About an hour right into a brisk winter hike alongside my native path, pangs of starvation started to rumble. I attempted not to consider it, however quickly, the pangs turned stabs, and my progress stumbled.
Luckily, I’m an enormous fan of self-care, so I unshouldered my pack underneath a pine tree and eagerly eliminated the venison sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, crackers, and a chopping board I’d deliberate for lunch.
The star of this little charcuterie present, nevertheless, was the brand new Bougie Banter from WE Knife Co. and the mad thoughts of designer Ben Petersen. Half workhorse, half showhorse, the newest addition to the Banter lineup ranges up with S45VN metal, titanium handles scales, and Artwork Deco design cues. In complete, it marks a premium entry to a line of confirmed, hardworking knives.
In brief: With the Bougie Banter replace, Ben Petersen and WE Knife take a sensible design and make it premium. By means of a change of supplies, just a few tweaks in dimension and form, and extra trivialities, the Banter line-up now has an choice that appeals to these people searching for the right stability between a piece knife and a costume knife. Except the $200-plus price ticket and minor traits of titanium, there’s not a lot to not love about this blade.
In search of your excellent pocket knife? Take a look at the GearJunkie Information to the Finest Pocket Knives.
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S45VN Blade metal -
Artwork Deco design -
Crossbar lock
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Titanium will get chilly shortly
WE Knife Bougie Banter Overview
Design & Options
The Bougie Banter, the primary premium Banter in a lineup that has greater than 30 variants, excels in each type and performance. Not solely does it carry premium supplies and a very good construct, however the consideration to element and styling can be top-notch.
S45VN just isn’t precisely a standard metal, however it’s super-premium. Like its extra common sibling, S35VN, S45VN excels in abrasion and corrosion resistance and holds an edge very well. However S45VN does these issues a lot better. It additionally stays straightforward to sharpen. As one goes into the upper S-steels, sharpening turns into extra of a chore.
Titanium was an important selection for deal with supplies and the matching pocket clip. It offers the knife a extra vital really feel. Whereas I’m not typically an enormous fan of titanium scales — on their very own, they provide poor grip — the Bougie Banter’s washed end and micromilling on the handles do greater than elevate the look, they enhance the grip as properly.
Rounding out the Bougie Banter’s options is a superb mixture of ceramic bearings and a crossbar-style lock. This additionally makes the inclusion of metal liners a little bit of a head-scratcher. The titanium deal with scales are substantial sufficient for heavy use and abuse on their very own.
First Impressions
After I noticed the primary photos of the Bougie Banter, I figured I’d go on testing it. I at the moment spend extra time than most within the chilly and unforgiving open air. It’s no place for a flowery knife.
However then I learn the specs and realized that as fairly as this knife was to take a look at, it was additionally dialed in for severe, reliable work. What’s extra, the images on-line don’t practically do the Bougie Banter justice.
One of many first issues I observed was how properly the Bougie Banter slot in my hand. Up to now, the Banters have sported a taller deal with that fills your palm.
In comparison with the Banter 2, the Bougie Banter is 3/16-inch narrower within the stomach of its deal with, and that makes a distinction. It makes the Bougie Banter extra comfy for extra hand varieties as a result of it matches extra of them higher. Assume: match versus fill.
These points additionally make this knife extra exact for chopping, carving, and slicing — which permits the S45VN to actually shine.
Perhaps I’m simply used to S35VN, however S45VN has a particular really feel. Recent from the manufacturing facility, it could actually slice by twine, rope, and meat with a really satisfying really feel. In the event you grew up with a classroom paper cutter at school, it sounds and feels a bit like that — shearing.
And that brings us to the elephant within the room: appears. A variety of time, love, and tenderness went into the Artwork Deco end of the deal with scales, backspacer, and pocket clip. It’s an elevated look that pairs properly with the blue anodized {hardware}, pivot brand, and thumb stud. As bougie as it could be, this knife maintains a rugged and rustic attraction to it as properly.
Within the Area
Titanium can get very chilly. Fortunately, it doesn’t keep chilly. Like aluminum, the chilly shortly dissipates with the heat of your hand, even faster should you’re sporting gloves. Being that the Bougie Banter is almost 4 inches of titanium when held in your hand, this scientific attribute is a blessing in disguise in winter parts. If I take out my knife to place it to work, I’ll be glad I don’t want to attend for it to heat up like I do my 4Runner!
General, the Bougie Banter is a pleasure to make use of and carry. It labored properly for me on a number of day hikes, monitoring beavers within the native forest. This required plenty of watching, ready, and anticipating, which equates to small fires and copious alternatives to have some snacks. The S45VN metal did simply as properly prepping kindling because it did slicing sausage and cheese.
“Das Bougie” additionally turned a bit of après hike dialog piece throughout its time in my pocket. Due to its design and interesting supplies, it was handed round just a few instances on the native watering gap for individuals to admire.
And it doesn’t matter what I used it for through the day, the Bougie Banter was straightforward to wipe down again to a factory-fresh end. Supplies like titanium and S45VN don’t present any put on and tear from common use and abuse. The overabundance of stone washing helps out as properly.
In Conclusion
During the last couple of years, sensible knives with cheaper price factors have dominated the market. And Petersen noticed plenty of success in that enviornment along with his Banter line and along with his Landers. By shifting to a very premium knife, he created a higher-echelon providing for each his present followers whereas opening the door to a unique crowd of potential patrons.
Finally, the Bougie Banter is a wonderful knife. It’s one thing which you can EDC all day, but in addition will pair properly within the pocket of a flowery go well with. Although, I don’t assume Petersen wanted to go so laborious with the supplies he selected. With its enhanced design patterns and ano-blue accents, this knife may have lived off its appears alone and offered properly. However I’m glad he did.
Although S35VN is frequent and performs properly, S45VN is an underutilized, powerhouse metal that does a fair higher job resisting corrosion and abrasion, and conserving a pointy edge that’s straightforward to re-hone.
Will the Bougie be as common as the opposite Banters in his lineup? That’s laborious to say. As a lot as I like the way it appears, it’s fancy and, subsequently, could also be polarizing to some. Nevertheless it’s laborious to disregard its total efficiency qualities. The place there are different fancy knives that moonlight as chore masters, I’ve but to make use of one as refined, dependable, and efficient because the WE Knife Bougie Banter.
(Be aware: The Bougie Banter can be out there in a blue titanium variant.)
