Luke Cuenco 08.05.25
Immediately I’ve acquired one thing particular to share from a current journey to the Benchmade Knife Firm’s facility in Oregon Metropolis, Oregon. Having grown up in Oregon and residing within the Portland metro space, it’s fairly well-known that Portland as a metropolis is a “knife metropolis.” Benchmade is one in all many premium knife makers alongside Leatherman, CRKT, and Steelport knives, simply to call a couple of. Nonetheless, most individuals don’t know that. That’s why I’m excited to share my current adventures with you guys on the Portland Knife Middle of Excellence. Immediately, we’ll be speaking about my mini journey at Benchmade, only a brief 20-minute drive from the place I stay. If you happen to’re an EDC junkie like me, you already know Benchmade is a reputation that carries weight—pun meant. This wasn’t only a tour of their manufacturing facility; it was an opportunity to roll up my sleeves and construct my very own Benchmade Bugout because the workforce there had arrange a small exercise for tour attendees to see what their workforce does each day on the manufacturing facility flooring. Immediately, we’ll go over the historical past of Benchmade, their superb Oregon facility, and why the Bugout’s minimalist design is pure genius for an reasonably priced, high-quality EDC blade.
Benchmade Protection on AllOutdoor
The Benchmade Bugout & A Peek Inside Benchmade’s Oregon Metropolis HQ
Benchmade’s Roots and the Oregon Metropolis Vibe
Benchmade’s story kicks off in 1979 when Philippino-Portugese Les de Asis began Bali-Tune, a small outfit centered on butterfly knives – therefore why many will discuss with any butterfly knife as a Bali-Tune. By 1988, they rebranded to Benchmade, a nod to mixing handmade high quality with manufacturing facility precision. The transfer to Oregon Metropolis in 1990 was a pivotal transfer, letting them scale up whereas retaining that craftsman’s contact. Strolling into their facility, you’re feeling the historical past, many years of innovation in each nook, as there’s a life-size mural with this historical past proper on the partitions of the Benchmade HQ. The subsequent room over (the manufacturing facility flooring) hums with CNC laser cutters and machines carving out blades, laser engravers including customized touches, and high quality management of us obsessing over each element. It’s a mixture of high-tech and human ability that makes Benchmade knives stand out as each a prolific and high-quality knifemaker.
The tour gave us a front-row seat to the motion. From uncooked metal sheets being laser-cut to completed folders and glued blades, each step is dialed in. The professionals on the ground? They’re like knife-making ninjas, assembling advanced fashions just like the Bugout in much less time than it takes me to brew espresso. Watching a few of them work was humbling, particularly when it was our flip to attempt assembling our personal knives. Spoiler: it’s tougher than it seems to be.
The Bugout: Gentle, Easy, Excellent
If you happen to haven’t dealt with a Benchmade Bugout (mannequin 535), you’re lacking out on top-of-the-line EDC knives ever made. Launched in 2017, this factor weighs a ridiculous 1.85 ounces, with a 3.24-inch CPM-S30V blade and Grivory handles that maintain it slim at 0.42 inches thick. It’s the sort of knife you neglect is in your pocket till you want it, whether or not you’re slicing open an Amazon field or prepping kindling on a backcountry journey. The AXIS lock, a Benchmade staple, is buttery clean and ambidextrous, making it a breeze to open and shut with out risking your fingers, not less than for those who’re assembling it accurately.
What makes the Bugout shine is its no-nonsense design and easy set of elements that make it a extra reasonably priced choice with an excellent blade at its core. The drop-point blade is a slicer’s dream, with a skinny 0.09-inch profile and a excessive flat grind that tackles every part from rope to venison. The Grivory handles—principally a flowery nylon-polymer—maintain the burden down, although some of us gripe about slight flex beneath laborious use. Me? I believe it’s a good commerce for a knife this mild. Benchmade’s gone wild with variants, too, just like the 535-3 with carbon-fiber handles and an S90V blade for individuals who need a premium tremendous corrosion-resistant choice. However the base mannequin? It’s all you want for many EDC duties, and since they arrive in just about any colour and will be customized engraved by request, they make nice private presents too!
My Bugout Construct: Not as Straightforward because the Execs Make It Look
The actual enjoyable got here when our tour group acquired to construct our personal Bugouts. They handed us a package: a stonewashed S30V blade, Grivory scales, AXIS lock elements, a deep-carry clip, and a handful of tiny screws, thread locker and oil. Sounds easy, proper? Nope. The professionals made it appear like a two-minute job—line up the blade, pop within the AXIS bar, safe the pivot, and tighten every part down. In the meantime, most of us have been fumbling like we’d by no means held a screwdriver earlier than. I dropped a screw (traditional), misaligned the blade as soon as, and spent approach too lengthy ensuring the AXIS lock clicked excellent and the blade would swing free with out being free. The springs in that lock mechanism? Tiny and unforgiving.
It took me a strong quarter-hour to get my Bugout collectively, and I wasn’t alone—many of the group was in the identical boat, laughing by means of our struggles. This course of actually gave me an entire new appreciation for each the guide labor that goes into a few of Benchmade’s knives, in addition to the automation processes they’ve been in a position to implement in order that repetitive and irritating jobs will be finished extra rapidly and let staff attend to different duties that require a extra human contact. Merely put, it was a stark reminder of the ability behind each Benchmade blade, even when most of that ability has been put into designing and programming a machine that may maintain issues constant for the client and for Benchmade. After I lastly completed, I held up my Bugout. It felt private, like I’d earned it although it’s a daily off-the-shelf merchandise from Benchmade that guidelines their EDC blade lineup.
As a last added deal with on prime of a terrific tour and a enjoyable studying expertise, Benchmade had our knives laser-engraved in-house with our names. A pleasant characteristic you can too reap the benefits of whenever you order a knife from Benchmade.
Last Ideas
The Bugout’s a legend for a purpose. It’s not simply the burden or the lock—it’s the way it matches into your life. Hikers find it irresistible for its ultralight carry; city EDC of us dig its slim profile for denims or slacks and shorts. At round $190 for the bottom mannequin, it’s not the most affordable, and a few argue you may get shut with a Spyderco Para 3 or Hogue Deka for much less. However Benchmade’s LifeSharp service—free sharpening and tune-ups for all times makes it a greater choice in my view for those who’re a heavy consumer. My solely gripe? The Grivory can really feel a contact plasticky for those who’re used to G10 or steel handles, but it surely’s a small value for that weight financial savings.
Constructing my very own Bugout at Benchmade’s facility was a bucket-list second. It wasn’t simply concerning the knife; it was about connecting with an organization that’s been perfecting its craft for over 40 years in my hometown. The Oregon Metropolis plant is a love letter to American manufacturing, and the Bugout is proof you don’t want bells and whistles to make an EDC blade nice. What’s your favourite EDC knife? Drop it within the feedback, and let’s speak gear!
