Is the Benchmade Bugout the best knife ever?

[Wowbagger]

I bought my boy a Bugout and it has worked its way to the top of his rotation, supplanting the Mini Grip I gave him several years. I bought him a Spyderco, too, I forget which one, and he never carries or uses it. He is a bartender who uses his knives hard and knows what he likes.

He's a lucky guy !
Way to go !

 

[halden.doerge]

^thats just a weird projection.
It's more like this, not my photo

Hey, looky there! That's my Bugout!

And I will say, even though of course I agree with subjective, your mileage may vary, personal needs differ, yadayadayada... this year I've been tracking how much I carry which knives, and the Bugout is vastly, by far the winner. It's not what I would pick as my "favorite" knife, and definitely not my "if you could only have one" knife. But, for whatever it means, it IS the knife that finds its way into my pocket more than any other overall. That definitely says something.

And was it in my pocket today, you ask? Why yes, yes it was. Go figure.

 

[Wowbagger]

The Axis is about as good as it gets IMO. If a spring breaks, I would replace it. I have replaced a lot of parts on a lot of machinery over the years, and the prospect does not trouble me. The couple of Benchmades I own have never given me any trouble.

'zactly how I feel / been my experience.

crude and dodgy as a . . . frame lock.

? . . . still though . . . there are those Chris Reeve things that tend to do OK with 'em . . .

 

[bikerector]

It is a great little knife but there are many others that are similar. My latest EDC is a Spyderco Native 5.

The native 5 has been my favorite EDC folder for 2 years now, after going through at least a dozen different 3" knives as I had length limits at the time. Still, haven't found something I like more but just got a bugout so we'll see. Ergos are there compared to the native 5, IMO, but it does carry nicer. I think I like the bugout more than the 940 or 943 which are great EDC's. BM usually gets the grind wrong for me as many feel too thick for my tastes. The sheeps mini was a very close 2nd behind the native 5 for a long time but it's probably tied with a buck sprint pro.

 

[Wowbagger]

It's more like this

THANK YOU !
Gee the Manix next to it makes me like the Bugout.
It is starting to look more reasonable to me.

 

[Hackenslash]

I have two Bugouts and I like them very much. The Ranger Green version is probably my favorite. A Benchmade makes my EDC usually once or twice a week and my favorite of that brand is a toss up between the Bugout or some customized mini Grips.

That being said, the Bugout is nowhere near close to holding the title of “Best Knife Ever Made”. Before you crown the Bugout, check out a TRM Neutron, Small Inkosi, Small 21 with CF or even the cheaper (and better) Chaparral LWT. There are probably “more betterer” knives I’m not thinking of at the moment.

Welcome to BF and it’s awesome you’re so jacked up over your first real knife purchase! Lock up your wallet; it’s just beginning!

 

[whp]

Enthusiasm is good , but everyone has their favorites . It's all very subjective .

If we consider "bang for your buck" , I'd put Cold Steel way ahead .

So would most objective users.

 

[K.O.D.]

I have ridiculous piles of knives and I'm trying to quit Benchmade but IMO the Bugout is a great knife, and even better with after market G10 scales (I'm loving the ones KSF sells).

Send some of that ridiculous pile my way!

Several years ago (2014?) I boycotted Benchmade. This is one of the only models I'd consider. I wouldn't say it's the best EDC, but it definitely appears to be a good one.

My most carried is my Manix 2. With custom ironwood scales, XHP steel, it is perfect. It's not flashy, it's not great to fidget with, but when I need a job done, I know it won't fail me. The CBBL is my favorite lock for actual reliability.

 

[johnnytoxin]

Glad you like it. But I don’t like it primarily for these two reasons:

-plastic handles
-made by Benchmade

 

[halden.doerge]

Glad you like it. But I don’t like it primarily for these two reasons:

-plastic handles
-made by Benchmade

You don't sound very glad.

 

[Rykjeklut]

The best knife is the next knife!

And my next knife won't be a Bugout, so there's that.

 

[Ripcord 82]

Nope,this is the best.

 

[johnnytoxin]

You don't sound very glad.

The op has his opinion on the knife and he asked for others. I was politely giving mine. We can disagree and still be civil.

 

[Keyman]

I am not a fan of the small partial liners BM uses in this and several other models.
I would not want to get myself in a position where I would need to depend on this knife.
For that reason, no this is not the best knife ever IMO.

 

[craytab]

Hey folks long time lurker looking to get more involved with the community I have come to love and respect. That being said I wanted to let everyone know that I finally did it. I finally stopped hesitating and bought a Benchmade Bugout, I jumped on the band wagon and haven't looked back. I'm sure this had been discussed many times, I just wanted to throw my opinion out there. So like the title says, is the Benchmade Bugout one of the best pocket edc knives ever made? I'm my humble opinion absolutely positively yes. I know everyone won't agree with this and that's ok. I just think when you take the whole package into account price, blade steel, size, weight, etc. The Benchmade Bugout is a home run, and I'll be adding many more to my collection. Let me know what you guys think.

"Is the Benchmade Bugout the best knife ever?"

Nope, and it isn't particularly close. Just my opinion of course...

 

[Ripcord 82]

The op has his opinion on the knife and he asked for others. I was politely giving mine. We can disagree and still be civil.

I must have missed something.Who was being uncivil?

 

[Quiet]

It would seem to me that the Bugout is a knife that seems nice when you first get it, but the love affair wears off quickly if the Exchange is any indicator. People post Bugouts for quick sale virtually every day. I personally have fondled a few and found them entirely mediocre in virtually every respect.

 

[johnnytoxin]

I must have missed something.Who was being uncivil?

Nobody was being uncivil. Halden quoted me sarcastically and I was merely explaining my response to the OP

 

[CVamberbonehead]

Welcome to bladeforums!
The bugout is the greatest knife ever if the criteria for winning is "flimsiest handle". I dont like the funky plastic handle, its way too thin to be comfortable for me. Plus it has too much flex. I know, I know, its super tough stuff but I just dont like being able to bend the handle... It feels (and looks like a little bit too) like some cheap dollar store "knife" to me.
I also dont like super hard steels. I dont sharpen with power tools, I use good old stones. So super steels would take me hours to sharpen. Not to mention they can be brittle. I know, I know, Im wrong and Im an idiot for disagreeing with the super steel crowd yada yada. Just my opinion.
Last thing: theyre overpriced in my opinion. Benchmade keeps getting more and more expensive and they dont make any budget options anymore.
So, I am not a bugout fan. I can see why everybody likes them, but theyre not for me. Im glad you found a knife that works for you though, enjoy your new knife and the forum!

 

[The Aflac Duck]

What’s the big deal? It’s just a Griptillian with a slightly different shape...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯