Benchmade’s Earthy New Bugout Just Might Be Its Most Stunning Knife Yet

Unique handle onlays, an aluminum bolster and a premium blade add up to one of the beloved EDC knife’s most covetable iterations.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published March 11, 2025

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At this moment, there are 11 editions of Benchmade’s bestselling Bugout available on the brand’s site (not counting Minis and Customs).

And while it is admittedly a pretty subjective thing, I humbly submit that the latest addition to that lineup is more head-turning than all that have come before.

benchmade-bugout-redstone-gear-patrol — The 535-09 Bugout stands out from earlier iterations with both unique materials and a distinctive design.

(Yes, it’s also the most expensive but hey, what can ya do?)

I’m talking about the new 535-09, the Gray/Redstone Aluminum & Richlite edition. Let’s take a look at what makes it so special.

Classic appeal

Most knife nerds are probably already quite familiar with the qualities that have us dubbing the Bugout “the reigning EDC champ” and consistently including it in our best pocket knives guide.

benchmade-bugout-redstone-gear-patrol-4 — Thanks to a grooved aesthetic, the aluminum bolster and the Richlite handle inlay mirror each other quite nicely.

But for the uninitiated, here’s an excerpt from the guide that will bring you up to speed.

“Benchmade has made [the Bugout] in various constructions over the years, but the standard is with a Grivory handle and CPM-S30V drop-point blade that operates on the company’s sliding AXIS lock.

The whole thing weighs just 1.85 ounces and yet the 3.24-inch blade is plenty hefty to handle any number of trail tasks. If you want to go even lighter, check out the 1.5-ounce Mini Bugout, which has a 2.8-inch blade.

Our tester, who loved this knife for its impressive balance of durability and portability, thought it worth pointing out that, even if you don’t intend to go hiking with it, the Bugout is still an exceptional EDC knife that never ceases to impress.”

Better red…

Building upon that unbeatable backbone, the 535-09 remix brings a design tweak and some compelling new materials to the table.

The easiest update to spot is the anodized 6061-T6 aluminum bolster, which is almost unique to this Bugout, but for the exclusive Benchmade x Kith edition that dropped earlier this month.

The blade is made of stonewash-polished premium CPM-S90V stainless steel, a big step up from the standard S30V. Indeed, only one other Bugout, the Carbon Fiber, features this particular ingredient.

Still it’s pretty distinctive, a potent pivot pivot holder rendered in Ash Gray that bridges the blade and handle onlay.

Speaking of those two elements, both possess similarly distinctive materials.

benchmade-bugout-redstone-gear-patrol-7 — The 535-09’s CPM-S90V blade steel is found on only one other Bugout, the 535-3 Carbon Fiber.

The blade is made of stonewash-polished premium CPM-S90V stainless steel, a big step up from the standard S30V. Indeed, only one other version of the Bugout, the 535-3 Carbon Fiber, features this particular ingredient.

The handle onlay, meanwhile, is made of Redstone Richlite, a substance that has so far only surfaced on two other Benchmade knives, the Barrage and Mini Barrage.

Rounding out the distinguishing features are a couple of other color pops, the orange anodized thumb stud and backspacer.