Benchmade 581 Osborne Review

The Benchmade Barrage series of pocket knives was mentioned in Law Enforcement Technology’s 2011 issue, and the officer who reviewed the knife was impressed with the weight of it along with its extreme cutting power. The magazine reviewed the 581S, which differs from the Osborne 581 only due to the serrations on the blade itself. In all other regards, the knives are similar.

The Blade

The blade is a drop point style that makes it simple to perform many cutting tasks. The length of the blade is 3.60″ and has a thickness of 0.121″, which gives the knife a sturdy thickness for performing rugged tasks like cutting rope and splitting small pieces of wood.

The Benchmade 581‘s blade is an M390 super steel with a hardness of 60-62 HRC. It’s the same type of blade used in surgical instruments with the same composition of vanadium and chromium. It’s resistant to wear and can be brought to a fine sharpness. The blade’s satin finish and plain edge make it a beautiful looking folding knife.

There are thumb studs on the blade for the spring-assisted mechanism. The blade opens smoothly with no hitches. There’s no play in the blade, and it has a locking mechanism. The mechanism allows the blade to stay open during extended use. This makes it perfect for large cutting jobs that require long minutes of cutting. One user mentioned that he had to rest his arm from cutting before he had to rest his hand. It was extremely comfortable.

The Handle

The handle is 4.75″ in length and fits in most hands. Reviewers and customers talk often about the comfort level of the knife after extended use. It’s the most talked about feature of theBenchmade 581. The thickness is 0.650″, which is perfect for comfortable handling while feeling like it has substantial width and heft to it.

The Benchmade Osborne handle has both a safety mechanism, so the blade won’t fold accidentally, and an unlocking slide for shutting the blade into the knife’s handle. The handle is made of G10 material, and it has a pocket clip that allows it to be carried between left and right hand. The clip is only available in tip-up carry.

Many people talk about the notches that make the handle mold easily into the palm of the user’s hand. The jimping on the handle as well as the notches give the user a sturdy grip to perform strenuous tasks. Even if the person’s hand is wet, the grip is sure and strong.

The Pros

• High-grade steel blade takes an extremely sharp edge.
• Mix of good-looking as well as fully functional.
• The hardness of the steel is very high.
• Blade flies out from the spring assist mechanism.

The Cons

• There are a few complaints about the stiffness of the locking mechanism, but that goes away with use.
• The edge needs to be sharpened when coming out of the box.
• The locking mechanism can slip into the locked position by accident.

Insider Tip

The thin edge of the blade and flat ground edge make it a great slicing knife and some customers have talked about how often they use the blade in a pinch when they don’t have a kitchen knife. This makes the knife a great all-purpose solution for almost any situation. It’s the preferred knife used by professionals like police, firefighters and EMTs in the field.

So What’s the Verdict

There are hardly any negatives about Benchmade knives in general and specifically theBenchmade 581 Osborne.  that can’t be remedied by the customer pretty easily. The stiff locking mechanism will become smoother with use, and the lack of sharpness out of the box can be fixed with a quick sharpening. After that initial sharpen, the blade holds its edge for a very long time. There’s no blade play when the knife’s blade is extended so this makes it great for a variety of cutting projects.