Benchmade 535GRY-1 Bugout Drop-Point Fine-Edge Knife
Subtle yet capable, the Benchmade 535GRY-1 Bugout Drop-Point Fine-Edge knife was designed to easily blend into its surroundings, from the campground to the city.




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- Drop-point, CPM-S30V premium stainless-steel blade (58-60HRC) holds edges well and works for a variety of uses; smoked gray Cerakote® blade finish offers a subtle look
- Manual AXIS® lock folding mechanism is secure and ambidextrous
- Textured, ranger-green Grivory handle is comfortable to hold and easy to grip
- Chromium nitride-coated, reversible, tip-up, mini deep-carry pocket clip
- Oversize lanyard hole on handle
- Lightweight, DLC-coated titanium AXIS bar, anodized barrel spacers and dual thumb studs
- Covered by the Benchmade limited lifetime warranty and LifeSharp™ services; contact Benchmade for details
Made in USA.
View the Benchmade Bugout Product LineView all Benchmade Pocket KnivesBest Use | Camping |
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Knife Blade Type | Straight Edge |
Locking Blade | Yes |
Number of Blades | 1 Blade |
Max Blade Length (in.) | 3.24 inches |
Closed Length | 4.22 inches |
One-Handed Opening | Yes |
Handle Material | Grivory |
Blade Construction | CPM-S30V stainless steel |
Lanyard Ring | Yes |
Dimensions | 7.46 x 0.42 inches |
Weight | 1.8 ounces |
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Great Knife! Great Store!
REI is simply the best. Great products and customer service. The Benchmade Bugout is a perfect all purpose knife. Very light. Very sharp. Perfect opening and closing mechanism.
Lightweight and great quality
I didn’t know I needed a knife, but I’m glad I have this one now. It feels like good quality, but is very light. I don’t know much about knives, but it’s opens boxes very well so far.
Best knife I’ve had so far!
Lightweight and SHARP! I’ve been carrying a Smith and Wesson tactical knife for a while and although it served its purpose, this is an ideal everyday carry. It’s lightweight, opens fast and can pretty much cut through anything.
Beautifully Made Knife!
I recently bought this Bugout and I’m loving it! I’ve got plenty of awesome folding knives, but this is my first Benchmade. The quality is outstanding and while it’s expensive, I think it’s definitely worth the price. I did a lot of research before placing my order. There is a ton of Bugout love on the internet as well as some criticisms. The most common criticism that I saw was that the Grivory handles are flexy. It’s true that you can flex the handles if you pinch down hard in the center of the scales with your index fingers and thumbs, but this isn’t something you’ll do while using the knife for cutting which is what it’s meant for. Squeezing the handle in your hand, no flex is detectable. I wear size XL gloves and I can get all 4 fingers onto the handle which is great too. This knife is insanely lightweight. The weight coupled with the deep carry pocket clip makes it an ideal EDC knife. Zero side to side or up/down blade play. Super solid lock and flicks open perfectly with the thumb studs. In the open position, if you disengage the lock, the blade swings closed again. It’s awesome. I almost went for the carbon fiber handled version for the extra rigidity, but I liked the look of these green handles more and it looks even better in person. The grey blade, green handles and gold anodized hardware makes this a stunning knife. REI calls it “Tan” but this is the Benchmade Ranger Green Grivory handle. The REI site also says the blade has a chromium nitride coating, but the knife I received has the updated cerakote blade coating on it. It should serve me well for many years! Couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
Best EDC I've ever owned
I've carried Benchmades for 20+ years, mostly one of my two 710s or sometimes a Grip or Mini Grip. My first 710 totally sold me on the AXIS lock. No problems with any of them, including the Bugout. Smooth actions, centered blades, etc. The Bugout is all of this in a thin, amazingly light package. As others mention it comes sharp, with a very smooth action. I love the minimalist design and eliminating the backstrap makes it easy to keep clean. That said it's an EDC, like many others I don't think it'll stand up well to heavy outdoor use. For that I grab a fixed blade, never a heavier folder. But I like this Bugout enough that I just bought a second one, the blue one.
Great EDC knife. Not ideal for outdoor uses
This knife is very well made and exceptionally lightweight which makes it great to keep in your pocket for daily carry. But the light weight advantage also translates to a less than ideal knife for use around camp as it will not be strong enough for some jobs due to the G10 grips that aren’t lined with steel for added strength. The S30V steel is a personal favorite as it holds an edge well. But it is harder to sharpen so keep that in mind. A diamond stone will be helpful in these situations. I think that anyone who owns this knife will be happy with it knowing that it’s really an EDC knife and not a utility blade.
Great introduction into the Benchmade world
I’ve carried edc knives for over 30 years, and find myself using them most days. I occasionally treat them a bit rougher than they probably deserve, so I’ve always hesitated to spend over $90 or so. However, I’ve always wanted a quality edc knife from one of the big names, and the Bugout seemed to be a good choice given the brand and the relatively low cost. I took the chance, and couldn’t be more pleased. I can understand why some might complain that the scales are too light, but honestly for me that’s a plus. I’d much rather have a knife that will disappear into any size pocket than some monster tactical thing that I have to dress around. I would have zero hesitations buying again if/when I lose this one.
Nice thin knife, easy to carry
I have a lot of folding knives, this is my 4th Benchmade. I was surprised how thin it is, it disappears in the pocket. The pivot was way too tight out of the box, I had a loosen it a little and now the action is really good. There is a little blade play but I found a happy medium. This is a light duty knife, it does not feel very strong and the body of the knife flexes easily. If I had to take one knife camping for the weekend, this would not be it. It is a tad over priced, I feel this is a $100 knife and not more.
As good as PM2
Great knife! Slightly preferred over Spyderco PM2. Extremely light in comparison but still sturdy enough for my light duty everyday use.
Inspect Before Buying
Did research before buying. Common complaint was that there was blade play and poor centering out of box. For a few that I was shown in store, this was true. Finally found one that was good to go out of box. Sure, perhaps the ones that I passed on could have been adjusted at home, but for $139 I shouldn't have to mess with that. All that said, great knife. Thin and light but plenty capable for most anything thrown at it within reason. I found it to be very sturdy and just as sharp.