Let’s face it… Benchmade makes some cool knives…
They’re one of my favorite knife manufacturers because their designs are unique, high quality, and they perform…
Right now, two of their most popular knives are:
| Image | Product |
 | Benchmade Bugout (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Benchmade 940 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
And in this Benchmade Bugout Vs 940 article, we’re going to examine how these two great utility knives stack up against each other in the following six categories…
- Blade Steel And Materials
- Blade Shape And Handle Design
- Locking Mechanism
- Size And Dimensions
- Pocket Clip And Carry Position
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll reveal to you which of these two knives I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which knife is right for you…
Let’s begin!
Blade Steel And Materials…
Benchmade Bugout
Without question, the Bugout is one of Benchmade’s most popular knife designs (along with the Griptilian). There are tons of people who love it, and part of the reason why is because of the high-quality materials used in the design…
To start off with, the blade steel on the Bugout is CPM S30V. CPM S30V is considered a premium blade steel, and I like it because it’s strong, it resists corrosion well, and it also holds an edge pretty well…
It’s also not too difficult to sharpen, so you can maintain your edge even if you put it through a lot of use, which will probably be the case if you’re using your Bugout as an EDC knife…
In addition to that, Benchmade offers a service called Life Sharp when you purchase any of their knives. Basically, the Life Sharp program means that you can send your knife in to Benchmade, and they’ll repair it, lubricate it, and sharpen it for the life of the knife (all for free)…
I think it’s pretty cool that Benchmade does this, because it really sets them apart from other knife manufacturers in terms of customer service, and it shows that they stand behind their products…
Now the handle on the Bugout is made from a glass-filled nylon. It’s a pretty good handle material, especially on a utility knife, because it’s strong and super lightweight…
It’s also comfortable, and really locks the knife into your hand when you’re using your knife. All in all, I’m pretty impressed by the materials that Benchmade chose to use in the production of the Bugout.
Benchmade 940
The Benchmade 940 is also an extremely popular knife design, and once again, it uses extremely high quality materials…
Now the original 940 uses the same CPM S30V blade steel that is used on the Bugout, which again is a great steel, but the 940-1 actually uses CPM S90V…
CPM S90V is considered an ultra premium blade steel. It’s very strong and also resists rust very well, and it maintains its edge even better than CPM S30V…
It’s one of the best knife steels you can get, and like I said, it holds its edge extremely well. The only downside is that, because it holds an edge so well, it’s also kind of difficult to sharpen…
You can still do it, it just takes a bit more time and effort than some of the less superior knife steels out there…
Now if sharpening is a concern for you, remember that Benchmade offers you the Life Sharp service when you purchase this knife as well…
So if you’re ever able to wear down your blade’s edge, you can just send your 940 in to Benchmade for service, and they’ll put a razor sharp edge on it again for you…
Now the handle material on the 940 also changes depending on the version you get. The original 940 has an aluminum handle, but the 940-2 has a G-10 handle and the 940-1 has a carbon fiber handle…
I really like the carbon fiber handle on the 940-1 because it’s strong and extremely lightweight. But all of the handle materials used will give you a good purchase on the knife and look really sleek.
All in all, the Benchmade 940 also uses high quality materials that are pretty impressive.
Blade Shape And Handle Design…
Benchmade Bugout
The Benchmade Bugout has a pretty traditional blade shape. It’s a drop point blade, which is a blade shape I’ve always been fond of…
I think it looks great, and it makes the Bugout a pretty mean cutter and slicer. In addition to that, you can get the Bugout with a plain edge or a serrated edge (the lower half of the blade will have serrations)…
Personally, I prefer to have plain edges on all of my folding knives because it just makes them easier to sharpen, but I’m glad that Benchmade offers this design with serrations for those that want them…
Now the blade on the Bugout comes razor sharp from the factory, and you can get the blade with a satin (metallic) finish or with a black coated finish…
Deployment of the blade is smooth and easy, and it can be done with one hand because of the included thumb stud…
Like I mentioned earlier, the handle on the Bugout is made from glass filled nylon. It’s ergonomic and comfortable in your hand, and it allows you to lock in and get a really strong grip on the knife…
Last, you can get the Bugout is a variety of different handle colors such as black, tan, and blue…
I really like it when manufacturers offer different color variations for their designs because it allows you to pick out a knife that will fit your personal needs and tastes.
Benchmade 940
The blade on the Benchmade 940 is a reverse tanto. It’s a very nimble and versatile blade, and it can be used in a number of different everyday carry scenarios…
Like the blade on the Bugout, you can get the 940 with a plain edge or a serrated edge (the lower half of the blade is serrated)…
Again, I prefer the plain edge version because it’ll end up being easier to sharpen, but keep in mind that your 940 will be razor sharp right out of the box…
And if you ever need to, you can send it back in to Benchmade for sharpening under the Life Sharp service…
You can get the blade with either a satin finish or a black coated finish, and again, the thumb stud allows you to easily and smoothly deploy the blade with one hand…
In addition to that, the handle on the 940 is ergonomic and very comfortable. It also does a good job of locking your hand on the knife when you’re using it
And I think the aluminum handle, the G-10 handle, and the carbon fiber handle are all a little bit better than the glass filled nylon handle on the Bugout…
All in all, I think the reverse tanto blade on the 940 gives the knife great cutting performance (and a lot of character), and the handle (no matter which material you go with) feels great in your hand.
Locking Mechanism…
Both the Bugout and the 940 use the AXIS Lock locking mechanism. This locking system is known for its strength when locking out blade, and it also allows for a very smooth deployment as well…
It incorporates a spring tensioned bar, a track inside the handle, and the tang of the blade, and it allows you to easily open and close the blade with one hand…
It’s a proprietary locking mechanism for Benchmade that they acquired it all the way back in 1988. So it’s proven itself over time…
I think it’s a great locking system, and I think it adds a lot to both the Bugout and the 940 because of its strength and ease of use.
Size And Dimensions…
Benchmade Bugout
The Benchmade Bugout is a medium-sized utility knife. It has a blade length that measures in at 3.24 inches long, and the handle measures in at 4.22 inches long…
That brings the overall length on the Bugout to 7.46 inches when the blade is fully locked out. In addition to that, the Bugout weighs in at just 1.85 ounces, which is extremely lightweight…
Overall, it’s a pretty compact and lightweight knife, and I think that makes it a great size for a utility knife that you can use for everyday carry…
…or stash away in a survival pack, a tackle box, or anywhere else you might want to store a knife.
Benchmade 940
The Benchmade 940 is also a fairly compact utility knife. Its blade measures in at 3.40 inches long, and it’s handle is 4.47 inches long…
That brings the overall length on the 940 to 7.87 inches long when the blade is fully deployed. So in comparison to the Bugout, the 940 has a slightly longer blade and a slightly longer handle…
And it has an overall length that’s around 0.41 inches longer than the Bugout when both of their blades are fully locked out…
In addition to that, the 940 weighs in at around 2.90 ounces. So in addition to being a little bit longer, the 940 is also a little bit heavier than the Bugout as well.
Pocket Clip And Carry Position…
Benchmade Bugout
The clip on the Bugout sets you up for tip up carry, and it can be swapped to either side of the knife (so you can optimize it for left handed or right handed carry)…
Personally I prefer tip down carry, but I don’t mind tip up carry if it’s on a knife design that I like (and I like the Bugout). I also like that Benchmade gives you some flexibility over the position of your clip by allowing you to switch it to either side…
In addition to that, the Bugout sits fairly low in your pocket with just a little bit of the handle and the clip showing. It’s pretty discrete, and because it’s slim and lightweight, it’s very comfortable to carry around in your pocket all day.
Benchmade 940
Just like with the Bugout, the clip on the 940 sets you up for tip up carry, and you can swap it to either side of the knife…
Again, I wish there was an option for tip down carry, but I don’t think it that big of a deal…
The clip on the 940 sits it a little bit higher in your pocket than the clip on the Bugout, so there’s a little bit more of the handle sticking out of the top of your pocket…
But overall, it’s still pretty discrete and easy to get to, and it’s also an extremely comfortable knife to carry around all day.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get into exact numbers in this category because there are many different versions of these knives and their prices fluctuate depending on changes in the market…
With all that said, you’ll usually find that the Bugout is somewhere in the range of 35 to 150 dollars less expensive than the 940…
Again, a lot depends on the particular version of the knife you choose and the type of knife steel in that version of the knife (CPM S90V blade steel will be a lot more expensive than CPM S30V)…
But it’s pretty clear that the Bugout is the less expensive option, and the price difference (even on the low end) is significant and could end up being a factor if you’re on a budget.
Spyderco Benchmade Bugout Vs 940 – Conclusions…
So to summarize everything, in the Blade Steel And Materials category, the Benchmade Bugout uses CPM S30V blade steel and the Benchmade 940 comes in versions with CPM S30V or CPM S90V blade steel…
Both are very good blade steels, but the CPM S90V on the 940-1 is a little bit better than CPM S30V because it will maintain its edge longer…
In the Blade Shape And Handle Design category, the Bugout has a drop point blade and the 940 has a reverse tanto blade…
Both blades perform very well in an EDC role, and the handles on both knives are also very comfortable…
In the Locking Mechanism category, both the Bugout and the 940 use the AXIS Lock locking mechanism, which is a strong system that locks out the blade securely and allows for very smooth deployment…
In the Size And Dimensions category, the Bugout is around 0.41 inches shorter than the 940 and it’s also a little bit more lightweight as well…
In the Pocket Clip And Carry Position category, both knives set you up for tip up carry, and they’re both discrete and very comfortable in your pocket…
And last, in the Price Comparison, the price difference between these two knives is somewhere in the range of 35 to 150 bucks (because of the different blade steels offered) with the Bugout being the less expensive option…
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Benchmade 940…
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I prefer the 940 for a few reasons. First of all, even though the CPM S30V on the Bugout is a very good blade steel, the CPM S90V on the 940-1 is better…
It will hold its edge longer, which means you won’t have to sharpen your knife as often, even if you’re putting it under a lot of heavy use, and that makes it a superior blade steel…
I also like the reverse tanto blade on the 940 a little more than the drop point blade on the Bugout. Both of them perform very well, but the reverse tanto is a little more unique and I like the character it adds to the knife…
In addition to that, I prefer all of the handle materials offered with the 940 (aluminum, G-10, or carbon fiber) over the glass filled nylon handle on the Bugout because they just feel a little more substantial in your hand…
Last, I like that the 940 is just a little bit longer than the Bugout. A longer blade gives the knife a little bit more utility, and the slightly longer handle gives you a little more real estate to grasp onto when you have the knife in hand…
All in all, I really love the Benchmade 940, and I see why it’s such a popular design in the knife world.
Now if you prefer a drop point blade, you’re happy with CPM S30V blade steel (still a great steel!), and you want a more compact and lightweight knife…
Then feel free to go with the Bugout because it’s still an awesome EDC knife…
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Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two great knife designs for Benchmade.