Mini Bugout 533-3 CF Handle S90V Blade review

[vjb.knife]

I have been looking for another small light but well made knife in the medium price range for a while and recently got an email from of the big online dealers for this Benchmade Mini Bugout model 533-3. It looked cool as far as the materials go and the reviews were solid so I went all in and bought 2 of them (I like to have a reserve on hand). These little knives are pretty much what I would call premium production models at $300 retail / each ( I paid $270). So, right out of the box both are the same - 1) rolled edge, 2) loose blade wobble and 3) no locktite on the T7 torx screws for the pocket clip. I tightened the pivot screw ever so slightly and the blade is less wobbly but is now a bit stiff to operate, no in between, just one or the other, wobbly or very stiff to move. I put one on the strop board and then the wicked edge sharpener and the edge cleaned up pretty well, so that was quickly corrected. And finally I checked all the screws for locktite and that is also corrected. It is pretty good now but I guess that this is just disappointing at this price point. For $270 plus tax I want a very nice little knife right out of the box, not something I have to f#ck with straight away to make it acceptable. I put a litle lanyard with a snap hook on it and it is in my pocket. I have bought many other small knives that were ready to go ASAP right out of the box for considerably less money as well as considerably more money. It is a cool looking knife and I suppose it is pretty good now, so I will keep it, but WTF.

So it is a pretty small knife especially for someone with big hands like me, but it is manageable and now it cuts well after I sharpened it (18 Degrees per side). It is very light and you won't notice it in your pocket. I will try it for a while on my days off, it is too lightweight for work. An office person could use it as an EDC. Maybe I will do a comparison with some other small knives I have like a small CRK Inkosi and a William Henry Attache, a Strider PT, and a Hinderer XM18-3 inch, maybe eve a Gerber LST on the low side, but it might hold it's own. I like this knife a lot other than what I have mentioned previously.

 

[vjb.knife]

I have a little bit of a love / hate thing going on with this Mini Bugout 533-3 knife and thought I would see what I had to compare this to that was similar in size and type of knife and these are the ones I came up with. I tried to get knives that I own that were relatively close in length with locking blades and good quality. I may have some others but this is what I came up with initially. I think this is a good range of knives to look at from those qualities while giving a wider range of price, weight and feel. As far as price goes the higher side is going to be the Hinderer XM18, Strider PTCC, CRK Small Inkosi and the William Henry Attache; not neccesarily in that order. On the low end is the Kershaw Leek and the very low end a Gerber LST. Wedged in the middle is the Mini Bugout 533-3 and the Spyderco Positron with nearly identical retail prices, but the spyderco can be had at a much greater discount. These are probably also the most similar knives of the bunch.

Don't get me wrong on this comparison; I like the Mini Bugout but it is one of those things where I have to ask my self if it is really a good knife and if it is worth it. And I was a little upset with the quality issues that I found right out of the box, even if they were relatively easy to correct.

The value comes into question because Benchmade is such a hardliner on maintaining their sales prices at or near retail (discounts are rare and slim), while substantial Spyderco discounts are much easier to find. Also I feel like this knife is very expensive at $270 for what it is. Other knives in this pile are certainly more expensive and some are even bloated beyond their original sale price (think Strider) becuase of hype. I bought this PTCC quite a while ago at a fairly reasonable price around $200, but they are substatially more now and I feel maybe even more overpriced than the Benchmade. The XM-18, Inkosi and WH Attache are up there in price but I don't feel like they are bad values for what you get. On the low end it is hard to feel bad about the cost of a Kershaw or Gerber, even if they might not compare in quality. Their values are pretty solid.

Let's talk weight. When I got this mini Bugout knife It felt like a real airweightbut in this bunch it is actually the second lightest at 47 grams. The XM-18 is the heavyweight at 100 grams (including the Lanyard) so it is actually closer to the 2nd heaviest Kershaw Leek at 88 grams without a lanyard. The lightest of the bunch is the Gerber LST at 37 grams. Basically they are all pretty light and some of the easiest to carry of any knives in this size - approximately 3" blade. But you could carry 5 LST's for about the weight of one XM-18.

Quality is a very hard thing to quantify but I have been collecting, buying, selling and using knives in many situations and environments for way over 50 years. So, I am giving you my opinion and that's all I can say about it, take it or leave it, YMMV. When you relate initial quality to price this gives you the value of a product, and for me that is what makes me comfortable with that product. I think all of these knives are high in quality, but some are easily better than others. And you would expect that in a more expensive knife, but sometimes quality and price don't line up. Most of these knives are of a quality level that you would expect from a knife at their price point. Some exceed expectations and some don't. I think that even the lowly LST, which costs about $25 these days, is a good val ue and it's quality is good for that pricepoint. I have used them many times in many situations and environments and they have never failed me. Obviously it is not as nice of a knife as the higher end of the spectrum but my satisfaction with them is good. On the high end I have used the XM-18 a lot and the William Henry as well as other models of the related CRK knives like the small Sebenza and I am satisfied with the quality and value of them. I have never used the Kershaw Leek or the Spyderco Positron so it is hard to comment on their value and my satisfaction with them. That leaves two knives not discussed. Let me go to the Strider PTCC first. This is the second one that I have owned and it was a replacement from Strider for the first one that I owned, which kind of sucked. The first one had blade play and lock issues so I sent it back to Strider and they did not have one as nice as the model I had so they offered me this one as a replacement or said I could wait an unknown period of time to get one like the original one. And even though this replacement is a good knife the less than favorable deal that I got it under gives it a negative mark. Even if I don't consider that situation I don't think the PTCC is as good of a knife nor does it have the quality or value of the XM-18, Inkosi or William Henry. In a somewhat similar situation, the Mini Bugout had initial and lingering quality issues that affect it's overall quality and value. The blade is sharp now but the action is still stiff, so overall the value for me is diminished. If it was less expensive or if it had come to me in perfect working order I would be a lot happier with it but I am still test driving it for now and maybe I will feel better about it as time passes.