Benchmade is known as one of the “high-end” knife companies in the United States. They do make some of the best factory produced blades available, but American craftsmanship comes at a cost. When someone comes to me looking for a Benchmade it is easy for them to be overwhelmed by price alone. A 940 Osborne, one of my personal favorites, runs about 175 dollars. Contrary to what many of us knife nuts think, 175 dollars is a lot of money for a pocket knife to 90% of people. Enter the Benchmade Mini Presidio, the budget Benchmade.
USE: The Mini Presidio is an EDC knife. The blade length is 2.97 inches which is a suitable length for most EDC tasks. It has a drop point which is my preferred shape for most EDC knives.
DURABILITY AND STEEL: The Presidio is a fairly standard knife in this department. It sports a .12 inch thick blade. However, Benchmade decided to go with 440 C steel instead of their usual 154CM. 440C is inferior to 154CM and is not one of my personal favorite steels. It is fairly hard and has good rust resistance.
3/5
ERGONOMICS AND TEXTURING: The Mini Presidio feels good in hand. It is light and fast. It has adequate amounts of texture that ensures a firm grip on harder EDC tasks. I believe it is a well thought out traction plan.
4/5
ACTION AND LOCKUP: The action on this knife is quick and smooth in standard Benchmade fashion. It locks up like a vault and has one of my favorite locking systems, the Axis lock.
5/5
COST: The Mini Presidio can be yours for 80-100 dollars. Considering the American craftsmanship from a reputable company like Benchmade, its a good deal. I love mine. However, with options like the Spyderco Manix 2 and Benchmade Griptilian in the same price range, it has some pretty stiff competition.
4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: I would rank the automatic version of this knife the same as the manual version. I like mine, but I will probably trade or sell it off to get something else.
OVERALL SCORE: 4/5 Good to go
Knife Mayhem Home 