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Benchmade’s Unique, Multifunctional Knife Joins NASA’s First Voyage to the Moon in 54 Years

Each astronaut on the soon-to-launch Artemis II mission will carry the premium first responder-friendly blade.

Black partially serrated Benchmade 916 knife blade with orange textured handle on a blue and black surface.Benchmade
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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As you may know, this week is a huge one for NASA.

Conditions permitting, the Orion spacecraft will launch out of Cape Canaveral tonight, beginning the Artemis II mission, the historic first crewed trip to the Moon since 1972.

Black partially serrated Benchmade folding knife with an orange textured handle on blue and black rocky surface.
The Triage is quietly loaded with features that make it ideal for ambitious space missions like Artemis II.
Benchmade

While this publication and others have dedicated endless ink to various Moon watches, we rarely go into as much detail as we could about the rest of an astronaut’s proverbial EDC kit. 

On that note, it’s also a huge week for Benchmade: each member of the four-person Orion crew will have the brand’s 916SBK-ORG Triage knife stowed in their spacesuits. 

Ready for the final frontier

Why was the Triage chosen? While not built specifically for cosmic adventures, it was designed for first responders, resulting in unique traits capable of meeting impossibly high NASA standards.

Let’s start with the blade, which stands out even among Benchmade’s many-splendored offerings thanks in large part to its shape. 

Black partially serrated folding knife blade with orange textured handle.
Benchmade also makes a Tactical Triage and an Auto with more traditional drop-point blades, but for astronauts, the blunt-tipped opposing bevel shape actually makes much more sense.
Fin & Fire Fly Shop

The opposing bevel features a flat, blunt tip that is not only ideal for prying and scraping but also boosts the blade’s toughness and helps prevent accidental punctures.

Measuring 3.4 inches, made of corrosion-resistant N680 blade steel and finished with protective Cerakote, it has a partially serrated edge, perfect for cutting fibrous and other tough materials.

The opposite end is no slouch either, as it’s where the Triage’s multifunctional crisis management skills really come into play.

Close-up of a hook-shaped gray metal blade with an orange textured handle and black screws.
Like the blade, the folding hook deploys via thumb stud, meaning it can also be accessed with one hand.
Fin & Fire Fly Shop

A 440C stainless steel folding hook can cut through straps, cords and textiles without damaging the blade or injuring the user, while a carbide glass breaker can be used to literally break glass in case of emergency.

Both of these tools could be even more critical than the blade itself in some life-or-death situations, thousands of miles (238,855 miles, to be exact) from home. 

Folding rescue knife with partially serrated black blade and bright orange textured handle with hook blade opener.
Few Benchmade knives offer the bonus functionality of not only a folding hook but also a carbide glass breaker.
Knife Center

In addition to those features, the Triage boasts Benchmade trademarks that just happen to be pretty handy for space-going folks.

The patented Axis lock and ambidextrous thumb studs you’ll find on almost every Benchmade folding knife promise swift, smooth and secure one-handed deployment and retraction.

Folded pocket knife with textured bright orange handle and black metal clip.
The textured, ergonomic, and generously sized handle, complete with a pocket clip, rounds out the Triage’s features.
Knife Center

Meanwhile, the generous, ergonomically shaped and textured G10 handle scales offer a reliable grip, even while wearing gloves, as astronauts often do.

Lastly, a reversible pocket clip makes the Triage convenient to carry, whether you are rocking the freshest selvedge denim or, you know, a $12 million spacesuit.

Availability and pricing

The Benchmade 916SBK-ORG Triage (with the orange handle) is not currently available. However, you can pick up the otherwise identical black-handled variant for $325.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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