Benchmade 585 Mini Barrage

Reviewed 11/02/2011 by Patrick

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This knife really rocks, it's the absolute perfect size for a constant pocket companion.

Before this I thought that the ultimate knife would be a small Automatic, but after having this little pocket rocket my thoughts are now who needs one (besides even if it's legal to own an Auto in your state what happens when you travel).

I really don't have a bad word to say about any of the feature of the knife, 154cm Stainless is great, the grip is good (but a little slippery when things are wet), the Axis Lock is the safest I have seen for either one handed or ambidextrous use, the lock is in the perfect position and easy to use, the blade studs are better than a spider hole and simple to open FAST.

I have only sent the knife in once to Benchmade for sharpening, it came back quickly and the customer service people where helpful and polite.

I do wise the scales where done in G10, but other than that it's Valox is light weight and does the job well.

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Reviewed 09/05/2011 by Vlad

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

Comments:

I have owned one of these mini barrages for over a year, really used and abused it. Its just the nature of my work in construction and not the knifes fault it has to take such a beating, but it does stand up to it all very well. I can see why people are saying the knife should have G10 and not valox plastic grips, they do scuff and gouge easily. Apart from that i could not be happier with it the 154 stainless steel really holds an edge and is very rust resistant. I did have to send mine back to benchmade for repair and despite the obvious HEAVY DUTY work the knife had been though they repaired it for FREE with NO Questions asked, it and the company have been great and i can honestly say that I have gotten my moneys worth out of this knife many times over.

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Reviewed 08/26/2011 by Old Bill

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I purchased the 585 plain blade(I didn't see any reason for semi serration on a 2.91 inch blade), it is the second Benchmade that I have purchased and over all it is a great little EDC. The position of the safety towards the front of the knife is in an ideal position and the Axis Lock System is without doubt the best in the market today.

The steel being 154CM is a high enough quality that holds an edge and resists rust extremely well.

The only shall I say let down is plastic scales (grips), they appear to be and feel like a hollow PLASTIC. For the money I would have expected better of Benchmade considering that the knife is well engineered with stainless steel liners at an asking price of $130.00 (that is not what I paid for it off course).

Don't get me wrong it's a little great knife that has at least something to hold onto, but why cut corners on the scales and not make the perfect knife...:)

I do love this knife and it's one that I would recommend to others, especially if you like a little bit of chunk in your hand when using it.

But honestly Benchmade in these hard times, round the knife off with something like G10 Scales so we feel like it's truly value for money (but that is just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions....:)

Reviewed 07/16/2011 by Tony

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I purchased 585SBK several months ago, along with it I purchased a 587-1 SBK Warm (as a birthday gift for my son).

Generally the knife is great, the action works flawlessly and at there size they do make for a very reliable spring assist pocket knife for ever day use.

However my "Pet Peeve" was the CHEAP Valox Plastic Grips on the 585SBK.

This brakes down to two main issues, firstly the CHEAP Honeycombed Injection Molded Valox Grips just don't stand up well to every day ware (even a drop on the ground will gouge them or worse).

The other is they are too light to soak up the springs recoil (they really just don't feel like value for money in your hand, if you know what I mean).

The bottom line here is what my Late Father use to say back in Australia, it's am matter being "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish", the reality is that this just pulls the knife up short from crossing the line to being a truly great knife.

Benchmade should really take a good hard look at it's self, it's customers needs, wants and it's competition. I have spoken to Benchmade regarding this and they give two reasons for the using the Valox.

The first is cost and that the knife would be fare more expensive with G10, there Asking Price is $145.00 and you get Cheap Plastic Grips.....!!!

The other reason is that some customers want a lighter knife, this may be so but I do find it a little hard to believe after comparing the above.

I was fortunate because I had purchased several (including a 587-1 for my son) I simply swapped the G10 Grip to the 585SBK that I wanted for myself and gave my son the 587-1 with the Valox and end-up with the perfect knife for me and what a difference .50 of an Ounce makes WOW..!!(but this is not an option that most people get).

As to the horrible ware that shows up with Benchmades Black Clips, I have found the perfect solution. Just call them they will send you a FREE a Silver Split Arrow Clip that will not show up the scratches and that problem is forever solved...!!!

The bottom line is that Benchmade's Axis Lock is in my opinion the best on the market, but that is not an excuse to cut corners. At the prices they charge there is no good reason to do so and is only going spoil what is a good knife and is NOT good business.

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Reviewed 07/11/2010 by PsychoHillbilly

-Price Paid: $119.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Love this knife. Perfect size for EDC. Love the assist and the Axis system. Good steel and a great design.

G10 or micarta would be nicer for the money and the scales on it do detract somewhat from the otherwise excellent overall build quality and feel of this knife.

This was my first (but won't be the last) Benchmade.

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Reviewed 04/12/2010 by loonybin

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I received my 585 mini-Barrage about 8 months ago and have alternated between it and my mini-Grip for every day carry. It is one of a few assisted opening Axis lock knives that Benchmade offers.

The blade steel is 154CM, a good all-purpose steel that holds a good edge, yet is fairly easy to sharpen. The drop point blade has a decent belly and the 2.9" length makes it less scary to sheeple.

The Axis Assist snaps open firmly and tension is applied through the entire range of motion, unlike their Nitrous assist. The handles fill the hand very well providing a comfortable grip.

My two complaints about this knife, however deal with the handle and the pocket clip. The handles are a hollow Valox, and the knife sounds like a cheap plastic toy when opened, even though the Valox is incredibly sturdy and durable. The mini-Barrage could really benefit from G10 handles as a standard production option, not just the SHOT Show special. The only other shortcoming of this knife is that the pocket clip screws into thread liners that are glued into the scale instead of using longer screws that thread into the liner.

Overall, it has almost replaced my mini-Grip as my EDC, and I am in the process of making some "micarta" scales to replace the plastic ones.

Reviewed 03/05/2010 by Joe

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

The 585 has become my favorite EDC knife. I just picked up one of the LE 585-1 models from KnifeWorks a week ago...the difference is the handle scales are G-10 instead of the standard Valox used in the regular production model.

Being this is the first Axis assisted model, Benchmade's come up with a winner!

Reviewed 10/14/2009 by Jason

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This is a very solid, sturdy knife. Assisted opening on the axis lock is an awesome system. Opens very fast with a definite thud. Extremely well made & just a beautiful knife. I use it for EDC and you do notice its bulk but its certainly not uncomfortable in any way. Very sharp blade, haven't had it long enough to comment on edge holding yet, but 154CM is known for holding a good edge. Awesome knife!!