Making the Cut: Best Benchmade Pocket Knives of 2021

After losing and busting an absurd amount of knives for years, I was eventually gifted a Benchmade Bugout 535. Initially, I was nervous about using it because of its quality and the sheer dollar value spent on it. Once I got over my own gun-shyness of using this knife, I started putting it to the test regularly in all my outdoor adventures. I’ve used this knife to prepare food while camping, cut ropes, open boxes, and so much more. I haven’t had to invest in any other camping knife since this one landed in my lap. 

The drop-point blade offers a generous cutting surface, and the CPMS30V steel blade is still sharp as ever, even two years later. The grivory handle has never slipped from my palm. The open length of this tool is 7.46 inches; closed it measures 4.22 inches, making it perfectly palm-sized even when your hands are as small as mine. 

Benchmade recently scaled down one of its most popular EDC knives ever — the 535 Bugout family — into the Bugout Mini. This Mini 533 Bugout measures about half an inch shorter total (a slightly shorter blade length and overall length) but still offers enough handle to get a solid grip. Though mini, Benchmade didn’t sacrifice any materials — the S30V steel is quality, the blade geometry is fantastic, and there’s still the choice of grivory or carbon fiber scales.

This blade is an excellent choice for those who appreciate quality but want something lightweight (and it would also make a great starter EDC). The best part about this blade: it fits in literally any pocket, including those pockets that barely exist in many women’s clothing. 

The Griptilian is a top contender for the best Benchmade knife for EDC ever made. The handle is fashioned from high-density resin, making it robust and comfortable.

The chances are slim that this puppy is going to slip while you work. The blade is 154CM stainless and has a hollow ground edge with plenty of cutting surface. This Benchmade pocket knife has a naturally aggressive profile and makes short work of all your daily tasks from opening boxes to cutting rope. The Griptilian is similar in length to the Adamas 275 but doesn’t feel nearly as large. Just a beautifully engineered, tough-as-nails knife that will double as a tactical knife in a pinch.

It’s hard for some to get their head around the 940 from Benchmade. With just a few minor tweaks, you could envision it next to your dinner plate at a nice steak house. But make no mistake — this is a serious piece of everyday carry.

The 940 maybe be the most popular Benchmade knife in its tanto collection owing to its blade of premium CPM-S30V stainless steel and a handle fashioned from 6061-T6 aluminum. Open or closed, it’s a lightweight beauty, and with the no-nonsense reverse tanto folding blade, it allows you effortless cutting force.

The icing on the cake? It weighs a scant 2.9 ounces.

The Barrage 582 is one of the most satisfying EDC knives you’ll find. Handsome, perfectly balanced with premium M390 steel in the folding blade and a comfortably molded G10 aluminum handle it’s pretty much exactly what we envision when we think “ultimate EDC knife”.

Owing to its effortless one-handed opening mechanism and that discreet tanto point, the Barrage is the best Benchmade knife for self defense — when called for. 

A bit of a stylistic departure, the Mini Crooked River 15085-2 with its clip point blade strives to connect with the great pocket knives of the past and does an admirable job. The CPM-30V stainless steel blade stubbornly holds onto its edge while the diamondwood scales provide the type of satisfying feel you only get from wood. The clip point folding blade provides a generous cutting surface and is great for those times you need to penetrate tip-first. The lanyard hole is an unexpected but welcome touch and the single-handed opening is smooth as butter.

The 15061 Grizzly Ridge drop point knife from benchmark isn’t going to be much good in a fight with a grizzly (not sure that even a proper hunting knife would help there) but it’s perfect for just about everything else. With a 3 ½ inch drop point blade and checkered Grivory handle core the Grizzly Ridge lets you take hold and perform any task with confidence. There’s a high end CPM-S30V stainless steel blade and ambidextrous AXIS blade lock, a reversible pocket clip, serrations down the spine of the folding blade and a lanyard hole at the butt of the handle. To top it off it tips the scales at a trim 3.77 ounces.

If you spend a lot of time out on the trail, you need a solid EDC survival knife. Some people prefer pocket knives because they’re arguably easier to carry but sometimes it’s better to carry an old-school fixed blade knife like the Bushcrafter 162. It comes with a superb-quality leather sheath with the Bushcrafter logo embossed into it, so you can easily carry it in your pocket or pack. The blade is made from American-made CPM-S20V Steel, which is known for its excellent edge retention and resistance to corrosion and rust. Plus, it has a beautifully-made resin-soaked fiberglass G-10 handle that isn’t affected by fast-changing climates.