Just got my first “good knife” being the mini bugout. I knew I would hate the stock scales so I ordered flytanium scales with it and installed them right away. Looks feels so good. The action is great. Also if anyone is afraid to change out the scales I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve never touched a screw on a knife before today, and I swapped the scales, pivot, and the hardware in under 10 minutes.
🤔Some excellent points made! Still, when it comes to ergonomics people really need to try it out in hand. The 945 has a little more girth which makes it feel 'bigger' (while still being very slight in the pocket) and either the liners+G10 or the aluminum scales make it feel more solid in hand. Where my pinkie lands on a gentle slope on the 945 it'll sit right on a bit of a bump on the Mini Bugout😖 And yes, thumbstud placement on the Bugout really does look optimal, but tbh the forward placed thumbstud on my 940 and 945 never actually interfered with my day to day cutting actions in any way🤨 I do find the Bugout and Mini Bugout have absolutely wonderful blades and I like how thin and light they are, but I simply prefer the 945 to the Mini Bugout and the Mini Presidio II to the full sized Bugout🤷♀️ To each his own. There's a reason why there's so many different knives. Try it on before you buy one!
Great comparison. You made a lot of excellent points. I am considering a 945 because I want something like my 470 emissary that's not assisted and I always liked the look of the 940. Your video really shows some of the differences that make the 533 Mini bugout better. One thing you didn't mention that I did notice in the knives is that the thumb stud is farther away from the pivot in the 945. This might make the opening dynamic different compared with the 533. Several of the differences don't matter to my knife use (the thumb stud doesn't block the cutting I do) and some of them might be "better on paper, but in practice the same" (pivot strength). I am surprised by the people worried about pocket lint in their knife. My 470 is enclosed so there's all kinds of lint in there and it has never impacted performance for me. Until today, the main reason I have avoided the 533 is because it looks hideous. It's also a bit wider than the 945, which is a concern for some of my pockets. But I have been looking into knives more and I found out that you can get custom handle scales for it. So now it is a contender.
I carry the new aluminum 945 daily, I’ve always loved 940’s and I don’t like bugouts they feel cheap but I have the carbon fiber s90v one and I love it. I just ordered a mini bugout and rockscale titanium scales for it, willing to bet that setup will give the 945 a run for its money
I disagree with your assessment of The handle length the rounded end on the 945 can fit a pinky. Why would u not cont that part in the length? It seems u stop measuring when the handle starts to curve in.
I was at the benchmade factory a couple weeks back looking for a knife and wanted to get something different than my 940, so I held the bugout because I really liked it but the handle felt to light and cheap feeling to me which is why I ultimately went with the 945. But I did get to hold an aluminum scale Mini Bug out that they will be releasing towards the end of this year and it felt Awesome! So definitely worth getting that in my opinion to compliment the 940. Great video man!
Good solid points are made here! I have both and love em both! I carry them during the summer mostly or as a 5th pocket. Imo the 945bk-1 is 1. A sturdier knife overall, but not by any huge margin. 2. The 945bk-1 is a better looking knife if that counts for anything. My mini bugout is the cf-elite version as well so it’s stronger than the grivory, but the 945bk-1 feels more solid in the hand. Either way, both are excellent light weight edc options.
If I ever had to cut something with the end of the cutting blade, it was with a cutting movement, which prevents in any way the obstruction of the thumb stud. This shows that the effective blade of the 945 is still bigger. As for the handle, I think @Jorrdy B is right, this rounded end is the perfect place for the pinky even for extra-large hands, and you made it completely a negative thing. Very detailed review, such a comparison is rare, but personally, I think the negatives you mention for 945 compared to a Mini Bugout are simply no negatives. For me, the only negative 945 have compared to the Mini Bugout is the price.
As an owner of both, I prefer the 945 for the reason that when I close both, the mini bugout blade hits my palm when closing, and the 945 doesn’t. It makes a small mark, nothing serious, but a safety issue nonetheless.
To me the mini bugout is a good city knife or for whittling, cleaning fish, opening boxes. But I can not ask it to do the tasks I put the 945 to. The blade simply doesn't have the backbone. I love both for when I'm carrying light or running into town but the mini bugout will not be my backup when I'm camping or 4x4ing I should add that putting ti scales on the mini bugout does indeed make it one of the best knives for the average person and I mean the kind that does not go out looking for something to cut. Just not a 200 dollar knife after customizations.
I’ll give you a pro tip, remove the thumb studs. I always do, no need for them. Especially if you like Benchmade’s fidget factor. I personally don’t care for it and have a tighter pivot screw. Y’all can still flick the the blade open and not worry about the studs getting in the way.
Good points, but that rear exposed tang is the price for the TINY bit gained in cutting edge and handle length. Also, yes you have to be further away, but you make up for that in many cases with a beefier blade with more behind it when you're cutting. I love both knives, but still looks like a close call to me--plenty of reasons to love that mini Osborne, the first of which is, you're not going to catch that Osborne on a 90 degree piece of steel sticking out. I think we're both picking nits here on two of the best pure EDCs on the market. Have to say, I'm not in the market for either right now because I'm very happy with my sub-3" EDCs (Delica, Rat2 in D2), but if I WERE, I'd go with the mini bugout with CF Elite handles....$40 bucks cheaper than that 945.
@@MrLlama999 im an HVAC tech, daily im cutting foam, sometimes wire, serran wrap packaging, cardboard packaging. Def prefer the 945 by a long shot. Mini bugout might be better for a Nick Shabazz type. But if ur gonna be using the knife 945 is better
Good points. I was already convinced as the mini bugout is one of my favorites. I have no doubt that for some, the 940/945 works ergonomically for them, but they are just plain ugly to me.
If your laws allow it,get a protech newport,it's superior to either-another option is the boker urban trapper titainium,at around 1,5oz,it's light,classy looking,and you got a 3,5in blade,which doesn't look intimidating in that particular style.These two minis are just for 940 and bo fanboys,imo
Just got my first “good knife” being the mini bugout. I knew I would hate the stock scales so I ordered flytanium scales with it and installed them right away. Looks feels so good. The action is great.
Also if anyone is afraid to change out the scales I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve never touched a screw on a knife before today, and I swapped the scales, pivot, and the hardware in under 10 minutes.
🤔Some excellent points made! Still, when it comes to ergonomics people really need to try it out in hand. The 945 has a little more girth which makes it feel 'bigger' (while still being very slight in the pocket) and either the liners+G10 or the aluminum scales make it feel more solid in hand. Where my pinkie lands on a gentle slope on the 945 it'll sit right on a bit of a bump on the Mini Bugout😖 And yes, thumbstud placement on the Bugout really does look optimal, but tbh the forward placed thumbstud on my 940 and 945 never actually interfered with my day to day cutting actions in any way🤨
I do find the Bugout and Mini Bugout have absolutely wonderful blades and I like how thin and light they are, but I simply prefer the 945 to the Mini Bugout and the Mini Presidio II to the full sized Bugout🤷♀️ To each his own. There's a reason why there's so many different knives. Try it on before you buy one!
That’s what she said
945 is more aesthetically pleasing to me than the bugout and that’s all it matters
Great comparison. You made a lot of excellent points. I am considering a 945 because I want something like my 470 emissary that's not assisted and I always liked the look of the 940. Your video really shows some of the differences that make the 533 Mini bugout better. One thing you didn't mention that I did notice in the knives is that the thumb stud is farther away from the pivot in the 945. This might make the opening dynamic different compared with the 533. Several of the differences don't matter to my knife use (the thumb stud doesn't block the cutting I do) and some of them might be "better on paper, but in practice the same" (pivot strength). I am surprised by the people worried about pocket lint in their knife. My 470 is enclosed so there's all kinds of lint in there and it has never impacted performance for me.
Until today, the main reason I have avoided the 533 is because it looks hideous. It's also a bit wider than the 945, which is a concern for some of my pockets. But I have been looking into knives more and I found out that you can get custom handle scales for it. So now it is a contender.
I carry the new aluminum 945 daily, I’ve always loved 940’s and I don’t like bugouts they feel cheap but I have the carbon fiber s90v one and I love it. I just ordered a mini bugout and rockscale titanium scales for it, willing to bet that setup will give the 945 a run for its money
I disagree with your assessment of The handle length the rounded end on the 945 can fit a pinky. Why would u not cont that part in the length? It seems u stop measuring when the handle starts to curve in.
I think he just measured from the thumb studs out, negating the cutting edge behind the thumb studs of the 945bk-1
I was at the benchmade factory a couple weeks back looking for a knife and wanted to get something different than my 940, so I held the bugout because I really liked it but the handle felt to light and cheap feeling to me which is why I ultimately went with the 945. But I did get to hold an aluminum scale Mini Bug out that they will be releasing towards the end of this year and it felt Awesome! So definitely worth getting that in my opinion to compliment the 940. Great video man!
Good solid points are made here! I have both and love em both! I carry them during the summer mostly or as a 5th pocket. Imo the 945bk-1 is 1. A sturdier knife overall, but not by any huge margin. 2. The 945bk-1 is a better looking knife if that counts for anything. My mini bugout is the cf-elite version as well so it’s stronger than the grivory, but the 945bk-1 feels more solid in the hand. Either way, both are excellent light weight edc options.
I just found you, and I found this topic to be very interesting. So I subscribed, and look forward to hearing more of you soon.
Never thought of it that way thanks for your perspective, may have to pick up one of both just because 🤣👍
Interesting point. Do you feel that the buildmaterials in the mini bugout feel "cheaper"? how about 945 VS Mini Bugout VS 707 sequel? Nice video mate!
You didn’t even mention the deep carry clip on the buyout, huge advantage. But I see you put a deep carry on the Osborne. How did you do that?
Awesome job excellent points! Great 👍 finding actual practical design comparison!
If I ever had to cut something with the end of the cutting blade, it was with a cutting movement, which prevents in any way the obstruction of the thumb stud. This shows that the effective blade of the 945 is still bigger. As for the handle, I think @Jorrdy B is right, this rounded end is the perfect place for the pinky even for extra-large hands, and you made it completely a negative thing. Very detailed review, such a comparison is rare, but personally, I think the negatives you mention for 945 compared to a Mini Bugout are simply no negatives. For me, the only negative 945 have compared to the Mini Bugout is the price.
As an owner of both, I prefer the 945 for the reason that when I close both, the mini bugout blade hits my palm when closing, and the 945 doesn’t. It makes a small mark, nothing serious, but a safety issue nonetheless.
To me the mini bugout is a good city knife or for whittling, cleaning fish, opening boxes. But I can not ask it to do the tasks I put the 945 to. The blade simply doesn't have the backbone. I love both for when I'm carrying light or running into town but the mini bugout will not be my backup when I'm camping or 4x4ing
I should add that putting ti scales on the mini bugout does indeed make it one of the best knives for the average person and I mean the kind that does not go out looking for something to cut. Just not a 200 dollar knife after customizations.
I’ll give you a pro tip, remove the thumb studs. I always do, no need for them. Especially if you like Benchmade’s fidget factor. I personally don’t care for it and have a tighter pivot screw. Y’all can still flick the the blade open and not worry about the studs getting in the way.
Do they already have after market G10 scales to fix the crap frn scales !
Excellent points!
Excellent Video
Good points, but that rear exposed tang is the price for the TINY bit gained in cutting edge and handle length. Also, yes you have to be further away, but you make up for that in many cases with a beefier blade with more behind it when you're cutting. I love both knives, but still looks like a close call to me--plenty of reasons to love that mini Osborne, the first of which is, you're not going to catch that Osborne on a 90 degree piece of steel sticking out. I think we're both picking nits here on two of the best pure EDCs on the market. Have to say, I'm not in the market for either right now because I'm very happy with my sub-3" EDCs (Delica, Rat2 in D2), but if I WERE, I'd go with the mini bugout with CF Elite handles....$40 bucks cheaper than that 945.
I like the handle material better on the 945s, but do own both
Are u still using ur mini bugout and if so have u had any issues with the omega springs breaking on benchmades great review
Great video
great video!
I say it depends on use. The 945 makes a better edc knife I’d say. Tougher by a long shot. Not as good of a slicer but for sure a better edc.
What edc task do you prefer it for?
@@MrLlama999 im an HVAC tech, daily im cutting foam, sometimes wire, serran wrap packaging, cardboard packaging. Def prefer the 945 by a long shot. Mini bugout might be better for a Nick Shabazz type. But if ur gonna be using the knife 945 is better
Great detail to the potential of a knife 👍
You have more penetrating length with the buyout. Not more cutting length.
945>bugout
Especially the new aluminum 945
your bias show dude
I’ll gladly purchases the 945 from you if you still have it. 😃.
Problem is the bugout has no real liner that is why it is "re enforced".
I have the same two knives but the green 945 and I prefer the mini Bugout also idk why lol
Good points. I was already convinced as the mini bugout is one of my favorites. I have no doubt that for some, the 940/945 works ergonomically for them, but they are just plain ugly to me.
But the 945 looks so much cooler
Facts looks and feel matter a lot too. 945 thr type of knife to age like fine wine while the mini bugout will probably be an eyesore after a year
Valid points.
In Knife nerd land ~ controversies .
which is better for poking bad guys(gals) in case you need it?
They’re both so tiny it doesn’t matter IMO
You’re entitled to your opinion…..and bias. Why wouldn’t you compare both knives pivot to pivot as other knife reviewers do?
Mini bugout major blade play issue, at least for me.
🤣🤣🤣👍👍
its a simple comparison - 533 is lighter.
I was having a hard time caring about this topic.
If your laws allow it,get a protech newport,it's superior to either-another option is the boker urban trapper titainium,at around 1,5oz,it's light,classy looking,and you got a 3,5in blade,which doesn't look intimidating in that particular style.These two minis are just for 940 and bo fanboys,imo
Love the look of that Newport! However, that’s not really an apples to apples comparison. It’s an awesome knife though for an auto.
The 945 is better. The Bugout looks and feels cheap. A Griptiillian with G-10 would be better.
All for at least $50 less
Prefer the 945
Hell the bugout itself is better than the 945