Of all the tools you’ll carry with you to the water, one of the most essential is a good knife.
For me, a good knife needs to be sharp, light, easy to use, comfortable, and unnoticed until you need it while remining ready to hand.
And of all the knives I’ve owned – and that’s a pretty big number as I have something of an addiction to sharp things – I’d rate the Bugout as the very best I’ve ever carried.
Let’s get into the details.
open length: 7.46” | 18.95cm
blade length: 3.24” | 8.23cm
blade thickness 0.09” | 2.29mm
closed length: 4.22” | 10.72cm
handle thickness: 0.42” | 10.67mm
lockingv mechanism: AXIS Lock
blade style:Drop-Point
handle: Grivory
pocket clip: Mini Deep Carry
clip position: Tip-Up
clip type: Mini Deep-Carry
ambidextrous: Yes
handle material: Grivory
blade steel: CPM-S30V Stainless Steel (58-60HRC)
weight: 1.85oz | 52.45g
Blade
Cutlery steel has come a long way in past few decades, and where once steels like 440C or ATS34 were considered premium options, new super steels can outperform virtually any alloys previously used for knivesd.
As of 2025, now former “super steels” like CPM-S30V are offered as “standard,” adding little to no extra cost to a knife.
The Bugout sports a 3.24-inch flat-ground blade with a high spine. In the field, this translates into exceptional slicing geometry without sacrificing strength. And unlike the sharpened pry bars that try to pass as cutting implements these days, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by just how well the Bugout handles everything from cutting zip ties and opening clam-shell packaging to cutting fresh mullet or cleanly slicing tough line material like heavy-weight braid.
CPM-S30V is a fantastic all-around steel, offering a combination of exceptional edge-holding, reasonable toughness, and high stain resistance. If there’s one thing to not love about it, it’s that it can chip if abused, unlike less high-speed materials like 440A or 420HC, a favorite from Buck.
Its high hardness and exeptional wer resistance mean that you need to forget the Arkansas stones: cermamic or diamond-impregnated rods are essential to make progress in sharpening.
I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker, running the diamond stones to re-set the edge before moving on to the gray (medium) and finally the white (fine) to get a razor edge.
In my experience, the Bugout holds a hair-shaving sharp edge far longer than you’d expect, and I’ve been pleasnatly surprised on multi-day fishing trips where my knife has served on the water, in camp, making fire, preparing food, cutting packaging or cardboard, and field-dressing fish.
I’ve had zero trouble with corrosion – none whatsoever – but I’d still give my knife a quick rinse in fresh water if I use it in the salt.
Handle
Plastic handles are nothing new, and fiber-glass reinforced nylon has been a top choice fo knife manufacturers for years.
The Bugout uses Grivory handle scales, complete with spacers and a steel insert to stabilize the locking mechanism (more on that below). And while Grivory may feel like run-of-the-mill plastic, it’s anything but.
I’ve heard plenty of complaints from knife enthusiasts about the choice to use what’s essentially just plastic for the handle of a relatively pricy knife. And it’s absolutely true that you can feel the scales flex if you give them a hard squeeze.
But don’t be fooled: Grivory is light, amazingly durable, and simply among the very best possible handle materials for a knife you’ll use hard in the field.
Let’s look at why.
Grivory is essentially a high-end thermoplastic that exhibits extreme strength to weight. It won’t absorb liquids for the most part, it’s highly resistant to chemical corrosion (think bug spray that eats normal plastic), it is exceptionally impact resistant, and it’s super easy to clean.
If you think about capabilities as opposed to materials, Grivory provides everything you want in a knife and nothing you don’t. It won’t get stinky from fish slime, it can withstand tons of abuse, it won’t crack or break, and it weighs almost nothing, helping to keep the Bugout at an amazingly svelte 1.85 ounces.
Ergonomics
The Bugout isn’t just featherweight: its handle design is just what experienced knife users know works: a neutral grip that doesn’t tell you how to hold the knife, but rather fascilitates whichever grip is best for the situation.
I’ve used a pinch grip for fine control of the point, a hammer grip for powerful slicing, and a reverse grip for butchering game, and every time came away amazed by the geometry and ergonomics.
My large hands have plenty of real estate however I decide to use the Bugout, and unless your name is Shaquille O’Neal, you will, too.
And the textured panels on both sides enhance your control when your hands are wet, slimy, or bloody.
You’ll also find a lanyard hole that can keep your knife secure when you’re working around deep water.
Lock operation
The Bugout uses Benchmade’s legendary AXIS lock.
This system relies on two springs to push a bar forard, essentially jamming the blade open.
I’m not aware of any failures while even one spring is working, and in my admittedly hard use, I’ve never had slippage, unexpected folding, or so much as a complaint.
The blade opens with a perfectlty positioned ambidextrous set of thumb studs, and the washers provide a slick feel even if you increase the tension on the blade.
One-handed operation is essential while actively fishing, and the Bugout opens and closes without the need for our off hand.
For me, that’s essential in the field and on the water.
Carry
Benchmade’s Bugout is thin and light, allowing it to disappear into you pocket on a deep-carry clip.
You simply don’t know that this knife is in your pocket until you need it, and as much as I love my Buck 110, you’ll never look back to heavier, thicker, less practical options.
The clip works super well, doesn’t wreck my pockets, and it never falls out on its own or gets pushed out my pocket by my thigh when I sit, kneel, or squat.
Sharpening and care
The open handle design, simple, robust locking mechanism, and corrosion-resistant steel add up to a knife that can handle the mud, dirt, sand, blood, slime, and scales that the real world has to offer.
The Bugout will keep working, locking and unlocking securely whether its sandy, cacked with mud, or filthy from cleaning a cooler of fish.
But as I mention above, if you’re used to kitchen knives as truly amateur sharpening systems like the pull-through sharpeners that put a good edge on filet knives, you’ll need to step up your sharpening game a bit.
Invest in a quality diamond sharpener, and CPM S30V won’t give you any trouble at all.
Surprisingly, my Bugout seems to prefer no lubrication at all, and I run it dry all the time.
Conclusion
Benchmade is infamous for what can be called the “butterfly tax,” so expect to pay a premium.
If you see a “Bugout” for less than $160 or so, it’s probably a fake – and there are lots of fakes out there.
But if you’re looking for a light, easy-to-carry, ambidextrous one-hand opening knife that gets and stays razor sharp with a minimum of care, you probably can’t beat the Bugout at any price.
Pull the trigger on this knife and prepare to be impressed.
Source: usangler.com