Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
Benchmade Bugout 535 vs CIVIVI Elementum
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Pocket Knives: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Bugout is the lightest knife here by a wide margin and the only one with a lock you can work from either hand without putting a finger in the blade path, backed by a lifetime warranty and free sharpening. The Elementum costs a fraction of it and publishes just as much detail, which is why it is the value answer rather than a compromise.
Benchmade Bugout 535
Buy itUnder two ounces, premium steel, and the best one-handed lock in the category.
- 1.85 ounces with a 3.24 inch blade, the lightest knife here by a full ounce.
- CPM-S30V run at 58-60 HRC, a stainless steel chosen for edge holding rather than ease of sharpening.
- The AXIS lock opens and closes with either hand and keeps your fingers out of the blade path when you close it.
- The Grivory handle is light but flexes noticeably compared with a G10 or steel-lined scale.
- The clip is tip-up right carry only on this configuration, with no four-position option.
- S30V is harder to bring back to a fine edge at home than softer stainless.
CIVIVI Elementum
Buy itThe budget folder that publishes more of its own specification than knives costing five times as much.
- Full published spec sheet: 6.99 inches overall, 2.96 inch blade, 4.03 inches closed, 0.12 inch blade stock.
- D2 tool steel at 58-60 HRC on a caged ceramic ball bearing pivot, which is why it drops open the way it does.
- G10 scales over stainless liners, a construction usually reserved for knives well above this price.
- D2 is a semi-stainless tool steel and will spot if you carry it wet and forget about it.
- At 2.89 ounces it is the heaviest knife here despite having a shorter blade than the Bugout.
- The clip is tip-up right carry only, so left-handed carry means living with it.
Side by side
| Benchmade Bugout 535 | CIVIVI Elementum | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone who carries a knife every day and notices weight, and who wants a lock that works ambidextrously. | A first serious folder, or a knife you would rather lose than worry about. |
| Price tier | $$ · premium | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Benchmade Bugout 535 - Under two ounces, premium steel, and the best one-handed lock in the category. Choose the CIVIVI Elementum instead if a first serious folder, or a knife you would rather lose than worry about.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Pocket Knives: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).