New trend, everything is now a Bugout killer

Hard not to respect a knife so well loved and supported.

I personally just can't shake that feeling that I'm falling for the old, pay more for less paradigm. That's stopped me at checkout everytime..
 
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Honestly for me, the Bugout was the Bugout killer. I absolutely do not understand the obsession over a few ounces. Nope, don't need it explained, I got it. It's just irrelevant to me, and thus not a selling point to me. I'm a big, tall guy who carries a light, pen, at least two knives, and when going out, I am carrying a small fixed blade on my belt. I couldn't tell you what any of these items weigh. I don't actually know what ANY of my knives weigh off the top of my head. As for one of the main reasons of this lightweight thing, I was also hiking back in the early 90s before the ultralight fad really took hold, so it's just not something I've ever considered. 🤷

As for the Bugout, I bought one when they came out, lost it somewhere, bought a second from a friend, got it in, and remembered why I wasn't bothered that I'd lost the first one. An entirely mediocre experience all around.
 
The original Bugout killer was the BM 531, made to address complaints about the FRN scales of the 530. Ironically, BM discontinued the 531 in order to market the inferior Bugout. Presumably the profit margin on injection molded FRN Bugout scales is much better than the machined G10 of the 531.
 
I agree on the weight not being a big deal. I mainly like thinner pocket knives in general which is why they somewhat appeal to me. I prefer the mini over the full size because you can carry it in the 5th pocket of most jeans. But, now I wear old man jeans from Duluth to work and you could just about fit Excalibur in the 5th pocket on those. I’ve found the Cruwear PM2 to be pretty much perfect for my needs so that’s been my main carry since early/mid 22. I’ve been carrying one of my small Sebenzas for the last few months but it’s not nearly as much fun.
 
Anecdotally, my buddies who love and carry Benchmade stuff have… never had anything else. Those who have crossed the bridge to basically any other knife companies don’t have any BM’s on the roster anymore. Myself included.
 
ScarFoot said:
I agree on the weight not being a big deal. I mainly like thinner pocket knives in general which is why they somewhat appeal to me. I prefer the mini over the full size because you can carry it in the 5th pocket of most jeans. But, now I wear old man jeans from Duluth to work and you could just about fit Excalibur in the 5th pocket on those. I’ve found the Cruwear PM2 to be pretty much perfect for my needs so that’s been my main carry since early/mid 22. I’ve been carrying one of my small Sebenzas for the last few months but it’s not nearly as much fun.
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Are we the same person?! My CruCarta PM2 is in my pocket right this moment! I'm essentially now waiting for the other models to drop in the same recipe, as they're supposed to this year. PM3, Manix2, Manix2 XL, etc. yes please and thank you.
 
I need to check in to BF more often. This is the first time I've heard of the Bugout. I had to read this entire thread to see what you guys were talking about, lol...
 
Quiet said:
Are we the same person?! My CruCarta PM2 is in my pocket right this moment! I'm essentially now waiting for the other models to drop in the same recipe, as they're supposed to this year. PM3, Manix2, Manix2 XL, etc. yes please and thank you.
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GB2 would be nice. I think they’re doing sprint runs in Cruwear but not the micarta scales.
 
353 said:
The bugout is not for me neither:

1: I dont trust the omega spring fitted axislock over time.

2: I dont trust BM's heat treat, they tend to run it too low.

3: BM is in general pretty overpriced when u look at what u get.
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This is basically my feeling on the subject also.
 
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Bugout isn't a bad choice, but it's not magic, and there are a host of other choices at both higher and lower price points that will work just as well.
 
I still like the Bugout and the Mini-Bugout. If I have to wear formal slacks or such the Mini is almost exclusively what I grab. They just do the light, slender, weightless thing really well when that's what you want.

I have a lot of the "killers" that get mentioned frequently, and some of them I like better or less, and some cost more or less. I still have the Bugouts and don't really feel like anything has killed them yet. Better? More value for the price? Better quality? Yes - something like a TRM to me is worth the price over a Bugout if the lighweight disappearing knife thing is the goal (and I prefer liner locks, anyway), but I don't plan on getting rid of the Bugouts because of it. Variety is fun, and I still dig em'.
 
Along the lines of what some have already expressed, I get to the checkout screen, look at the price and think "for what??" I mean I get it. I get the popularity and why they do still go for what they do. With that being said, I am looking for a "bugout killer" myself.
 
I understand and respect the love for Benchmade bugout, but to say that there are no better knives at that price is disrespectful to many manufacturers. There are better knives at that price or even cheaper.
 
BJ987 said:
Along the lines of what some have already expressed, I get to the checkout screen, look at the price and think "for what??" I mean I get it. I get the popularity and why they do still go for what they do. With that being said, I am looking for a "bugout killer" myself.
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I like the deka for what it's worth (USA) It pops up new for about 90. Im a magnacut fan. Scales on both are trash. The spartan blades astor is super nice for the price, but they tend to come dull it seems. That i don't like (not a deal breaker). Then of course there's the civivis, etc. Oh another great one- asher knives. I picked up a nomad 2nds for 50 new. M390 Blade. Assembled in 🇺🇸 (foreign parts)
 
^ The Benchmade Pinnacle was made to compete with the sebenza along w the Alias and some other makers knives at the time.The bugout is 1 thing but lets face it, there is nothing like a sebenza.
 
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The thing about the Bugout and a lot of other Benchmade knives is that the DESIGN is original. It was designed and produced in the USA and it actually created the market for all these "Bugout Killers".
Same for the Axis Lock, Griptilian, balisong... They are the genuine original. Even at their rather high current pricing, they are affordable for a genuine original. They create a product definition, design the product from scratch to meet that definition. It turns out that the Bugout really did fill a niche, as we can tell by sales.

Compare this to another product that is often-copied, a Rolex watch. Those are starting at what, $7k? and imitators are starting at $70. Move the decimal two places left. Watches with similar performance are maybe $700. Most people can't justify the price of The Original, and it's understanding and Rolex doesn't give a damn about those people.

I'm glad to support Benchmade even if only indirectly. When the original owner paid full price, he supported Benchmade directly. When I bought it from him and he got most of his money back, that was part of why he was willing to pay top dollar when he bought it. I've got 4 Benchmades now, haven't yet bought one new. I just can't do it. I wish I would've bought one of their balisongs 10-20 years ago when they were still somewhat reasonable.

It comes down to whether it's worth it to you to support an American company and American labor at some extra cost, or if you're one of those people who are only looking for a good value and don't care who you're supporting. (you're supporting companies without original ideas, except small variations on existing ideas from companies like Benchmade)

These days, I try to support the original designer and bonus points if they're American. It means I'm going for quality and originality instead of quantity.
 
scoobtay said:
Anecdotally, my buddies who love and carry Benchmade stuff have… never had anything else. Those who have crossed the bridge to basically any other knife companies don’t have any BM’s on the roster anymore. Myself included.
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I have quite a bit of offerings from other knife companies. I have Benchmades I don't use. I also have some that I use. I also have knives from other makers I don't use. And knives from those makers that I do use.
 
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