Pocket knives · owner-verdict comparison

Benchmade Bugout 535 vs Kershaw Leek: what real owners say

Real owners rate these about evenly: 78% of 74 Benchmade Bugout 535 owners recommend it, vs 83% of 184 for the Kershaw Leek.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Benchmade Bugout 535

78%of 74 owners recommend
78% recommend · 6% neutral · 16% don't
Owners praise
  • Favorite EDC that owners love and would rebuy
  • Ultralight and slim, disappears in the pocket
  • Excellent slicer with a sharp, well-ground blade
Owners complain about
  • Pricey and feels cheap/plastic for the cost
Full owner report →

Kershaw Leek

83%of 184 owners recommend
83% recommend · 6% neutral · 11% don't
Owners praise
  • Thin, light, and disappears in the pocket
  • Razor sharp and holds a good edge
  • Outstanding value for the price
Owners complain about
  • Thin tip chips or snaps off easily
  • Assisted opening / torsion bar wears out or safety fails
  • Slippery and easy to lose; weak pocket clip
Full owner report →

What Benchmade Bugout 535 owners say

“My favorite is the bugout much to my fathers chagrin.”
— @LittleWranglerStar on YouTube
“Seems like bagging on a knife designed to be light weight for not being heavy duty enough is like complaining that your corvette isn't any good for rock crawling.”
— @starshiplazyboy475 on YouTube
“Who knew a plastic handle would sound like plastic, and feel lighter than aluminum? Absolutely astonished.”
— @nickdonaldz on YouTube

What Kershaw Leek owners say

“ill take the leek all day. The safety is an awesome touch, the spring assist is quick and never opens in my pocket by accident whereas the blur did a few times and i quite enjoy the slightly smaller size of it”
— @Beamer-Fonz on YouTube
“The safety slider was actually what sold it for me.”
— @bmljenny on YouTube
“the torsion bar in a assisted knife will wear out after awhile and it won’t have enough force to fully flip open and lock in place, that’s what happened to my Kershaw leek.”
— boglimaniac on Reddit