Benchmade Mini Bugout vs Spyderco Dragonfly in VG-10

My choice between the two is the Dragonfly. I have the serrated salt version that I carry around the house, when working out, or when doing beach/water stuff. I’ve also had a VG-10 in the past that was just fine. If I were going to pick up another one I would get the K390 version or the ZDP-189, If I could find one.

However, my favorite small knife is the Chaparral. Like Hashishiin Hashishiin said, it’s a very gentlemanly, thin, comfortable, slicer in HXP. Spyderco’s XHP is done very well and has been better in my use than s30v & s35vn, and is in my top five favorite steels.
 
I really appreciate all the input. I decided to go with the Mini Bugout. My biggest reservation was not fitting in the fifth pocket, but that pocket clip carries so deep and it's small enough not to bother me. Other than that, I really liked everything else more about the Bugout (except the price).

I actually owned a Chapparal in the past and sold it. The handle was a little wide for me and I found the closing mechanism to be pretty uncomortable to use. That blade was great though.
 
webb44 said:
I really appreciate all the input. I decided to go with the Mini Bugout. My biggest reservation was not fitting in the fifth pocket, but that pocket clip carries so deep and it's small enough not to bother me. Other than that, I really liked everything else more about the Bugout (except the price).

I actually owned a Chapparal in the past and sold it. The handle was a little wide for me and I found the closing mechanism to be pretty uncomortable to use. That blade was great though.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on your new knife :) we'll need pictures of it, you know that, don't you?
 
In my opinion, the delica is a closer comparison and I think the delica is one if the best values out there. Get a k390 delica and you win. It'll be cheaper, I think better ergonomics, and a better steel also. You can get much more for your money than a benchmade, and I'm not a fan of benchmades s30v.
 
webb44 said:
I really appreciate all the input. I decided to go with the Mini Bugout. My biggest reservation was not fitting in the fifth pocket, but that pocket clip carries so deep and it's small enough not to bother me. Other than that, I really liked everything else more about the Bugout (except the price).

I actually owned a Chapparal in the past and sold it. The handle was a little wide for me and I found the closing mechanism to be pretty uncomortable to use. That blade was great though.
Click to expand...

Congrats! Hope she treats you just right. Let's see it!

When you ready for the next. The Protech Runt is an excellent coin pocket carrier.
 
webb44 said:
Hey everyone, first post here. I'm driving myself a little nuts with the decision between these 2 knives. The Mini Bugout seems to be the better steel with more of a fun factor, but costs a full $100 more than the Dragonfly. I like the made in America factor too, but is it crazy to spend that much more? For persepctive, this will be my only knife for now and I work in an office and really prefer the knife to be as discreet in my pocket as possible. I mostly carry in my fifth pocket and prefer not to use the clip when I can avoid it. I'm a little worried the Mini Bugout might be a little long for that pocket.

Also, side note, anyone else wish the S30V version of the Dragonly wasn't pink? That might be the obvious choice if it were a different color.
Click to expand...

The Dragonfly is an EDC MVP for me. It's just too easy to carry. It's occasionally a primary carry and often a secondary carry. In the latter role, I sometimes just drop it into a flannel shirt pocket. I also have a Wharncliffe Dragonfly that permanently lives in a pocket on my favorite jacket. No matter what, a Dragonfly is a great option to have and worthwhile to own.

Sure, VG-10 isn't very exciting in the current market but it's adequate for my EDC needs (and a solid step up from stuff like 8Cr13Mov). Of course, I'd prefer better stainless. I feel like the Dragonfly is long overdue for upgrades (especially for the Wharncliffe version). I'd love to see it in SPY27, S45VN, or MagnaCut. In the meantime though, that VG-10 has been fine.

So I know it's 2024 and all but the pink scales held me back on the S30V too. I got over it as an excuse to try the titanium scales and back spacer from Flytanium. Those are excellent, BTW. It creates a different feel but I like it. They also makes disassembly and reassembly a lot easier, if that matters. Here is a recent shot of mine.

iv8IeMM.jpg
 
I have these versions but I am not a huge fan of either one of them. They are too small to be used comfortably by me. The smallest knife I usually carry is a Spyderco Caly3.5 (zdp-189). The Syderco is OK but just small and the Benchmade Bugout mini is way too expensive for what it is. IMO most Benchmade knives are too expensive for what they are.

BOvsDF05.jpg

BOvsDF01.jpg

BOvsDF02.jpg

BOvsDF04.jpg
 
vjb.knife said:
I have these versions but I am not a huge fan of either one of them. They are too small to be used comfortably by me. The smallest knife I usually carry is a Spyderco Caly3.5 (zdp-189). The Syderco is OK but just small and the Benchmade Bugout mini is way too expensive for what it is. IMO most Benchmade knives are too expensive for what they are.

View attachment 2600372

View attachment 2600373

View attachment 2600374

View attachment 2600375
Click to expand...
They’re all too expensive nowadays
 
I think the mini_bugout is worth the price if you use it. And if you don't like it after a while, sell it and you will recoup most of your money.
 
IMO, the Mini Bugout works really well as an office knife. It fits well in the fifth pocket of my pants and doesn’t require a clip. The high contrast or blacked out color scheme options can be a bit of an issue, but is generally a pretty easy issue to solve with dyes or third-party parts.
 
I've got both, including a Teal S30V Dragonfly I got from KnivesShipFree some years ago. If you're absolutely going to carry fifth pocket, I'd go with the Dragonfly.

KSF doesn't have the teal one anymore, but there's a new Dark Burgundy and Black version coming soon. Looks pretty sweet, and would be very discrete:
www.knivesshipfree.com

Spyderco: Dragonfly 2 Lightweight - Burgundy Sprint Run - CTS-PD#1 - Black Blade - C28BGBKP2

Shop our huge selection of your favorite brands - Bark River, Benchmade, Chris Reeve, ESEE, Zero Tolerance, and more! The one place to get premium knives.
www.knivesshipfree.com www.knivesshipfree.com

Also, check out KnivesPlus -- they've always got a large selection of standard and modified Spydies, including the Dragonfly:

Spyderco Dragonfly Folding Knives for sale - Knives Plus

The Spyderco Dragonfly is one of the best small EDC knives on the market. This knife goes through C.Q.I. (Constant Quality Improvement) at the factory, so you can rest assured that you are getting a fantastic product. The unique Spyder hole makes opening a breeze and the variety of blade steels...
www.knivesplus.com www.knivesplus.com
 
Last edited:
Native 5 in CPM , their improved VG-10 is now Spy 27! Small, lightweight, and superior quality steel to plain VG-10.
In reality, the steel on a very small knife, (Dragonfly) doesn't matter, since you can't really hack and whack with 2" blade. Any steel will be sufficient for the tasks you do with little pocketknife, IMO.
 
link2derek said:
I've got both, including a Teal S30V Dragonfly I got from KnivesShipFree some years ago. If you're absolutely going to carry fifth pocket, I'd go with the Dragonfly....

Also, check out KnivesPlus -- they've always got a large selection of standard and modified Spydies, including the Dragonfly:

Spyderco Dragonfly Folding Knives for sale - Knives Plus

The Spyderco Dragonfly is one of the best small EDC knives on the market. This knife goes through C.Q.I. (Constant Quality Improvement) at the factory, so you can rest assured that you are getting a fantastic product. The unique Spyder hole makes opening a breeze and the variety of blade steels...
www.knivesplus.com www.knivesplus.com
Click to expand...

I finally broke down and got the pink S30V Dragonfly. Part of that was an excuse to try the Flytanium scales and I'm very happy with them. It's like an entirely new knife body for the blade, and a very good one at that. The titanium back spacer makes it easy too. You can see mine with a little Cohiba a few posts up.

KnivesPlus does a lot of cool stuff and offers some neat in-house mods. The black-dyed pink model is a great way to get a non-pink S30V version without hassle. I still wonder why Spyderco only offers S30V in the pink model...

Malty Falcon said:
Native 5 in CPM , their improved VG-10 is now Spy 27! Small, lightweight, and superior quality steel to plain VG-10.
In reality, the steel on a very small knife, (Dragonfly) doesn't matter, since you can't really hack and whack with 2" blade. Any steel will be sufficient for the tasks you do with little pocketknife, IMO.
Click to expand...

Were they going to do a SPY27 Dragonfly? I've been looking forward to the Sage 5 in SPY27. I'd jump on the chance to get a Dragonfly in SPY27.

Does it really matter in such a small knife? Maybe. VG-10 adequately meets my EDC needs, but edge needs are alleviated by mostly using the Dragonfly as a secondary carry and also in that my main blade rotates daily. The boost from S30V, SPY27, or whatever is nice and it could be a help over time. Even if it isn't though, who are we kidding? Novelty matters. At least some of my interest in both SPY27 and S45VN is that I don't yet have knives in those steels.
 
I'd love to see spy 27 or magnacut replace vg10 in all their seki models. I'd like a stainless endela or endura but don't want vg10. So I wait.
 
elevator man said:
I'd love to see spy 27 or magnacut replace vg10 in all their seki models. I'd like a stainless endela or endura but don't want vg10. So I wait.
Click to expand...
Probably won't happen. Spy27 and Magnacut are American-made steels and VG-10 is a Japanese produced steel That's why they use the VG-10 in all the Seki models. Unless they move production of those models to the States (or Taiwan), they'll most likely continue using the VG-10. Plus, it's been a good seller for them and good performer for users overall.
 
I still enjoy my zdp-189 dragonfly, but I am not that keen on the k-390 Wharncliffe version.

However the Chappelle LW is a real nice blade for suburban EDC. I feel that the dragonfly gives away a lot of blade length with the finger choil. My son prefers it because it gives a good handle length with fine control.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top