From Practical to Premium: The Banter Goes Bougie

About an hour into a brisk winter hike along my local trail, pangs of hunger began to rumble. I tried not to think about it, but soon, the pangs became stabs, and my progress stumbled.

Fortunately, I’m a big fan of self-care, so I unshouldered my pack under a pine tree and eagerly removed the venison sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, crackers, and a cutting board I’d planned for lunch.

The star of this little charcuterie show, however, was the new Bougie Banter from WE Knife Co. and the mad mind of designer Ben Petersen. Part workhorse, part showhorse, the latest addition to the Banter lineup levels up with S45VN steel, titanium handles scales, and Art Deco design cues. In total, it marks a premium entry to a line of proven, hardworking knives.

In short: With the Bougie Banter update, Ben Petersen and WE Knife take a practical design and make it premium. Through a change of materials, a few tweaks in size and shape, and additional minutiae, the Banter line-up now has an option that appeals to those folks looking for the perfect balance between a work knife and a dress knife. With the exception of the $200-plus price tag and minor characteristics of titanium, there’s not much to not love about this blade.

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WE Knife Bougie Banter Review

Design & Features

The Bougie Banter, the first premium Banter in a lineup that has more than 30 variants, excels in both form and function. Not only does it carry premium materials and an excellent build, but the attention to detail and styling is also top-notch.

S45VN is not exactly a common steel, but it is super-premium. Like its more popular sibling, S35VN, S45VN excels in abrasion and corrosion resistance and holds an edge really well. But S45VN does those things much better. It also remains easy to sharpen. As one goes into the higher S-steels, sharpening becomes more of a chore.

Titanium was a great choice for handle materials and the matching pocket clip. It gives the knife a more significant feel. While I am not generally a huge fan of titanium scales — on their own, they offer poor grip — the Bougie Banter’s washed finish and micromilling on the handles do more than elevate the look, they improve the grip as well.

Rounding out the Bougie Banter’s features is a great combination of ceramic bearings and a crossbar-style lock. This also makes the inclusion of steel liners a bit of a head-scratcher. The titanium handle scales are substantial enough for heavy use and abuse on their own.

First Impressions

When I saw the first images of the Bougie Banter, I figured I would pass on testing it. I currently spend more time than most in the cold and unforgiving outdoors. It’s no place for a fancy knife.

But then I read the specs and realized that as pretty as this knife was to look at, it was also dialed in for serious, legitimate work. What’s more, the pictures online don’t nearly do the Bougie Banter justice.

One of the first things I noticed was how well the Bougie Banter fit in my hand. To date, the Banters have sported a taller handle that fills your palm.

Compared to the Banter 2, the Bougie Banter is 3/16-inch narrower in the belly of its handle, and that makes a difference. It makes the Bougie Banter more comfortable for more hand types because it fits more of them better. Think: fit versus fill.

These aspects also make this knife more precise for cutting, carving, and slicing — which allows the S45VN to really shine.

Maybe I’m just used to S35VN, but S45VN has a distinctive feel. Fresh from the factory, it can slice through cord, rope, and meat with a very satisfying feel. If you grew up with a classroom paper cutter in school, it sounds and feels a bit like that — shearing.

And that brings us to the elephant in the room: looks. A lot of time, love, and tenderness went into the Art Deco finish of the handle scales, backspacer, and pocket clip. It’s an elevated look that pairs well with the blue anodized hardware, pivot logo, and thumb stud. As bougie as it may be, this knife maintains a rugged and rustic appeal to it as well.

In the Field

Titanium can get very cold. Thankfully, it doesn’t stay cold. Like aluminum, the cold quickly dissipates with the warmth of your hand, even quicker if you’re wearing gloves. Being that the Bougie Banter is nearly 4 inches of titanium when held in your hand, this scientific characteristic is a blessing in disguise in winter elements. If I take out my knife to put it to work, I’ll be glad I don’t need to wait for it to warm up like I do my 4Runner!

Overall, the Bougie Banter is a joy to use and carry. It worked well for me on multiple day hikes, tracking beavers in the local forest. This required a lot of watching, waiting, and anticipating, which equates to small fires and copious opportunities to have some snacks. The S45VN steel did just as well prepping kindling as it did slicing sausage and cheese.

“Das Bougie” also became a little après hike conversation piece during its time in my pocket. Because of its design and appealing materials, it was passed around a few times at the local watering hole for people to admire.

And no matter what I used it for during the day, the Bougie Banter was easy to wipe down back to a factory-fresh finish. Materials like titanium and S45VN don’t show any wear and tear from regular use and abuse. The overabundance of stone washing helps out as well.

In Conclusion

Over the last couple of years, practical knives with lower price points have dominated the market. And Petersen saw a lot of success in that arena with his Banter line and with his Landers. By shifting to a truly premium knife, he created a higher-echelon offering for both his current followers while opening the door to a different crowd of prospective buyers.

Ultimately, the Bougie Banter is a beautiful knife. It’s something that you can EDC all day, but also will pair well in the pocket of a fancy suit. Though, I don’t think Petersen needed to go so hard with the materials he chose. With its enhanced design patterns and ano-blue accents, this knife could have lived off its looks alone and sold well. But I am glad he did.

Though S35VN is common and performs well, S45VN is an underutilized, powerhouse steel that does an even better job resisting corrosion and abrasion, and keeping a sharp edge that’s easy to re-hone.

Will the Bougie be as popular as the other Banters in his lineup? That’s hard to say. As much as I admire how it looks, it is fancy and, therefore, may be polarizing to some. But it’s hard to ignore its overall performance qualities. Where there are other fancy knives that moonlight as chore masters, I’ve yet to use one as refined, reliable, and effective as the WE Knife Bougie Banter.

(Note: The Bougie Banter is also available in a blue titanium variant.)