- Benchmade 940 Osborne · Reverse Tanto3.4″ blade · 0.115″ spine · 2.9 oz · ~0.8″ tall
Benchmade 940 Osborne
The Benchmade 940 Osborne is a 3.4" reverse tanto folder in CPM-S30V, flat ground. The handle is Aluminum, secured by an AXIS lock. One of only 2 reverse tanto blades in the catalogue, out of 140.
- Blade
- 3.4″
- Weight
- 2.9 oz
- Steel
- CPM-S30V
- Price band
- Premium
Everyday carry and general utility
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against benchmade.com, knifeworks.
- Blade length
- 3.4″
- Spine thickness
- 0.115″
- Blade shape
- Reverse Tanto
- Grind
- Flat
- Steel
- CPM-S30V
- Overall length
- 7.87″
- Closed length
- 4.47″
- Weight
- 2.9 oz
- Lock
- AXIS
- Deployment
- Manual
- Handle material
- Aluminum
- Country of origin
- USA
Why a reverse tanto
The angular break moves to the spine instead of the edge. You get a strong, blunt-backed tip and a continuous belly underneath, which is why the Benchmade 940 pattern works so well as an EDC blade.
Every reverse tanto here →About CPM-S30V
The long-time American benchmark. Holds an edge far longer than 420HC and still sharpens on ordinary stones. Chippy if you pry with it.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All CPM-S30V knives
What owners say
Drawn from 2,729 owner discussions of the Benchmade 940 Osborne since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- It lasts for years of work: one owner has carried theirs for about ten years, six of them as a construction laborer cutting rope, plastic strapping and cardboard and stripping wire, another has had theirs since 2008, and a third lists 15 years of carry.
- S30V suits a working knife in at least one owner's hands: the ten-year construction owner says it takes a good edge and stays sharp for a while, from painter's tape to apples and chicken.
- Several recent buyers report even grinds, centered blades, zero play and a crisp AXIS lock out of the box, and one owner found a newer 940 better finished than the one bought a few years earlier, with centering as good as their Sebenza.
- At 2.9 oz it carries small for a 3.4 in blade; one owner who preferred a Spyderco Para 2 for cutting still gave the 940 the edge on pocket feel because it nearly disappears.
- It feels more solid than Benchmade's lighter models: one owner who disliked a flimsy-feeling Bugout found the 940 solid with no blade play, and another found it much higher quality than their Mini Griptilian.
- Customer support has gone out of its way: one owner who stripped a clip screw asked to buy replacements and was sent a full screw set and a new clip free, and another had a broken tip repaired by Benchmade.
- It holds up secondhand: one buyer paid $80 for a contractor's knife said to have been used on the job every day for years and found it beat up but locking up like a fixed blade, with zero play and a centered blade.
What owners flag
- Two owners call it overpriced even after buying one: a Canadian buyer says so outright, and a MagnaCut 940 owner says it is worth it only at a discount; a third, delighted by free replacement parts, could not stomach the price of another any time soon.
- One Canadian owner's omega spring gave out after a number of years and Benchmade would not offer warranty service in Canada; that owner calls broken springs a semi-common problem at a $240 list price, and a MagnaCut 940 owner found the springs too weak to pull the blade closed.
- Out-of-box action still varies: one first-time owner's knife arrived with a terrible action and a badly off-center blade, fixed only after learning to tune it, and an owner of a MagnaCut 940 had blade play, lock rock and a crunchy lock.
- The reverse tanto is not a slicer: one owner of an S30V 940 found it not sharp or slicey and preferred a Para 2, and an owner of an M4-bladed 940 build found a Manix 2 sharper out of the box, more slicey and better finished.
- Aftermarket scales can spoil the action: one owner who fitted carbon fiber scales could only get it too tight or wobbly until going back to the stock aluminum.
- Single owners report small hardware quirks: one found the AXIS lock bar shifts slightly in its slot though lockup stayed tight, and another stripped a clip screw head with very little torque.
One owner's 940 has done about ten years of carry, six of them on construction work: cutting rope, plastic strapping, cardboard and painter's tape, stripping wire and prepping food. Another owner has had theirs since 2008, and one buyer's $80 secondhand knife from a contractor still locked up with zero play.
Several recent buyers describe even grinds, centered blades and crisp AXIS locks, and one found a newer 940 better finished than their older one. Two others received a badly off-center blade or a loose, crunchy action and had to tune them, and a Canadian owner whose omega spring gave out after several years could not get warranty service there. Benchmade's support has replaced screws and a clip for free and repaired a broken tip.
The two owners who compared a 940 directly with a Spyderco Para 2 or Manix 2 found the Spyderco better at slicing, and one also rates the Manix's fit and finish higher. The 940 wins on pocket feel at 2.9 oz, and the Manix owner keeps the 940 for work because its blade is tough enough to use hard. One MagnaCut 940 owner's advice is to buy it on sale or with a discount.
Should I get a 940 or a Spyderco Para 2 or Manix 2?
One owner who bought an S30V 940 and a Para 2 within weeks found the Spyderco far better at cutting but gave the 940 the win on pocket feel. Another, with an M4-bladed 940 build and a Manix 2, rates the Manix higher on fit and finish and slicing but is not afraid to use the 940's blade hard, and would keep the 940 for work and the Manix for everything else.
Has Benchmade's quality control on the 940 improved?
Several recent buyers report even edges, centered blades, zero play and crisp locks out of the box. One owner says a newer 940 no longer needed disassembly to open and close well, unlike their earlier one. Not every knife arrives that way: one owner received a badly off-center blade with a poor action and had to learn to tune it.
How long does a 940 last in daily use?
Owners report ten and fifteen years of carry, and one has had theirs since 2008 and cannot believe the omega springs still work. Springs can give out: one Canadian owner's broke after a number of years. Benchmade can also fit a new blade while keeping the handle, according to one long-term owner who is thinking of doing it.
Do aftermarket scales affect the 940's action?
They can. One owner who fitted carbon fiber scales could not get the action back to how it had been, finding it either too tight or loose, and refitting the stock aluminum scales fixed it straight away. Other owners have fitted brass scales and Flytanium carbon fiber scales, and the Flytanium owner is delighted with them.
Does Benchmade offer sharpening or servicing for the 940?
One owner ordered Benchmade's sharpening program for $10.70, which sends a prepaid envelope and covers cleaning, adjustment, sharpening to factory spec and replacing broken or worn hardware. Another owner asked to buy replacement clip screws and received a full screw set and a new clip at no charge.
Features
- AXIS lock
- Flat grind
- Made in USA
- Stainless blade
