Benchmade Mini Bugout Folding Knife, S30V, Orange Handle, 533
[BM533]

In the context of its slim and ultra-light package, the quality of the blade is a standout feature of the Mini Bugout. The blade shape, with the classic drop point and the swedge on top, is handsome and practical. The blade stock is thicker than one would expect given the slim overall profile of the knife. It is not a fragile blade. I found no play at the pivot.

The weight saving is in the handle, but it is still long enough that one can get a four fingered grip on it. I removed the pocket clip simply because the knife rests so unobtrusively in the bottom of the pocket. With the clip, in any event, even though the knife sits fairly deep, the orange handle is a little more conspicuous than might be desired for everyday urban carry. But this bright colour is a welcome feature in the field.

In the interest of light weight, there is only a vestigial steel liner that extends less than half way down the length of the handle. With the Mini Bugout’s shorter dimensions, however, there is a lot less handle flex than on the full size Bugout, to the point that it is not an issue at all.

In my hands, at least, opening the blade was at first a bit hit and miss because the thumb studs are quite close to the handle. When you get it right, however, it is very smooth and flickable – although the pivot screw has to be quite loose to achieve this.

To lock the blade open, a spring-loaded slider bears against a notch in the tail end of the blade. This slider, like much other hardware on the knife, is made of titanium. I find that there is some stiction between the titanium slider and the steel blade that makes the unlocking action less fluid than it should be, especially if the blade has been flicked open with some force. This stickiness is not found in Benchmade’s Osborne 940, for example, where the blade-to-lock contact is steel-upon-steel. On the Mini Bugout, also, the ends of the slider that protrude above the surface of the scales are quite sharp. Again, this compares unfavourably to the Osborne 940. I very carefully sanded the ridges on the concentric circles of the slider on each side to remove what for me were irritating hot spots. I had to remove the scales to do this properly, and to be honest the protruding ends of the slider still detract a bit from the ergonomics of the handle.

In using the knife, the sharp inner edges of the Grivory scales were also an annoyance. I lightly sanded these as well, being careful not to inhale any of the dust. This made a significant improvement. The actual designed-in texturing on the scales is really quite nice, and now I find that (bar the lock slider) the handle is comfortable without being too slippery.

I have hardly ever purchased a modern folding knife that I didn’t have to modify in some way or another to make it more enjoyable to use. Within reason, I don’t mind. It’s almost a sort of customization that makes the knife more your own. The Mini Bugout gets a lot of pocket time because of the feather-light weight combined with the excellent blade, and although the price is a little high compared to, say, the comparably sized Spyderco Chaparral, I certainly feel that I got my money’s worth and I am glad that I made the purchase.