There’s an ongoing argument among knife enthusiasts about which knife steels are best. But one of the top contenders is, without a doubt, MagnaCut. The darling of 2024, MagnaCut steel is among the most balanced on the market, with excellent hardness, edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance.

Benchmade now put this top-tier steel (introduced in 2021) into one of its most iconic blades, the Osborne.

I got my hands on this new Osborne in MagnaCut for a couple weeks before its release. It hit the market last week, and from my early use, it’s the best version yet, so long as you like the burnt copper color and lighter in-hand feel.

In short: The Benchmade Osborne stands as one of the brand’s iconic designs, released way back in 2000. It’s also one of its most popular. The new release brings excellent MagnaCut steel (a step up over the standard’s S30V) to a classic reverse tanto with aluminum scales. If you can stomach the price ($300), it’s an ideal pocket knife for EDC and hard outdoor use.

Shopping for pocket knives? Check out our guide to the best pocket knives.

Benchmade Osborne Review: MagnaCut Classic

I’ll admit, I’ve been an Osborne fan for years but have never owned one. There’s something about the reverse tanto married to the slim, angular aluminum scales that begs to be held. And yes, I love the original green color with the pop of purple on the back spacer.

The new release exchanges the green handles for handsome “burnt copper” aluminum. It ditches the back spacer entirely in exchange for lighter-weight aluminum barrel spacers. It weighs about a quarter-ounce less than the original. And darn, it sure is pretty, but maybe in a more subtle way.

The proven shape of the 3.4-inch reverse tanto blade cuts with authority. Opening packages and cutting into vacuum-sealed foods and fabric — basic EDC tasks — was a dream. The knife comes with a sharp edge that easily slices office paper without tearing.

But I would not call this knife “slicey.” Yes, it is sharp, but it’s also angular and beefy. The spine of the Osborne is 2.92mm thick. The grind shape creates a wedge that angles quickly from the cutting surface to that full thickness before a secondary grind thins the front of the spine toward the tip.

The resulting shape is well suited to hard tasks. But I had a feeling it would be mediocre for kitchen duty, for example, chopping onions. So I chopped some veggies, and, as expected, this was not its strong suit. Pocket knives with short blades are just not meant for kitchen use (sorry, chef!), though they’ll get you by in a pinch at a campsite.

But the Osborne shines when it comes to EDC tasks and tougher cutting.

Will the Benchmade Osborne Hold an Edge?

Even though it’s relatively new, MagnaCut is already well-accepted as a darned good steel. While I have only had this knife in my hands for about 10 days, I wanted to see if it could stand up to consistent, edge-testing abuse.

So, beyond carrying it as my EDC over the last couple of weeks, I took it to the woodshed, so to speak. I used it to hack several small branches from an overgrown elm tree, clip dozens of shoots off my tomato plant, trim back my zucchini, and do some whittling. It worked great through the tests.

Finally, I sat down and cut 50 1-foot slices through a cardboard box just to see how it would hold up. After all of this, the knife still sliced paper, although with a more ragged edge and a little tearing occasionally.

My takeaway? This knife will hold an edge as well as any good EDC steel. Yes, there are better edge-holding materials, but they all lack other attributes. For a well-balanced knife steel that resists corrosion and chipping, this MagnaCut is incredible.

And it’s a dream to resharpen compared with other high-end powder steels.

Resharpening MagnaCut

To me, this the ease at which the average user can resharpen MagnaCut is among its finest attributes. While it does hold an edge very well, it will eventually dull. In my testing, I accidentally cut into a piece of steel wire embedded in that previously mentioned elm tree. I also dropped the knife perfectly on its tip on concrete.

Both of these oopsies dinged the edge. I’m a little obsessive about my knife edges, so I knew it would be time to hit the Wicked Edge to touch it up.

Once I found the edge angle (just a smidge over 21 degrees, it turned out), it only took about a dozen passes of a 1,000-grit stone to smooth out the knicks and bring the knife back to a factory edge. It was easy to build a burr, and the blade is now ready for full-time service once again.

Other steels (S90V, for example) will hold an edge longer. But they are notoriously tough to sharpen. For those who like to maintain their own blades, it’s a very nice feature. It’s also worth noting here that Benchmade will resharpen its knives for just the cost of shipping for life.

Handle, Lock, and Grip

I have very average-sized hands, usually wearing between a medium and large glove, depending on the brand. This knife fits my grip nearly perfectly, with just a small bit protruding past my pinky with a four-finger grip.

It is comfortable, with a shape that keeps your grip from sliding forward. The back of the handle has an inset that adds some indents similar to jimping, although the blade spine itself lacks any jimping.

The pocket clip offers secure yet easy-to-attach inward pressure. The knife won’t fall out of your pocket, but it’s easy to clip. It sits deep and can switch sides for ambidextrous use.

The Axis lock, well, what’s to say? It’s one of the best locks on the market, so much so that once Benchmade’s patent expired, it was adopted by everyone. And in this case, it works well. The blade locks up securely, and is easy to open and close.

It’s also wonderfully fidgety, flicking open and closed with a satisfying schwick!

Downsides

If you’ve read this far, you can tell I like this knife. It’ll be a regular in my rotation, no doubt. But there is an obvious elephant in the room, and that’s the price.

The Osborne in MagnaCut steel costs $300. That is a heavy hit for a knife, even a fantastic one, that is meant to take a beating. In an era that affords many excellent EDC knives for half that price or less, it’s a tough number to swallow.

Is it justifiable? Absolutely. Magnacut steel is an expensive material. Manufacturing in North America is also expensive. So, if you look at the competition, the Osborne is competitively priced.

Does that mean it’s for everyone? No.

Who Should Buy the Benchmade Osborne MagnaCut Knife?

If you want the best of the best EDC knife in an iconic design and top-tier steel, the Osborne should be high on your list. Collectors will love the mixture of time-tested engineering and high-tech steel. Carriers will like the versatile, capable, and non-threatening blade shape.

So if you, like me, drop a knife in your pocket every day whether going to the office or the mountains, the Osborne is a great choice. And if you want it in the best possible steel, this is the one.