments on forums and youtube people saying they disliked the 530 because it was too light, or it didn't have a lot of 'meat' on the blade, or the they didn't like the recessed Axis lock studs. I must admit, out of the box, the recessed Axis lock studs seemed like it was going to be a deal breaker for me. After playing with it for a day or two I became very accustom with the knife and can deploy the blade just as fast any other knife I own.

Things I Like:

Weight: This thing is LIGHTWEIGHT !! It comes in at a astounding 1.8oz. Some people like a heavier knife, me, I am the total opposite. When it comes to EDC tools, weight is a deal breaker for me.
Size: The 530 fits in my hand perfectly. The blade comes in at 3.25" which is great for everyday medium duty tasks. A lot of people disliked this knife because the blade isn't thicker. Benchmade could have used a thicker blade, however, that would have defeated the lightweight purpose. Another thing people were posting on was the handle thickness. Some liked and disliked how thin it is. I go back to the emphasis of building a lightweight knife. My personal opinion is the blade and handle thickness is awesome on the 530.
Axis Lock: When you deploy this knife it locks up tight. After three months of day to day use there is absolutely no blade wiggle. As some said, the recessed axis lock studs can be overwhelming at first, but I became very accustom to them after a day or two. Same goes for the thumb studs on the blade. I can easily open and close this knife using one hand and the Axis Lock.
Materials: The Grivory scale material Benchmade used on the 530 feels just like the Griptilian. To some, that is unappealing and even feels a little cheap, but I got over that. I figure Benchmade used Grivory apposed to G10 was to keep this knife priced accordingly and to keep the weight down. Also the 530 uses 154CM Stainless Steel which is a American Made premium grade steel. 154CM is a tough steel for EDC use, holds a great edge, and offers great corrosion resistance. The Cerakote black finishing is awesome. I've had other knives with black blades and they get all beat up within the first week or two of EDC use. Not this one. After three months of use it still looks GOOD !!

Things I Dislike:

Pocket Clip: I think Benchmade could have put more emphasis on a deep carry pocket clip. When it's in my pant pocket about half a inch of the knife sticks above the pocket line. Another thing about the pocket clip. It seems to me that Benchmade just painted these black instead of anodizing them like other models I've had before. Over three months of EDC use my pocket clip has some ware on the pocket clip. While this doesn't effect the knife. I just figure it was something to point out.
Jimping: I think Benchmade could have put more emphasis on jimping on this knife. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the jimping about a 5 or 6. I would have liked to see it a little more bite.