I've owned my Mini-RSK Mk1 for about five years now. It's been my primary EDC knife. I own a number of folders, some of them are very nice, but I carry this one over 90% of the time.

The ergonomics, folding, locking and cutting ability work very well for me, and the size is excellent for most of my every day needs. My use of this knife is primarily urban and suburban, cutting straps, boxes, plastic clamshell packages, string, tape, and occasionally food. I tend to carry other (larger) knives when camping, hiking, or called out for CERT.

While I try hard not to misuse any tool, this one has not been treated gently. I've sent it through the washer and dryer a few times, I've used it in the rain and the mud, and one person (whom I will not lend a tool to again) used it to dig out a screw head that was sunk too deep in a target stand so that we could complete the disassembly of same.

As for maintenance, I'm thorough. When it gets dirty, I wash it in plenty of water. When wet, I dry it thoroughly and relubricate it. And I keep it sharp; mostly with a strop and only a couple of times a year with a sharpener. The knife stays sharp for a long time under use, and I've found that a strop keeps it sharp with minimal effort. When I have used it heavily between stropping (or when it's been misused) then I break out the sharpener. As one might expect with S30V, this knife takes more effort to sharpen than some others I've owned, but it's easy to enough to keep it sharp and it does stay sharp for a long time.

When the new version of the knife came out with M390 steel, I bought it because I could, not because I felt there was any deficiency with the S30V version. I took it out of the box long enough to lubricate it but I haven't used it yet.

Looking at the older knife, there are few signs that it isn't new. The black oxide coating on the clip is somewhat worn. There are some barely visible scratches on the stonewashed DLC blade finish. When open, there's an almost imperceptible amount of side to side play -- I've never noticed it in use. If you look carefully at the tip you can see that I've sharpened it. And that's about it. The knife still opens smoothly, locks up solid, and closes easily when the lock is disengaged.

Comparing the two directly, the play side to side is the same between them, and the scales on the older one seem a bit faded. The old one has a bit of a gap between the end of the clip and the scale, but it continues to clip to my waistband quite firmly.

Here you can compare them side by side, five years of use versus brand new out of the box:





Obviously, I wouldn't have bought the new model if I had been displeased with the old one. And with all of the locking folders I own, the fact that this one is the one I carry all the time says quite a bit as well.

For now the new one will be a safe queen. Maybe I'll give it to one of my daughters at some point.

(Disclaimer: I have no financial relationship with Doug Ritter, Knifeworks, Aeromedics, Benchmade, or the ETS Foundation other than as a customer. I am also a volunteer moderator on the ETS Forums.)

My Mk1 mini is 9+ years old. I bought the fullsize Mk1 in '04 when they first came out I think (with the case), and soon I realized that the mini would be better for EDC.

It follows me everywhere I go (except the shower). Sometimes when camping I'll swap the fullsize Mk1 in its place. The mini has also been through too many loads of laundry, and looks pretty much like your's. The only real sign of wear is the clip. My clip just says 'BENCHMADE" - no "USA" underneath. Oh, looking it over I guess I have a little chip out of one outside edge. Don't know how that happened.

I use a Sharpmaker and have never ever had a problem with sharpening. I think I sharpen it ... well ... maybe twice a year, though I don't abuse it.

Great review! I'd love to get the M390 version. For kitchen knives it's maybe my favorite steel; certainly I've never found anything with better edge retention.