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Benchmade 530 Mel Pardue

Benchmade 530 Mel Pardue serrated horizontal main (Photo:phyx - bladeforums)

Knife Collectors Org. Review:

The Benchmade 530 Mel Pardue is one of the lightest and thinnest pocket knives produced. At 1.88 oz. and a blade thickness of 0.09", its presence is barely felt when carried in the pocket. It is even thin enough to be comfortably carried inside the waistband (IWB), for a concealed carry knife. For this reason it falls into the category of a "gentleman's folder", and is small and thin enough for ladies to carry too. In addition, the Benchmade 530 is right-hand and left-hand friendly.It has thumb studs on both side of the blade, and the pocket can be reversed to suit both right and left handers. The pocket clip can only be fixed for tip-up carry.

However due to its thin blade, this knife should not be used for prying or other heavy-duty tasks that a fixed blade knife should handle. It can handle daily tasks superbly, such as cutting strings, opening boxes, sharpening pencils, etc. The Axis lock however is great on this knife, and the knife holds up well when used for cutting. It is one of the strengths of this knife. The Benchmade 530's handle allows for medium-sized hands, and has grooves that provide decent grip when used.

Most compare the Benchmade 530 with Cold Steel's Ti-Lite knife, but find the Benchmade 530 to be superior because of its wider blade and good locking system. It is not marketed to be a self-defence knife but will fit the bill too as one, with its spear-point blade.

Some complain about the thumb stud, which is placed too near the handle and is uncomfortable to open. The handle also looks plasticky and cheap, with the grooves being a bit rough for some.

Overall, this is a lightweight and thin knife that is an excellent choice for EDC. It may be a little more expensive than knives from other brands, but is worth it. Though it seems and feels flimy, this knife is no slouch and is well built for its specifications. A good knife for ultralight backpacking or for someone who just needs a light knife to handle a wide variety of tasks. The main selling points of it is that it is lightweight, extremely thin and has a good Axis lock.

Editor's Rating: 8/10

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Specifications:

Blade Length: 3.25" x .09"

Length Closed: 4.17"

Overall length: 7.42"

Blade Steel: 154CM Stainless Steel or S30V Stainless Steel (530-901). 440C (Discontinued version)

Blade hardness: Rc. 58-60

Blade Finish: Satin-finish

Weight: 1.88 oz.

Edge: Plain or Partially-Serrated

Lock Type: AXIS Lock

Carry System: -NA-

Handle Material: Black Grivory or Blue Grivory (530-901 series). Black Noryl GTX 830 (Discontinued version)

Knife Type: Folding Knife

Country of origin: USA

Part #: 530 (Satin), 530SBK (Black, Partially-serrated), 530-901 (REI Limited Edition), 530S-901 (REI Ltd Edn, Satin, Partially Serrated), 530SBK-901 (REI Ltd Edn, Black, Partially Serrated)

Rarity Details:

Production Status: In Production

Last Known MSRP: Premium Member Content (see FAQs)

Current Estimated Price: Premium Member Content

Production dates: Premium Member Content

Production numbers: -unknown-

Limited run?: No

Other things of interest: Special light-blue REI version is being produced.

Rarity Index: 2/10 (10 being the most rare)

Rarity index scale (1 to 10, 10 being the most rare):

1 - Very common; easily available on ebay, google product search and almost every knife selling website. Spammed with at least 10+ listings on ebay.

3 - Has been around for at least 2 years and are selling reasonably well, with retailers favouring other newer models over this knife.

5 - Knives that are on the borderline of being discontinued or have been discontinued for less than 6 months

6 - Products from 6 onwards are either discontinued or limited edition.

7 - Discontinued knives that pop up once every few months on the "For Sale" part of forums or on ebay. Still can be found at a few online shops though.

8 - Knives that need lots of researching to find. Not available anymore in online knife shops and pop up (if you're lucky) >4 months for one at a time.

9 - Knives holding this rarity are the shadowy kind. You can't find any information on them at all (not even from online knife shops that have not taken down that knife's product page). If you see one for sale grab at all cost.

10 - The rarest of all knives. If you hadn't been here you wouldn't even have known that it existed. Should you have one of these you better lock it up in a triple-combination safe and treat it like a family heirloom...