Fishing

My EDC Pocket Knife — A Balance of Style, Quality, and Performance

Benchmade continues to lead the knife-making industry in quality, performance, and style. Made in the USA, their knives come with a "lifetime sharpening service." It's a perfect choice for your EDC.

Ken Baldwin

Style and Function - Benchmade's "Bugout"
Style and Function - Benchmade's "Bugout" / photo by Ken Baldwin

The Benchmade Bugout is an excellent knife in every aspect except one: its name. It doesn't quite fit a knife with this much style, on top of its quality build and ability to perform. When I think of "Bugout," I think of a knife that I shove deep into a Bug-out bag for when all hell breaks loose. If all goes well in my life, I may not see the knife again.

A Knife That Deserves the Light

This knife is one I definitely want to see again. In fact, I want to see it every day as my EDC pocket knife. It's too good-looking to store away deep in a bag and only be used in a "bug-out" situation. It can handle the call if it should happen, but it deserves to be relied on daily and seen in the light.

A close-up of the Benchmade Bugout knife's locking button.
Love the attention to detail and splash of blue. / photo provided by Benchmade

Made in the USA

Let's start with what separates Benchmade from the pack. This knife is made in the USA—all of it, right there in Oregon City, Oregon.

From the Benchmade website: "Laser-cut from sheets of high-grade steel, every Benchmade blade is ground, beveled, and finished with uncompromising precision. We mill and machine handles in-house to the most exacting specifications, and every knife is hand-assembled and sharpened by highly trained technicians bringing to bear over thirty years of manufacturing excellence in our state-of-the-art factory in Oregon City, Oregon."

Custom Build It to Your Liking

Benchmade gives you 13 different scales or handles to choose from, or you can customize a handle yourself. I have the carbon fiber 3K twill material. I think it compliments the slim profile of the knife, and the finished look gives it an almost "gentleman's knife" quality to it. But don't be mistaken, the guts of the knife is all work.

Lifetime Sharpening

It comes out of the box extremely sharp and maintains its edge. I've pulled it across a diamond sharpening stone a few times for quick touch-ups, and that's all it's needed.

Here's something else that comes with the knife. If you love knives but aren't much into sharpening them, Benchmade gives you a lifetime sharpening service.

Benchmade: "This lifetime knife sharpening service, encompassing sharpening, oiling, adjustments, and resharpening, ensures your knife remains as good as new throughout its life."

An Orvis CFO Fly Reel and the Benchmade Bugout knife.
Classics made in the USA / photo by Ken Baldwin

So About That Name

So, back to the name of the knife. It's officially called the "Bugout," but you can call it what you want. I call mine the SharpAs%#*&MacDaddyGentleman'sSaveSomeForTheRestOfUs knife. Yeah, I did that. KB

"The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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The gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are my own.

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Ken Baldwin
KEN BALDWIN

Ken Baldwin is a Writer/Editor for Fishing On SI where he writes stories about fly fishing and the lifestyle that surrounds it. His work has appeared in Catch Magazine, Fish Alaska, American Angler, and the Netflix documentary Our Planet 2. He also created and hosted the TV show Season on the Edge, which aired on NBC Sports and in seven countries, showcasing travel, adventure, and culture through the lens of fishing. For twenty years, Ken worked as a fly fishing and photography guide in Alaska. His photography mainly focused on capturing the Alaskan brown bear. Ken is a graduate of the University of Washington.

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