1AbominAble1
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2010
- Messages
- 2,413
Short story,,
The Chromium Nitride coating on the Bugout is probably the best coating that I’ve had on a knife in my 35 years of owning pocket knives.
Longer version,
I have a love/hate relationship with coated blades. I think that certain coatings on certain knives are very aesthetically pleasing but in the PAST have usually been junk on a knife that actually gets used.
I know that in the last decade or so the coatings have improved greatly and that some people like the look of a well used knife, and I’m one of them, if it’s honest use. That said, the look of a scratched up coated blade can make a good knife look cheap.
In the past Benchmade’s coatings have left me less than satisfied, yeah, that’s a nice way to say it.
Though my favorite blades will always be stonewashed I gave coatings another try several years back with a Spyderco PM2 that had a DLC coating. It turned out to be an excellent choice but the PM2 and I weren’t destined to be together and she moved along.
Next was a Benchmade Contego from blade in 2012 with a Cerakote coating that proved to be amazing. I thought that the Cerakote and DLC were the pinnacle of coatings on an item that gets used like a pocket knife would, they didn’t chip or scratch easily, helped with corrosion resistance, and are just plain sexy. They satisfied the wannabe ninja of my youth that still resides deep inside the fat old man that I am today. There was a con though, I didn’t like the drag I felt when cutting with them and the Contegoalso moved along.
When I decided to buy one of the Bugout models I tried looking up any information or reviews that I could find about the chromium nitride coating that Benchmade had put on the gray version.
i found one thread that only spoke of the appearance but not of the durability.
I looked elsewhere and found info from product materials sites and reviews from people much smarter than myself who were using the coating in applications and environments that were pretty extreme. All of the info was positive, reviews were good, and opinions of the coating were high.
I still had a hard time deciding between the blue handled model with the satin blade and the gray model with the chromium nitride but finally decided the blade was going to be a user and if it scratched up easily like their old BK1/2 coatings that I’d be fine with it because I like the Bugout model so much and I wanted the subdued handle so that the knife didn’t stand out in my pocket.
I’m so very happy with this knife that I don’t know how to put it into words other than to say that I show it to every knife guy I know at every opportunity.
I carried different CRK’s for about the last 12 years pretty exclusively, no knife could knock them out of my pocket for more than a few days, we’ll, their reign has ended. I carry this Bugout more than any other knife.
I use it to cut food, open packages, cut rope, zip ties, cardboard, and fabric. I whittle with it as well.
It gets used many times a day and after 3-4 months the blade looks just like the day that I bought it. Absolutely outstanding!
Like DLC I thought that I’ve scratched it up a few times but it turned out to be material on it and not in it.
It’s passed any test I could think of for reasonable use, even some unreasonable use, plus it doesn’t drag when cutting through any material I’ve stuck a blade into.
If you’re shopping the knife and are wondering about the blade finish I can tell you from experience that so far nothing has phased it, though I haven’t jabbed it repeatedly into bags of sand or boxes of deck screws. If you’re a reasonable person that has high but reasonable expectations then this is the blade for you.
If you read this far, thanks.
Have a great day.
Buy a Benchmade Bugout, you’ll love it.
Do you all have any other coatings that you suggest I try that have held up for you like the chromium nitride has for me ?
What’s your favorite coated blade?
The Chromium Nitride coating on the Bugout is probably the best coating that I’ve had on a knife in my 35 years of owning pocket knives.
Longer version,
I have a love/hate relationship with coated blades. I think that certain coatings on certain knives are very aesthetically pleasing but in the PAST have usually been junk on a knife that actually gets used.
I know that in the last decade or so the coatings have improved greatly and that some people like the look of a well used knife, and I’m one of them, if it’s honest use. That said, the look of a scratched up coated blade can make a good knife look cheap.
In the past Benchmade’s coatings have left me less than satisfied, yeah, that’s a nice way to say it.
Though my favorite blades will always be stonewashed I gave coatings another try several years back with a Spyderco PM2 that had a DLC coating. It turned out to be an excellent choice but the PM2 and I weren’t destined to be together and she moved along.
Next was a Benchmade Contego from blade in 2012 with a Cerakote coating that proved to be amazing. I thought that the Cerakote and DLC were the pinnacle of coatings on an item that gets used like a pocket knife would, they didn’t chip or scratch easily, helped with corrosion resistance, and are just plain sexy. They satisfied the wannabe ninja of my youth that still resides deep inside the fat old man that I am today. There was a con though, I didn’t like the drag I felt when cutting with them and the Contegoalso moved along.
When I decided to buy one of the Bugout models I tried looking up any information or reviews that I could find about the chromium nitride coating that Benchmade had put on the gray version.
i found one thread that only spoke of the appearance but not of the durability.
I looked elsewhere and found info from product materials sites and reviews from people much smarter than myself who were using the coating in applications and environments that were pretty extreme. All of the info was positive, reviews were good, and opinions of the coating were high.
I still had a hard time deciding between the blue handled model with the satin blade and the gray model with the chromium nitride but finally decided the blade was going to be a user and if it scratched up easily like their old BK1/2 coatings that I’d be fine with it because I like the Bugout model so much and I wanted the subdued handle so that the knife didn’t stand out in my pocket.
I’m so very happy with this knife that I don’t know how to put it into words other than to say that I show it to every knife guy I know at every opportunity.
I carried different CRK’s for about the last 12 years pretty exclusively, no knife could knock them out of my pocket for more than a few days, we’ll, their reign has ended. I carry this Bugout more than any other knife.
I use it to cut food, open packages, cut rope, zip ties, cardboard, and fabric. I whittle with it as well.
It gets used many times a day and after 3-4 months the blade looks just like the day that I bought it. Absolutely outstanding!
Like DLC I thought that I’ve scratched it up a few times but it turned out to be material on it and not in it.
It’s passed any test I could think of for reasonable use, even some unreasonable use, plus it doesn’t drag when cutting through any material I’ve stuck a blade into.
If you’re shopping the knife and are wondering about the blade finish I can tell you from experience that so far nothing has phased it, though I haven’t jabbed it repeatedly into bags of sand or boxes of deck screws. If you’re a reasonable person that has high but reasonable expectations then this is the blade for you.
If you read this far, thanks.
Have a great day.
Buy a Benchmade Bugout, you’ll love it.
Do you all have any other coatings that you suggest I try that have held up for you like the chromium nitride has for me ?
What’s your favorite coated blade?
Last edited:
. Go figure 
. Marks on work knifes don't bother me but I don't know why I didn't try it sooner 
