Benchmade 610 Rukus

Reviewed 11/21/2014 by RJr

-Price Paid: $200.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Awesome knife and design. Two safety issues have to be addressed. If you have a meaty thumb careful in retrieving because it is tip up only and the tip of the razor sharp blade is long enough that if you have meaty thumbs it can make contact when you retrieve. Also an issue is the top part of the blade or spine closest to the handle pivot is way too sharp and needs to be filed down on both points. This will also bite you. Agree on pocket clip needing improvements for such a beefy expensive knife.

Reviewed 04/03/2010 by Apec

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Steel: CPM S30V

Lock: BM Axis

Back when the Rukus was still in production (and long before BM's MAP pricing policy), I obtained one of these for a little less than 170$ shipped. If you're looking for a large user folder, you will most likely find superior and more economic alternatives today (especially given the rising prices on the secondary market.)

Mine was the stonewash/plain edge model, though there was a black coated plain edge model available in limited quantities (however, you would be paying a premium for that option.)

The axis lock is easy to manipulate and truly ambidextrous. The knife is also aesthetically pleasing, although the visible square corner of the tang detracts from the lines of the knife when in the closed position.

My knife came with a blemish spot to the lower left of the BM logo. I was unsuccessful in removing it with WD40, mineral oil, and various other solvents and surfaces. However, the stonewash finish does not wear as easily as BM's black coating.

The scales are a two piece combination of canvas micarta and G10. The scales have a smooth finish, which does not improve grip traction with sweaty or wet hands. There is jimping on the spine and finger grooves to compensate for this, though the relatively straight handle does not allow for an absolutely secure grip (compared to my Zero Tolerance 0301 and Emerson Commander.)

The pocket clip does not offer much retention. Given the size of the knife, I would recommend carrying it in a holster or pouch instead of a pocket.

The blade is heavy enough to allow to one handed opening via wrist flicking. Flicking seems to be the more convenient method of opening the knife, considering the distance the thumbstud must travel via normal operation. However, do note that this will generate a substantial amount of shock against the stop pin. I noticed that I lost a torx screw securing the stop after a month of use, fortunately I was able to use a spare T6 screw from a Kershaw pocketclip in its place.

Flicking will also loosen the pivot considerably. When the pivot is adjusted to a point where the knife will flick open (but exhibit no blade play), it will only take a couple flicks to re-induce blade play. Loctite is a must.

My knife came with a severely off-center blade. As a result, the edge struck one of the backspacers and received a dent while closing. The damage to the edge was minor and could definitely be corrected by sharpening, though it gave me doubts about BM's QC and heat treat.

Benchmade's factory edge leaves much to be desired however. Though the edge held up through repeated use fairly easily, it did not produce clean cuts while slicing paper.

If I had the power to change the design of the knife, I would do the following:

-texture the canvas micarta scales

-increase the tension of the pocketclip

-design the thumbstud as an secondary blade stop

-contour the edges of the scales

-thin the scales down by 1/16" on each side

If you do decide to obtain a Rukus 610, your mileage may vary. You may receive a knife with superior or inferior build quality. However, do remember that the pivot and stop pin screw are susceptible to coming loose.

Reviewed 04/03/2010 by Socom Elite

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

The Benchmade Rukus is a big folder. And I mean Big. Everyone says how big it is, but even knowing this you will still say "man thats a big knife" once it's in your hand. The blade is 4.25" of CPM s30v. Offered in either black coated with serrations or satin finish plain edge. My first one however had a black coating plain edge which are hard to find but they did make them for a little while. The blade is a high flat grind and is very thick, but still cuts like a light sabre. The handle is very comfortable to hold and gives a lot of real estate for larger hands. I have medium size hands and it feels good to me. If you have smaller hands then I would suggest the 615 Mini-Rukus. The handles are made out of black G10 and green Canvas Micarta. The green Canvas micarta part of the handle can be swapped out for different grips offered by BM. The lock on the 610 is BM's Axis lock which on this blade makes it open like glass. The Rukus opens way smoother then any other knife I have ever had. Even more then my Striders and my Sebbie. This might be due to how heavy the blade is and once you get the big blade going the inertia of it keeps it going. The pocket clip can either be set to right or left hand carry, tip up only. The clip rides very low in the pocket. When clipped to the pocket you can only see the very tip of the handle and no one will know that you have a mini sword in there. The clip is rather week though and I bent mine to add tension so the knife wouldn't fall out. I carried this knife everyday for almost 2 years and it is a great knife. It did everything I needed and had no problem with anything. I did get the clip caught on a chair and broke it, but a call to BM and they sent me a new one. No questions asked. The fit and finish on the knife is great. No flaws were found. Even the jimping on the blade matched up perfectly with the jimping on the handles when the knife was opened. This knife is out of production and getting harder and harder to find. If you get a chance to get one I suggest you give it a shot.

Reviewed 02/15/2010 by CountyRat

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

The Rukus lives up to the expectations we have of Benchmade knives: thoughtfully designed, meticulously assembled form first-rate materials, good balance and strength. The Rukus has all of these characteristics, ESPECIALLY STRENGTH! This knife is solid as a brick. I prefer fixed blades to folders because of their strength, superior balance (when properly designed) and greater user safety. I wanted a large folder for situations when a fixed blade knife was not permitted or would attract unwanted attention. As a stand-in for a fixed blade the Rukus holds up very well.

Though not an assisted opening knife, the action is smooth and easy to operate with either hand. Lock up is decisive and SOLID, with no wobble between blade and handle in any direction even in hard use. The S30V steel blade takes a very sharp edge with just a few passes over the stone and holds it well. The G10 and micarta scales are thick, tough, and handsome, and provide good control even when wet or dirty. The pocket clip works well, allowing the knife to ride low in the pocket or on a belt, but does not interfere very much with a good, comfortable grip. The clip is removable and reversible for left or right carries, but not for tip down carry. Balance is good, with center of gravity about three centimeters back of the hilt. If you use your blades more aggressively, you might prefer a center of gravity closer to the blade tip, to facilitate chopping motions.

Still, there are some negatives, in my opinion. This is a bulky, heavy folder. If you want a knife that disappears into your pocket and lets you forget about it until you need it, keep looking; the Rukus is not your best choice. Handle ergonomics are O.K., but the relatively straight, boxy form is inferior to the more contoured, "hand friendly" handles found on Benchmade's Griptilian, Deja Voo, and other better shaped tools. I do not look forward to using this knife for long periods in cold weather, where those beveled handle corners will be less comfortable than a more contoured handle would be. I also regret Benchmade's decision to include finger groves in the underside of the handle. While these do enable the user to grip the tool with less chance of it getting away from him or her, it only does so when the fingers are properly lined up in the groves. This will require some users to shift the tool back and forth in their hand before they get maximum purchase. Without these finger groves the user could just grab it and go straight to work.

Bottom line: I like this knife and enjoy using it. I was looking for a large, heavy folder for camping and potentially, outdoor survival and this knife fits the bill nicely. It is a knife you can carry in the most rugged situations with confidence that it will never let you down when the going gets rough. However, it is probably not the best choice for casual carry or common, light to medium duty use. I would also not take it backpacking: too heavy! For those applicaions less would definitely be more.

Reviewed 01/16/2010 by jimbo

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

THIS THING IS A BEAST !!!!! pretty hard pressed to find a bigger stronger folder than this beast.