With rigid, full-tang constructions and beefier blade thicknesses, survival and bushcraft knives are pretty much always of the fixed-blade variety. From time-to-time, however, we see folding knives engineered for these more hardcore outdoor uses, and that’s exactly what we’ve got here with Benchmade’s latest release, the PSK — or “Personal Survival Knife.”
Materials
Made in America, the Benchmade PSK is constructed around a set of full liners crafted from stainless steel. Set over the full steel liner are a set of G-10 bolsters paired with either G-10 or or more top-shelf carbon fiber handle scales (seen here). Mated to the handles a drop point blade made from Crucible Industries’ revolutionary CPM MagnaCut powder metallurgy blade steel and fortified via a Cobalt Cerakote finish. The blade also boasts a trio of eye-catching fullers.
Lockup & Deployment
In classic Benchmade fashion, the PSK’s blade is deployed using a set of thumb-studs and locks up using the Oregon City outfit’s proprietary AXIS lock mechanism. Unlike most knives in Benchmade’s catalog, the new PSK is equipped with the brand’s spring-assisted mechanism — known simply as AXIS Assist.
To prevent accidental deployments, the Personal Survival Knife has also been bestowed with a safety slide mechanism on the spine of the handle that prevents the spring-assisted blade from firing — a setup borrowed from Benchmade’s fully automatic knives.
Dimensions
The PSK spans 8.40” tip-to-tip — 3.45” of which is comprised of its 0.11-inch-thick blade. The knife tips the scales at 5.328oz for the all-G10-handled version and 5.223oz for the carbon fiber-scaled model.
Outdoor Amenities
The PSK differs from your average EDC folder in several ways. For starters, its combination of an ultra-sturdy AXIS lock and a full steel liners afford it far more strength and structural integrity than most everyday carry blades. Furthering its conduciveness to survival and bushcraft applications is a dedicated striking choir at the base of the blade that allows it to be struck with a Ferro rod for starting fires.
What Makes It So Special?
While there are some folding knives that excel at survival and bushcraft tasks — like the Condor Krakatoa, Extrema Ratio RAO, and the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter — this genre of blade is still fairly rare. A massive part of what makes the PSK so noteworthy, however, isn’t just its ability to lend itself to outdoor uses, but also its immense versatility, as it’s just as conducive to regular everyday use. It also has a bit more strength than most Benchmade folders, plus sports several outdoor-focused features.
Is It A True Survival Knife?
Though it is able to take on more than its fair share of survival tasks, the PSK still lacks the overall strength of a fixed blade, and its somewhat paltry 0.11-inch blade definitely doesn’t allow it to stand up to hard-use tasks — like log-splitting — quite as well, though it’s still great for whittling, camp cooking, feather-sticking, and so on.
I am a little surprised that Benchmade opted to bestow the PSK with a full flat grind — rather than a more bushcraft-focused Scandi grind — though I imagine this choice was done so that it could better lend itself to everyday carry. I also don’t really know what to make of Benchmade’s choice to treat the PSK to an assisted-opening mechanism, as these setups are more prone to getting gunked up when used off-grid — plus it’s hard to think of a way in which an assisted-opening blade makes the thing more conducive to survival and bushcraft applications.
Included Extras
Just like with the rest of the brand’s knives, the PSK not only comes backed by a lifetime warranty, but its price also includes Benchmade’s LifeSharp Services, which includes free factory cleaning, sharpening, and tuning for life.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Benchmade
Model: PSK
Overall Length: 8.40”
Blade Length: 3.45”
Blade Thickness: 0.11”
Blade Steel: CPM MagnaCut
Lock: AXIS
Assisted-Opening: Yes
Handle Material: G-10 or Carbon Fiber
Bolsters: G-10
Weight: 5.328oz (G10) Or 5.223oz (CF)
Manufacturing Origin: USA
Pricing & Availability
The Benchmade PSK is available for order now, with pricing starting at $400 for the all-G10-scaled PSK 593BK and going up to $450 for the carbon fiber PSK 593BK-01 model.
Recap
Benchmade PSK
The Benchmade PSK is a versatile, tough-as-nails assisted-opening folding knife with a MagnaCut blade and the ability to lend itself just as well to EDC as it does survival and bushcraft use.
