The Benchmade Bugout Is a Perfect Knife. The Bugout Vapyr Is Even Better.

6 min readBenchmade’s Bugout is my personal favorite Benchmade folder and the knife I recommend as the best lightweight blade in our guide to the best pocket knives. I’ve carried it backpacking and hunting for years because of its durable Magnacut blade and ultralight weight. I never had gripes with it that made me wish for a radical overhaul, but Benchmade has delivered one anyway with the new Bugout Vapyr. And if you’re a knife nerd like me, it’s worth a look.There are enough similarities to the original Bugout that they feel related, but they’re more like cousins than brothers. The Bugout Vapyr is thinner—so much so that it’s the most obvious difference you’ll notice in the hand if you’re an existing Bugout user.ProsDisappears in the pocketEven lighter than the original BugoutBlacked-out, all-metal buildConsStiffer pivot than original BugoutExpensiveKey SpecsWeight1.72 oz.Blade Length3.25 in.Closed Length4.24 in.Blade SteelMagnacutLocking MechanismAxis lockThe Vapyr also uses aluminum handle scales instead of the classic Grivory that Benchmade popularized, primarily with the Bugout. The Axis lock is there, but it’s a substantial tweak of the normal mechanism, meant to extend longevity and streamline the design to allow for the thinning of the profile.The end result is not an aesthetic refresh but a redesign that’s extensive enough that it feels like a new model entirely. It’s about as thin, light, and strong as a knife can be, making it a must-have for anyone who wants the best blade in this category.The catch? It’s $375, so it won’t be a fit for everyone. I’ve been testing it for the past several weeks since its release to share the pros and cons to help you decide if you want to upgrade.First ImpressionsLet me start off by saying that the Bugout Vapyr variant is not just an aesthetic reskin of a popular favorite. The most noticeable difference is the width, but Benchmade also managed to significantly reduce the weight.The original Bugout is featherlight at two ounces, but the Vapyr gets that down to 1.72 ounces. The Vapyr shrinks the width by 3 mm, which is very obvious in hand. It’s impressive engineering, but practically, it takes a knife that was barely noticeable in the pocket and makes it borderline undetectable.The other big change is the Axis lock, which remains functionally the same but swaps in a new textured and angled slide in place of its longstanding metal button. It’s a minor change that first-time Benchmade buyers likely wouldn’t even notice, but having used Axis locks for years, I think the slide provides a more intuitive, grippy button. The lock has some slightly different internals as well, the implications of which I’ll discuss further below.Benchmade’s website says the Bugout Vapyr is “everything the Bugout was meant to be, pushed even further,” and my reaction after a few weeks of testing is that’s on point. Benchmade told me the Vapyr design isn’t necessarily meant to replace the original because the materials required make it more expensive, but I’ll go a step further and say the Vapyr is a better Bugout.Justin ParkThe Benchmade Vapyr has a sleek all-black design with the exception of a dark green lanyard hole and thumb stud.Aesthetics and DimensionsThe story here, again, is the width and weight. It’s very thin, a fraction of a millimeter thicker than the Benchmade Narrows folder, a $500 knife named for how thin it is. It’s also flat, whereas the original Bugout has a subtle rounding to the scales, giving the Bugout Vapyr a distinct look and improving the lay-flat pocket feel.The Bugout family and the Bugout Vapyr specifically appeal to the ultralight backpacking and hunting set, but it also rides invisibly (other than the clip) in the pocket as an everyday carry pocket knife even in lightweight slacks or gym shorts.For now, there’s just a single Bugout Vapyr, and it’s a blacked-out design with black aluminum scales, a black Cerakote treatment on the blade, and mostly black hardware throughout. The exception is the Taiga Green used for the lanyard hole and thumb stud, but that metallic green is dark enough to appear black as well in most lighting.The handle scales have a subtle texture design that looks great but doesn’t do a ton to improve the grip. If there’s one arena where the original Bugout is better, it’s this. With flat scales that are very nearly smooth to the touch, I think the grip on this knife could be an issue outdoors when using it in wet, muddy, or bloody conditions.But from a purely aesthetic perspective, I prefer the look of the Bugout Vapyr to my original Bugout, which now looks less polished by comparison.Action and OperationBecause the Bugout Vapyr uses a variation of Benchmade’s pioneering Axis bar lock, it actually has more in common with the Benchmade Narrows (which uses the same Axis lock variation) than the original Bugout. Functionally, the lock should operate the same, but the stepped slide and different internal spring do alter the knife’s operation in subtle ways.The switch from the original Bugout’s omega spring to the coiled spring in the Bugout Vapyr and Narrows knives is what allowed the designers to ditch the liners in those knives and make them as narrow as they are. Benchmade also says these springs are more durable, extending the lifespan of one of the most common repair points on the original Bugout.One difference with the tweaked Axis mechanism is that the blade isn’t as free-swinging when the lock is held open as it is with the original Bugout. I disassembled the Vapyr to try and sleuth out the difference, and my best guess is that the altered bar lock subtly touches the blade internally, which prevents it from just falling open or closed like a regular Bugout.This is a minor difference but will be immediately apparent to longtime Bugout users. It requires more of an aggressive whip motion to deploy and close the blade. I added some lubrication to the pivot and reduced the friction, but it’s still a much different action. If you open the Vapyr using the thumb stud, you’ll notice it less, but if you hold the lock open and swing the blade open and closed, it’s more pronounced. Practically, the knife is still easy to open and close one-handed; it’s just a difference to note if you’re expecting the exact same action as the original.Durability and PerformanceAs mentioned above, the alternate spring used in this version of the Axis lock is designed to extend the lifespan of the Bugout Vapyr compared to the original. Benchmade doesn’t offer an estimate of how much longer that lifespan might be, but it likely has a sense based on repair claims for the Narrows, which uses the same lock design, so I tend to believe it.And while durability is a great thing to chase in pocket knife design regardless of warranty policies, Benchmade has a well-known lifetime warranty and lifetime sharpening policy if anything does go wrong after years of use.The Magnacut blade came lethally sharp from the factory and remains essentially unchanged despite weeks of use. This is one of the reasons to pay a premium for Magnacut—the steel holds an edge incredibly well but doesn’t suffer from the drawbacks of other “super steels” such as being more prone to chipping.Justin ParkThe Benchmade Vapyr features a Magnacut blade, known for its superior edge retention and corrosion resistance.While Magnacut requires a quality sharpener to restore the blade at home, it’s very doable with patience and a systematic approach. Using a sharpener with an angle guide allows for a repeatable process that’ll deliver even sharpness. More on knife sharpeners and sharpening here.Final ThoughtsWe’ve already mentioned the elephant in the room: the $375 price tag. Benchmade has lots of superfans, but its critics tend to focus on the prices, which can be higher than comparable knives with comparable materials.The original Bugout isn’t exactly cheap at around $200 for most variants, and the Bugout Vapyr is nearly double. It’s hard to argue against the Vapyr being a standard-setting ultralight pocket knife, but whether that’s enough to justify the upgrade is for you and your wallet to decide.If you scoff at the Vapyr’s price to save a few grams and millimeters but appreciate a light and thin folder, you have some other options. We’ve reviewed the excellent Vosteed Parallel before, which is about the same width as the Narrows and Bugout Vapyr but costs around $150. It’s closer to the Narrows in that it’s heavier than the Bugout line because of titanium scales. The Bugout Vapyr uses a lighter anodized aluminum to stay under two ounces, but the Parallel is still fairly light and has the same lay-flat feel in the pocket.But if you have the cash and are reading this story, you’re probably already sold on the Vapyr. It’s everything the original Bugout is but taken to the logical extreme without sacrificing usability and improving on it in most aspects.Shop the Benchmade Vapyr Pocket KnifeOther Pocket Knives We RecommendKershaw Iridium Folding Pocket KnifeNow 14% OffBenchmade Bugout 535 Pocket KnifeCoast Contra Folding Pocket KnifeJustin Park is a working journalist with more than 20 years experience covering politics, environmental issues, hunting and outdoors, sports, and fitness for newspapers, magazines, and digital-first outlets. Since earning his M.S. in New Media from Syracuse University's Newhouse School in 2008, he's also applied his storytelling skills to video, producing, shooting, and editing for PBS, USA Today, Reebok, and more. He received the 2016 Associated Press Sports Editors' Investigative Award as part of a team covering the Rio Olympics for USA Today Sports.Rachel is the Deputy Editor of Reviews for Hearst's Enthusiast and Wellness Group where she supports Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, and Best Products. Her background is in service journalism and earlier in her career she worked as a daily newspaper reporter and book editor. She spent more than a decade as a staff editor and writer at TripAdvisor and Penguin Random House and her byline has appeared in Time Out New York, the New York Daily News, and New York Magazine. Outside of work, Rachel can be found planning her next trip, visiting museums and galleries, and walking her wirehaired dachshund in Central Park.