This Beloved Benchmade Workhorse EDC Knife Just Got Dressed for Success

The Warren Osborne-designed Barrage and its little bro are now available with better blade steel and head-turning handles.

benchmade-mini-barrage-redstone-gear-patrol-lead

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published March 4, 2025

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With the eye-popping limited-edition Mini Barrage and SHOT Show special Mini Freek in January, the Bailout last month and the Kith-ified Bugout yesterday, Benchmade is on a heckuva roll so far this year.

Today’s drops only add to the momentum, as the brand has launched two new treatments of the Barrage as well as a new Mini Barrage.

benchmade-barrage-blue-canyon-gear-patrol — All three knives feature Benchmade’s patented AXIS Assist rapid-release deployment mechanism.

While such updates are not uncommon in the knife and EDC world, these three are particularly notable.

They incorporate not only upgraded blade steel but some pretty unique handles as well.

Better from tip to tail

Let’s start with the full-sized Barrage. Designed by the legendary Warren Osborne, this knife features a Valox handle and 154CM stainless steel blade that help make it a robust and reliable EDC folder.

The latest upgrades, however, improve both its form and its function.

benchmade-barrage-blue-canyon-gear-patrol-3 — In either shade, the Richlite handle treatment classes up the Barrage’s workmanlike vibes.

On the form side, the knife gets a couple of new handle treatments, both made of milled Richlite.

The Blue Canyon handle boasts a beautiful matte finish that mirrors an earlier update to the Mini Barrage, complemented by a flat dark earth anodized thumb stud and satin-finished split-arrow pocket clip.

benchmade-barrage-blue-canyon-gear-patrol-2 — All three knives boasts S30V steel, proudly advertised above the name of their creator on the blade’s off side.

The Redstone handle, meanwhile, is a deep red tone accompanied by an anodized burnt copper thumb stud and a dark copper PVD pocket clip.

Both of these knives get a blade steel upgrade, to CPM-S30V stainless steel, with the latter also receiving a Cerakote finish that helps it shed food residue and resistant wear and tear.

benchmade-mini-barrage-redstone-gear-patrol-pair — This image nicely illustrates the size difference between the Mini Barrage (top) and standard Barrage (bottom).

In either case, the formidable 3.6-inch drop point blade deploys in a flash via Benchmade’s patented AXIS Assist rapid-release mechanism.

One thing these knives aren’t is inconspicuous. With a folded length of 4.79 inches and an open length of 8.45 inches, they weigh in at 4.45 ounces each.

Small wonder

On that note, if you are looking for something a bit lighter and easier to tote, the Mini Barrage Redstone might be more up your alley.

benchmade-mini-barrage-redstone-gear-patrol-blade — The two Redstone treatments also feature a Cerakote blade coating that boosts performance and longevity.

It carries a lot of the same upgrades as its bigger brother — including the blade steel, handle, thumb stud and pocket clip materials — just in a tidier package.

This knife’s blade measures 2.91 inches, the open length is 6.91 inches, the closed length is 4 inches and the weight is 3.76 ounces.

benchmade-mini-barrage-folded — In its folded form, the Mini Barrage measures a pocket-friendly four inches.

In addition to the easier carry, that blade length makes the Mini Barrage legal in more places, an advantage that’s anything but little.

Availability and pricing

All three new Benchmade pocket knives are available now. The Barrage Redstone (581BK-04) costs $340, while the Barrage Blue Canyon (581-03) and Mini Barrage Redstone (585BK-04) go for $320.