New trend, everything is now a Bugout killer

AntDog said:
The bugout is severely overpriced for what you get, stock. It just is. It’s a fantastic knife and when upgraded with aftermarket scales it’s even better. But, considering all angles it’s priced ridiculously for what it is.

Here’s the one I still have:

View attachment 2459042

And here’s the one I should’ve kept. This was one bad mammajamma I wound up with after swapping some parts. Sold to @Smaug.

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This is the problem with the bugout (and many other knives like it). The bugout is only a "good" knife once you've changed a bunch of parts. And by that point you are well into much better knife territory. In my experience and opinion the 535 bugout (larger) ceased to be relevant once the hogue deka in magnacut came out and sold for 88 dollars. The only bugout i have left has literally zero benchmade parts left.
 
norcalAF said:
Have you handled and carried an ESV? They are not pocket hogs by any means and flip out as fast as any auto. Plus the blade geometry and stonewash make them extremely slicey. Look at me, @mitchnola would be so proud of this convert 😂
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No. Have you handled a bugout?

I’m not worried about “speed of deployment” with a knife like this. As long as I can take it out of my pocket, cut something, and put it back - all good.

I know how well the bugout cuts and can only guess at the LG. Looks like it has a thicker blade. A blade having a stonewashed finish has nothing whatsoever to do with it being “slicey”. Red corvettes do not go faster.

I have eyes. I can see what the two knives look like. Might be neat to see some side by side direct comparison shots if anybody has any. I’m guessing the LG is a bit more “clunky”. Not in a bad way, but you can’t run a 442 against a Lamborghini straight up.
 
AntDog said:
No. Have you handled a bugout?

I’m not worried about “speed of deployment” with a knife like this. As long as I can take it out of my pocket, cut something, and put it back - all good.

I know how well the bugout cuts and can only guess at the LG. Looks like it has a thicker blade. A blade having a stonewashed finish has nothing whatsoever to do with it being “slicey”. Red corvettes do not go faster.

I have eyes. I can see what the two knives look like. Might be neat to see some side by side direct comparison shots if anybody has any. I’m guessing the LG is a bit more “clunky”. Not in a bad way, but you can’t run a 442 against a Lamborghini straight up.
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We understand you like your "was ok 10 years ago" knife dude. Yes, most everyone has tried a bugout
 
crk1984 said:
We understand you like your "was ok 10 years ago" knife dude. Yes, most everyone has tried a bugout
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The bugout came out in 2017. But, whatever.

They are not the be all, end all for me but they do excel at what they were designed for. They are a great EDC. A no brainer of an EDC. What do you think is better?……

You still haven’t answered me via PM regarding racism. Me and you are done here.
 
AntDog said:
No. Have you handled a bugout?

I’m not worried about “speed of deployment” with a knife like this. As long as I can take it out of my pocket, cut something, and put it back - all good.

I know how well the bugout cuts and can only guess at the LG. Looks like it has a thicker blade. A blade having a stonewashed finish has nothing whatsoever to do with it being “slicey”. Red corvettes do not go faster.

I have eyes. I can see what the two knives look like. Might be neat to see some side by side direct comparison shots if anybody has any. I’m guessing the LG is a bit more “clunky”. Not in a bad way, but you can’t run a 442 against a Lamborghini straight up.
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Honestly, I have no desire to send any of my money towards Benchmade due to political reasons that are taboo here. I prefer makers that are apolitical at least. Plus LG is a vet so he gets my support and dollars.
 
AntDog said:
The bugout came out in 2017. But, whatever.

They are not the be all, end all for me but they do excel at what they were designed for. They are a great EDC. A no brainer of an EDC. What do you think is better?……

You still haven’t answered me via PM regarding racism. Me and you are done here.
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Huh, what!? Where was the racism?
 
norcalAF said:
Honestly, I have no desire to send any of my money towards Benchmade due to political reasons that are taboo here. I prefer makers that are apolitical at least. Plus LG is a vet so he gets my support and dollars.
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Fair enough. Then you’ll never know.

I like the bugout for what it is. It’s a damn good lightweight cutting machine that disappears in the pocket and feels great in the hand. When I don’t want to think about things too much, or when I know I’ll be cutting mundane stuff it’s what I chunk in my pocket.

It’s not what I carry most of the time. Not even close. But I wouldn’t feel undergunned with only a bugout in my pocket.

I would not have named it the bugout though. Maybe bug-in or “THE EDC” but I damn sure wouldn’t bug out with one.
 
The Bugout is still king if your only criterion is weight. If you can handle hauling around an extra ounce or so, there are many better options.
 
AntDog said:
Fair enough. Then you’ll never know.

I like the bugout for what it is. It’s a damn good lightweight cutting machine that disappears in the pocket and feels great in the hand. When I don’t want to think about things too much, or when I know I’ll be cutting mundane stuff it’s what I chunk in my pocket.

It’s not what I carry most of the time. Not even close. But I wouldn’t feel undergunned with only a bugout in my pocket.

I would not have named it the bugout though. Maybe bug-in or “THE EDC” but I damn sure wouldn’t bug out with one.
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Sounds good, you should give LG a chance if you can, there is reason he sells out each run in moments.
 
Let the bugout be a bugout and I'll still carry a K55. Though I think I paid $20 for mine maybe less.
 
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crk1984 said:
We understand you like your "was ok 10 years ago" knife dude. Yes, most everyone has tried a bugout
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Never tried a bugout, partially for the reason in the quoted post below. That and every Benchmade I ever owned had QC issues. I sold all my Benchmade knives in 2015.


norcalAF said:
Honestly, I have no desire to send any of my money towards Benchmade due to political reasons that are taboo here. I prefer makers that are apolitical at least. Plus LG is a vet so he gets my support and dollars.
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There are plenty of better knives, and some that are similarly priced.

While I enjoy customizing my production knives, it shouldn't be necessary to make the knife function better. My cousin has a Deka, and it's a fine knife. it's a first gen.

Benchmades's prices have been out of whack since they introduced MAP pricing at a severe uptick. Inflation since hasn't helped. I understand MAP pricing, but theirs is at a higher percentage than their competitors.

This is partially why I've moved into custom and higher end knives. My Cheburkov Strizh has linerless carbon fiber handles, M390, and both a thumbstud and front flipper. It cuts extremely well, and I paid not much more than what my PM2 with mods would cost.

Hell to recreate my Southard would put me well into the $500 range. It's excellent, and at the time seemed worth it. It's a model I don't think should have been discontinued.

At the end of the day we like what we like, and we are all different. Sometimes those likes overlap, and sometimes they don't.

I don't think any Benchmade will ever again be a benchmark for which to judge other knives. There are other knives that do it just as well or better.
 
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Yo Mama said:
But I don't buy the new trend that everything is the new Bugout killer, the bugout is still unbeatable for what you get weight wise. I love when people complain about the handle flexing, how hard are you really trying to use a knife that's 1.85 oz? This time it's the new Kershaw Bel Air.....at 2.9 ounces and street price of $150 (about 25 less than the going rate of the basic Bugout). I see everybody all of a sudden shouting out "Bugout killer", like people are purposely rooting to dethrone the king. While this is good for competitive designs I've yet to see a lightweight knife truly be able to compete with it. There are plenty of knives that I like better than the Bugout, but facts are facts it's not dead, and still taking names. View attachment 2458944
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But do you know the ultimate Bugout Killer? Why, it’s the Cold Steel Voyager of course. It’s the greatest knife ever made that money can buy.

Trolling aside, I generally find Spydercos to be more bang for the buck than Benchmades. Just a subjective thing I suppose.
 
I’ve seen this argument play out so many times regarding “Glock killers” on gun forums… If bugouts are overpriced they wouldn’t sell by the thousands like they still are. Manufacturers set the price of an item but the consumers/market determine the value of that item. The market has decided that bugouts are worth the price. Name recognition is certainly part of that but, like it or not, name recognition adds (or in some cases subtracts) value. I‘ve watched the locally owned brick and mortar store I frequent go through hundreds of bugouts in the last few years. I wouldn't be surprised if they’ve sold more of them than the rest of the BMs combined in that timeframe and they stock all of the latest and greatest models along with the classics.
And, until there is a fundamental shift in our understanding of how to cut materials, a knife that was good 10 years ago is still a good knife today. The overwhelming majority of knife buyers don’t care about the latest and greatest materials, what mods are available, and quite frankly wouldn’t notice the difference between magnacut and the legendary “surgical stainless” during use. I’m not much of a Benchmade fan and bugouts aren’t my favorite knives but they are good knives. I find the mini more than sufficient for my purposes.
 
There's no such thing as a glock killer. They are reliable like the sun coming up.

On topic though I agree with danger zone. Benchmade leaves themselves open to "bugout killers" alot to their overinflated prices. There's no value in buying a BM. They are indeed nice knives but cost is unproportional to what your getting. Which makes knives like spyderco or deka or a host of others look more attractive.
 
But to be fair I am the type of person who researches something pretty thoroughly and looks at all options before making a decision. I can totally understand how the average person walks into a store and looks at the knives and makes a decision in 5 minutes based off what's there. And name recognition does play a huge part in that. In that case the BM does look very premium and the price helps reinforce that to the buyer that their getting a premium knife. I am just a little OCD and in the back of my mind I'd be thinking but I could've got a better steel with full liners for x dollars cheaper. But I do that to myself with all decisions. Sometimes it might be better to nonchalantly just pick from what the local store has and never know no different
 
Bugouts are very tempting, but not at the current asking price ($200+) in Canada. Some alternative steels (M4, 3V, Magnacut) might persuade me to change my mind, but all those I've seen locally are in S30V. My Native 5 in S35vn fills my need for a lightweight slicer.
 
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