Benchmade Mini Osborne 945 — 2.92 inch reverse tanto blade in CPM-S30V

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Benchmade Mini Osborne 945 · Reverse Tanto
2.92″ blade · 0.104″ spine · 2 oz · ~0.76″ tall

Spine thickness, same scale

0.104″

Length and spine thickness drawn to true scale from published specs. Outline traced from the maker's side-profile photo.

Benchmade

Benchmade Mini Osborne 945

EDC FolderFolding

The Benchmade Mini Osborne 945 is a 2.92" 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: 2.92″
Weight: 2 oz
Steel: CPM-S30V
Price band: Premium

Best for

Everyday carry in pocket-knife-restricted areas

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Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against benchmade.com, knifecenter.

Blade length: 2.92″
Spine thickness: 0.104″
Blade shape: Reverse Tanto
Grind: Flat
Steel: CPM-S30V
Overall length: 6.76″
Closed length: 3.84″
Weight: 2 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.

Edge retention

3/5

Toughness

3/5

Corrosion resistance

4/5

Ease of sharpening

3/5

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 484 owner discussions of the Benchmade Mini Osborne 945 since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.

What owners like

Office-sized without looking threatening: one owner says it is not overly big for an office, and another calls it understated enough to pull out anywhere without causing a panic.
A cook who had carried a full-size Bugout moved down to the 945 for working through plastic containers on shift and says they have been really enjoying it.
Owners name it their favorite: one who has bought a Benchmade every few months for 2.5 years ranks the 945 first, another calls their 945 BK their favorite EDC blade of all time, and a collector of several versions calls it often overlooked.
LifeSharp came through for one owner, with Benchmade fixing a broken tip and a rough AXIS lock and sharpening the blade.
Aftermarket makers cover it well: owners run Flytanium titanium, micarta, carbon and copper scales, custom backspacers and LynchNW deep carry clips.
It stays in pockets for a long time: one owner carried theirs for two years before trying a Spyderco, and another used it as their EDC for a year and still prefers its anodized scales to their newer Mini Taggedout.
The stock clip gets a defense from one owner who swapped to a mini deep carry clip, found the knife awkward and too small in hand, and says putting the factory clip back made it melt into their grip.

What owners flag

Out-of-box QC varies: a 2025 buyer got the worst lock stick they had felt and a blade way off center, and a 2024 owner says their Mini Osborne arrived with a visible burr on the edge, as did two other new Benchmades they bought.
One 2025 first-time owner says the action turned gritty after a couple of weeks of light use and then the knife would not open at all.
Stock green scales feel terrible in the hand to one owner, who replaces them and runs Flytanium scales on most of their 945s.
Break-in takes time: one new owner found the action stiff and less fidget-friendly than their 940.
Hardware fit was off on one owner's Shot Show 945, bought for $142 in 2025, whose screws were too big for the knife.
Price is the sticking point for shoppers: a 940 owner who needed a sub-3-inch blade could not get past the 945's price, and an Osborne fan argues the Kershaw Bel Air beats it even at full retail.
Some owners moved on to other knives: one says their newer Mini Taggedout is lighter and slicier, and another swapped their S30V 945 for a Bestechman Cicada's Wing and has been thoroughly impressed with it.

At 2.92 inches of reverse tanto and 2.0 oz, the 945 is the Osborne owners carry where a full-size knife is too much: one carries it in an office, a cook moved down to it from a full-size Bugout for their kitchen job, and a 940 owner looked at it when their employer capped blades at 3 inches. One owner calls it understated enough to pull out anywhere, and two others name it their favorite Benchmade.

Out of the box the experience is uneven. A 2025 buyer had heavy lock stick and an off-center blade, another got a burr on the factory edge, one knife turned gritty and stopped opening, and one owner calls the stock green scales terrible in the hand. LifeSharp fixed a broken tip and rough lock for one owner, and Flytanium makes scales for it; three owners show 945s re-scaled in titanium, micarta, carbon or copper.

Owners compare it with the 940, the Spyderco Para 3, Benchmade's own Mini Taggedout and the cheaper Kershaw Bel Air, which one Osborne fan says beats it even at full retail. Of the owners who moved on, one found the Mini Taggedout lighter and slicier and another went to the Bestechman Cicada's Wing. Someone who wants the Osborne shape in a size that passes in an office, and does not mind tuning or re-scaling it, is the buyer these owners describe.

Should I get the 945 or the full-size 940?

Owners go both ways. One 940 owner tends to prefer full-size knives but thinks they should have bought the 945, while another who handled a Mini Osborne ordered a second 940 instead. A third, a cook, carries the 945 because they wanted something smaller in their pocket than a full-size knife.

What if my new 945 arrives with lock stick or an off-center blade?

One 2025 buyer centered the blade themselves and found the lock stick mostly worked itself out with use. Another sent a worn 945 to Benchmade's LifeSharp service and got a broken tip, rough lock and dull edge all fixed. Not every case ends well: one owner's knife went gritty and stopped opening within weeks.

Is a deep carry clip worth it on the 945?

Owners disagree. One owner runs LynchNW deep carry clips on their 945s and another fitted a blue deep carry clip to match the liner, but a third found a mini deep carry clip made the knife awkward and too small in hand and went back to the stock clip.

Who makes aftermarket parts for the Mini Osborne?

Flytanium makes scales and parts for both the 940 and 945, and owners run its titanium, micarta, carbon and copper scales with matching backspacers and thumb studs. Smaller parts are harder: one owner could not find blue anodized handle screws that fit.

Mini Osborne or Spyderco Para 3?

Buyers ask this head to head. One owner who lost their 945 replaced it with a Para 3 in 15V, found it a little larger than they were used to, and was pleased with the out-of-box edge and centering. Another carried a 945 for two years before buying a Para 3 Lightweight as their first Spyderco.

Will the 945 be too small for my hands?

Buyers ask this before buying, some giving their hand measurements. One owner with long but slender hands finds it comfortable as their general EDC, while another owner who added a deep carry clip found it too small until they refitted the stock clip.