Benchmade’s Best All-Around EDC Knife Now Boasts an Extremely Rare and Stunning Blade Steel

The unique rippling material with over 2,000 years of history was previously only available on a pricey, heritage-honoring balisong.

Close-up of a gray Benchmade knife handle showing screws and part of the patterned blade.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published 1 hour ago

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Knife knerds know that one of the coolest blade materials dates back to ancient times, when Middle Eastern blacksmiths pounded out a special steel from India called wootz to make swords that shimmered as beautifully as they sliced.

I speak of course of Damascus steel, which in its modern incarnation boasts a potent combo of edge retention and toughness while retaining that telltale rippling appearance.

Folding knife with patterned Damascus steel blade and textured black handle on a dark surface. — The default Bugout on the knife’s Custom page now features a Dama Monarch blade and a black G10 handle.

While the material can now be found in pretty affordable knives, exclusive treatments from legendary specialists like Söderfors, Sweden’s Damasteel (established 1676), up the ante to a dazzling level.

Case in point, the newest blade steel option available in a Benchmade Custom Bugout, Monarch Damasteel.

Butterfly kisses

What is Monarch Damasteel? If you suspected from the name that this steel might be specific to the brand whose logo is a butterfly, you’d be correct.

This material is so exclusive that it previously only appeared on one of the brand’s $1,300 Gold Class Necron balisong knives.

Close-up of a Benchmade folding knife with a patterned Damascus steel blade and a textured blue handle. — Between the logo and the blade steel, the new Custom Bugout and Bailout are pocket conversation pieces.

That’s a fitting place for it, as it both honors the brand’s heritage and helps explain the logo: The very first product de Asis made was, you guessed it, a butterfly knife.

Getting into the nitty-gritty, Damasteel forged Monarch Damasteel (aka Dama Monarch) for Benchmade, combining RWL34 and PMC27 steels into a regal pattern that plays nicely with the butterfly logo.

The flowing, elegant lines aren’t just for looks, though: the combo offers excellent corrosion resistance, edge retention and toughness as well.

Folding knife with patterned silver blade and textured olive green handle on a green background. — The default Custom Bailout now features a Dama Monarch blade and an olive drab aluminum handle.

Making it available on a Bugout, meanwhile, brings gorgeous aesthetics and impressive performance to a much more practical form factor.

Editor’s note: For those who favor a lovable underdog, a more rugged vibe and/or a reverse tanto blade shape, Benchmade has also added Dama Monarch as an option on the Custom Bailout.

EDC superstar

You probably don’t need me to tell you that the Bugout is arguably the best all-around EDC knife you can buy. That’s been GP’s take for a few years now.

Revisiting the knife in a 2023 review, our own Sean Tirman wrote: “From a top-down perspective, the Benchmade 535 Bugout is a brilliant example of everything falling neatly into place — the perfect storm of a release, so to speak.

Close-up of a folding knife with a patterned blade and textured black handle featuring a green thumb stud. — While Grivory is the most affordable handle material, the G10 and aluminum options do complement the Dama Monarch pattern quite nicely, I must admit.

“It filled a niche in the knife world — namely, a moderately high-end folder with outstanding materials and a tremendous amount of utility along with practicality and portability.”

That’s high praise for a knife that launched six years earlier (2017) and has performed so well that the same basic design reigns to this day.

Highlights include a 3.24-inch drop-point blade, ergonomic handle, Benchmade’s unbeatable AXIS crossbar lock, a reversible mini deep carry pocket clip, a triangular lanyard slot and a high-but-not-unreachable starting price of $180.

Folding knife with a patterned Damascus steel blade and a matte silver handle on a dark surface. — If you’ve got the scratch and crave a knife that will last for generations, the Dama Monarch + Titanium handle ($610) is worth considering.

What has changed, or rather expanded, is the range of materials with which you can outfit it. Heck, search for “Bugout” on Benchmade’s own site and you’ll get 24 results, most of which are different blade and handle treatments, plus spinoffs such as the Mini Bugout and TaggedOut.

That’s not even counting the Custom option, which just got even more compelling thanks to Dama Monarch.

Availability and pricing

The Benchmade Bugout with Monarch Damasteel is available through the brand’s Custom program. While the price shown on the Custom Bugout page is $470, you can swap the G10 handle for Grivory and drop the starting price to $410.

Note: The Custom Bailout with the same blade and handle materials starts at $300.

Folding knife with patterned silver blade and textured black handle.

Benchmade Bugout (Monarch Damasteel)

Starts at $410

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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