Benchmade Mini Barrage 585-2

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Apr 20, 2018
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Hi all,

I'm looking at purchasing a Benchmade mini barrage 585-2 so I had a few concerns that only the collective wisdom of this forum can answer.

From the quick research I've done so far the spring mechanism can come out of its place if the pivot screw becomes too loose. I watched a youtube video in which a youtuber shows how it comes out of place and how to reset it. I found this thread and it made me think twice about buying one but then again it's an old thread so I don't know if this is even an issue?
https://www.reddit.com/r/knifeclub/comments/21oo6b/extreme_frustration_with_the_benchmade_585_mini/

Can't say I'm a big fan of disassembling knives and from what I can tell the pivot screw sits under the scales.
Thanks!

-Armen

Update: I went ahead and purchased the 585-2 and I'm happy with the results. Good fit in hand, solid feeling and solid lock up. My only complaint is the blade is slightly off center but at times it's centered. shrug.
 
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I bought a 585 in 2016 and have had no issues with it. I carried it a lot when I first bought it and grew tired of the AO feature. But I think it's a great little knife. It actually was my very first Benchmade knife and the size is very easy to carry as an edc. I was buying and trying out a fair number of knives in 2016.
 
I bought a 585 in 2016 and have had no issues with it. I carried it a lot when I first bought it and grew tired of the AO feature. But I think it's a great little knife. It actually was my very first Benchmade knife and the size is very easy to carry as an edc.

Can you actually close the knife one handed? some reviewers are saying yes, others are saying no. Have you ever had to adjust the pivot? I dont want to take it apart just to do that. Also, what do you mean tired? Just too much effort to fight the resistance to close it?
 
I'm not a knife tinkerer and if the pivot got loose, I probably would have just dumped it in my knife pile. As I recall, you can close it one handed, but I always used two hands. Somebody else should chime in as it has been a while since I carried it. The AO knives have lost their luster around the forum for the most part.
 
I'm not a knife tinkerer and if the pivot got loose, I probably would have just dumped it in my knife pile. As I recall, you can close it one handed, but I always used two hands. Somebody else should chime in as it has been a while since I carried it. The AO knives have lost their luster around the forum for the most part.

You didn't quite explain how you grew tired of the AO.
 
You didn't quite explain how you grew tired of the AO.
No explanation needed. I just generally started favoring flippers and more manual knives. It functioned very well. I have recommended it to folks looking for a smallish AO knife. It was very sharp when I got it as most Benchmades are.

I would dig it out, but at the moment, it isn't where I thought it was... so its temporarily MIA here. I started carrying the ZT 0770 CF and liked it a little better for an AO. It is a little larger, or about the size of a Delica which is my preferred size for a modern. I haven't handled the Mini Barrage in months.
 
No explanation needed. I just generally started favoring flippers and more manual knives. It functioned very well. I have recommended it to folks looking for a smallish AO knife. It was very sharp when I got it as most Benchmades are.

I would dig it out, but at the moment, it isn't where I thought it was... so its temporarily MIA here. I started carrying the ZT 0770 CF and liked it a little better for an AO. It is a little larger, or about the size of a Delica which is my preferred size for a modern. I haven't handled the Mini Barrage in months.

I had a ZT 0450CF prior. Although it was fun to flip and play with the damn thing was so slippery and thin so I got rid of it. I like the 585-2 because it looks like a beefed up Bugout.
 
I believe the 585 is a little smaller than the Bugout; you might check the specs but it is kind of beefy but not overly so. The Benchmade that has really caught my eye is the Mini Presidio II which I got last year shortly after it came out. It's a totally manual axis lock knife with small thumbstud. It definitely feels pretty beefy in the hand. Was surprised that I liked it as generally speaking I favor non-metal "scales".

You can close any of these axis lock knives simply by leaning them onto your pants leg and pushing a little after you disengage the lock. I consider that one hand closing but you might not.
 
I believe the 585 is a little smaller than the Bugout; you might check the specs but it is kind of beefy but not overly so. The Benchmade that has really caught my eye is the Mini Presidio II which I got last year shortly after it came out. It's a totally manual axis lock knife with small thumbstud. It definitely feels pretty beefy in the hand. Was surprised that I liked it as generally speaking I favor non-metal "scales".

You can close any of these axis lock knives simply by leaning them onto your pants leg and pushing a little after you disengage the lock. I consider that one hand closing but you might not.
I looked at the mini presidio II but am not a fan of aluminum scales because they scratch up.
 
The aluminum scales would likely do that but have not to date. I have never carried it attached to a pocket with change or anything that would hit it. It still looks pretty newish at the moment.

Added: I looked at the Mini Presidio II in a knife store in TN. It "called to me" to take it home. :D It is part of the first batch that they made #669/1200.
 
I believe the 585 is a little smaller than the Bugout; you might check the specs but it is kind of beefy but not overly so. The Benchmade that has really caught my eye is the Mini Presidio II which I got last year shortly after it came out. It's a totally manual axis lock knife with small thumbstud. It definitely feels pretty beefy in the hand. Was surprised that I liked it as generally speaking I favor non-metal "scales".

You can close any of these axis lock knives simply by leaning them onto your pants leg and pushing a little after you disengage the lock. I consider that one hand closing but you might not.

I live in Los Angeles so the shorter blade of the barrage works in my favor.
 
I have the 581 (I'm a sucker for bolsters). Got it in '15
I carried it for about a year, and enjoyed that hard "THWACK" the Axis Assist gives it, but I got tired of the AO after awhile. It's difficult to close one handed without using the thigh. Also, IMO half the fun of having an Axis lock knife is the ability to close it by just pulling the lock & giving it a quick flick. It's almost like having a DA auto.
I did like the knife. So I looked up on YouTube how to de-assist it. It wasn't too difficult.

Like I said, I liked my Barrage as an AO.
I love it as a manual.
4 years later it is still a part of my regular rotation. That is including some MUCH higher priced customs. The thing has taken a beating and just keeps coming back for more.
 
I have a 585. I removed the assist spring and the lock. Could not see any use for the assisted opening with the Axis lock. Put some after market scales on it. It is a good knife but a bit pocket heavy as far as I am concerned.
 
I have a 585. I removed the assist spring and the lock. Could not see any use for the assisted opening with the Axis lock. Put some after market scales on it. It is a good knife but a bit pocket heavy as far as I am concerned.

I just got off the phone with benchmade. You violate the warranty if you remove the scale to adjust the pivot so I’m not buying this knife based on my experience of how pivot screws are set from the factory. Oh well. Guess I can look into the 698 Foray.
 
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I don't understand why folks are so concerned about the warranty. Hell, if mine fell apart tomorrow, I would just toss it in the trash warranty or no warranty. I have more knives than I will use in my lifetime right now and keep buying more, a bit more slowly, but still getting more.
 
I just got off the phone with benchmade. You violate the warranty if you remove the scale to adjust the pivot so I’m not buying this knife based on my experience of how pivot screws are set from the factory. Oh well. Guess I can look into the 698 Foray.

I sent a mini barrage to Benchmade customer service in a ziplock bag, fully disassembled and missing two parts. I expected to be charged for what must have been a voided warranty. They sent it back to me in perfect fettle and with a zero invoice.
 
I sent a mini barrage to Benchmade customer service in a ziplock bag, fully disassembled and missing two parts. I expected to be charged for what must have been a voided warranty. They sent it back to me in perfect fettle and with a zero invoice.

They just told me 2-3 weeks for turn around time even if it was just to adjust the pivot screw. That’s kind of bonkers.
 
They just told me 2-3 weeks for turn around time even if it was just to adjust the pivot screw. That’s kind of bonkers.
Sounds pretty quick to me. Think of how many knives they sell vs. how many employees they have.

Benchmade has legendary customer service. They only say disassembly voids the warranty because for everyone who has trouble reassembling and sends it in there's another who behaves like a colossal anus, uses a hammer and sends in their battered wreckage expecting it to be covered. They word the warranty the way they do to protect themselves from morons, not from a reasonable customer with a bit of an issue.

If you like the 585, buy one. If you don't like the AO, take the spring out. It's really not rocket science. I wouldn't worry so much about it.

The 477 is a nightmare though, don't take one of those apart. :D
 
They just told me 2-3 weeks for turn around time even if it was just to adjust the pivot screw. That’s kind of bonkers.
My feeling is that you just have to own a few knives you like (at least). If you choose to send one in for some sort of repair or warranty service, you have another available. The only time something like this would have bothered me is when I was 12 years old and couldn't afford to buy another knife.

My thought, if you get the Mini Barrage, use it, and if you like it, get a backup.

Added: I had a close encounter with lightning at my house about a month or so ago. The power surge took out two TVs, my garage door opener, one electric appliance, and two HVAC systems..... yeah, insurance covered it, but I still had a big deductible to deal with. Most knives are nothing in terms of cost.... You have to keep stuff in perspective. Add to that... my wife totaled her car. She was upside down on her loan.... (It was paid off and she needed some money, so she took out a loan on the value.) I had to dig deep to replace it. This is all over a period of about two months. Keep things in perspective.
 
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My feeling is that you just have to own a few knives you like (at least). If you choose to send one in for some sort of repair or warranty service, you have another available. The only time something like this would have bothered me is when I was 12 years old and couldn't afford to buy another knife.

My thought, if you get the Mini Barrage, use it, and if you like it, get a backup.

I’d be rotating it with a small Sebenza 21 or maybe a Swiss army cybertool.
 
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