Brand Information
Benchmade, maker of over seventy-three knife families, has been designing and manufacturing knives for over twenty-five years. Their knives are divided into six classes: Blue Class, which has knives for every day use, hunting, outdoors, rescue, and survival; Black Class, used mostly by professional rescuers; Gold Class, which are hard to get because of the design and artistry of the knife and materials used to create one, which translates into a very expensive instrument; Hunt and HK Knives used by hunters; and, Heckler and Koch used by military and law enforcement officers. The Barrage Family Knives, including the 585 Mini-Barrage Knife, are members of the Blue Class.
585 Mini Barrage
If you are looking for a great knife suitable for every day use, look no further. The Osborne-designed Benchmade 585 Mini-Barrage Knife is the only knife you need. From slicing tomatoes to carving bark off of trees, this versatile knife will out- perform every other knife in its class.
Short and compact, the 585 Mini-Barrage is only 6.91” (17.55 cm) in length when the blade is extended and 4 inches (10.16 cm) in length when it is in the closed position. The 585 Mini has a reversible carry clip, which allows the owner to keep it on either her/his right or left side.
Specifications
Blade type: Drop point
Blade Finish: satin
Blade Edge: plain
Blade Material: 154CM
Mechanisms: AXIS Assist with locking mechanism
Handle: Valox
Blade Length: 2.91”
Overall Length: 6.91”
Closed Length: 4”
Total Weight: 3.4 oz
Class: Blue
The Handle
The handle of the 585 Mini-Barrage is made from Valox Resin and is water resistant. It has steel liners and a wrap around four-finger grip, making it easy to hold. The handle is stiff and strong. It is easy to use when wearing work gloves and is designed to be used with the left or right hand. Some owners have complained about the handle. Some felt the handle had a cheap feel to it because of the hollow, plastic design; several people did not like the scales, claiming they were slippery; and others claimed the grip did not fit well. Many owners desired a G10 or micarta scales and suggested the Valox Resin handle be changed. The G10 was suggested because of material used to make the handle: woven fiberglass containing epoxy resin. This material is strong, durable, resistant to moisture, lightweight and easy to use. It comes in four sizes of thickness: 1/16”, 1/8”, ¼”, and 3/16”. Of the two materials, G10 and micarta, owners felt the micarta was the best. Micarta is made from resins and finished under high temperatures and pressure, which results in laminates. The laminates are treated with pressure and heat that turns the layers into industrial grade laminated plastic. The plastic makes the handle tough, durable, and resistant to compression, impact, corrosion, oils, cold, heat, moisture, and acids. The micarta handle can be engraved, carved or scrimshawed. It comes in five sizes of thickness: 1 1/8”, 1/8”, 3/8”, 1/4”, and 3/16”. It is easy to see why owners would prefer one of these handles.
AXIS-Assist Lock
One of the great features is the AXIS-Assist Lock, which Benchmade created and patented. It has been rated as the strongest assist locking mechanism on the market today. The AXIS-Assist lock works from a small hardened steel bar positioned in a slot that has been made in both steel liners, allowing the blade to move back and forth. The bar spans the liners, sits over the back of the blade and extends over both sides of the blade. The bar engages the ramped portion of the blade. Two springs, one on each liner, causes the bar to not move, which engages the knife tang, which is the back portion of the blade that connects to the handle. As a result, the tang is wedged solidly between a stop pin and the AXIS bar itself. With a touch on the thumb pad, the knife opens easily and quickly. The thumb pad is placed so that when the knife is opened, the fingers are away from the blade. Once the knife is opened, the blade is locked into place. A touch on the thumb pad easily closes the knife. When closed, it is locked into place to avoid the Mini-Barrage from opening while inside one’s pocket.
The Blade
The blade length of the 585 Mini-Barrage is 2.91 inches. This allows for easy handling when in use. The blade is made of 154CM stainless steel, which is the steel of choice for our military’s Special Forces Unit. The thickness of the blade measures at 0.100.” The style of the blade is mini-drop point with a secondary grind and the hardness is 58-61HRC.
Each blade for the 585 Mini-Barrage begins as a sheet of steel. It is then either laser cut or cut using a CNC machine center. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. This computer converts the design made by Computer Aided Design (CAD) software into numbers. The numbers are considered to be the coordinates of a graph and control the movement of the cutter so that the precision of the cut is perfect. The blade is ground to a precise width and then beveled one side at a time. It is measured to confirm the precise measurements. If the bevel is not precise, the balance, strength, sharpness, and mechanism functions will not be at the levels needed.
The back of every blade is back-sanded on a belt-sander until smooth.
The blade is stonewashed in a ceramic container to remove any rough edges that were missed during the previous steps and gives the blade a clean and shiny finish.
The blade is tested for any play: movement from left to right, up and down to ensure there is no movement of the blade.
The final step is to sharpen the blade. Using the belt sander, the blade is sharpened to a 30-degree angle, 15 degrees on each side.
One of the most unique features seen in any style of pocketknife is the “suck back” feature. When the blade is open less than 20 degrees and releases, the blade is actually sucked back into the handle under spring tension.
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Ergonomics
The ergonomics of the 585 Mini-Barrage surpasses all other knives in its size. The ergonomic design of the knife allows left-handed and right-handed people to use the knife with equal ease. The design offers support so the user can apply as much pressure as needed to the knife. The curves on the handle are soft and smooth so no pressure points are left on the user’s hand.
Performance
The Benchmade 585 Mini-Barrage is one of the top-ranked every day use knives on the market today and is gaining the reputation of an excellent hunting knife as well. The knife presents with a blade sharpened to perfection. With this specific sharpness, the knife can cut through a thick, woven rope, slabs of meat, slice bark off trees, whittle figures from wood and cut the finest, thinnest paper without tearing. The tip of the blade is strong enough to withstand repeated stabbings with no slippage or riding up on the blade. The knife fits easily into a pants pocket or can be placed in a clip designed for left or right pocket.
The AXIS-Assist lock is easy to use. With slight pressure applied to the thumb pad, the blade opens and closes and locks into place every time.
With proper use and care, the life of these knives last longer than any other pocketknife on the market.
Final Thoughts
The Benchmade 585 Mini-Barrage is the most impressive pocketknife in today’s market. The knife is made with the best and most current technology available. Benchmade is so confident in the quality of their knives, they have developed a program called LifeSharp whereby they will clean the knife and sharpen the blade at no cost for as long as the owner keeps the knife. This is another great benefit of owning the 585 Mini-Barrage.
Below is a list of qualities of the 585 Mini-Barrage that make it the only pocket knife you need:
Pros:
Ambidextrous
Benchmade Patented AXIS Assist Lock
Reversible Carry Clip
Lanyard Hole
Versatility of Use
Lightweight Handle
Cons:
Handle
- Cheap looking
- Too lightweight
- Did not fit well in hand
Cost
- Prohibitive
Even considering the few complaints about the handle and cost, the Benchmade 585 Mini-Barrage remains the best pocket knife for every day use. It is a purchase you won’t regret.
