Benchmade 533 Mini Bugout - 2.82" Plain Edge CPM-S30V Drop Point Blade - Orange Grivory Handle

Setting aside the fact that I'm a Benchmade fan, this knife has become my preferred EDC knife, replacing the mini-Griptilian. It's just perfect. The knife is large enough to be extremely useful. It's small, but not "novelty knife" small. Because it's so lightweight It disappears in your pocket.

I really like this knife. The blade shape, size, light weight, and deep carry clip hit the sweet spot for me. This is a smaller knife that disappears in the pocket — slightly larger than a Victorinox Alox Cadet or Spyderco Dragonfly. I can get about a three and a half finger grip on the handle. It’s perfect for my quarantine carry around the house. Centering and fit and finish were good. The knife was sharp but the grind was a little uneven and toothy (but not unlike other Benchmades I own). I like the color but the orange handles pick-up dye from my jeans and are already showing some discoloring after about a week. I’m not too concerned. The standard Benchmade factory pricing is a little high for what you get — especially when compared to similar-sized Spydercos — but I knew that going in. This is a nit but the orange thumb studs and standoffs don’t come close to matching the orange color of the handles. Benchmade would have been better off using a contrasting color here. The knife falls into a Goldielocks zone for me: large enough to be useful but small enough to be legal and non-threatening almost everywhere; not cheap but cheap enough that I’m not afraid to use it.