Benchmade 530 Mel Pardue

Ultra lightweight and sharp as a razor, this is by far my favorite pocketknife:

The Benchmade 530 Pardue (http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=530) is a really cool knife. It is not what I was looking to buy, but when I picked it up, I was so amazed at the weight and feel that I came back the next day and bought it.

The knife is wafer thin, I usually keep it in my front pocket with the clip removed. A super handy tool set for Benchmade (and other) knives is the little blue service kit. It's one of the few places you will find a hex head small enough for pocket knives.

Anyway, back to the knife - I've honestly never seen a knife this sharp from the factory. Shaving hair off the back of my hand was no problem. Benchmade also came up with a very cool blade lock system they call the AXIS, which took a couple days getting used to, but I am hooked on it now. Basically, when depressed, there is effectively no drag on the blade - it can be flicked in or out with no effort. Once released, though, the blade is either locked open, or held (fairly tightly) closed. This AXIS system works just as well on my larger 550.

About the only thing I wouldn't use this knife for is serious carving or heavy cutting. It is sturdily constructed,but both the blade and the handle are very thin, and I'd worry about bending it out of shape.

No bends thus far though (about a year), and I don't leave home without it.