Don’t Fear the Spine-Fire: Benchmade Shootout OTF Is an Awesome Auto EDC

It took me a while to get behind automatic knives. In fact, if I wasn’t gifted a Benchmade AFO II many moons ago, I may never have started using it. Automatics are complicated and if something goes wrong with them, you could be left with a paperweight when you really need a reliable knife (thankfully, that hasn’t happened to me yet).

Then there’s the legality issue. You need to know the laws where you are when you’re carrying one or you could end up in some hot water with authorities. Pro tip: the LegalBlade app by KnifeRights and Blade HQ are essential knife law resources. Even with these potential drawbacks, I’ve come to accept automatic knives into my blade collection. I use and carry them often; I appreciate their performance and the vibe that comes along with it.

But there remains one form of automatics that always feels more like a weapon more than a tool — to the point that I have never considered them an EDC. I’m talking about the OTF — “out the front” — automatic. At least, that’s what I thought until I took on the challenge of using an OTF auto as my EDC.

For the last month, Benchmade’s Shootout OTF has been my pocket-carry taskmaster. In that time, I have come to appreciate the nuances of this auto — in both its form and function. The Shootout OTF is an exciting knife to use that can make it appealing to users of different backgrounds and expertise. But, is it an EDC? Read on to find out.

In short: Benchmade’s Shootout is a double-action out-the-front knife. Although it faces the same legal scrutiny as a standard automatic, it’s twice as fun to use and carry. But is it a good EDC option? After a serious amount of testing, I think so.

Benchmade Shootout OTF Knife Review

Benchmade offers five Grivory models of the Shootout ($325-375), plus two models that have the brand’s CF-Elite carbon fiber handle material. This fall, Benchmade will release an electric purple Grivory variant that is visually stunning. The Crater Blue version that I tested will stay in the rotation for a little while.

It’s rugged enough to pair well with a flannel and work boots and sharp enough to go with a suit (if I ever have to put one on again).

Design & Features

The Benchmade Shootout OTF is a light- to medium-duty automatic knife. It’s made from contoured and textured Grivory casing and carries a tanto-style CPM-CruWear blade. The blade also has a PVD coating for added corrosion and abrasion resistance. For carry options, the Shootout has a deep carry pocket clip and a lanyard slot in the butt cap of the knife.

The Shootout is a double-action, spine-fire-style knife. This means the blade is deployed and retracted using a singular button. This also makes the Shootout quite fun to play with, but it can attract a lot of attention with the noise it makes going in and out.

If you get this knife, I recommend you chill out with it in public. If you need a quick fix, go run off somewhere and get a few spine fires in. But don’t take too long, or people are going to think you’re a weirdo.

CPM-CruWear is a tough tool steel that brands like Benchmade have rotated into their lineups in the past few years. Aside from being a tough, high-alloy steel, CruWear (like M4) has decent edge retention. It’s easy to sharpen and can be honed to a razor edge with little time and effort.

The downside: CPM-CruWear can corrode fairly easily if you don’t take care of it.

Benchmade’s choice to add PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating to the Shootout’s blade was a good one. PVD involves a thin layer of protection that’s vacuum-bonded to the surface of the steel. It’s comparable to Cerakoting in terms of longevity, but much thinner.

What’s in a Name?

Aside from its name, Benchmade’s Shootout series doesn’t share many characteristics with the Bugout and Bailout lines.

All three share Benchmade’s Grivory material for handles. This allows for the knives to be lightweight and durable with excellent grip. Plus, the butt cap on both the Bailout and Shootout can be used for lanyards. But that’s about it.

However, it should be stated that all three lines have benefitted from some serious attention by the butterfly brand. This summer and now moving into fall, Benchmade continues to introduce new handle colors and blade coatings to these line-ups.

First Impressions

My experience with OTF knives is very limited. I’ve messed around with a few at knife shows, but I never owned or carried one before the Shootout. From the get-go, I really liked the contouring and the grip of the handle. It fit my hand well and was also very lightweight.

Benchmade has gone some great directions with its color combinations and the juxtaposition of the Crater Blue Grivory and bronze PVD coating of the blade, spine fire button, and butt cap looks very sharp.

‘Accidental Fire’ Test

The common misconception about OTF knives available to civilians is that if you press it against your body and fire it off, it’ll stab deep into you. This is kind of true, but not entirely. It’s going to suck if you hold it against your leg and spine-fire it, but only the tip of the blade will stick into you.

In order to test this theory, I sacrificed one of my garden Beefeater tomatoes. The end result was roughly one inch of blade going into the fleshy pulp of my fresh-picked garden treasure.

So, not that I’m promoting it, but you’d get better penetration if you deployed the blade and used your force to stab it. But be aware: Once the blade is out, it’s out — and it won’t retract until you manually retract that spine fire button.

If you’re concerned about a pocket accident, I’d note that it takes considerable, intentional effort to deploy the spine fire. In theory, it’s possible the mechanism could snag on something, and the right amount of movement and force could fire it. But that would require a near-perfect storm of factors. In my opinion, the Benchmade Shootout is safe to carry.

In the Field

I had no idea of what to expect from this auto on my first outdoor adventure with it. By design, I knew I couldn’t pry with it. And there was no way I was going to baton kindling with it. As someone who overlaps an EDC knife with the knife I carry on outdoor adventures, I knew that the Shootout would lean more toward daily tasks instead of camp ones. That approach worked out great, but I also discovered its value in the great outdoors.

Due to its slender profile and razor-sharp edge, the blade turned out to be awesome for slicing up veggies. The hot and humid weather in New England resulted in some serious garden growth. In the month I tested the Shootout, I brought in three to four cucumbers a day and twice as many tomatoes.

Because of this, I did a lot of prep work on the front deck, getting my farm-to-table groove on. On trail, the Shootout made for a great shaving tool to craft tinder bundles and fir sticks. I had no doubt it could slice through rope and straps if I ended up in a jam, but I left anything more demanding to my belt knife.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fidget factor here. The Shootout provides hours of mindless fun. You can cycle the blade in and out, zone out, and really soak up time. But I wouldn’t recommend it in public. Off the trail, in the backyard, watching TV at home — sure. In public, spine-firing this knife and retracting it is only going to draw the attention of someone who’s going to freak out about it. Think Murphy’s Law.

I’m honestly happy the deep carry pocket clip buries it so deep in my pocket, so I won’t put a lanyard on it.

Pro tip: Make sure that the blade is clean and dry before retracting it. Once the blade goes back into its spring-loaded Grivory cave, whatever’s on it can, and will, gunk things up.

Conclusion

Unless you’re working for some black-ops outfit on the side, you’re never going to need an OTF knife. But once you have the chance to fidget with one, you’ll want one.

They’re a bit of an addiction. Even if I pick up the Shootout to put it into my pocket, I need to cycle it three or four times at a minimum. So, just keep in mind that a little self-control can go a long way with a knife like this.

Still, a knife like the Shootout actually can make for a great EDC knife. It’s durable, dependable, and made from desirable materials. Additionally, it only requires a little maintenance here and there to keep it working in good order.

You can jam up the spring if you don’t push the spine fire button sufficiently, but a flick of the wrist provides an easy fix. If you use this knife as designed, you’ll get a lifetime of use out of it.