Benchmade Mini Bugout vs Spyderco Para 3

[Up1911Fan]

Looking for a small lightweight folder for offside carry. I like Griptillian's but want something a bit thinner and lighter than a mini. Obviously the lock and opening method are the two big differences. Anyone have experience with one or both? Thoughts?

[Joe S]

I've not owned the Para, although almost everyone who owns one seems to like it.

The Bugout is a game-changer, IMO. If you're someone who thinks you always need to have a knife on you, from suit to running shorts, it's just the easy button in terms of lightweight, easy to carry, cuts like a demon. I also am a big fan of the Axis lock.

[Clusterfrack]

I don't own either, but here's my take:

Para3: Good knife, but too much handle for the blade size. Sticks out of pocket more than it needs to unless you have an aftermarket clip. I prefer the Para2.

Mini Bugout: I like what I see. It looks even better than the already excellent Griptilian. The handle is nice and symmetrical, so it should work well edge-in, tip up or down. Personally I don't love drop point blades, so the mini-Osborne is what I'd buy if I wanted a small Benchmade folder. That knife even comes in thin-blue-line colors.

[Willard]

I don't own either, but here's my take:

Para3: Good knife, but too much handle for the blade size. Sticks out of pocket more than it needs to unless you have an aftermarket clip. I prefer the Para2.

Mini Bugout: I like what I see. It looks even better than the already excellent Griptilian. The handle is nice and symmetrical, so it should work well edge-in, tip up or down. Personally I don't love drop point blades, so the mini-Osborne is what I'd buy if I wanted a small Benchmade folder. That knife even comes in thin-blue-line colors.

I am almost exclusively Spyderco for factory knives. Add ESEE for fixed blade and SAK for folding and a very few other customs (Ban Tang, etc). This does not count multi-tools from Leatherman and Gerber. I tried Griptilians, but the stud vs Spyder hole wasn't as good for me and I can foresee it snagging in tip up configuration and resulting in injuries following posts this forum by folks smarter than me. Maybe unwarranted, but I would only get the benchmade with thumb hole instead of thumb stud. YMMV.

[Willard]

Sticks out of pocket more than it needs to unless you have an aftermarket clip. I prefer the Para2.

Absolutely correct IMHO.

[WDR]

Absolutely correct IMHO.

Not the lightweight models with FRN handles and wire clips.95055

[Jared]

Looking for a small lightweight folder for offside carry. I like Griptillian's but want something a bit thinner and lighter than a mini. Obviously the lock and opening method are the two big differences. Anyone have experience with one or both? Thoughts?

Para 3 or Para 3 LW?

The Para 3 LW is closer to a Spyderco competitor for Benchmades regular Bugout than the Mini Bugout.

The Para 3 (normal) is a pretty good knife. Sentimental love for me as my first Spyderco was a G10 Para3. The Para 3 LW is actually better as it’s lighter, comes with a deep carry clip, and fixes the clip/lanyard hole issue that causes the Para 3 G10 to stick out of the pocket so much. Still though, my first Para 3 is the single smoothest opening knife I’ve ever owned.

I’ve got a regular Bugout and the new Taggedout. I like them both. I think they both were a bit overpriced for what I got. I tried doing some more extensive cutting with the Bugout once and went back in the house for a Manix 2 very quickly. Bugout is really better for if you need to get out a knife, make a cut or two, and then put it away for a while than doing sustained cutting. Taggedout has better handle ergos, but I really haven’t used it enough to give a definite verdict on much of anything. Preliminarily, I think it’s better than the Bugout, but that’s entirely based on the improved handle.

The mini Bugout is a shrunken Bugout. I handled one one time. Definitely not something I’d want to do any sustained cutting with, but for 90% of what we use knives for it should be perfectly fine.

A sleeper is the newer Spyderco Salt 2 model in LC200N (green handles). Light as a Bugout, noticeably more affordable. Delica ergos (I love the Delica/Endura line). I’ve got two of the Salt 2 models, a Wharncliffe with serrated edge and a plain edge normal blade shape. Extremely happy with both.

So I love the Para 3 LW, love the Salt 2, like the Bugout and the jury is still out on the Taggedout. If you do buy Benchmade, try GPKnives. I’m not affiliated in any way, but they do tend to have better pricing on Benchmade than anyone else.

[pangloss]

I have a mini-grip, a para 3 G10, and a delica. All are good knives, but realistically, the delica is sufficient for my everyday tasks. If I had heavier cutting tasks to perform, I'd pick the para 3 because handle ergos are marginally better for me than the mini-grip. Mini-grip seems like the toughest knife though.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[Default.mp3]

FWIW, the Spyderco pro deal is substantially better than the Benchmade one, IME.

Is this where we just encourage you to buy both?

[Navin Johnson]

Two vastly different folding knives

The standard bug out as a very thin to me hot spotty And overly flexible handle

The para three has too small of a handle to not use the choil and a very high hump (I think the sage is much more ergonomic if you like choil‘s on a knife this size) I personally dislike Choil’s

If you carry loose in the pocket or IWB Neither has a very good stay closed bias.
(Important to me because I carry that way frequently)

Of the two I would choose the para (have a light weight one personally)

I much prefer a Delica

I own several Benchmades and about 30 Spydercos

[guymontag]

I have small to medium hands and love my Para 3 with aftermarket clip. Love it about equal to my Manix 2, but different roles.

[the_t0ny]

After owning and carrying a mini-bugout, bugout, para3, and para3lw I kept the regular bugout and para3lw. The bugout gets carried 90% of the time and now I only carry the para3lw when the bugout gets sent in to ben hands to be re-sharpened.

I decided on the full size bugout due to it filling my hand better and it didn’t feel like it took up any more space in my pocket versus the mini-bugout. It’s so small and light weight that I don’t ever notice it and my front pocket has my wallet and the bugout.

I’m also very partial to the lock on axis lock on bench are knives vs the compression locks. I’m quicker and more efficient with the axis lock and personally feel that they offer a tighter lock up. I don’t do anything too crazy with them, mostly opening packages and cutting plastic/rubber once in a while and used my bugout to help my friend skin a bear that he shot.

I kept the para3lw over the regular para3 because of the weight. I prefer the g10 scales on the regular para3 but the light weight and deep carry pocket clip on the para3lw won me over.

Long story short, out of those choices you presented, I’d go with the mini bugout.

[JCS]

Bugout 100%.

Sub 2 ounces and just disappears. The Spyderco is going to take up more pocket real estate because of their insistence on having a spydie hole making the blade much wider.

[TOTS]

Another Bugout vote. After literally going through over a hundred knives over the years, I’ve settled on the original Bugout for during the week and when I am wearing dress pants carry and it’s big brother, the Freek in black M4, for the weekend EDC. Some correctly state the Bugout handle flexes. After a couple of years of carrying it, it’s absolutely no factor. The S30V blade has a perfect shape, is thin and slicy, and made if a good enough material to be robust enough to handle any reasonable task. As thin and light as it is, I’m not sure what you get by going to the mini, but it’s great too. I have the Pacific Salt to check the Spyderco box and it’s light with the FRN handles. But, as stated above, a Spydie blade will always take more space laterally due to the hole.

[pastaslinger]

I just got a Hogue Deka and would recommend that for price and quality.

I think Spyderco quality has gone down while price has gone up. Benchmade has also had the same issue although my last couple Benchmades have been great. Still though, my Hogue Ritter (upgraded grip) and Hogue Deka (competes with bugout) are incredible quality for the money.

My personal preference is to carry slightly bigger knives- such as full size grip, pm2, etc.

[newyork]

I just got a Hogue Deka and would recommend that for price and quality.

I think Spyderco quality has gone down while price has gone up. Benchmade has also had the same issue although my last couple Benchmades have been great. Still though, my Hogue Ritter (upgraded grip) and Hogue Deka (competes with bugout) are incredible quality for the money.

My personal preference is to carry slightly bigger knives- such as full size grip, pm2, etc.

I have a Ritter by Hogue. Just sharpened it last night actually. I hadn’t seen the Deka before until you mentioned it. Looks awesome.

[guymontag]

I just got a Hogue Deka and would recommend that for price and quality.

I think Spyderco quality has gone down while price has gone up. Benchmade has also had the same issue although my last couple Benchmades have been great. Still though, my Hogue Ritter (upgraded grip) and Hogue Deka (competes with bugout) are incredible quality for the money.

My personal preference is to carry slightly bigger knives- such as full size grip, pm2, etc.

What have you seen with Spyderco?

[pastaslinger]

What have you seen with Spyderco?

I bought one of the $260 Shaman exclusives with s90v and micarta scales. The action was really bad and the blade was horribly off center. The grind was OK and the sharpening from the factory was also OK. I felt silly for paying that much for what I got so I returned it.

Before that one, but also during this summer, I got one of the PM2 exclusives that was $180. The action was bad but not as bad as the Shaman. I kept it and changed the scales. The action is better after lots of fidgeting, but it is still definitely worse than my next most recent PM2 which was another exclusive from 2018.


The knives I have recently been impressed by are all my Kizers of which I have bought 5+ in this same year, my new Benchmade griptilian exclusive with spydie hole, my Kunwu X Tao (probably best knife I own, especially for the money), and my ZT knives including the 0562ti, 0462cf, 0460ti, etc. I'm actually a big Kershaw and ZT fan, I think they just hurt themselves with their product lines, such as discontinuing the blackout. Oh yeah- my Hogue RSK blew me away and my Deka is awesome too. The RSK is a step above the griptilian, PM2, and Shaman which I consider to be it's closest competitors. It needs more steel options though. The deka is a little small for the size knife I like but I love it nonetheless.

[rob_s]

I really wish they could do a bugout with a spydie hole.

[BobLoblaw]

Totally different styles of pocket knife. If you get the Para 3, you'll want an aftermarket clip. Para 3 is larger, heavier, and more capable. I prefer the full size Bugout over the mini because you don't notice the size difference in your pocket but you definitely notice the size difference in use. The Bugout handle feels flimsy due to half lined FRN scales so it's great for regular cutting/slicing tasks but not great for fighting, prying, or hammering. Axis vs compression lock is a toss up IMO. I have both and I enjoy both but I carry the Bugout more because you don't even notice it but it's there when you need it. Honestly, unless I feel like doing some spydie flicks, I carry the Microtech or Bugout 99% of the time.

[vaspence]

Another mini Bugout vote. Mine has been my edc for over a year now. I’ve been carrying the Tagged Out when mountain biking and much like the bug out series you just forget it’s there. I think Benchmade has done well with the Grivory/CF-Elite handled models.

Spyderco Native LC200n
Mini Bugout
Bugout
TaggedOut
Shootout

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