A Beloved Benchmade Tactical Knife Is Now Ready for Your EDC Rotation

Packing a fresh handle and blade, this reimagined Bailout is shockingly lighter, cheaper and more pocketable than the original.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published February 4, 2025

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Thanks to such features as its substantial, tanto-shaped, sometimes serrated CPM-M4 blade, anodized aluminum handles and glass breaker, Benchmade’s Bailout basically screams “tactical.”

While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean this knife carries a somewhat niche appeal that does not compete with the brand’s ever-popular, more everyday-feeling Bugout.

benchmade bailout beauty — Benchmade’s new interpretation of the Bailout is specifically designed to be a bit more EDC-friendly.

However, for those who have always wanted a Bugout with just a bit more, ahem, edge, today is your day.

Benchmade’s newest Bailout not only drops the price and weight but also strips out some tactical features in favor of more practical ones that might just make it your favorite new EDC knife.

A kinder, gentler Bailout

Let me begin by saying that some fundamental Bailout qualities haven’t changed a bit.

Chief among those is the basic silhouette. Like its pricier and more tactical brothers, the new Bailout (537BK-06) has a Cerakote-finished blade that is the same tanto shape and size (3.38 inches, 0.14 inches longer than a standard Bugout).

The new Bailout weighs a truly feathery 2.05 ounces, making it roughly 24% lighter than the original. How? Replacing aluminum is a handle made of textured, ultralight Grivory.

Also similar to its brethren, the new Bailout deploys via Benchmade’s patented Axis Lock mechanism and has reversible mini deep carry tip-up pocket clip.

That’s pretty much where the similarities end and the differences begin, starting with materials. The new Bailout’s blade material is CPM-S30V stainless steel, which boasts admirable edge-holding and corrosion-resistance properties.

benchmade bailout half folded — The new Bailout retains the 3.38-inch tanto blade and patented Axis Lock mechanism of the original.

Contrast that with the original’s CPM-4, a high-speed tool steel renowned for toughness and wear resistance.

Search the web and you’re sure to find more than one forum debating the merits of these two steels and other options.

benchmade bailout blade — Like many pocket knives before it, this Bailout isn’t shy about advertising its blade steel.

Generally speaking tool steels are easier to sharpen but quicker to rust. While CPM-4 is perhaps ultimately superior, CPM-S30V is excellent for everyday use (as is the extra hundo in your pocket).

Moving on from the blade takes us to a point of difference that makes an even better case for the new kid on the block: handle material.

benchmade bailout folded — The new Bailout’s ultralight Grivory handle is one big reason it is 0.65 ounces aka 24% lighter than the original.

As durable as anodized aluminum is, it’s not the lightest and no doubt plays a major role in the classic Bailout weighing 2.7 ounces.

While that’s not exactly husky, the new Bailout weighs a truly feathery 2.05 ounces, making it roughly 24% lighter. How? Replacing aluminum is a handle made of textured, ultralight Grivory.

benchmade bailout off side — The popular Ranger Green hue of the handle helps to maintain some of Bailout’s tactical heritage.

In yet another step toward the Bugout, the handle scales are also rendered in Ranger Green, which Benchmade tells us is the most popular color of its most popular knife.

Editor’s note: For the record, the new Bailout is not the only one with grivory scales instead of aluminum. The 537GY also employs the material (and also costs $200), but this time in standard black. The knife itself hews a little closer to the original in that its blade is also made of a tool steel, less expensive CPM-3V.

benchmade bailout off side folded — The mini clip and full-size pommel make this Bailout easy to carry in a pocket or attached to a lanyard.

Rounding out the differences between new and old is a small but meaningful one: While the original carries a small lanyard hole to leave room for a glass breaker, the new edition forgoes the latter feature in favor of a full-size slotted aluminum pommel.

That makes it just a bit easier to attach an actual lanyard, perhaps the cherry on top of this delicious new sundae, fully decommissioned and optimized for EDC use.