Benchmade 581 Barrage
$200You will know all the answers to these questions as soon as you hold this knife in your hands. The Benchmade 581 Barrage is a top quality knife and although expensive, definitely lives up to its price tag.
Overall Length | 8.35″ |
Blade Length | 3.60″ |
Blade Steel | M390 Super Steel |
Best for | Every Day Carry |
Score | 9/10 |
As soon as you hold this bad boy you know that it is top quality. You can feel the beautiful finish and the stunning design and you just know that this is a top quality knife. Now I am a huge fan of my Kershaw Junk Yard II, however, I was highly considering swapping it out and using this one for my every day carry.
Blade
The Benchmade 581 features a 3.60″ blade making it fairly large but still a very practical size being able to handle a lot of the more heavy duty tasks as well as the smaller and more delicate tasks. Now I haven’t actually reviewed a knife on this site yet which features the M390 super steel so this will be the first.
The M390 definitely lives up to the “super” it proclaims in its name. The steel is what is called tool steel so it is very similar to D2 tool steel in that it can hold a super sharp edge for a long time. However, as it is tool steel it doesn’t have the best rust and corrosion resistance, but compared to the D2 it is leagues ahead. That is hard for me to say being a D2 fanboy, but this steel is great even in wet conditions.
Handle
Just from looking at the Benchmade 581 Barrage you are able to tell that it has a solid handle and upon holding your theory is proven. The handle g-10 plastic and aluminum which provides you with superior grip and comfort. The G-10 Plastic allows you to get a really tight and solid grip which you can be confident won’t lead to your hand slipping, which is something that I know a lot of people are worried about especially when in the wet.
The ergonomics of the handle are also great and allow you to maintain a comfortable grip even when placed under pressure or stress.
Bottom Line
Overall, the Benchmade 581 is one hell of a knife. Now whilst it is priced over $200 normally, you are definitely getting your money’s worth. If you can afford it and are going to take care of it (as it is tool steel) then I would definitely recommend getting this bad boy – you will not regret it. This is a super tough knife and is going to last you a long time. However before making your purchase (as it is quite a bit of money) make sure you go check it out at your local hunting and knife store instead of buying it online just to make sure that it is right for you.