Benchmade Mini Bugout in S90V Review
Note: This review, as with all content I write on this site, is my opinion. It does not reflect the opinion of others, including the American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI), the cutlery trade group that I advise on legal matters.
I don’t think there is much of a need for a full review here. It is not because the knife stinks. It definitely doesn’t. But I have reviewed both the full sized Bugout and the Mini Bugout and the changes here between the stock MBO and this knife are both straightforward and unquestionably good. If you take a good thing and make it better, a review isn’t that hard to write nor does it need to be all that long. Think of this more as a reminder that this knife is out there and that it is exceptionally good. Is it worth $300? Well, yeah probably, if you are the kind of person that obsesses about your gear. Is it worth upgrading if you already own the basic MBO—eh, probably not.
I have written so many reviews on this site about knives this size. While so much of Youtube and forum activity is focused on giant folding pocket swords, I have always maintained a preference for smaller, more convenient carries. This knife is about perfect on that account. It weights right around an ounce and unlike a lot of the gear in the ultralight community or the design-first skeletal knives, this is a real knife that can do real work and still weighs an ounce. No it is not as light as a razor blade, so you COULD go lighter, but this knife, unlike a razor blade, also works exceptionally well as an EDC for most people. Benchmade has always had a focus on top shelf material and the CF here is really nice—solid and void-free. It is also CF all the way through and not just a sticker applied to G10. I love the contouring and the simplicity of the handle. In fact, I love the entire profile of the Bugout line save one thing—the exposed rear tang. Changing the handle shape slightly would fix that problem and make the entire knife just better.
The issue is there is no incentive to make this change (there is a Mini Freek in S90V that has no exposed rear tang, but that knife doesn’t look as good as this one). This goes back to a fundamental issue with manufacturing—amortization. Companies spend a ton of money designing a new knife. All of the tooling and machining set ups cost a lot of money. Then you have new materials, steel and handle materials. Then there is all the assembly jigs and the like. In the end, a new knife costs a huge amount of money compared to simply making a different version of an old knife. And so, once the initial expense occurs, companies need to get that money back. Each unit produced using all of that investment reduces the loss that investment represents until, hopefully quickly, the new model is turning a profit on every unit. This is why you see some knives in continuous production for so long—the Buck 110, the Kershaw Leek, and, though not as old as those two designs, the Bugout. Some parts and set ups carry over from one design to another. For example, generally the pivot area with the lock, the deployment mechanism, and the pivot screw are at least somewhat standardized, especially on sliding bar lock knives, but beyond that, a new design is all new investment. Changing the handle shape to cover the exposed rear tang is very difficult on the manufacturing side even if it is a small different for us. And when you have knife as successful as the Mini Bugout there is no real incentive to change. So we are almost certainly not going to get a change like this for the foreseeable future.
Over time companies would vastly prefer to decrease the cost per unit rather than retool for a small tweak. If they can cut an operation, or batch something out that makes production costs smaller (like, say, a more efficient pocket clip with the same attachment points), they will. Again, once the initial investment is paid for, its only the cost of materials and assembly that eat away at profits. Making those things less costly, therefore, directly increases profitability.
This is what makes two companies—Spyderco and TRM—so special. They will change designs for small improvements. The upgrades between generations of Delicas, Natives, Dragonflys, Calys, Paramilitary, and Military knives all prove this. It makes their entire line up something that is always improving. TRM is even better about this—they released the Bulldog Rev B about a year or so after the original and they even went back and made the Nerd more flickable. They are on Gen 2 of the Neutron as well. Iteration and upgrades are just part of the brand identity (and one of the many reasons I think TRM is making the best stuff in the world right now).
In the end, the MBO in S90V is probably the best EDC knife Benchmade has ever made and it is a jewel in my collection (the Valet and the Aphid were pretty good too; Benchmade can we get a re-issue of the Aphid with upgraded materials?). The exposed rear tang is an irksome but ultimately minor issue. The size, refinement, steel, and weight make this one of the very best knives on the market right now. If you have a stock MBO it is probably not worth the upgrade, but if you are looking to get one, this is the one to get. The S90V MBO also happens to be the just about perfect one and done knife. If you cashed out some crypto or got a bonus at work and want to get a nice knife that will serve you well for decades, this is very good choice. It might not have the heritage of a Sebenza, but there are no one ounce Sebenzas out there.
Overall Score: 19 out of 20 (one off Design for the exposed rear tang, which has snagged some lint over time).
Amazon Links
L to R: Prometheus Beta QR Ti v3 and Benchmade MBO in S90V