Benchmade  Bailout 537BK-06 Knife

Decent product. Feels great in the hand. The handle is plastic, does not have a metal frame inside and therefore feels a bit flimsy. Other than that, no issues.

A decent knife, but the plastic handle feels flimsy and cheap.

I'm a knife nerd and have collected several Benchmade products over the years. But it's been awhile since I purchased this brand due to their new-ish sky-high pricing and MAP strategies. Given that, REI is about the best place to buy Benchmade if you're a Co-op member, can use a coupon, or like the case here when they run a good discount (which only shows up in-cart, so be sure to check whenever they are running store-wide sales!) The Bailout is impossibly thin, taking up practically no space in your pocket or pack. It also comes in at a featherweight 2.1oz which is amazing given the generous and capable 3.4" tanto grind blade. The grind on this is fantastic with just a slight bit of belly (not always present on tanto blades), making it very slicy as well as stabby and scrape-y. The handles on this particular model are what I would call "function over form" as they aren't much to look at, but are strong, lightweight, and thin. The pocket clip is adequate, but a bit on the short side (again, lightweight). Good all-around tool. I got it to carry while backpacking but I like it so well I've been EDCing it since it arrived last week. It deploys equally well with the ambidextrious thumb studs or by pulling back the axis lock and flicking your wrist. It was a bit tight out of the box so I carefully backed off the pivot screw about 1/16 of a turn so that now it falls shut under its own weight but has no play in the pivot. Not sure if Benchmade uses bearings or washers on this one but it's great that you can adjust the pivot without creating slop. Added a couple drops of good quality oil to the pivot and lock area and it works like a dream. Sweet blade, absolutely love it so far.

Good quality knife that stands up over the long term. Only wish is that it came with a holster for belt carry.

Very practical blade about 3.5 inches, the tanto tip will puncture well with minimal effort. More of a tactical advantage. Like the overall size. This is the 5th Benchmade that I own. REI made it more affordable with one of its spring coupons.