EDC Knife: Benchmade Mini-Barrage vs Cold Steel Code 4

I’ll just come right out and state it: An Everyday Carry (EDC) knife is a more useful tool than a sidearm.  If I had the choice to ONLY carry one or the other I concede it would definitely be the sidearm, I don’t see myself fairing too well against a bad guy (or two) at 15 feet with a knife.  Yet the reality of the situation is that in the next 5 to 10 years I’ll use my EDC knife almost every day while my sidearm will (hopefully) stay holstered.  In order to emphasize the importance I place on a good EDC knife I thought to do a comparison of two knives I own: the Benchmade Mini-Barrage 585S and the Cold Steel Code 4 Clip Point.  I have previously written about some of the struggles and disappointments I experienced with the Cold Steel Code 4 while out in the woods, so now that I’ve picked up a new Benchmade knife I thought to do a quick tabletop comparison.  No cardboard cutting or whittling of wood here, just some observations on two moderately priced knives which seem to be popular for EDC.

Benchmade Mini Barrage and the Cold Steel Code 4

Size Matters…or DOES IT?

From the picture above you will quickly notice that the Cold Steel Code 4 is larger than the Benchmade Mini-Barrage, which definitely explains the 4.3 oz vs 3.4 oz weight difference.  When viewed on the table the difference might not seem that significant but in one’s pocket space where space is a premium it may or may not matter depending on the end user. The Cold Steel knife has a longer overall length (8.5 inches) vs the 6 .91 inches of the Benchmade and is still longer once the blade is closed.  The one size advantage the Cold Steel has over the Benchmade is width, it is definitely thinner than the Benchmade which could be thought of as a pseudo trade off for the length challenges.

Benchmade Mini Barrage Thickness vs Cold Steel Code 4 Thickness

I guess it comes down to personal preference.  Since we are talking EDC knives here I can honestly state that I’ve never been confronted with a situation where the length of my pocket knife had me wishing for a few more inches.  “Damn…if I only had a 5 inch blade instead of a 3 inch blade I’d be able to open that MRE!”  That stated I think both knives are fine size wise, but given the choice I’d take the Benchmade over the Code 4 and sacrifice the extra width and shorter blade for a tad more space at the bottom of my pocket.

Safety First!  Well in this case it’s second on the list but you get the idea.

Nobody wants to stab or cut themselves with their own blade, especially during the opening or closing process.  As such it’s nice when knives have a few features in place to assist with that process, thus making it easier and safer all around for the user.

Benchmade Mini Barrage vs Cold Steel Code 4

Both knives have an ambidextrous thumb stud, although being right handed I tend to only use the one on the left side.  I don’t have huge hands but wear an XL winter glove (for reference) and I still have trouble “thumbing” the Cold Steel knife open in one swift motion.  I usually can get it halfway open and then pop it the rest of the way out with a quick flick of the wrist.  In contrast the Benchmade has a built in assisted opening system, enough pressure on the thumb stud and the blade pops open in what seems like nanoseconds.

I have had the Cold Steel open halfway while attempting to pull it out of my pocket two times, this due the thumb stud getting hung up on something (piece of string, bit of cloth etc).  Had I not been paying attention and moved my hand around a bit in an attempt to free the knife I could have seriously cut myself on the blade.  The good news is that while it has an assisted opening system, the Benchmade also has a safety located on the back of the handle.  While it does present an extra step for the user to navigate in the opening sequence it is not hard to get used to.  You thumb the switch (see pic below) down and toward you in order to release the safety and the opposite direction to lock it.

Benchmade Safety Release and Cold Steel Release

The Benchmade and Cold Steel knives have a completely different release mechanism which must be actuated in order to close the blade.  Personally I like Benchmade’s version as it is (for me) much easier to close the blade with one hand than the Cold Steel knife.  Simply pull the release down with a thumb and forefinger and fold the knife closed on your leg or torso.  The Cold Steel requires depressing the release on the back of the handle which, in my experience, can easily get clogged with dirt or sand causing it to become very difficult to close.  I must caveat that statement and admit that under normal operations with a clean / lubed knife the Cold Steel release mechanism has operated flawlessly.

Both blades are good, but just how good are they?

The Cold Steel Code 4 has a blade made of Aus 8A Stainless Steel while the Benchmade utilizes 154CM.  According to people much smarter than me, here are the differences in the two blades.

Also designated 4A, 6A, 8A, 10A – are Japanese stainless steels, roughly comparable to 440A (AUS-6, .65% carbon) and 440B (AUS-8, .75% carbon) and 440C (AUS-10, 1.1% carbon).  AUS-6 is used by Al Mar. Cold Steel’s use of AUS-8 has made it pretty popular, as heat treated by CS it won’t hold an edge like ATS-34, but is a bit softer and may be a bit tougher.

154 CM was developed by Crucible Metals as a high temperature alloy for use in fan-jet engines. 700 degrees F would not soften it and has enough Chromium to make it stainless in normal use.  Normally hardened to around 60 Rc, it holds an edge very well and is tough enough even at that high hardness. Not quite as rust resistant as the 400 series stainless.  Used by many custom makers, Spyderco (in their high-end knives) and Benchmade.

Both blades are relatively easy to sharpen although the Cold Steel takes less time as it does not have any serrations.  I utilize the Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker to accomplish this task, expect a review on that device in the next few weeks or so.

Let’s talk pocket clips.

This is one of my biggest complaints with respect to the Cold Steel Code 4:  the pocket clip sucks and there is just no way around it.  In my jeans it manages to slide in just fine but in most of my other pants getting it to do so is difficult if not a distinct pain in the ass.

Benchmade Mini Barrage Clip vs Cold Steel Code 4 Clip

While it might appear in the picture that both clips are somewhat similar the Benchmade’s clip is far superior in that it is more user friendly.  This allows it to slide into and pull out of a pocket much easier than its Code 4 counterpart.  While you might think this really isn’t that big of a deal, if you pull your knife out more than once a day you know exactly what I’m describing.  Try using both hands to get the Code 4 to slide into the side leg pocket of a pair of Carhartt’s 25 times a day and you’ll quickly develop very little tolerance for this exercise.

Benchmade Mini Barrage vs Code Steel Code 4 in pocket

They both ride at about the same height above the cut of the pocket so no big difference there.  In case you are wondering those are my favorite pair of jeans, a pair of Lee’s I paid $15 for at some big box department store.

And the Winner is!

Both knives are great, both are better than the cheap-o variety one might find at the checkout aisle of a department store and both have no doubt served thousands of users well over the past few years.  For my money though I’d rather carry the Benchmade Mini-Barrage vs the Cold Steel Code 4 and beyond what I’ve written above I’ll give you another reason why: customer service.  I attempted to contact Cold Steel after experiencing difficulties with my knife (jammed up) and got no response whatsoever.  Talk about a turn off.

There are a ton of great EDC knives out there and everyone has their own personal preferences.  While Cold Steel does produce some great products one would be hard pressed to beat the combination of features and quality that Benchmade offers.  My Mini-Barrage will be riding shotgun indefinitely and the Code 4 will be relegated to my backpack as a secondary device.  Have more thoughts on EDC knives?  Make sure to share them below in the comment section!