BM Mini-Barrage

I have one. It is a sweet little knife but doesn't get much pocket time. i realized after I bought it that I am not a fan of auto knives. Having an auto axis lock kind of defeats the purpose of the lock because you cant close the knife with a flick of the wrist. It is built like a tank. Real heavy duty. I think I will eventually get around to taking the "auto" part of the knife out and see how I like it then.
 
Talley1013 said:
I'm not a fan of auto knives. Having an auto axis lock kind of defeats the purpose of the lock because you cant close the knife with a flick of the wrist.
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Auto? You mean assisted opening? As far as I know, the Mini-Barrage doesn't come in auto.
 
The Barrage line (58X) and the Emissary (470) are all Axis-Assist knives. It's a very cool mechanism that opens with power--more powerful than most autos. The mini-Barrage (BM585) is a great sub-$100 EDC blade if you appreciate assisted openers (obviously not everyone's cup of tea). I like the size, feel, and weight of the knife. Carries well in the pocket. Many don't like the plastic-y feel of the Zytel handle scales, but they are very strong. As with all Benchmades, expect a subpar grind and sharpening...
 
My 581, BM Nimravus, and BM Kulgera were all nicely sharpened...so advising to expect a subpar grind and sharpening is a bit harsh. They are full production knives and not every single grind angle of every single knife is going to be Chris Reeve (or do it yourself perfect) is a bit like saying "expect Sony televisions to have a too bright a backlight from the factory." Just because some do, doesn't mean the quality is lower.
 
Bryan J said:
The Barrage line (58X) and the Emissary (470) are all Axis-Assist knives. It's a very cool mechanism that opens with power--more powerful than most autos. The mini-Barrage (BM585) is a great sub-$100 EDC blade if you appreciate assisted openers (obviously not everyone's cup of tea). I like the size, feel, and weight of the knife. Carries well in the pocket. Many don't like the plastic-y feel of the Zytel handle scales, but they are very strong. As with all Benchmades, expect a subpar grind and sharpening...
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I'm waiting for Luke at Cuscadi to get back to me on some scales for my Ritter Mini Grip. Depending on how much I like the Mini Barrage I may order a set of scales for them too.

Regarding the issue with sub-par grind and sharpening, my three Mini Grips all came pretty sharp and didn't have any grind issues. The Ritter in particular was hair-popping sharp out of the box.
 
The 583 and 587 are the WARN full-size and mini (respectively) versions. The blade is a tanto shape and the handle scales are G-10.
 
kipzroll said:
My 581, BM Nimravus, and BM Kulgera were all nicely sharpened...so advising to expect a subpar grind and sharpening is a bit harsh. They are full production knives and not every single grind angle of every single knife is going to be Chris Reeve (or do it yourself perfect) is a bit like saying "expect Sony televisions to have a too bright a backlight from the factory." Just because some do, doesn't mean the quality is lower.
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Unfortunately if buying a benchmade, you have assume it will have a sub-par edge nowadays, at least i do. That's because of every single benchmade i've had, about 11, 8 of them had bad edges.

As for the mini barrage, it's an excellent compact knife, it comes out real quick and i really like the blade shape. I did like the large barrage better though, but you can't go wrong with the small. It is a little heavier than say a mini griptilian however.
 
I like it. The barrage series are probably the highest quality assisted opener knives I've had. The negative for me on this one is that it is somewhat thick for pocket carry. 2) a little hard to close one handed.. pretty good overall though.

[video]http://youtu.be/_LDFAGiIlRA[/video]
 
kipzroll said:
The 583 and 587 are the WARN full-size and mini (respectively) versions. The blade is a tanto shape and the handle scales are G-10.
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Ah, didn't know that. Thanks for the info. I'm not into tanto blades though so will stick to the 585 and custom scales (if I go that route at all!).
 
NaturalMystic said:
Ah, didn't know that. Thanks for the info. I'm not into tanto blades though so will stick to the 585 and custom scales (if I go that route at all!).
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My pleasure. I'm not a big fan of tanto blades either, but my BM Nimravus is the exception. The front edge is quite long and low and as it continues to be sharpened, it's gonna develop a great belly...probably better than the standard Nim.
 
NaturalMystic said:
I'm waiting for Luke at Cuscadi to get back to me on some scales for my Ritter Mini Grip. Depending on how much I like the Mini Barrage I may order a set of scales for them too.

Regarding the issue with sub-par grind and sharpening, my three Mini Grips all came pretty sharp and didn't have any grind issues. The Ritter in particular was hair-popping sharp out of the box.
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I didn't mean to imply that benchmades weren't sharp. All my BMs came relatively sharp. But the edge grinds themselves seem always to be greater than 40 degrees, and higher on one side than the other. Not a deal breaker, but some manufacturers like Spyderco are producing knives with 30 degree symmetrical edges. I'm a little disappointed that Benchmade can't or won't do the same as I like many of their designs.
 
nutnfunn said:
Search in YouTube, they have planty. and if you dont find type in - "nutnfancy - BM mini barrage". Youll find a cool guy, awesome collector and great reviewer!
---Roy Miller---
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Roy...I noticed that you live here in Aberdeen...So do I! I work up at Grays Harbor College. Small world, 'eh?
 
blackjackdan08 said:
Anyone want to give me a review on the benchmade mini-barrage?
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I bought one for ~$70 at a Portland, OR BiMart when they came out after deliberating and comparing to the 525 and other similarly sized pocket knives. The 585 just seemed to fit my hand well. I prefer the thicker handle (due to the wide steel liners) and it is well contoured. The pocket clip is well sized/placed to fit with your fingers; the clip is a bit too tight, reducing ease of RE-pocketing (esp. with the arrow-head), but it slides out of pocket fine. This isn't a good knife for tight-pockets with other items, given its width. It is fully ambidextrous, ease to open/close one-handed, although as another mentioned it will not flip closed like other axis-lock knives due to the a/o mechanism... (If anyone has experience with a 585 missing the a/o spring, I'd love to know how it handles (might take mine out to try it that way)
... The A/O is impressive! Powerful, instantaneous openning - push the stud, or pull back the bar and flick it open, it SNAPS into place, ready for use. Eyes go wide in envy when I deploy this before colleagues and family - two of my brothers are looking to get them for themselves.
The axis-bar can blocked with a safety-switch, preventing the knife from being opened and also preventing the bar from sliding back when open - locks both open and closed.

I personally prefer blades with a belly this wide. I'd compare the 585 to an Izula and use it for most of the same tasks, indoor and outdoor. The knife was razor-sharp when I purchased it, and has only required light sharpening to keep it that way. I've used it for general cutting (paper, plastic, string, cardboard, meat, fruit, vegetables), carving (wood, meat, fruit, plastic), light prying, etc. The geometry of the tip makes it pretty durable, and the 154cm has held up well. Action is smoother than any knife I've owned (this was my first BM). While I keep an SAK about me nearly always, this is my go-to EDC knife, and it gets used every day. Also, the spine is squared and works well as a firesteel striker, esp. with the blade closed for safety :thumbup:

Downsides/things I'd change:
1) there is no jimping on the knife - I'd prefer some on the spine of the blade somewhere for ease of use.
2) I wish the liners were nested or had radius'd edges around the blade-slot - I use the knife hard enough that that gap gives my hand hot-spots due to the sharp metal.
3) the lanyard-hole is fairly narrow for the 2cm passage.
 
^^Thanks for the first hand review. I'm looking forward to this one. I've got an extra clip from my Mini Grip since I replaced it with one of STR's low rider clips. I may do the same with this one too. I love the blade shape also, it reminds me of the Ritter.
 
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