Why We Like It

The style of the tanto blade adds a warrior feel to an already excellent blade. The one handed operation and a sure grip are great features of this knife. The smooth opening action shows the time and precision Benchmade has place on their knives.

Description

The Benchmade 523 has a bead blasted tanto-style 154-CM blade (plain). The black aluminum handle feature milled ribs that add grip ability in any direction to the already contoured handle. The AXIS lock system makes the knife easier (and faster) to open and close and works equally well for right and left handers. The pocket clip (tip down) makes carry easy and can be reversed for right or left handers as well. Over all this is an excellent knife with a good feel and weight- something you could trust your life with.

Specifications

• Blade Length: 3.42"
• Blade Thickness: 0.130"
• Handle Thickness: 0.640"
• Blade Material: 154CM Stainless Steel (see below)
• Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC
• Blade Style: Tanto; Ambidextrous Thumb-Studs (see below)
• Weight: 5.62oz.
• Clip: Black, Reversible, Tip-Up
• Lock Mechanism: AXIS (see below)
• Overall Length: 8.25"
• Closed Length: 4.87"
• Sheath Material: Sold Separately
• Class: Black (see below)

Other

154CM - An American made premium grade stainless steel originally developed for tough industrial applications. Known for its best all-around qualities, it offers great corrosion resistance with good toughness and edge quality.

AXIS - A patented Benchmade exclusive, AXIS has been turning heads and winning fans ever since its introduction. A 100-percent ambidextrous design, AXIS gets its function from a small, hardened steel bar which rides forward and back in a slot machined into both steel liners. The bar extends to both sides of the knife, spanning the liners and positioned over the rear of the blade. It engages a ramped, tang portion of the knife blade when it is opened. Two omega style springs, one on each liner, give the locking bar it's inertia to engage the knife tang, and as a result the tang is wedged solidly between a sizable stop pin and the AXIS bar itself.

Tanto - Most tantos seen on the American cutlery market are Americanized formats. Like the Japanese tanto, the Americanized tanto has a high point in-line with the pivot. A flat grind is applied to the point, leaving it very thick and extraordinarily strong. This thick area helps absorb the impact from piercing, as the tanto was originally designed for armor piercing. The front edge meets the bottom edge at an obtuse angle rather than curving to meet it as seen in the Japanese tanto. The only negative aspect of the tanto blade shape is the cutting surface area is sacrificed to gain tip strength.

Black Class products are designed, developed and tested for extreme duty. They are the preferred cutting tools for Law Enforcement, Public Safety and Elite Military Troops around the globe.